If Democrats want to win in November, all they have to do is one simple thing: replace Joe Biden with Hillary Clinton for vice president.
This is a pretty popular sentiment—it seems like the only thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on. It’s something that people have been saying to me everywhere from cocktail parties to airports since President Obama has been elected to office. Many politicians and pundits have reiterated that statement publicly. Sarah Palin recently went on Fox News and said the same thing: if President Obama wants a sure fire way of getting reelected this election cycle, Hillary would give him “a darn good chance of winning.”
But of course, the White House is pushing back, saying that Republicans are merely “trying to distract attention” by suggesting Hillary is a better fit for Obama. Yes, that must be it! Republicans are the ones doing the distracting, not the gaffe-prone vice president, whose own staff is reportedly trying to “save Biden from himself.”
The actual reality of President Obama ditching Vice President Biden is slim to none, because if President Obama were to join forces with Hillary he would have to share the stage with a fellow Democrat, whose, let’s face it, star shines brighter than his these days. After four years as secretary of state, Hillary seems to be able to do no wrong. Even a Republican like me thinks it’s refreshing and entertaining to see her let loose, as she danced in South Africa. and she played along with her infamous “Texts from Hillary” Internet meme. She’s such a diplomatic badass, she’s one of the few women on the planet who can pull off wearing a scrunchie and still look cool. A recent Gallup Poll showed her favorability ratings at an all-time high 66 percent.
Aside from the likability factor, I can criticize Hillary’s politics all day long, but I never question her intelligence. I have never doubted that she is a strong, capable, smart leader. The same cannot be said for Vice President Biden.
I made a bit of news this week when I went on KTAR Phoenix’s news talk show “Mac and Gaydos” and called Joe Biden an “idiot.” Right before appearing on the show, I had seen the now notorious video clip of the vice president putting on a faux Southern accent and telling an audience that included African Americans, that if Romney were elected, he is “Going to put y’all back in chains.” My initial reaction was absolute anger and disgust. Like Paul Ryan said Thursday, I found his comments desperate.
The insinuation from the statement as I took it (as did many) was that if Republican candidate Mitt Romney were elected president in November, that people would go back to being in chains. I know that others have tried to defend the statement, and Democrats are saying that Biden was talking about Wall Street and not race and that the statement has been taken out of context. I’m not buying it. I think that’s pretty lousy spin.
I believe Vice President Biden made a poorly worded, ignorant, seemingly paranoid statement. I also believe, however, that it was a statement said with the intention to purposefully anger the audience and the rest of Americans watching. Why has there not been more of a public outcry? I sincerely don’t know.
For whatever reason, the press continues to give Biden a pass. They just think he’s like the wacky grandfather who says inappropriate things at the Thanksgiving dinner table. But the truth is, it’s embarrassing. The vice president’s long history of public gaffes is a reflection of us as a country. At the end of the day, he’s making us all look bad.
And he’ll make Romney look good. Since I want Romney to be our next president, all I know is I sleep a lot easier at night knowing that Paul Ryan is going to be debating Joe Biden and not Hillary Clinton.
