He’s Dead, Jim

Joe Biden becomes the first to don the red shirt for 2008.
I like Biden in some ways; he’s certainly more likeable than Kerry (faint praise, indeed), is prone to occasional bouts of candor, and at least seems to have given some thought to serious foreign policy issues, although his instincts are erratic at best. But he clearly suffers from the same classic Senate combination of inflated self-importance, windbaggery and inconstancy that has damaged the presidential runs of Kerry and so many others; he’s the textbook Senate “show horse.” Plus, he may have the worst hair in American politics, which is not going to help.

9 thoughts on “He’s Dead, Jim”

  1. You know, there’s a certain amount of irony in that “red shirt” link, although you could argue that last year’s Democratic contenders were such a poor bunch that even a Senator could get nominated.

  2. I’m not saying a Biden campaign is necessarily doomed, of course, although with Hillary in the race the odds of him even getting the nomination are extremely steep.

  4. Don’t you think that in this day and age that even Biden was a freaking saint that the plagerism issue would just kill him?

  5. Once something like the plagiarism thing is a long-known fact, it loses it’s ability to be damaging, I think.
    However, I really think the Democratic nomination will come down to Hillary and a bunch of governors. I don’t think Biden or any other non-Hillary Senator is going to be able to get much traction.

  6. Agreed on both counts. The plaigarism thing is a dent in Biden, but I agree with Glenn Reynolds that it probably would not have been a campaign-killer today.
    Hillary’s unique status makes her mostly immune to the perils of being a Senator. George Allen may be in a better position as well, being an ex-Governor who’s only been in DC since 2000. McCain has his own problems. Most of the other Senators will be campaign cannon fodder.

  7. Annika – I know it’s not real hair, although I guess I’m unclear at this point whether it’s plugs or a bad toupee.

  8. Lining up the redshirts

    The Baseball Crank notes that Joe Biden is throwing his hat—or at least his hairpiece—into the ring for 2008, while the SoCons are apparently in the market to coalesce behind a single Republican contender already, according to this piece linked by …

  9. The allegations of Joe Biden’s plaigarism were of two accounts…one in law school where he credited the source, but did it improperly by not crediting all instances (which he was excused of any wrong doing) and once in a speech he used some thoughts of a guy from England that he failed to credit in that specific speech (even thought he credited him using the same stuff in various other speeches). If Joe Biden isn’t an upstanding, great guy, than now one is.
    And as far as whether he can gain the democratic nomination with Hillary in the race… he’s going to beat the pants off of her. For no other reason than he is the best chance America has for a bright future:)
    Justin Holstein
    A Biden Supporter from Iowa

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