The selection of Delaware senator Joseph Biden as Barack Obama's running mate seems both underwhelming and a bit anticlimactic. Biden has been around quite a long time and certainly would be qualified to assume the presidency if necessary. In fact, he's clearly a lot more qualified than the guy at the top of the ticket. But what does he offer in terms of political appeal?
The first fact to bear in mind about Joe Biden's electoral strength is that both of his presidential runs -- separated by 20 years -- ended in abject failure. His 2008 candidacy is of course the more relevant of the two, being so recent. Without looking at vote totals or delegate counts, I would estimate that Biden finished fifth, behind Obama, Clinton, Edwards, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Arguably, he created less of a splash than Dennis Kucinich. Thus, for all of his credentials and apparent charm, he is anything but a hot political commodity.
The major qualities Biden brings to the ticket are age and experience. Not coincidentally, these are two major qualities lacking in Barack Obama. Obama had a chance to select a running mate who would enhance and accentuate his "change" theme, but he opted to move in the opposite direction. Therefore, I think this pick will ultimately be perceived as one more in a series of recent instances in which Obama has chosen to place his own brand-name identification at risk in order to meet a pressing political exigency. (The other examples that come to mind are his movement to the center on issues such as Iraq and offshore oil drilling and his willingness to use personal attacks on John and Cindy McCain to stem the erosion of his lead in the polls.)
Although Biden was supposed to be a "safe" selection, it is not without its downside for Obama. While Obama managed to keep the pick a secret until late Friday evening, McCain's people were able to launch a Biden attack ad even before the official announcement ceremony on Saturday afternoon. By "Biden attack ad," I mean an ad in which Biden is seen attacking Obama during the debates as being unqualified for the presidency. The Delaware senator is also shown heaping praise on McCain. Especially given the timing, it's quite an impressive piece of political advertising, and one that garnered significant play in its own right during the marathon coverage of the announcement. Biden even made an oblique reference to the ad in his speech at the announcement ceremony, implying that his regard for McCain has diminished as the campaign has progressed. Perhaps that is so, but it doesn't explain his repeated criticisms of Obama as being dangerously unprepared for the presidency. Knowing that these damaging soundbites would inevitably appear in a McCain ad, Obama may already be feeling some buyer's remorse.
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