Sen. Joe Biden said in an interview at the New Hampshire Union Leader this afternoon that too many Democrats, including the frontrunners for the presidential nomination, do not have faith in the American people.
“We’ve got to trust the American people more,” Biden said.
“I think they’ve really lost faith in the American people in terms of leveling with them,” he said of his leading rivals.
You gotta give Biden credit; though the same could be said about some of the upper tier Republicans (I’m looking at you, Trent “Pork Whore” Lott, and your asshole pals from Alaska), the guy is basically burning any chance of a Cabinet position if a Democrat wins the ’08 Presidential race by being this blunt:
Asked if he thinks, as he suggested recently in another interview, that the other candidates tend to think the American people are stupid or easily fooled, he said, “Well, I do.”
“It’s not even so much they don’t trust, which is a piece of it,” he said. It’s that they think that “the way to win is the Bill Clinton triangulation and the Karl Rove angering.”
“It’s the thesis that you go to your base because people don’t vote. Well, why don’t they vote?” he asked. He said he thinks people don’t vote because they’re tired of the way politicians treat them.
He said Democrats would do better if they stopped dividing the electorate by playing to their base and instead brought people together. He criticized the left wing of his party for demonizing the rich and Republicans.
“Rich folks are as patriotic as poor folks, but we don’t talk that way,” he said.
I get the feeling that last sentence is gonna drive the nutroots mental.
He said some of his rivals, especially Hillary Clinton, will turn out Republican voters. “They’re going to be lightning rods,” he said.
When Hillary Clinton has bragged about how she upsets the right wing, he said he’s wanted to tell her, “If you weren’t the nominee, the right wing would not be so exercised.”
He doesn’t think he would draw as much conservative ire and could even win over independents and some Republicans, he said.
One problem, Joe: the hard core, left wing Democrat base–who will likely decide who wins the nomination–will never vote for you… especially once they get a load of the way you just dissed them while showing those evil beasts from “the other side” a modicum of respect.
I’d kinda be willing to change my voter registration from Independent to Democrat just to vote for the guy in the New York primary. Sure, it would be pointless–he may well be out of the race by then–but you gotta admire the guy for coming out and stating what so many jaded bastards like me believe to be so bloody obvious.
(h/t: Hot Air)
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 11/09/2007 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
Whenever the right needs someone on the Democratic side to puppet their talking points, Joe Biden is johnny-on-the-spot.
It’s like the waterboarding shell game, when he introduced a resolution to make it illegal, which would sound rational, reasonable, and normal to the average person….except when you explain to them that it was illegal in the first place, and what is really needed is someone willing to stand up and PROSECUTE the war crimes, support impeachment proceedings, cut off funding for the occupation, etc….and THEN the lightbulbs over their heads go off and they realized they’ve been mindfucked into supporting appeasement in the name of moderation and bipartisanship…
“…the guy is basically burning any chance of a Cabinet position if a Democrat wins the ‘08 Presidential race by being this blunt…”
Absolutely not. Regardless of outcome, Biden will at least be a serious contender for secretary of state.
“I get the feeling that last sentence is gonna drive the nutroots mental.”
Why? If, by “nutroots”, you mean your usual internet scapegoats, I think they have a clue regarding Biden’s interests already.
“One problem, Joe: the hard core, left wing Democrat base–who will likely decide who wins the nomination–will never vote for you… especially once they get a load of the way you just dissed them while showing those evil beasts from “the other side” a modicum of respect.”
First off, what you refer to as the “hard core left wing” (and I’m hysterical laughing over what your conception of THAT might be) has pretty much given up on the Democratic Party in general.
Secondly, I will say that the Democrats don’t tend to be as easily offended by ghetto-style “disrespects” and schoolyard bullshit as their opponents are….there’s much more of a tendency to recognize politics for what they are and at least try to choose the right candidate based on values and deeds, which is precisely what I see missing from what the Republican candidates have to offer their disciples. There ARE no ideals, principles, or values anymore, and the so-called “top tier” Republican candidates are guilty of everything they (correctly) accuse Hillary of.
“…those evil beasts from “the other side” a modicum of respect.”
There’s no need to show them ANYTHING, because respect has to be earned, and the rump GOP has fallen flat on their asses in that regard.
Why pay homage to a spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship that, by definition, cannot exist, until justice is done?
“I’d kinda be willing to change my voter registration from Independent to Democrat just to vote for the guy in the New York primary.”
You mean, like someone like me, who could re-register to Republican and vote for Ron Paul just to see some true conservative values on the ballot, for once?
OUR SYSTEM IS BROKEN, TC.
WE NEED TO START FIGURING OUT HOW TO FIX IT.