John Heilemann: Joe Biden Isn’t Finished

[babylonsister]

Joe Biden Isn’t Finished
The Paul Ryan selection shone a spotlight on the vice-president. He’s ready for it—no matter what just came out of his mouth.

By John Heilemann
Published Sep 2, 2012


Biden descends from Air Force Two in Virginia.
(Photo: Christopher Anderson/Magnum Photos/New York Magazine)


snip//


Biden, to be sure, has been here before; in 2008, his debate with Palin garnered a larger audience than any of the televised tangles between Obama and John ­McCain. The task before Biden this time around will be different, though, and not just because he isn’t seen as the prohibitive favorite. With Ryan now providing the ideological and intellectual heft on the GOP ticket, the Democrats intend to spend the next 60 days talking as much about him as about Romney. Yet the vice-­presidential debate will be their only opportunity for direct engagement with Ryan—and Biden, not Obama, will be the one doing the engaging.

Thus is Biden facing the last great challenge of his last campaign. Unless, of course, it isn’t. Biden will turn 74 in 2016, and his poll numbers have sagged since he took office, but he and his people have been hinting that he might have another presidential bid in him. Some political observers regard this prospect as ludicrous: They see Biden as a clownish gasbag. Others greet it with delight: They see him as a national treasure. This is how it’s always been for Biden, with opinions about him diverging radically as if at a fork in the road of life—one that seems as fundamental as whether, deep down, you’re a Beatles or a Stones person.

But the truth about Biden is, in fact, more subtle and complex: that his greatest asset, what Obama strategist David Axelrod calls his “bluntness and ebullience,” is equally his gravest liability; that his old-school m.o. makes him almost uniquely unsuited to this postmodern political-media moment; that in a culture that pines ardently for authenticity and then punishes it cruelly, his utter incapacity for phoniness (and, yes, his grievous inability to control his yap) endows him with enormous charm and guile—and also renders him a human IED.

Biden is acutely sensitive to all of these perceptions of him. Some he shares, some he tolerates, others drive him batty. What he can’t abide is the concept that he has reached the end of the line. In a career riddled with tragedy and disgrace, with episodes of emotional, political, and even physical disaster and defeat, Biden always recovered, because he always had something left to prove. And whether it comes to Ryan or 2016, he apparently still does. “My friends are always kidding me about it—I can’t fathom the idea of thinking of retiring,” he declares. “Hell, man! I can still take ya!”

On election night four years ago, after Obama and Biden climbed down from the stage in Chicago’s Grant Park, the ticketmates shared a moment with Biden’s mother, Jean (who was then 91 and now is in a better place, as they say). As Biden tells it, his mom walked up, took Obama’s hand, and said, “Honey, come here, it’s going to be okay”—and then grabbed her son’s and offered him reassurance, too: “Joey, he’s going to be your friend.”

snip//

But soon enough, in the hellish atmosphere of crisis that pervaded the first year, a thaw set in. In agreeing to be Obama’s No. 2, Biden had insisted that he be the last person with the president’s ear on every major policy decision. Not only did Obama honor that, but he offered Biden carte blanche to attend any Oval Office meeting that he wished. The vice-president found himself playing point on two crucial pieces of business, the stimulus and the drawdown of American forces in Iraq, and a key role in the review of Afghanistan policy.

more...

http://nymag.com/print/?/news/features/joe-biden-2012-9/

[Scuba]

1. I love Joe. He reminds me of me.

[babylonsister]

2. I don't know you, but

I love Joe. I love his big mouth and honesty, his smarts, enthusiasm, and compassion.

So I guess you're okay in my book, too.

[lillypaddle]

3. I love Joe, too

His unbridled enthusiasm, his honesty ... what a breath of fresh air he is!

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. Born in Scranton!

yeah!

[avebury]

5. K&R nt

[Raster]

6. I love Joe Biden! I am absolutely salivating at the prospect of Biden...

..."debating" that lying little shit Ryan.

Ryan is like the "Ken" doll of American politics: looks good on a shelf and heavily packaged for mass American consumption, but in reality, nothing of substance.

[CrispyQ]

7. I may not always agree with Joe, but he is a straight shooter.

You can trust what he says, unlike the punk.

[southernyankeebelle]

8. I love both our president and his sidekick. They are like mutt and jeff. I think he is Obama's best

Rottweiler

[TeamPooka]

9. Go Joe!