Joe Biden, Taxes and Foot in Mouth Disease

A little story about US Vice-President Joe Biden putting his foot squarely in his mouth in a frozen custard store:

Then it got really bad. Biden engaged the owner in conversation. "What do we owe you?" he asked, licking a cone. "Lower our taxes and we'll call it even," the owner replied.

Leave it there, Joe! Don't do it!

But no, Biden just had to answer back, for the benefit of the cable news channels. "Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time? Say something nice," he snorted.

In fairness, Biden claimed that he was "just kidding" with the owner. Which he may well have been, but it is still a very stupid retort and one that is perhaps more revealing about Biden's thought process than he might like. There is nothing wrong with asking for lower taxes - it isn't a nasty comment, and it certainly isn't being a smartass (despite what The Guardian inevitably implies at the very end of the article). Biden appears to be demonstrating the arrogance that has become an epidemic among politicians on both sides of the Atlantic - that the tax we pay is their money to spend, rather than something they should be looking to minimise on behalf of those they claim to represent.

I suppose that America can at least be grateful that their Vice-President tries to engage with the public - even if it is in a patronising and dismissive way. It is certainly very different from the example set by... I don't know, Gordon Brown - who might disagree with a voter, but would say nothing to them or about them until he was safely in his car.

Barack and the Beer Summit

Barack Obama loses it:

The meeting, dubbed the "beer summit" by the US media, saw Henry Louis Gates Jr and James Crowley of Cambridge police sit with each other in the presence of Obama and Joe Biden, the vice-president.

Now, for those of you not in the know, Gates Jr was arrested by Crowley for trying to break into his own house. Gates cried racism, and Obama - involving himself when he really should have known better - agreed. Except as it turned out, everyone came across as a bit of a wanker in this scenario, leaving Obama in the position of having to "walk back" his comments. 

And this is how he does it. Through a beer summit in the White House. 

This, truly, is the politics of Gordon Brown. Obama involved himself in a dispute that has bugger all connection to the Presidency. It is like Brown commenting on Jade Goody, or Susan fucking Boyle. And how does Obama try to solve the problem? A beer summit? A crap photo shoot at which no-one - bar Smilin' Joe Biden - looks comfortable at? Jesus Christ, get a grip.

Obama is meant to be the President of the United States of America. The leader of the Free World. And here he is, having beers with people he doesn't give the first fuck about because he stuck his oar into a debate that had nothing to do with him. He has got himself into a dumb situation simply because of his refusal to say "sorry, I should have just kept my mouth shut." It comes across as pretty pathetic. 

Hillary on the Sidelines

Accurate yet not surprising:

There is little doubt that Hillary Clinton’s star has significantly waned since January. Hugely overshadowed by a White House that dominates US foreign policy, the former first lady rarely makes headlines on policy questions. She has gone from fiery senator and presidential contender to increasingly marginalized run of the mill bureaucrat.

Of course Hillary has been marginalised - why else would Obama have made her Secretary of State? He is an interventionist, energetic young President. He leads policy in his administration - domestic and foreign. The various secretaries and other Cabinet members are there because the Constitution demands it; not as policy leaders. 

Obama knew that Hillary's vanity meant she wouldn't be able to resist the position of Secretary of State, but also knew that by tying her so closely to his administration she would have to be loyal to him, and couldn't set herself up as a potential rival for the Democratic nomination in 2012. Of course he didn't offer it to Clinton because he likes or respects her - the Clinton v. Obama primary battle was arguably even more bitter than the General Election campaign against McCain. No, Obama made her Secretary of State because, for all his flaws, he is a savvy political operator. He's using the age-old advice of "keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer."

In fact, he did something similar to Smilin' Joe Biden when he offered him the Vice-Presidency. Two of the leading lights of the Democratic party are now part of the Obama administration - they cannot oppose him or run against him without destroying their own careers by appearing disloyal. 

As I've noted on several occasions, the Republican Party doesn't seem able to offer a credible alternative to Obama. And Obama has managed to neutralise many of the potential Democratic alternatives who haven't managed to neutralise themselves. At this rate, he is going to coast to renomination and re-election in 2012. 

So of course Hillary Clinton has been marginalised. She became Secretary of State precisely so she could become a footnote in the history of the Obama Administration. It is what he had planned for her from the moment she accepted the job. 

John McCain: Why He Failed

Amidst all the jubilation of the Democrats and, in particular, the Obama campaign, spare a thought for an old man. An old man on his last hurrah who has had his hopes dashed. An old man who has given a great deal for his country, yet was beaten in the final analysis by a much younger and less experienced man. Although a younger guy with better hair. Yes, spare a thought for John McCain. Regardless of whether he thought he could sneak a victory in at the last minute or not, the past 24 hours have been shitty for Senator McCain. And the disappointment won’t be going away any time soon.

Make no mistake about it, this was the last chance saloon for McCain. Pretty much all the other candidates in this election could have another go for the Presidents – Clinton, Palin (*shivers*), Huckabee (*retches*), Romney, Biden (possibly), maybe even Edwards (if people can get over his inability to keep his pants zipped up outside of his marriage) – these people could all have another shot at the Presidency. Had Obama lost, he certainly could have done (and, I reckon, would have done). But for McCain, the game is up. He’s 72 now; the next time the Presidential Election circus comes to town, he’ll be 76. He’s not running again. His White House dream died at 4am this morning.

But I’m not going to spend too much time wailing on behalf of John McCain. His real time – the moment when he should have won the nomination and then the presidency – was eight years ago, but he lost it to Bush. This time he looked more than ever like a man in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he really didn’t help himself, and his defeat has as much to do with his own actions as with the man he was up against.

There are some things that McCain just could not help. He is in the same party as a deeply unpopular, and also hated, President. That party has also developed political schizophrenia, torn between fiscal conservatives and rabid, Christian fundamentalist loonies. And McCain worked hard to distance himself from his President and from his party. But ultimately he is Republican, and this year was perhaps the worst year to run as Republican since 1976.

Events also seemed to conspire against Senator McCain, and it never helps when the economy tanks and you are representing the incumbent party. Yet here, there is more McCain could have done. Yes, events are unpredictable, but politicians have complete control over how they respond to them. And as the US economy slipped into a critical state, McCain’s choice of at first denying there was a problem, then noticing the issue before suspending his campaign to look presidential looks in the cold light of day like a not just a strategic blunder, but actually a campaign calamity.

He also dropped the ball by going very negative on Obama at a late stage in the campaign. Whilst he stopped short of doing the cut throat character assassination himself, all the talk of Obama being a pal of terrorists, and the rumours about Obama not being Christian or being a Muslim were not just untrue, but also showed the level of debate that McCain was aiming at. Yeah, Obama’s lofty sentiments about change were (and are) completely intangible, but at least they sounded positive. To attack an opponent during depressing economic times adds to the sum total of misery within a country, which is never going to go down to well.

But for me, the real blunder was the choice of Vice-President. At first, Governor Palin really seemed to help the McCain campaign. However, in the final analysis the only real ways in which she gathered praise was by being female, and being able to read from an autocue at a national convention. As soon as the razor thin Palin façade was scratched, it became clear that America was being asked to put an out and out, fundamentalist winker a heart beat away from the Presidency. After eight years of having a out and out, fundamentalist wanker as President. And given his health problems and age, McCain’s choice of vice-presidential candidate took on an even more urgent and important tone.

And it wasn’t just the person who was the issue with McCain’s choice of Vice-President. After all, Biden is a twice failed Presidential candidate and Kinnock plagiarist. He also has a tendency to have what you might call foot-in-mouth disease. But Biden was a dull choice, uninspired, but safe. Palin was a gamble – a massive, scary gamble. And McCain has made it clear for everyone – when you gamble, things can go wrong as well as right. Ultimately, though, he should have known just how much of a risk Palin was. He should have done the leg work, he should have met with her more than twice, he should have her had her properly vetted. And had he done all that, he might have seen that Palin would end up as a millstone round his neck rather than the life jacket he so desperately needed.

McCain comes across as someone who has fought his whole life. The sad truth for him is that he lost his final battle. And when you look at it, the failure was down to him as much as it was down to anyone else.

Sarah Palin, Commander in Chief

The Economist on Sarah Palin:

"Inexperienced and Bush-level incurious. She has no record of interest in foreign policy, let alone expertise. She once told an Alaskan magazine: “I’ve been so focused on state government; I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.” She obtained an American passport only last summer to visit Alaskan troops in Germany and Kuwait. This not only blunts Mr McCain’s most powerful criticism of Mr Obama. It also raises serious questions about the way he makes decisions."

Now the inital excitement about Sarah Palin's selection by McCain has died down, we can take a more objective look at what she represents. And it isn't good. Forget her gender, forget the fact that her daughter is pregnant. Look instead at the candidate. This inexperienced governor from a highly atypical US state whose views on the nation and the world make George W Bush's look expansive could end up just a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Yes, she is photogenic. Yes, she can make a rousing speech in a room full of friends. If she wasn't able to do either of these two things, then she would still be a nobody governor from a nowhere state. But the role she is running to shadow requires a great deal more that just those two things. Her lack of experience could be spun so she is presented as the Washington outsider; that spin is blunted when you realise that, ideologically speaking, she is very similar to the incumbent President. Change will only come to America if the candidates concerned actually want change. If you put Bush Jr and Palin next to each other, the only real differences are cosmetic - she looks a lot less dumb than him. Ideologically, they stand shoulder to shoulder.

Much has already been made in this election of the similarities between real life and The West Wing: Barack Obama as Matt Santos, John McCain as Arnold Vinick; you could even cast Joe Biden as Leo McGarry. But Palin's sudden elevation to the national political stage reminds me more of another US political series - the far inferior Commander In Chief. In that, a typical, right wing Republican President puts a photogenic, maverick independent female on his ticket. He dies in office, and that Vice-President becomes President. It is tempting to point out the similarities between the premise of the show and the situation for the Republicans. The truth is that McCain is far closer to being the maverick independent, whilst Palin is the dyed in the wool, carbon copy Bush era Republican. If McCain is elected, and then shuffles off this mortal coil, America and the world will not thank him for his choice of Vice-President when they realise she is the same as what has gone before.

McCain has done himself, and his campaign, few favours with his selection of Vice-President.

Vice-President Palin

Well, that was a genuine surprise.

On one hand, it would be a great choice. Palin is female, and likely to appeal to moderate Democrats who favoured Clinton for the Democratic nomination. She is also a Washington outsider; the only candidate on either of the main tickets who is not a Senator.

Yet... she is perhaps the only politician in the US who can make Obama look highly qualified. No-one in the US has really heard of her outside of Alaska. And she will be the one who is a heartbeat away from the presidency, serving under the oldest President in history who has already had serious health problems. Palin could become President if the McCain-Palin ticket wins in November - and are the American people really going to be willing to take the risk with an inexperienced governor of a small, remote state who could end up as President?

Whatever happens, this much is clear - McCain has take a massive gamble with his choice of Vice-Presidential candidate. It is a far bolder choice than Obama's, and I kind of admire that willingness to take a risk. Whether or not this choice will blow up in McCain's face, though, remains to be seen...

Vice-President Biden

So, Senator Joe Biden is Obama's choice for Vice-President. A man who memorably dropped out of a run for the Presidency over 20 years ago for stealing from a speech by... Neil Kinnock. And he has been added to the ticket by Obama to add political weight. Sheesh. Still, at least Obama didn't cave into pressure and go for the Clinton option.

Right now, it is tempting to go for the historical parallels. And just as many look at Obama and see JFK, so you could look at Biden and see LBJ. A respected, capable and experienced Senator added to a ticket to balance a more photogenic but far less experienced Senator. And on some levels, Obama and Biden might want history to repeat itself. After, the JFK/LBJ ticket won. But that is probably where they would like the historical precedents to stop. After all, JFK was gunned down allowing LBJ to become a briefly popular president, before being utterly destroyed and discredited by the Vietnam War.

Of course, Biden also reminds me of someone else - this time a fictional character. Namely, Chief of Staff Leo McGarry in The West Wing - a hugely influential figure in the Democrats chosen to balance the ticket of the far less experienced Matt Santos. Which is hardly surprising, given who Matt Santos was based on. But again, this comparison might not offer Biden a lot of comfort, given the eventual fate of McGarry in the final season...