BlogHer - Veepstakes watch: Obama has chosen Joe Biden as VP - Comments

This is very disturbing

whatswrongwith this — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:44:04 -0500

Has anyone seen this circulating....I am personally sick: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo

Republican Here

TW — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:21:08 -0500

And well, I am enjoying making fun of the Democrats convention. Then again, I will fuss at the Republicans too.

~TW
Retro-Food

Thanks for the welcome Denise!

Giggle On — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:08:22 -0500

Thanks for the prompt welcome Denise. I'm glad I'm not alone!!!!

Christa @ www.giggleon.com

No you aren't the only one

Denise — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:56:36 -0500

We have several CEs who are Republicans and a few who are Libertarian. We have people like Carly Fiorina, Liz Mair and Nancy Pfotenhauer blogging from the McCain campaign. We have many many BlogHer members who are decidedly NOT Democrat (my partner included - lifelong registered Republican.)

You aren't alone and I'm glad you're here.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Barak Obama President? Oh pulease!

Giggle On — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:33:48 -0500

"Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the leaders who will bring the change our country needs", says Lisa Stone, but I disagree.

I think I may be the only one on this site who isn't a registered Democrat! *as I duck to avoid cyber eggs being thrown my way*

I am not a "rah rah" McCain fan but in this election, he is the lesser of two evils. It pains me to say it, but that's how I feel. I would have loved to have seen Rudy get the nomination but that was yesterday.....

I do not want to see the kind of flaming liberal "tax me until I pass out and regulate me to death" change the Obama/Biden ticket plans for this country. For as many of you scared to death that McCain is going to be President (and he will) please know I am equally terrified Obama will be President. As much as I dislike the Clinton's, Hillary would have been a better choice (not because she's a female and not because she has the Clinton name, which does not impress me) but because she has more knowledge about how the Federal government operates.

I'm fairly certain I'll get flamed for speaking my opinion but Barak Obama barely has enough experience to be a US Senator let alone the PRESIDENT of our country. Are you all seriously convinced his time as a community activist gives him enough experience to lead a country? Pulease. As for Biden, well. I laugh. I live in Delaware and I'm one of many people I know who dislikes him. Oh sure, he's been around forever but I don't agree with his politics and frankly, he is arrogant and pompous as hell. He has foreign policy experience and that helps Obama alot but the final calls during a national emergency are made by the PRESIDENT.

The Dems would have blown the Reps out of the park had they chosen Hillary (whom I also dislike greatly along with her husband) but now they will have to run for their money to get to the White House.

The media has soft-balled Obama for MONTHS. The media coverage is so blatantly not balanced that it makes me ill. It will be interesting to see what the next 70 days brings and in head-to-head debates on the issues and plans for America, I think McCain is going to dig into Obama's support base big time.

Thankfully we are a country with freedom to choose who we want to lead us. It is one of the greatest things about America. Regardless of your affiliation, get out and vote.

Choice Veepstakes posts by the community

Lisa Stone — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:38:16 -0500

Just found these on BlogHer.com:

Laracolvin: Conversations going 'round in my head

Sybil Sage: I need Biden more than Obama does!

Bianca Regan: When your running mate has deemed you...

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Another good article on the pick

Jill Miller Zimon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:53:24 -0500

Deanna Zandt pointed this one out on Alternet.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

I know I know :)

Jill Miller Zimon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 08:27:37 -0500

It feels like the ceiling is being put back up - but I believe with all my soul that it's not. No matter how great and how many women candidates we produce and elect, there will continue to be times when a man will be the better pick - don't you think? not because of gender but because he's a better choice - as many women felt with Obama over Clinton. It will be hard to feel that we're not backsliding and maybe you are right - we will have to talk ourselves out of seeing it as backsliding - I am sure I do that and maybe am doing that now.

But I have proof that the pipeline nurturing works - Cleveland lost a decades-long city council memer - Fannie Lewis - a minority woman from one of the roughest wards. And her successor? A young African-American woman who had challenged Fannie three years ago and lost horribly. But what did that challenger do - she got involved, she went through trainings , she took on political jobs and tasks and guess what? Fannie, in her last weeks, secretly told the city council to appoint Stephanie Howse to her post. And that's what they did. And Stephanie has a lot to do to convince people that she should win the election to that seat - but this is how, in part, it works - breaking the ceilings. It won't just happen out of the rightness of it needing to happen - we do have to make it happen - but we have to apply the pressure and the knowledge all the time.

I'm sorry if that sounds contradictory - I just feel that at so many levels we can continue to seed the landscape - and it WILL happen. Getting Obama into the White House IS a seed, I believe, to more and better women in political office.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Very good points...

nelle2nelle — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:58:09 -0500

Bill certainly is a problem, but he will remain such whether Hillary is vice president or not. I wavered on HRC to the vice presidency, and decided pretty recently that it made a lot of sense tactically, in terms of the election. That does not mean her choice was absent other inherent issues - Bill, her desiring the position, being able to accept a position where she did not have clear and assigned authority, etc.

Where the Biden selection really goes wrong for me is all of the things I've stated before, but maybe will come at this from a different direction. Hillary tore down a whole lot of walls this year (as did Obama, to his great credit) and women were engaged and making their views known politically like never before. I can recall the feeling on 8 January, after she won here, and it was awesome! Here we had the first primary win for a woman in presidential politics, a whole lot of time had passed on by. Even though primaries are a relatively new selection phenomenon, no one had ever come this close, not even Geraldine Ferraro, not Victoria Woodhull (Anyone read Marge Piercy's Sex Wars?)

Women make up not quite 51% of the population, and that is a rather astounding number to blow off in this process, and in this time. Hillary need not be the choice - he could have selected Sebelius, and flipping Kansas blue might be enough to win the election in and of itself. There was a huge opportunity to give many of this 51% something tangible to rally around, *if* a wise choice was made. At a lukewarm time in my own enthusiasm, this would have really given me something to feel engaged again, like that night on 8 January.

Instead it was Joe, someone in the Senate since 1973. Not that is a bad thing, but it is the established thing, and this for a campaign where the mantra has been change.

nelle

llhaesa

Absolutely honest and understandable

Jill Miller Zimon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:31:14 -0500

I really do know what you mean, I do. But I so cannot fathom McCain - so I think that your suggestion that the persuasion is for ourselves and for others is dead-on. But that's the case even with fanatical lovers of Obama - I mean, he DOES have weaknesses - all the candidates do. But in exchange for believing in a particular horse, we neutralize or negate or ignore them - this is true in all matters of debate and argument, yes? It's a tactic, not necessarily something we buy or believe 100% - do you know what I mean?

Here in Cleveland we just lost Stephanie Tubbs Jones - I wonder what she would have said about Joe Biden. But she wasn't holding out over HRC being VP from what we know. That says a lot to me.

I can't speak for anyone else or judge anyone else's choices, but yes - I know what you mean - with all things being equal, who do you choose? I go for the women, I go for Ohioans, I go for alumni of my alma mater - there is something about choosing someone who shares something with you - that is natural and honest.

But I don't believe that HRC and Biden are similarly situated or identical candidates.

I do, however, believe that it's all Bill's fault. And if I were her, I honestly do not know what I would do with all the anger I'd feel toward him! (I voted for him twice and would vote for him again - pragmatism rules for me not spite - but if I were her - talk about argh and ugh).

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Views from Ohio delegates at the convention

Jill Miller Zimon — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:49:14 -0500

I apologize if I sound like a broken record in referring to Jeff Coryell of Ohio Daily Blog, but he has a really nice post with a roundup of how Ohio's delegates who are now in Denver (including those who are for Clinton) feel about Biden - you will read a number of the same words, in support, that you've read from me and others who like this pick.

I'd love to hear what other delegates are saying.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

On # 4...

nelle2nelle — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:37:35 -0500

Certainly there are parameters beyond which I'd not go in supporting any given woman for office. For instance Christina Hoff Sommers and Phyllis Schlafly as two examples...

but when it is close, not dealing with extreme differences, do we go with a candidate we might like just a teeny weeny bit better, or do we try and take out that ceiling?

Biden is the pick, and what I'm seeing elsewhere - amongst many who likely never would have uttered Biden's name as their choice for vp - is a total selling job on why he is a wonderful choice. I'm not sure who they are trying to convince - us malcontents or themselves.

I've certainly been chastised today for being hell bent on seeing Obama nominate a woman: gender musn't enter into our decision else we are being discriminatory, etc. Why, Biden supports most of what you support, and well... isn't that good enough?

No.

OK, I'll take the criticism and claim title to sexism if that is what it takes, but I'm not going to alter my opinion just because someone tosses that at me. At this rate it will be 2108 before a woman is actually in the Oval Office, we apparently have to wait for the moon and stars to properly align. Or we have to find the perfect candidate.

Barbara Jordan, wherever you are... come on back. Just for eight years.

nelle

llhaesa

Bright light is Biden's VAWA support

debontherocks — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:07:12 -0500

VAWA was one of the most significant pieces of recent legislation for women, creating huge community infrastuctures for domestic and sexual violence services and vast amounts of communtiy education about issues that affect populations at-risk of all human rights issues. Biden should have a lot in the bank with women for that. He does with me.

Deb

www.debontherocks.com

blog

www.3smartgirlz.com

consulting

I'm pretty happy with it too.

Maria0305 — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:44:10 -0500

I think Biden is a good choice and balances out the ticket fairly well. I'm don't agree with his stances of drugs but that's hardly what my vote is based on.

¡SI, SE PUEDE!

- Maria

http://immoralmatriarch.com

LOL

Virginia DeBolt — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:03:48 -0500

Clean and articulate, where have we heard that one before. LOL

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

Veepstakes watch: Obama has chosen Joe Biden as VP

Lisa Stone — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:26:55 -0500

UPDATED AT 9:15 AM on Aug. 23: It's official - BarackObama.com announces "Barack has chosen Joe Biden to be his running mate. Joe Biden brings extensive foreign policy experience, an impressive record of collaborating across party lines, and a direct approach to getting the job done. We have our team, but we also have our work cut out for us. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the leaders who will bring the change our country needs. But they can't do it alone. Show your support for the Obama-Biden ticket by making a donation today."

Reactions from the BlogHer community thus far are mixed: Some pro, some con, with blogger on both sides wondering how the mainstream media broke the story ahead of the Obama '08 email and text that went out this morning.

Jill Miller Zimon is pro: Biden! Yes! Did the happy dance at 8:01 am

Elisa Camahort Page is con: I'll stick with ugh

The Anonymous source is both, saying that the Netroots can't handle Biden's truth but he's articulate.

Maria Niles is tactical and analytical, both below and on her personal blog: "The official announcement is still wet behind the ears and already the sniping, criticizing and whining has begun. This is the real problem with Democrats. Not the choice of Biden but our seeming inability to keep our eyes on the prize..."

What do you think? Add your links!