The truth is, Sen. Joe Biden is a far worse speaker than even President Bush. His misstatements are common, and his comment on Sen. Barack Obama is only the latest:
“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” he said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”
I can give Biden a pass on this one, with conditions. I’ll assume that, by “clean,” Biden means without major scandals in his past. I’ll also assume that by “the first mainstream African-American” he means “the first mainstream African-American who has a chance of winning the presidency.”
Casual talk. On a daily basis, we fill in the blanks in casual conversations with people we know. If all our words were transcribed and analyzed, we might be accused of all sorts of offenses against morality and logic. But we generally give one another a break. We assume our friends talk in shorthand, that the generalities are subject to exceptions, that they just didn’t have time to mention some important details.
That being said, Biden has other problems. He has brief flashes of brilliance, but he devotes most of his statements to pompous partisanship and tough-guy goofiness.
He has yet to learn there’s a difference between big talk and a big mouth.
Frank Warner
How is it a democrat can make this comment and everyone jumps to defend him, but if a republican said it they would be all over him? Double standard. If you are a democrat you can say the n word (Byrd), or mock the people who work in convenience marts and call a black candidate clean as opposed to all the other candidates who aren't clean (Biden).
Posted by: Preevyet | February 02, 2007 at 02:33 PM
The problem is you could say this about many previous politicians and for some reason he decides that Barack Obama needs to be praised like this. As if the usual black is corrupt, mumbling, and ugly.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor | February 02, 2007 at 05:00 PM
The problem is, political public speaking is like passing through a minefield.
The words you choose might feel as safe as a walk in the park, but it's not a park, and you don't rush through carelessly.
Sometimes someone who talks fast and loose gives you the truth. Who knows? But I doubt Biden is a racist.
Sometimes someone who talks fast and loose simply gives you nonsense.
Biden's problem is that he should know better by now, but no one ever told him to shut up. Until now.
He's got a safe seat. He'll have to be satisfied with it.
Posted by: Frank Warner | February 02, 2007 at 06:34 PM
I think you're right, Frank. I don't like his yammering about the war and Bush. He has an annoying voice, maybe because I usually disagree with him. But I don't think he's a racist. He just talks too much. He'll never be President because of that alone. The days of the Great Communicator are over. If you say two things, people today will find fault with one or the other.
Posted by: jj mollo | February 02, 2007 at 07:36 PM
He's a racist, he's just not a deliberate, thinking one. He's the kind of racist that assumes blacks need help to make it because they're too weak and uneducated and inferior to do it on their own. He's the kind of racist that thinks when John Kerry can speak plain sentences and use big words, he's just a normal politician, but when Barack Obama does, he's "articulate." He's the kind of racist that assumes someone who has a black father and a white mother is black rather than white.
He's the kind of racist who thinks that matters either way. In short, he's the kind of racist that many on the left are: the soft bigotry of low expectations.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor | February 02, 2007 at 07:49 PM
Very interesting, Christopher. Maybe you're right. I'll have to think about it.
I do want to point out that Obama is indeed articulate if the word has any meaning at all. I saw his DNC speech next to Hillary's. Wow! I had no idea! John Kerry's speaking abilities are abominable. Hillary's are almost as bad. Obama's from a different planet. He's got the music.
So far I don't like what he has to say. I think he's inexperienced. My suspicions about his character were damaged by his run-in with McCain, for whom I have the greatest respect. All that aside, he has superb pacing and voice control. I think that alone makes him a formidable candidate. If Biden was burbling, I can understand why. The Republicans are going to have to come up with some better speakers. They'd better hope that Hillary gets the nomination.
Posted by: jj mollo | February 03, 2007 at 12:19 AM
Sure, he's articulate, like most politicians are. That's their job, to communicate ideas and win people with their words and presence. He'd be pretty lousy as a politician if he wasn't - but he's not uniquely articulate, and there's something sad about people leaping to use that word to describe black politicians and not bothering with any others.
Whites, we presume are articulate, they don't talk like mushmouth from the Cosby kids. If the context were "wow compared to other politicians he's well-spoken, he's really gifted" like you just said, that's great. But that's not how it's put. Heck, Jesse Jackson and Alan Keyes were both incredibly gifted speakers too - compared to their peers especially Keyes was magic. Too bad he turned out to be a loon and a sell out.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor | February 03, 2007 at 02:33 PM
Well, I've heard some good speakers and some bad speakers. IMO, politicians are not, on the whole, good speakers. Speaking from the pulpit is one thing, but TV is another. I thought Reagan was pretty good. Carter was wretched. I read that he spoke that way on purpose to prevent the TV from breaking his sentences into sound bytes. I don't believe it though. I like Letterman's segment on great presidential speeches. It's pretty funny, though he should pick on Clinton or Carter or Bush 41 from time to time. Both Bushes are particulary inarticulate.
There're some idiots in Congress who are pretty good speakers. Biden is not a bad speaker himself. It doesn't necessarily reflect on your ability to govern, but it certainly effects your ability to get elected.
Posted by: jj mollo | February 05, 2007 at 10:46 PM
Biden's not a racist. He claims you have to speak Hindu to go to 7-11, and that's not racist. Again, if it was Newt Gingrich, the press would be all over him. The democrat explanation is that demo's fight for minority rights so it makes it ok to insult them and be racist towards them. Right. Like the white congressman who was kept out of the Cong. Black Caucus even though his district is overwhelmingly black. If it were reversed, it would be racism.
Posted by: Preevyet | February 06, 2007 at 12:59 PM