Get This Blog by Email
BlogAboutBlogOverclockedResearchInitiativesPhotos
« A New Trend: Blog Reviews? Is Barack Losing the Web War? »


Being Joe Biden

by Patrick Ruffini :: January 31st, 2007 10:47 pm

Here’s what I love about primary campaigns. And midterm elections. And political spectacles where the action isn’t focused on a single person.

You get all comers. You get to see virtually every type of political strategy and persona in action. Everyone gets their day in the sun. Including the kooks and whackjobs.

I am wondering whether Joe Biden doesn’t belong in that category with Dennis Kucinich.

Modern communications strategy tells us that brevity and clarity is everything. A number of people have questioned whether this model is outdated; whether new media gives political leaders the opportunity to engage in a more fulsome dialogue with voters. (There’s a lot of talk about conversation these days.) Don’t we want Presidential candidates who just talk and let the chips fall where they may?

I am certainly sympathetic to these calls … but Joe Biden gives the old school communicators about a century’s worth of ammo in defense of scripting and message discipline. Joe Biden is what happens when politicians just talk. Even in his apology he talks himself into a hole:

Obama, Biden said, “is probably the most exciting candidate the Democratic or Republican parties have produced since I’ve been around. He’s fresh, new, smart, insightful. Lightning in a jar.”

Exciting. Fresh. Smart. New. Insightful. Lightning in a jar. Six ways of saying the same thing. Excuse me Senator, but if Barack Obama is all these things, why don’t you get out of the race and endorse him now?

Joe Biden learned public speaking in the school of hard knocks, and his presence on the public stage is testament to his perseverence. But he has the same problem Kerry had: an inability to distill his thoughts clearly. Why say in six words what you can say in three hundred?

Incidentally, he has the same problem on his Web site. Why have one photo of the candidate in blue shirt and navy blazer when you can have three? All of them probably taken this morning:

Tagged:

Comments Comments (

) Comments Trackbacks (

WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'prwp_comments.MYD'. (errno: 144)]
SELECT ID, COUNT( comment_ID ) AS ccount FROM prwp_posts LEFT JOIN prwp_comments ON ( comment_post_ID = ID AND comment_approved = '1' AND comment_type='') WHERE post_status = 'publish' AND ID IN (54) GROUP BY ID

WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'prwp_comments.MYD'. (errno: 144)]
SELECT ID, COUNT( comment_ID ) AS ccount FROM prwp_posts LEFT JOIN prwp_comments ON ( comment_post_ID = ID AND comment_approved = '1' AND comment_type='pingback') WHERE post_status = 'publish' AND ID IN (54) GROUP BY ID

WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'prwp_comments.MYD'. (errno: 144)]
SELECT ID, COUNT( comment_ID ) AS ccount FROM prwp_posts LEFT JOIN prwp_comments ON ( comment_post_ID = ID AND comment_approved = '1' AND comment_type='trackback') WHERE post_status = 'publish' AND ID IN (54) GROUP BY ID

0)
del.icio.us digg it subscribe
This was posted in: Uncategorized

Both comments and pings are currently closed.

WordPress database error: [Can't open file: 'prwp_comments.MYD'. (errno: 144)]
SELECT * FROM prwp_comments WHERE comment_post_ID = '54' AND comment_approved = '1' ORDER BY comment_date

Comments are closed.

Patrick Ruffini   Patrick Ruffini is an online political strategist, blogger, and wearer of many hats. More...


Ruffini Around the Web







 Subscribe in a reader

Add to Google

Subscribe in NewsGator Online

Subscribe in Bloglines

Add to My AOL

Subscribe in Rojo




Tags
2008 actblue activism al gore announcements barack obama bill clinton blogosphere bush congress conservatism cpac debate democrats epolitics eric cantor facebook fred thompson fundraising grassroots hillary clinton iowa iraq jim ogonowski john edwards john mccain MA 5 marketing media mike huckabee mitt romney movement netroots new hampshire online politics overclocked polls rightroots ron paul ronald reagan rudy giuliani savethedebate south carolina strategy straw poll technology user generated content video web2.0 youtube

By Month

  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006



  •   


  • Blogroll

  • Join the email list
    Blogs
    Main
    Overclocked
    On the Side

    About
    Bio
    Portfolio
    2008 Wire
    MSM, Blogs
    GOP, Dems
    FAQ
    Initiatives
    ECorps
    Research
    Photo Gallery

    © 2007 Ruffini Strategies LLC

    Clicky Web Analytics