August 23, 2008

What does Joe Biden think about Barack Obama and John McCain?

112 comments:

The Drill SGT said...

Well Biden is honest on both points, but that smack has gotta sting...

Unknown said...

I think it helps Obama. It shows that he will pick the best guy for the job, regardless of what the guy has said in the past. It shows Obama has a thick skin.

chickelit said...

buckin' frilliant ad!

KLDAVIS said...

OT: Does this blog break YouTube for anyone else? Any time I visit Althouse, then try to play a YouTube video (embedded, or on YouTube.com) it plays 2 seconds without audio and then will not proceed. The only way to get YouTube to work again is to close the entire browser window in which Althouse was running (not just the tab) and then restart FireFox...

The Drill SGT said...

KLDavis,

not for me.

if I click once I can get the video running on Ann's page.

if I click a couple of times, it starts on ann's page and a new browser opens to youtube. but in that browswer, I can use youtube normally

Christy said...

No probs for me. And this is where the internet demonstates that the MSM is over. How quick was this turnaround? And how many will see it before the MSN gets the word of the VP choice out?

The Drill SGT said...

Shan,

If that were the case, he should have picked Hillary. I think you are making lemonade here. That ad is going viral. It can't help it. The whole country will see that ad and McCain won't pay a dime.

UWS guy said...

For all Biden's Gaffs he can be a very humorous and light-hearted fellow, so can Obama.

McCain were he to pick Romney would be the debbie-downer's in comparison.

AllenS said...

This is the ad I was talking about earlier today. What was Obama thinking?

Simon said...

It's kind of like Hillary's endorsement of McCain. That's the difficulty of fighting amongst yourselves too hard in the primary - you say things that, in the youtube age, can't be taken back.

Tom from Virginia said...

If Michael Scott (from The Office) were a U.S. Senator, he would be Joe Biden. Hard to imagine many worse choices for Obama.

KLDAVIS said...

"Shan said...

I think it helps Obama..."

Making Lemonade, indeed...that's like saying Rielle Hunter is helping John Edwards disprove those who were calling him effete.

Ann Althouse said...

Is it possible that something in my sidebar is not playing nice with videos?

AllenS said...

If McCain wants to criticize Obama, what better way of doing it than having Obama's vice presidential pick do it.

They could run this ad, and no other until election day, and every time it is going to be embarassing to the O.

chickelit said...

I'm sitting here, stoned out of my mind on blog, and I notice that guy in the pink shirt over on the right where that Pamela Anderson add used to be.

I'm thinking "did that guy just take a big hit of something?"

AllenS said...

I hate to say it Ann, but I've been having some troule with your blog ever since you removed the Pam Anderson ad.

Meade said...

Hey chickenlittle, don't bogart that blog, my friend...

J. Cricket said...

And when McCain picks Romney, you'll surely delight your readers with endless clips of Romney trashing McCain, right?

Obviously not, since that would violate your vow of faux neutrality!

KLDAVIS said...

"Ann Althouse said...

Is it possible that something in my sidebar is not playing nice with videos?"

I think it's a piece of JavaScript somewhere...because when I turn on the NoScripts plug-in it fixes the problem. That said, there are over a dozen scripts that run when I load the front page, so which it might be is probably not worth the effort to pinpoint.

The Drill SGT said...

You need to watch Obama's face closely as Biden slaps him. the sting is visible.

chickelit said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Meade said...

Impartial Constipated Observer said...
"And when McCain picks Romney, you'll surely delight your readers with endless clips of Romney trashing McCain, right?

Obviously not, since that would violate your vow of faux neutrality!"

It isn't faux neutrality, dude. It's gruel neutrality.

'ere! Be cool!

The Drill SGT said...

The traditional role of the VP is to be the attack dog, saying things about the other candidate that your guy doesn't want to be soiled with. One of Cheney's jobs.

Knowing that Biden thinks well of his friend John McCain, and is basicly an honest politician, that is going to be hard for Joe to try or to pull off without people running his old McCain quotes

so it seems that his role has got to be the Dick Cheney "adult" adviser one

Ann Althouse said...

KLDAVIS, I just took one thing out. Could you test and see if it changed things?

garage mahal said...

Meanwhile no one gives a crap who McCain picks.

Obama/Biden '08

Two houses, two spouses!

Meade said...

One blog makes you larger
And one blog makes you small
And the ones that Kos kids give you
Don't do anything at all.

KLDAVIS said...

Still have the same problem. I looked at some other Blogspot blogs that embed YouTube and it's the same. So, it may be a Blogspot/Youtube issue, or more likely a problem on my end. I can fix with NoScripts, so unless someone else is having the same problem, I wouldn't worry about it.

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

"Two houses, two spouses!"

Not quite true, but not true in a way that really humanizes Biden. (Bereaved young widower commutes between Delaware home and DC.)

The Drill SGT said...

Meade,

a misspent youth listening the Grace Slick?

Spread Eagle said...

I always have problems with playing embedded youtube videos, mainly the audio, since I upgraded my browser to Mozilla Firefox 3.01. Works fine in Internet Explorer 6.0.2900 though.

EnigmatiCore said...

Does anyone want to help me work through a bit of hypocrisy I have?

I look at the selection of Biden, who I kinda like, and think-- this is a guy who made absolutely no impact on the race when he ran for President this year. None. So isn't his selection over Hillary nothing more than Obama telling (Democrat) voters that he knows more than they do, and that he's not going to listen to them?

But then I look at the GOP side, and I think that if McCain nominates either of Huckabee or Romney, I am likely to choose not to vote.

Why is it that I want Democrats to listen to their primary/caucus voters and Republicans to ignore theirs?

The Drill SGT said...

Garage,

I like Biden... But I don't think he helps Obama.

It will be interesting to see how fast the MSM pick up on the fact that Obama has broken the "no lobbyist mantra" again, what with Biden being big into lobbyists, pork, and has a son lobbyist on K street.

BTW: His other son is the Delaware AG and is deploying to Iraq as a DNG JAG Captain in Oct 08. I don't know his age, but am surprised that he is only a Captain. perhaps he entered politics recently and pop advised him to burnish his credentials in the Guard. My wife the Guard Lawyer says that she interviews a number of Congressional staffers who want to join the DC Guard late in their legal careers.

anyway, good for Joe's son, regardless of one of the motives.

Meade said...

SGT, I was riffin on chickenlittle who deleted his inspiring comment for some reason. But yes, Sir, I confess, Sir, youth could have been better spent, Sir. (For that matter, middle age could be better spent. Sir.)

chickenlittle said...
I'm sitting here, stoned out of my mind on blog...

Biggest laugh out loud of the morning!

AllenS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
UWS guy said...

Haha, 2 houses 2 spouses is pretty funny.

If McCain picks Romney...that's a lot of money on the republican ticket, which means they can't play the "arugula" gambit.

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

The main question is, given what sort of choice this is, do we see Biden as Obama's Cheney or Bentsen?

The Drill SGT said...

Beau Biden is 39. don't know when he joined the DNG, but he has been AG since 2006 and there is talk about him running for Joe's Senate seat now or later.

chickelit said...

"Bereaved young widower commutes between Delaware home and DC"


You want pathos? McCain doesn't need to sign on pathos.

(nice riff Meade- keep the meme going)

EnigmatiCore said...

"So, it may be a Blogspot/Youtube issue, or more likely a problem on my end."

Very likely. I do not have anything to block javascript, but I do have Flashblock installed (which turns embedded Flash objects into little icons that I can click to activate-- really speeds things up, removes most of the worst annoying ads, and only makes me have to click Youtube videos twice to get them to play). And I have had no problems-- so that means it is more likely a Youtube matter than a javascript matter.

Kirby Olson said...

Delaware was the last state to ratify the 13th amendment (abolition of slavery). They waited until 1901. In 1865 they argued that it was an illegal extension of the federal government over states' rights:

http://www.freedomwriter.com/
Docs_of_Freedom/13th_Amend.htm

Unknown said...

It works for me in Firefox now, and last week it didn't. Still erases my first two lines of comments tho, and then I have to start over.

Simon said...

Kirby Olson said...
"Delaware was the last state to ratify the 13th amendment (abolition of slavery)."

Sure, but once an amendment has been ratified, public choice theory would seem to dictate that ratifying it would fall to the bottom of a crowded legislative docket. A rational legislator will prefer to work on a measure that actually accomplishes something.

"In 1865 they argued that it was an illegal extension of the federal government over states' rights...."

Well, it was an extension of the federal government over states' rights, and it's hard to think of a more appropriate example of such. I'm amused by the contention that a Constitutional amendment could possibly be called illegal, however, since it perforce amends the only authority against which its legality is measured.

Ben (The Tiger) said...
"The main question is, given what sort of choice this is, do we see Biden as Obama's Cheney or Bentsen?"

Well, Cheney is funny, smart, capable, influential, competent and conspicuously intelligent, and Biden certainly thinks that he's all those things.

William said...

Biden, to his credit, has taken a strong position on male pattern baldness. Hair plugs will be covered under the new national health plan, and tax credits will be given for Hair Club for Men memberships. And that's only part of the plan. He has said repeatedly that if we can put a man on the moon, we can find a cure for baldness. He promises that with federal funding and tax breaks we will find a cure for this disease that stalks so many men within ten years. Biden: here today; hair tommorrow.

garage mahal said...

Drill Sgt
I think Biden helps Obama with the over 50 vote, and that's why he picked him. Biden polls well with that bloc. I think he may awaken those slumbering older Dems not thrilled with Obama, we'll see. No doubt the fur will flying soon though. The Clinton wing of the party generally just likes to mix it up, but they have to give us something to work with, and I think Biden does that.

reader_iam said...

drill sgt: I think Beau has completed something like five years of his DNG service. He has said that he was inspired by JAGs when he was working in Kosovo as a civilian lawyer working for the U.S. Department of Justice. Later, a colonel involved in a legal office for the Army Reserve suggested that Beau sign up to be a JAG.

That's a rough outline, anyway.

---

Appropos of nothing, Beau, along with his brother, was in the car accident which killed his mother and sister in 1972. Both he and his brother were badly injured. Joe Biden's habit of commuting to Washington and living in Delaware stems from wanting to be home for his boys.

john said...

Did someone say "Milli Vanilla" yet?

Kirby Olson said...

Biden's middle name is "Robinette."

Zachary Sire said...

Ha ha...typical and not a surprise at all.

The McCain camp loves to blow their wad early, don't they? They started the old "look what he said!" crap within hours, which means it will be tired and played out by Monday, not that it already isn't right now. Idiots.

I think I'll start Googling all the Romney quotes about McCain right about now.

chickelit said...

Kirby Olson said: Biden's middle name is "Robinette."

I guess that makes him a little turdus migratorius.

Host with the Most said...

In the video, to the right of Stephanopolus:

Who's the woman with the "I haven't got a clue where I am right now" look?

Meade said...

Narrator:

It's 3:28 in the morning.
A Saturday morning.
Somewhere in your house, a cell phone is ringing. Waking up you and your kids to tell you that if a phone rings at 3:28 in the morning in the White House, you don't have to worry that an inept inexperienced freshman senator who launched his political career in the living room of an unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist has been elected President.

You don't have to worry because...
the White House has Call-Forwarding.

Now don't you wish your phone did too?

PJ said...

A rational legislator will prefer to work on a measure that actually accomplishes something.

Maybe that was so in the 19th century, but I don't think it matches up well with what legislators actually spend their time doing these days. (Or perhaps you think most legislators today are irrational, a point which I will concede is debatable). By today's lights, if a legislator passed up an opportunity to promote symbolic legislation like the 13th Amendment (as it was for Delaware), that would reflect poorly on either the legislator, the people of Delaware, or both.

Anonymous said...

KL Davis, Ann Althouse: I'm having the same problem attempting to open the YouTube clip. It launches, then stops. It's a new problem; Firefox ordinarily works very well.

reader_iam said...

Kirby, Simon: Slavery in Delaware

Simon said...

PJ, increasing one's electoral cachet counts as "doing something" for purposes of my comment above. Passing legislation that's purely symbolic but that will curry favor with a desirable electoral demographic is rational when the anticipated gain in support is greater than any anticipated loss.

It would be kind of unusual to think of public choice theory as "utopian." ;) It doesn't assume that motives must be public-spirited.

Ann Althouse said...

"Delaware was the last state to ratify the 13th amendment (abolition of slavery)."

It also kept corporal punishment until the 1970s -- the whipping post. Last actual whipping was in the 50s but it was on the books.

But give Delaware credit re slavery. It had slaves, but it stayed in the union.

John Stodder said...

OT: Does this blog break YouTube for anyone else... and then restart FireFox...

Yes, I have that problem frequently, not just on Althouse, but every time I use Firefox since the new version. Embedded videos (and not just YouTube) do exactly as you described -- roll silently for three seconds, then stop, never to roll again.

When I copy/paste the same URL into IE, they work fine.

I prefer to hate IE and love Firefox; it's my own little taste of Apple-like snobbery. But the newest version of Firefox is buggy, with this bug being the most annoying.

Simon said...

Ann Althouse said...
"[G]ive Delaware credit re slavery. It had slaves, but it stayed in the union."

A decision that probably produced Lincoln's oft-misunderstood quote that his goal was to preserve the union not to eliminate slavery. If he'd stressed the latter, the loyalist slave states might have bolted the coop. Lincoln was a lot more practical and realpolitik than he's given credit for.

Reader, interesting link, although the line that jumps out at me is a tangent: "Slavery debates in Delaware were a clash of morality and conservatism." That would seem paradoxical to me, because it seems in the nature of conservatism to preserve traditional morality. The perception of clash between the two seems to indicate that the so-called conservatives were on the wrong side.

John Stodder said...

Back on topic: This ad is lousy because the second clip is so obviously cut off before Biden finishes his point, and the first clip is not Biden talking but G-Steph quoting him and Biden reluctantly "standing by" the comment.

If this is the best they've got -- and I have to assume if they had better, they would have used it -- the Biden-doesn't-really-respect-Obama meme is going nowhere.

It's a bit of a 'smokin-your-own' ad. It must have been hilarious to put together, but the campaign shouldn't have bothered to release it.

Biden was Obama's best possible pick. He's not perfect. A Senator/Senator ticket is probably a bad idea overall. But that aside, Biden's got both the personality and experience for this assignment. In a way, he's been running for VP all his life.

J said...

"Does anyone want to help me work through a bit of hypocrisy I have?"

Hypocrisy is an innate human behavior; all being a hypocrite means is that you're normal. Quit worrying about it.

"The McCain camp loves to blow their wad early, don't they?"

It was my understanding the McCain campaign had, under current campaign law, a rather large "wad" they were required to "blow" by the end of the month. That could explain the pre-ordered attack ads.

The reason why doesn't really matter to me - I love negative campaign ads, and neither side could produce enough of them to make me happy.

Swifty Quick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rhhardin said...

Something on the page keeps the CPU busy at 25% long after the page has finished loading (1.3 GHz CPU, Windows XP Home) in Firefox 2.0.0.16.

And busy at 50% in IE7.

(Faster machines I assume will be less busy, but don't know.)

vbspurs said...

McCain and Biden, from all coverage I've read throughout the years -- very good friends.

So are Kerry and McCain.

I used to think this kind of chumminess counted badly against McCain, but I realised that suggested I wanted an "ideologically pure" candidate, which is not what I am about.

So today, I don't care who McCain is more comfortable around. You can label McCain a "wing-nut" if all his closest colleagues are Democrats. The guy is collegiate, and effective -- Obama hasn't shown any of that, yet.

So, I am delighted with this ad.

Seems Team McCain had this one prepped and ready to go for MONTHS. It's a devastating visual too, with Obama tilting his head, in that all-too-familiar "snob" pose.

vbspurs said...

/can't label

The Drill SGT said...

Ann Althouse said...
But give Delaware credit re slavery. It had slaves, but it stayed in the union.


I think you give them and Maryland too much credit, and not enough to how 100,000 Union troops throughout the state focuses the Legislative mind :)

In Delaware for example, Union troops disarmed the State Militia at one point.

The Drill SGT said...

Zeb Quinn said...
McCain does seem to now have in place something akin to a rapid response team, which gets good spots out overnight fast.


while I agree that they are getting faster, this one and its unused twins for Bayh, Clinton etc were in the can weeks ago

vbspurs said...

Heh. There are a lot of soundbites of Joe Biden saying he would not accept the Vice-Presidency if offered to him.

Fox just showed one from August 2007. He said that he'd rather stay Chairman of this or that committee.

So what changed from then to now? Was that bluff (as I think it was, because he was running for President) or did he suddenly think being Number 2 would be the best he could do, White House-wise?

Zachary Sire said...

The guy is collegiate, and effective -- Obama hasn't shown any of that, yet.

I'd say picking the guy who had pretty harsh things to say about you for your VP is fairly collegiate. Getting praise from people like Hagel is pretty collegiate too. And I don't know what you mean by "effective," but getting more votes than a Clinton and inspiring millions of Americans could be considered "effective," assuming that was Obama's goal.

So, I am delighted with this ad.

Victoria, please, it doesn't take much to impress you. Has there been any ad or rote talking point from McCain that hasn't "delighted" you? You were, after all, the one who loved McCain's disastrous green-screen speech in Louisiana.

vbspurs said...

You were, after all, the one who loved McCain's disastrous green-screen speech in Louisiana.

Sure, because I read it beforehand. It was a brilliant speech, awkwardly-delivered. Did you read it?

You know, sometimes I think we in the Blogosphere take our cues from MSM, and pay them too much attention. The "green-screen" critique is a classic example of this tendency to overread a political situation. I read that and was flummoxed.

We're bloggers, who should think independently and not be overly-influenced by the memes being pushed by ANY of the journalists.

Zachary Sire said...

I remember you specifically commenting on how great McCain sounded during the speech. You liked his voice and thought he sounded young. That doesn't have anything to do with the actual text of the speech.

I don't know what's wrong with "green-screen." He gave the speech in front of putrid green screen, so that's what I instantly think of.

It was a brilliant speech

I think some of us in the blogosphere tend to overuse the word "brilliant." If that speech was brilliant, you've set the bar for McCain's speeches at such a level that they would make Bush's look like MLK Jr's. That, or you have some other definition for the word brilliant.

I don't want to be bitchy with you but you've been gushing over everything McCain does with relentless passion, no matter how pathetic or well-played, and I think you're smarter than that.

vbspurs said...

I don't want to be bitchy with you but you've been gushing over everything McCain does with relentless passion, no matter how pathetic or well-played, and I think you're smarter than that.

I am a ruthlessly positive person, and find myself disliking the fact that I don't find many positive things to say about Obama.

That's why when I do pounce on a fact I do like about him (his kids, for one), I tend to gush as well.

Did you notice that, too?

I don't mean that in a challenging voice. But just sayin'.

Ah, Obama just used the "mentor" word. It was as gasp-producing in me as hearing Bush refer to Rove as "The Architect".

Sprezzatura said...

Are folks here are interested in background beyond the provided McCain ad, or the blathering that is occurring here and elsewhere on the tubes or tube?

You can go to cspan and search for
"biden profile" The guy can leave a good impression, even when aloud to talk for a while. The tape is from Sept 2006.

Kev said...

The guy is collegiate, and effective

I think you mean "collegial." Pretty sure Biden graduated quite some time ago. ;-)

(That's weird--"collegial" can mean "in college," but "collegiate" doesn't have anything to do with being colleagues.)

BTW, I've had no problems watching YouTube from this blog in Safari, although in the past few days--since it's become so video-laden--the main page does take a lot longer to load.

vbspurs said...

Thanks, Kev! Corrected.

The more Obama is talking about all the stuff that Biden did, the more it strengthens the impression that Obama has done nothing even remotely similar.

The analogies to Bush/Cheney are getting stronger.

vbspurs said...

Obama's cadence is increasingly like a black pastor's on Sunday morning.

I don't recall him being this southern-sounding, especially compared to Early 2008 Obama.

We're seeing a work in progress.

reader_iam said...

Joe Biden has certainly provided me with much amusement over the decades (and I certainly have blogged as much, on occasion). But I just think Victoria is off base with the elitist stuff (caveat: I think by definition politicians in national office are members of the elite). I can tell you that at least in terms of my impression, Joe Biden's vibe in person is not pampered, country-club elite. It makes perfect sense to me, at least, that he was raised in Scranton and Claymont, and that he attended Archmere Academy (a fine Catholic school, but it's not like it was, or is, say, Tower Hill or Sanford or St. Andrews.) and got his undergrad at UD (on a half-scholarship, based on financial need).

But then, maybe it's because I've met other Delaware politicians (and other politicians in the larger area) and know the geographical area and population pretty darn well. I suppose it's relative, and how you look at things.

Btw, this veep choice doesn't change things for me. I'm where I was yesterday. Which is still that I'm more likely than not to write in (with the caveat that McCain not pick a hard religious-right veep).

UWS guy said...

LOL Obama just introduced, "The next president of the United...The Next vice president of the united states."

Lawl.

vbspurs said...

Re: Poster.

"Obama" is in stark white letters, whereas Biden is barely visible under it. Almost an afterthought.

Biden has a big ego. Obama has its own gravitational pull. I wonder if Biden is aware just how much he will have to diminish himself, in the coming months and perhaps years?

BTW, Biden's speech started strong, and he is continuing even stronger. He talks "American". He talks in lunchbucket wording. Excellent stuff.

vbspurs said...

"Seven kitchen tables". Boom across the bow.

vbspurs said...

"Our tomorrows will be better than our yesterdays". I've heard that before, but from whom...?

vbspurs said...

Did he just say Barack America? LOL.

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

I'm going to enjoy watching this ticket...

UWS guy said...

yes.

Swifty Quick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
UWS guy said...

Can you imagine how bad this would be if it were Edwards or Hillary giving this speech?....

vbspurs said...

Zeb, my only thought is that he's channelling MLK's cadence. I listen to MLK's speeches, and I get CHILLS down my spine long after he's been dead and buried.

I'm guessing there is also an attempt there to sound less elitist -- for a black man, that means sounding like a preacherman.

Oh dear. "Drop dead gorgeous". "Is a problem"?

LOLOL...

vbspurs said...

Biden is there for all those who are from Wilmington.

HE'S THERE FOR YOU, ANN!

Ben (The Tiger in Exile) said...

You hear that, America?

It's the LAST CHANCE TO RESTORE YOUR SOUL!!!!

reader_iam said...

Re: Collegial

I think it's relevant to point out that Delaware has a history of consensus politics, for good and/or for ill. (As I've said at least twice since yesterday, Delaware is a small town. And I mean it.) I suppose the most famous example is the "office swap" involving Mike Castle and Tom Carper.

But it's not like this isn't embedded in the political culture and tradition of Delaware. This is a state which celebrates "Return Day" a couple of days after election day, so that winners and losers can publicly come together, and party leaders can ceremonially bury a hatchet.

Of course, it's far from pie in the sky, but it sure is a little different.

And in case you think I'm making up the "bury the hatchet" thing--see here for an overview of Delaware politics. And here is a picture of the hatchet ceremony.

(Hey! One of those guys was Student Government president at UD when I was serving on it! Small freakin' world. He's the one that used to, during SG meetings, moderate "spats"--which we both enjoyed--between yours truly and Chris Christie, currently U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey

As I said, small freakin' world. )

vbspurs said...

Last thoughts, before I head out for the day:

Wow, did we just see every quality Biden is said to have, in real-time?

If you don't agree with me, and don't think Biden's a pampered pooch, then your opinion was validated today, because he started out very strongly, in simple, easy to understand language. He was folksy, and effectively so.

But he also made incredible gaffes, and droned on and on and on -- diluting the speech's strong start.

I'll be interested to know what Althouse commenters say about this speech, because you lot are worth more to me (even those who disagree with my viewpoints) than any CNN or Fox News pundit. Ever.

Cheers,
Victoria

reader_iam said...

Victoria: Joe in a nutshell (though, as you point out, and I have at other times in other places, it'd best be a rather large nutshell, to hold all the words).

Zachary Sire said...

Joe was fine. That was hardly long-winded or garrulous. He spoke for about 20 minutes. Good line about the 7 tables. I like watching him, there's sincerity and no BS to his way of speaking. But the bit about "our last chance to save America's soul" or whatever was way over the top. The Obama people had an obvious hand in that speech.

vbspurs said...

As I got ready for the shower, I was thinking about McCain.

Does he counter with Romney? The "7 Houses" references resonate with Americans. What will be the next joke? 15 houses? Romney has a BUTTLOAD of houses, cabins, and vacation homes all over America.

Or does McCain go for Palin, whose husband is a fisherman, and brings much needed 'American reality ' to all 3 candidates thus far?

No, it'll be Romney. Steady Johnny doesn't want to light up the world, like Obama.

Ciao guys.

Simon said...

rhhardin - are you seeing that problem only on the frontpage, or do you see it in the comment view page too? That is, you see it at http://althouse.blogspot.com, but do you have the same problem going to http://althouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-does-joe-biden-think-about-barack.html, too?

Job said...

I think that you folks are being a little hard on Senator Biden.

Recall that Delaware Joe once described Senator Obama approvingly as "clean."

(Further, Joe was the first to say that, so far as we know.)

And we know that cleanlines is next to Godliness.

What more do we want?

That he should actually think BHO qualified to be President?

Stephen C. Carlson said...

If your video stops at two seconds, it's due to some Flash/Firefox bug.

Anonymous said...

vbspurs said...Obama's cadence is increasingly like a black pastor's on Sunday morning.

Yes and he seems to really like Jeremiah Wright's young replacement at Trinity.

Stephen C. Carlson said...

It looks the problem is with Adobe Flash ver. 9. Downgrading to ver. 8 or upgrading to 10 beta (if you dare) may help.

Ruth Anne Adams said...

As I got ready for the shower, I was thinking about McCain.

Cheeky monkey!

rhhardin said...

Simon, only on the front page.

I'd guess somebody is stealing cycles with really bad code, like looping waiting for an input click. But who knows.

rcocean said...

Here's Slow Joe's View of Bork:

"Senator Biden repeated the statement with which he opened Judge Bork's confirmation hearings last month, and which he has made a theme for the entire proceeding. ''I believe I have rights because I exist, in spite of my government, not because of my government,'' he said. ''Judge Bork believes that rights flow from the majority, through the Constitution to individuals, a notion I reject."

O'bama and O'Biden - two constitutional geniuses.

EnigmatiCore said...

Ramesh Ponnuru- "Sen. Biden's basic critique of Bork was that he was a dangerous extremist because he denied that moral principles could override written law. His basic critique of Thomas was that he was a dangerous extremist because he (allegedly) affirmed that moral principles could override written law. Some people call Biden thoughtful."

cardeblu said...

Simon and rhhardin: I've been having trouble with the front page loading completely past the McCain senatorial bio vid since it was posted yesterday. It says it's "Done" loading, but there are no ads, no profile pic of Ann, etc, on the page--just the posts (and blogger banner). Comments look fine.

blake said...

I have the same problem with Firefox/Flash--but curiously, I have the same problem with Opera and Flash.

Funky. I've mostly given up on videos. Games still work, tho'. :-/

rcocean said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cedarford said...

There is a statistically significant chance that the 72-year old McCain may not finish out his term, or become incapacitated by a recurrence of melanoma cancer or some other ailment that pops up as one's years go by.

So he needs a good backup.

vbspurs - Or does McCain go for Palin, whose husband is a fisherman, and brings much needed 'American reality ' to all 3 candidates thus far?

As a two-year governor and before that, a mayor/housewife of a town of 5,000, Sara Palin - isn't -that- adept executive - backup.

The last "common woman of the People" VP choice was Geraldine Ferraro, on paper, more qualified than Palin but not by much, and we all know how that worked out.

1. If McCain goes with Palin or similar "barely into leadership" sorts like 4-year lieutenant Gov Michael Steele, he completely negates his "unready and inexperienced" argument against Obama.
Hard to argue that Obama is unfit because of his lack of executive experience in foreign affairs, the military, a business, or in national office....then turn around and pluck a 2-year wonder of nearly the same greeness out as "Sarah is ready!!"
Or God help us all, Condi. Who would be suicidal not just because she wouldn't bring the blacks and unmarried women and minority ice-skaters flocking to affirmative action bingo at the polls, but also because she'd have to campaign with Bush with her because her head is permanently stuck up his ass.

2. Everyone would be wondering if Mccain went down or suffered a return of his cancer, how a housewife/part-time mayor of small town of 5,000 people and 860 dogs 2 years into high statewide office would fare.
I suspect the voters would say...probably not that well. Likely imagining her prefacing each meeting or decision with asking her staff "Tell me what to do....please. Please!"

3. Finally, it would be seen as crass pandering and "McCain's desperation".

If you want to draw women to the Republicans and close down the growing gender gap, you don't do it with tokens, but with policies women disaffected from Republicans want.

That means letting the Religious Right know they don't dictate to McCain. And that means letting the half of Republicans and 60% of Independents and Reagan Democrats who are pro-choice or moderately pro-choice that they will not be blackballed by Right to Life extremists imposing religious tests and punish women. And no more Christian Taliban fiascos like the Republican theocrats let
loose in the Terri Schiavo case.

And Republicans need a better message for women scared of job losses, losing their home, loss of health insurance - all killing their family's security than wealthy corporatists telling them to stop whining, welcome an unwanted pregnancy in all corcumstances, find a better job, or a second or 3rd job - and move out of states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, and Michigan.
Like it or not, overpromising and full of fake compassion and pledges of free gov't money a-coming - the Democrats message to such women on matters of choice and household struggles is not the loud voice from some quarters of the Republican Party - that they should go fuck themselves or at least the main blame for their problems and issues is with them.

Simon said...

Cedarford, I see no reason to add anything to my reply to your earlier - and substantively similar - comment.

Swifty Quick said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Walter said...

OT: Does this blog break YouTube for anyone else... and then restart FireFox...

Yes, I have that problem frequently, not just on Althouse, but every time I use Firefox since the new version. Embedded videos (and not just YouTube) do exactly as you described -- roll silently for three seconds, then stop, never to roll again.

When I copy/paste the same URL into IE, they work fine.

I prefer to hate IE and love Firefox; it's my own little taste of Apple-like snobbery. But the newest version of Firefox is buggy, with this bug being the most annoying.


This problem happened back in the Firefox 2 days, IIRC. I think the problem is with the Adobe flash player that Youtube requires. Since upgrading to the newest version of flash, I rarely have the Video freezes at 2 seconds problem.

vbspurs said...

Jdeeripper wrote:

Yes and he seems to really like Jeremiah Wright's young replacement at Trinity.

OMG, are you serious?

This Otis Moss III is a Young Clown in the making. And please don't tell me it's a black thing. Father Pfleger is white, and he acts this way too. It's a clown thing.

I think I'll go hug my delightfully boring priest who doesn't wear t-shirts over his cassocks, or jump around talking about "the enemy" in veiled racial allusions, this Sunday.

Cheers,
Victoria

Hector Owen said...

I'm seeing that problem with the FlashPlayer freezing at 2 seconds also, on both Opera and Firefox. I found some forum discussions about it. (Can't find them again, or I'd link.) Apparently it has to do with how many Flash objects are loaded at once. Now that so many pages have multiple Flash objects, including ads, if more than a few windows are open, many Flash objects may be loaded. I find that if I close windows (or tabs) till I have only one or two open, the videos will play fine.

blake said...

Ohhh. That makes a whole lot of sense.

I've probably got 30 tabs open at any time. %-)