How To Make Beau Biden The Best Senator He Can Be
I’m willing to take it as a given that Beau Biden will be Delaware’s next Jr. Senator.
He will, of course, have to run for the seat and (although the Republicans will fail to put up a credible candidate to oppose him) he will still have to meet and mingle with actual voters.
So the question is not will Biden be the next Senator, but what kind of Senator will Biden be? I think those 6 months of Biden’s candidacy are the only shot we’ll have to engage him on issues and try to influence his thinking.
After the election he will be in the incumbent bubble with Carper and we all know that common sense and decency will never penetrate that bubble. So we need to make those fleeting campaign months count. We need to start planning for making the best out of this situation.
How do we try and point Beau Biden’s compass toward true north?
(AP Photo/Pat Crowe II)
Brillant strategic thinking Jason. Getting face time with a Biden is a tough ticket. The best way is to become indispensible to the campaign. Or give big bucks, but none of us can do that. So it’s gonna mean sucking up our pride and volunteering when the call goes out. One thing you can say for the Bidens — they are loyal to those who are loyal to them.
If there is indeed some long range plan to get Beau in as Delaware’s new Senator, why just go along with the program? You’ve been here long enough to know that just going along is key to plenty of local political strategy.
And just going along pretty much means you give up every bit of leverage you have to point the guy in whatever direction you want. If you are falling into line, then why would they care about you? You’re a Democrat, man, you know how this works.
I’m an Obama Democrat so I’m all about practicality and efficiency. 😉
You know, I really thought that we had rebelled from England to create a republic, and that the Framers wrote an explicit instruction that neither the United States nor any state could grant titles of nobility.
Yet, what do we see in the northeast? It looks like Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, whose major accomplishment in life was being President Kennedy’s daughter, is going to be appointed to the Senate seat held by Hillary Clinton, whose major accomplishment in life was to be Bill Clinton’s wife, a seat formerly held by Robert Kennedy, who was elected to it because he was John Kennedy’s brother. In Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, who won his Senate seat because he was John Kennedy’s brother, will soon resign (if he doesn’t die first) because of his poor health, and he wants his seat to go to another Kennedy. In Rhode Island, Representative Patrick Kennedy won a congressional seat because he is the son of Ted Kennedy. Joseph Kennedy, Jr, served six terms in Congress representing Massachusetts, because he was the son of Robert kennedy.
And now y’all want to have “Beau” Biden elected to the Senate to replace his father — following the placeholder term of Ted Kaufman — simply because he is Joe Biden’s son.
I know that Delaware is a small state, but y’all can’t find anyone else you think is qualified other than the former senator’s son?
you left out the Bush and Dole and Buchannan names their danar
Dana…
It is the Vice President’s son, not the former Senator’s son.
Learn your protocol. Accept that Biden was elected and sworn in as Vice President.
I don’t see anyone granting any titles of nobility. And political families are not a new thing in American History. And nor are they restricted to Democrats. The CW of how Bush 43 got to power has much to do with how much his Dad Bush 41 could grease the wheels. Bush 41 is plumping for Jeb! to be President. And how about that Todd-Whitman familiy in New Jersey, or the Chafees in RI, if we are talking about the NE. And while people in political families definitely have advantages that many others do not, they are still getting elected — making a case to lots of folks to pull a lever for them.
I think that this race is not yet a slam dunk — if anything I don’t know that anyone yet is clear that Beau wants to do this. And Beau is out of the country until fall. And there is now a template for winning major office without the support of the usual suspects. But as far as I am concerned, whoever emerges to run needs to do the same thing that Beau will need to do — convince me.
Uh, in a state-wide election, all can participate. Why don’t the political activists, meaning bloggers, see if you can cooperate better than a herd of cats and put forth your own candidate? Work the process yourselves. Do interviews starting now with candidates, publish the platforms, and make a decision in January of election year, then work as a team for that candidate.
Dana,
The selection of Delware’s next Senator is a Democratic Party issue. We will take care of it so you can kindly butt out.
(Unless you want to change your party affiliation, I mean.)
What viable Democrat would go up against Beau in a primary. Not Carney. He lost once in a primary and I don’t think he’d go through that again.
If Beau decides to run, Beau goes.
One way to hold Biden accountable is to give him a primary opponent. However, it will be difficult to find a big enough name that can raise some serious cash.
In many ways I think it is the implicit threat of financing an opponent that gives a donor control over a politician. The amounts of money involved are not great. A while back I looked up MBNA contributions to Joe Biden, and it was less than $90K. And the bankruptcy repeal was passed. I think Joe could definitely have gotten $90K somewhere else if he had to. But what he gained was that MBNA did not give $90K or more to an opponent.
Some put up a political cartoon from another state’s candidate that did the math and determined the number of people he needed $8.15 from in order to run a viable campaign. I liked it.
anon wrote The amounts of money involved are not great.
Didn’t Markell spend over $1 million to become governor? A state-wide Democratic Primary Campaign would cost beaucoup bucks. (Pun intended.)
Ah, you have to love politics where as long as you had your dad wipe your ass or ocassionally had a pearl neckless thanks to your cheating husband you are suddenly a viable candidate.
Nice arthur, you kiss your kids go0dnight with that mouth.
i write to the level of the audience.
no sir, you don’t. you write to your own level.
Please notice how Arthur, in blaming others for his potty mouth, fully embraces the “politics of personal responsibility.”
MBNA also gave everyone and their Aunt Mary a job. It is hard to calculate how many political capital Cawley’s machine accumulated with those kind of in-kind benefits.
Losing leverage and going with the program isn’t very progressive-thinking.
The bloggers should push a candidate out there…one with passion, but one that is flawed, so not only do you not have to worry about him/her having that “untouchable” personality, but humility is one of the first definitions he/she knows. Once that candidate is identified, you can have a wine-party, much like the one this Saturday and get the ball rolling with a cool thousand (only about another $2,999,000…it’s a start).
Hey, I’m available, now that Jack never appointed me to anything! I accept! 8)
Somebody please tell Beau he looks like the 40 year old virgin.
AG Biden won the genetic lottery in politics but he has produced little if anything in office. If a Democrat runs against him he will come up short as Markell won his primary not from the efforts of the Democratic party but from Republicans.
Beau will not be the next U S Senator.
In the end VP Biden was the same sort of failure in over 36 years in office. He spoke of working for the little guy but got in bed with the credit card companies to pass a punitive Bankruptcy Bill. His 100,00 COPS is a complete and total lie-it never happened. His Violence Against Women Act was struck down in large part by the Supreme Court.
The Biden name has wide recognition but in reality is all hat and no cattle when it comes to substance.
http://www.rebuildtheDelawareGOP.com
R Smitty, could you run as a Democrat?
nemski could run as a Democrat.
Well, there’s always KHN. She’s on WDEL right now talking about how good she did garnering ‘almost 40% of the vote in the last election and that she already announced her intentions on election night. Gee, maybe we could get her to go for the Senate instead. She’s such a viable candidate? I especially like how she dumped Dore and stuck him with $5,000 in debt. Wonder who she’s filling full of her crap now?
I’ll run as a Blogocraplican…wait, that has “crap” in it…make that a Blogolicious-ian.
Dude…you know how many Republicans already call me a Democrat…er, the ones that aren’t calling me a-hole, that is? Shoot…some around these parts openly ask me that anyway!
AG Biden won the genetic lottery in Delaware politics but he will not be the next US Senator.
Like VP Biden the AG has accomplished very little in office. VP Biden spoke of helping the little guy but sided with credit card companies on bankruptcy law and his 100,00 COPS never happened and his Violence Against Women was struck down by the Supreme Court.
The Biden mystique is all hat and no cattle. Delaware will realize it very soon.
She’s on WDEL right now talking about how good she did garnering ‘almost 40% of the vote in the last election…
O…M…G…it’s like Protack, but slightly better…seriously. Her numbers are higher. Maybe that’s the motivation? I’m better than Protack!!!
Well, the timing of those two comments (27 and 28) were creepy and odd. Glad to see you got your site up, Mike. Who has signed on so far? No offense intended, but you may be the fourth or fifth concerted effort to do something. All that divided attention amounts to… * 😯
Mike P,
Republicans have no say in who will be the next Senator. If we pick Biden, it is Biden. If we pick Bill Lee, it is Bill Lee. If we pick the Blogocraplican, it is the Blogocraplican.
Got it?
Good.
Jason, my check is in the mail, make it so.
Very creepy, Smitty… dare I say even prophetic.
The Biden mystique is all hat and no cattle. Delaware will realize it very soon.
Written by a man who is threatening to become the world’s leading expert in all hat no cattle. And who knows that the entire state knows him for exactly that — all hat no cattle.
I’m checking my router (and my driveway) right now! :scared:
Phew…driveway is empty, but there are these helicopters circling around. Hmm….
How could that have been Mike? I heard he’s been practicing up on water landings so he can finally get some name recognition.
“I especially like how she dumped Dore and stuck him with $5,000 in debt”
Did she stick Gordon too? He paid for her office space even after he lost his primary and she stayed on through November.
Please, please, not KHN!
Who’s KHN? Did she run for something?
O Squishy One,
What’s the Buchanan dynasty?? Are you talking about Pat, whose sister was appointed U.S. Treasurer or something like that? Did she run for office somewhere? I get the Bush and Dole references, but Buchanan is throwing me for a loop.
Cassandra,
I think you hit the nail on the head. Despite the conventional wisdom, I don’t think Beau wants to run for Joe’s old seat. That’s a killer GOP campaign ad right there, especially considering his relative lack of accomplishments as AG. I think he might run for Congress or just for re-election.
Plus, if Beau were to run, he’d have to lay the groundwork like right now. It’s going to be really tough to launch a Senate campaign in a year, even with the name recognition factor and his daddy’s power. Maybe DESPITE his daddy’s power, depending on how quickly the Obama-Biden honeymoon goes sour. (And it will.)
If the Republicans get their acts together and run someone like Charlie Copeland or Vance Phillips, who can bring together the fiscal and social conservatives, and they start running in the shadows NOW, speaking around the state, pontificating on national issues, tapping into the economic resentment and putting forward a positive platform, they can whup Beau’s ass. Or Carney’s.
‘Course, there’s always the stealth candidates… call it the battle of the blogs… FSP VS. JASON330!!!! Showdown between the Tweeter and the Misspeller!!
If the Republicans get their acts together and run someone like Charlie Copeland or Vance Phillips, who can bring together the fiscal and social conservatives, and they start running in the shadows NOW, speaking around the state, pontificating on national issues, tapping into the economic resentment and putting forward a positive platform, they can whup Beau’s ass. Or Carney’s.
So funny. That is a keeper. Let me try one. How about….
If a huge asteroid hits the earth and Charlie Copel and Vance Phillips get gay married each to someone who can bring guns and cocaine from Mexico, and they start running in the shadows NOW, speaking around gin mills, pontificating on tissue paper, tapping into the hair loss resentment and putting forward a positive HIV test, they can whup Beau’s ass. Or Carney’s.
Mine makes more sense.
Anyhoo,
If a candidate’s credibility was measured in in money KHN would have less than $2,000 in her campaign warchest.
Oh Wait, it is and she does.
That’s a killer GOP campaign ad right there
The floor around Beau’s feet is littered with killer GOP campaign ads.
Jas, ol’ pal,
A lot can change in two years, or a year. If the economy continues to take a huge dump on the middle class, Obama, Biden and Markell aren’t going to find the going so easy. Their names are going to become swear words rather than part of inspirational slogans.
Markell especially has a lot to lose. Minner’s chicken-out budget and the slap-happy spending in past years left all the tough decisions up to him. No one’s going to be happy. Fewer cops on the road, more crowded schools, higher fees at the DMV, fewer businesses, unemployment going through the roof… yikes.
All I’m saying is that would create a really powerful opportunity for the GOP. Voters have really short memories. Whether the GOP will be able to take advantage of that in an intelligent manner remains to be seen.
DD wrote:
Ordinarily, but not in this case. I think it perfectly appropriate to refer to the fact y’all want the son to replace the father in the father’s former position.
The Bush comparison is apt, though I’d point out that Florida voters rejected “Jeb” Bush the first time he ran, and while the elder President Bush would like to see his former Governor Bush as president, Mr Bush has declined to run for the Senate in 2010.
As for Elizabeth Dole, she was already experienced and successful in government before she married, or even met, her husband. She had a middling job under President Johnson, and stayed on under President Nixon. From 1969 to 1973, Elizabeth Hanford served as Deputy Assistant to President Nixon for Consumer Affairs. In 1973, Nixon appointed her to a seven-year term on the Federal Trade Commission. She met Senator Dole in 1972, and they were married in 1975.
“Anon” is yet another guise of Mike Protack, who is so discredited in Delaware politics he should be permanently barred from every blog in the state. Mike, you have no credibility whatsoever. STFU (look it up). Idiot Republicans everywhere are counting on a lack of progress by 2010 as their comeback vehicle, which guarantees they will lose even more seats two years from now. My heart bleeds for them (not). I really enjoy reading their moronic “analysis,” compared to which Roller Derby looks like an intellectual pursuit.
That said, as one of my callers noted today, Joe burned his bridges with a lot of Democrats by forcing Kaufman down their throats. Beau has no stomach for gut-level politics, and no skills for it either. If he runs, he opens the door for whatever decent Republican (Copeland or even people like Ernie Lopez) runs against him. I seriously doubt people will vote R by default, but presented with a nothing candidate like Beau they will.
Not only will I bet that Beau Biden will NOT be the next junior senator from Delaware, I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen. Joe Biden is an overrated piece of crap who, no matter what the hero-worshipers might say, was given a $300,000 gift by MBNA and really can’t explain where his personal wealth has come from. If you need any evidence of what a piece of scum he is, look no further than his support for Tom Gordon.
Joe might be beyond our reach, but Beau is not. Add that to the lack of fire in his belly and I see a losing campaign for the senate on his part in 2010.
I think Al’s comment is cause for a rescue! Great comment!
I’m anon at 5:08 and 5:44, with a new and better moniker, and I want to categorically state that I am not Mike Protack, despite Al’s assumption. I mean, really, when was the last time you heard Routerboy use the word “whup”? You can easily tell Protack’s alter egos by the writing style, and I only hope I don’t come across like him.
I’m an Obama and Markell fan – not even a registered Republican. That said, anyone who thinks people are still going to be praising their names in two years’ time needs to have their head checked. The economy is not going to continue spinning into the toilet, people are going to continue getting even more pissed at corporate America, and the Democrats will be the party in power who get blamed, logically or not. That’s not a strategy, just a prediction.
Al … I had to google Ernie Lopez to figure out who he was. You’re talking about the guy who barely got 40 percent against Paul Clark in 2004, right? C’mon. Regional candidates, even those from above the gilded canal, don’t have a chance in hell of winning in Delaware any more. You’ve got to have statewide name recognition to run a plausible campaign, and that’s tough to get. Copeland and Tom Wagner are pretty much the only ones left with any sort of chance at Woodburn. (I mentioned Phillips only because, like Copeland, he’s ambitious, and because he has those strong social conservative/O’Donnellite ties.)
I’m not Mike Protack, and I approved this message.
Ernie Lopez lives in Lewes now. And you’re about as wrong as wrong can be about people turning around and blaming Democrats for the current mess in just two years. I have nothing to prove this, but I’ll wager anything you want….and I don’t make that sort of wager lightly. I rarely make predictions, but this meme of “the failure to solve our problems in two years’ time will send voters back to the GOP” has absolutely nothing to support it but Tinkerbell-style hand-clapping. Anyone who thinks that way isn’t in touch with many people — and if there’s one thing my job does, it’s put me in touch with a lot of people, many of whom don’t agree with me on principle.
Just by the by, Vance Phillips make Sarah Palin look like a candidate with broad-based appeal. He wouldn’t be able to win a Sussex-wide vote, let alone a statewide vote. Mock Lopez all you want; the fact is, he’s got a future. The candidates you mentioned have nothing but a past.
What a smear job, Al. So, “Joe burned his bridges with a lot of Democrats by forcing Kaufman down their throat”? Name some, Al. Somebody of any stature in the party. By the way, Ruth Ann had the final say, not Joe.
And then tell me somebody he could have named that would have made *everybody* happy?
And the $300k deal is a bunch of repub crap, and you know it. Houses in neighborhoods have average prices – some higher and some lower. You don’t know how much his house was worth when he bought it, and comparing it to an “average” is meaningless. If there was something there, McCain’s Op Research team would have found it. He has released his tax returns, too.
I have had big issues with Biden’s record, particularly his support of Bush and the Iraq war. Senator Foreign Policy Wonk got the big vote wrong. As for Beau – let him run and let the voters decide. Maybe he will be a terrible campaigner. People might vote against him as much of because of his Dad as vote for him.
But don’t come here with tired old repub smears about gifts from MBNA that have long ago been discredited.
Al is a treasure, but when he hits Send to “Not only will I bet that Beau Biden will NOT be the next junior senator from Delaware, I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he starts to sound like Imus taking a death-stand for John McCain.
One could say many things about some of the anti-JRBiii spittle that one will encounter over the next 20 months to 20 years, but my favorite thus far is the spectre of an otherwise respected journalism-turned-pundit suggesting that his opposition to nepotism drives his support of Charles Copeland.
Will Obama/Biden be political poison in two years? Anything is possible (so don’t count out Copeland’s gay marriage or the asteroid) but, as Al points out, banking on an unpopular Obama is a pretty weak Republican strategy.
After Castle quits, Republicans are simply not equipped up to run statewide. Copeland is the only person with anything that looks remotely like a chance and he is not going to squander his next do or die race (because lets face it, if he loses again he can probably hang it up).
I bet Copeland thinks that he matches up well against Carney.
Prediction: Castle takes an ambassadorship & we see Carney v. Copeland for US House of Reps .
Jason,
Why don’t you think Carney would primary well against Beau (assuming Beau runs)?
I think he has more goodwill and is a more known quantity than Beau.
If Beau runs (and Al’s comments have me doubting a tad, but not much) he instantly takes over Carney’s base from the last primary.
I guess Carney could remake himself into a feisty outsider, but it is hard to imagine.
What if Carney should announce soon to try and get his base to commit to him before Beau jumps in? Also, what if Carper endorsed Carney early on?
Maybe he could make Beau wait to run for the house when Castle retires.
Beau runs for Senate for certain. Just as certain Careny runs for the House, putting Castle in a tight position. I predict Castle runs for the Senate, which would make it a real race. When presented with the choice of “tried-and true ‘moderate’ R” or a legacy candidate, I think Delaware voters might just pick the R. A lot depends, though: does Castle keep his health up? How much is the VP able to put toward the effort in terms of Senate Dem money? Does Beau actually get anything done when he gets back from his service? Does Castle get offered a plum to put him out of the mix?
All of the thoughts of Carney challenging Beau are pipe dreams. Especially going to a primary. All avenues of money would dry up for Carney. Carney is not about to risk this opportunity with another primary – once bitten, twice shy.
A1,
That could happen, but it would the kind of political hardball that Carney has not practiced.
PO,
How many times do I have to say that Castle is not running for the US Senate? He has not had to break a sweat for 40 years – you think he is going to get the eye of the tiger back all of a sudden?
No. But let’s say he did. Any candidate not named Karen Hartley-Nagle would be able to make minced meat out of his claims to be be a moderate by simply ticking off his Bush era votes.
Sure, he has two years to try and rehab his moderate image by voting with Obama – but a decent Dem challenger will be able to tie him to Bush. Heck – He just told the NJ that Bush did a great job keeping us safe since 9/11. (WTF Mike?!) He quits or gets put somewhere. Case close.
Castle is more likely to retire than run for the Senate. Anyone who says otherwise has never spoken to Mike Castle. He has never — never — voiced any interest in the Senate.
“Name some, Al. Somebody of any stature in the party.”
Right. I’m going to name someone to an a-hole who won’t sign his name. Pound sand, ace.
“By the way, Ruth Ann had the final say, not Joe.”
Wrong again, anonymous boy.
“And the $300k deal is a bunch of repub crap, and you know it.”
No, it’s not, and if you don’t know it, you don’t know much about real estate. The listing price was $300,000 LESS than the selling price. It has nothing to do with comparable prices — there were no comparable houses in the neighborhood. Get your facts straight, and if you want to peddle bullcrap, sign your name, dipwad.
The original story was reported in the News Journal by Celia Cohen. If you want to dispute it, you’re going to have to do better than make claims under a pseudonym.
Mr. Manifold: Where do you get the idea that I “support” Copeland? And under what definition of nepotism does his candidacy for anything qualify? Who else with the name Copeland has held public office in Delaware? Are you going to claim his DuPont connection? If so, you’re going to have to explain how the average voter is going to know he’s related. News flash: Most don’t know, and even fewer care. Nepotism doesn’t work if the name recognition factor is absent.
Figures, Al, you got nothing. You’re just making stuff up. You can’t name anybody because there isn’t anybody.
And show me in the State Law where a Senator gets to appoint his own successor. You can’t cause you’re the one who is wrong.
Any neighborhood that has other houses in it has comps. And houses rarely sell precisely for the list price – sometimes they even go higher than the list price. If there was something – anything – there, McCain/Palin would have been all over it. Not to mention the repub U.S. Attorney.
And Celia Cohen? You gotta be kidding me.
Yeah, yeah, pseudonym and all that. What a sorry excuse for not having any facts to back up your smear.
No stars for you, Al
Wait! What about the Blogocraplican?
Right. I’m going to name someone to an a-hole who won’t sign his name. Pound sand, ace.
Easy cop-out for someone who gets PAID to attach his name to opinions.
Those of us who get paid elsewhere have jobs and families to protect, but have no less a right to speak our minds.
Citing a commenter’s anonymity is just another form of an ad hominem attack. It means you got nothing .
By the way, for those who care, here is the back story on Biden’s real estate deals:
http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2008/09/does-senator-joe-biden-have-house.html
The conclusion from examining the numbers:
“With that being the case, we confirm that Senator Biden did not disproportionately personally benefit from the purchase of his current property, nor was Keith Stoltz materially disadvantaged in the transaction.”
and
“With that being the case, we can conclude that Senator Biden did not disproportionately benefit from the sale of his home in 1996.”
Charles Copeland’s grandfather, Lammot du Pont Copeland, held the highest office in Delaware: chairman of the DuPont Co.
Time cover: http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19630531,00.html
Charlie’s execrable father, Lammot Jr., was the largest personal bankruptcy in US history.
That Time cover tells me that we need to go back to having old white Yale “Skull & Bones” members running everything.