Legal Commentary

Biden's Views on Liberal Democrats

By Jeralyn

Joe Biden to the New Hampshire Leader in 2007:

Biden was generally critical of the far left wing of his party and of the strategies the frontrunners are using to win the nomination.

He said Democrats would do better if they stopped dividing the electorate by playing to their base and instead brought people together. He criticized the left wing of his party for demonizing the rich and Republicans.

“Rich folks are as patriotic as poor folks, but we don’t talk that way,” he said.

Biden also talked about his electoral strategy:[More...]

“I don’t want to be President if that’s the way I have to win, because I can’t govern that way,” he said. He said that as President he would hope to have enough red state support to get his legislation through Congress.

If he gets the nomination, he would run on a 15 red-state strategy. He thinks he can win 15 red states — such as Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri — which would give him enough of a base of support in Congress to govern effectively.

He criticized Hillary Clinton for antagonizing Republicans:

When Hillary Clinton has bragged about how she upsets the right wing, he said he’s wanted to tell her, “If you weren’t the nominee, the right wing would not be so exercised.”

He doesn’t think he would draw as much conservative ire and could even win over independents and some Republicans, he said.

The reporter for the New Hampshire paper wondered why he was criticizing voters in his own party.

He acknowledged that such comments get him into trouble with liberals, but he expressed what seemed to be genuine frustration with what he saw as missed opportunities to broaden the party’s appeal.

Have I mentioned that Joe Biden "wholeheartedly supported" the actions of federal agents at Waco and reportedly "visibly sneered at witnesses in Senate hearings who questioned agents' acts."

On Biden the gaffe machine. This is one of my favorites:

""I've had a great relationship (with Indian Americans). In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking,"

Article here.

As to Biden teaching constitutional law, he's been in the Senate since Nixon was in the White House. He became a Senator after a three or four year non-descript career as a lawyer.

I'm going to try and come around to believing I should vote for this ticket. It won't be easy. And even if I do, I'm not going to lay off criticizing him.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 23, 2008 (boomark / email).