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I became a Hillary supporter after only two were left. My road was Edwards (left over from 2004 but with less enthusiasm), Biden, Edwards and Hillary.
I did not support her because of her gender but because I was impressed with her knowledge and stamina and ability to stand the fire during the debates and the campaign. And I did not support of Obama because I was not convinced that he has the experience and specific policies to convince many voters to vote for him. And, as Hillary was subjected to sexist remarks and as the media adored Obama, my support for her was deepened.
But we fought the good fight and Obama has become our nominee and I knew that I would vote for him, even though my doubts about his experience, about his ability to attract more mature voters with his "change and hope" remained. Mostly, I was concerned about his lack of understanding of foreign policy. This is why I supported Biden. Even before Bhuto was assassinated, he said that we needed to look at Pakistan. And I anticipated a crisis someplace - like the recent in Georgia - that would put McCain in a better light.
Thus, having Biden on the ticket, providing the experience, the stability, makes me a lot more confident of our chances to win.
A few words about what "demographics" Biden will bring: nothing, and it is irrelevant. With Gore and Cheney these requirements were no longer in the equation. Both Clinton and Bush selected a VP who would complement them, their personalities and their views of how they wanted to govern. In the case of Bush, it was to show the voters that he had a seasoned known entity who could guide his policies, and this is similar to Biden - as much as I loath to compare anyone to Cheney.
And this is why it is great that Biden was selected for who he is, no what he is: a minority, a woman, a governor, etc. which many were seeking.
During the primaries many said that while they would like to see a woman president, Hillary was not the one that they preferred. The flip side of this, of course, would have been to select a woman as a VP - like Sebelius - to placate the Hillary primary supporters. I think that selecting her for that reason would have been offensive. Here, here, don't worry your pretty little head, we have a woman on the ticket.
One last comparison to Cheney - sorry, Joe. In 2016 Biden will be 74 and, no doubt, will not seek the presidency himself. This means that, again, the field will be wide open as it has been this year and I think it is a lot better. Except for papa Bush no sitting VP was elected in recent times. (Yes, I know, Gore won, but he has not been sitting in the white House the past 7 years now, has he?)
After 8 years, it is always a time for change and a sitting VP cannot bring it.
So, congratulations Senator Biden. An Obama/Biden ticket is a winning ticket that I can enthusiastically support.
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