8/28/2008

Battleground Banter: How will Barack Obama's VP selection affect the Wisconsin vote?

By WisOpinion

PREVIOUS EDITION: Where will independent voters go in 2008?

BATTLEGROUND BANTER

How will Barack Obama's VP selection affect the Wisconsin vote?

Sara Rogers

Bill McCoshen

In Joe Biden, Barack Obama has found a rare mix – a man with decades of experience working in Washington who never lived there a day his life; a man who is as comfortable across the lunchtable from a steelworker as he is staring down a deadly dictator. A working class kid from Scranton, Pa., Joe Biden has overcome tremendous adversity, sparked decades worth of positive change, and hasn’t lost touch with where he came from or why he entered public service. It is why Joe Biden has taken the train home from Washington every night to be with his family. Republicans have laughably attempted to label Obama as an elitist, an absurd charge since it was Barack Obama who left a lucrative career on Wall Street to help laid-off steelworkers find jobs, while John McCain doesn’t even know how many houses he owns. Biden’s deep ties to working and middle-class families will only make the point more clearly that John McCain is out of touch with the struggles of ordinary Americans. Biden’s legislative record reinforces the causes and the vision championed by Barack Obama. Whether it’s access to college education, family and medical leave for workers, fair pay for women, support for our nation's veterans and their families, or funding for police and firefighters, Biden has always been a leader on the issues that affect working people’s lives. Joe Biden is also one of the nation’s most knowledgeable foreign policy experts. His deep understanding of the dangerous world we live in is rooted in three decades of service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden’s work to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has won him the respect of leaders all over the world. That’s why Joe Biden got calls from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto at a time of crisis before either called President Bush. It’s why Joe Biden was invited to visit Georgia by President Mikhail Saakashvili after Russia’s invasion of its small democratic neighbor. But it’s not just Senator Biden’s vast credentials that will make a difference for Wisconsin voters. It’s also what the pick says about Senator Obama. By selecting Joe Biden, Barack Obama demonstrated the judgment, courage, and confidence needed to be president. Republicans will crow that Obama has chosen Biden out of weakness, and seeks a teacher or counselor on foreign affairs. These claims are as uninformed as McCain’s own world view, which too often reflects foreign policy thinking of the past. The truth is Obama has found neither a yes-man nor a mentor, but a partner. Unafraid to be challenged, Obama has chosen an independent thinker who will bring new and fresh ideas to the table. He has simultaneously reaffirmed his commitment to fighting for working families and reinforced his vision for a tough, new foreign policy that will restore our standing in the world and bolster America’s national security. Most importantly, Obama has selected a vice president who is unquestionably ready to govern. That’s why this pick is winning acclaim from across the spectrum. From Hillary Clinton and Russ Feingold, to Republicans like Chuck Hagel and Condoleezza Rice, and even John McCain himself, Biden has won near-universal praise. And that’s why, come November, Wisconsin voters will proudly cast their ballots for the incredibly strong Obama-Biden ticket. -- Rogers is executive vice president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Republicans are absolutely giddy about Sen. Barack Obama choosing Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate. McCain pounded Obama’s inexperience over the past month and Obama took the bait. Biden definitely brings experience to the ticket but at what price? Biden is not an agent of change as a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Senate. He got less than 1 percent (an estimated 2,328 votes) in the Iowa caucuses before dropping out of the race. He comes from a safe Democratic state and he doesn’t put any new states in play for Obama. So what does he bring? Is Biden there to answer the call at 3 a.m. when America faces a crisis? The truth is Biden highlights Obama’s greatest weakness, inexperience, which is why he was a poor choice. Worse yet, Obama and Biden will spend the next two months on the defensive about two quotes Biden made during the primary about Obama and McCain: “The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training” and “John McCain is a personal friend, a great friend, and I would be honored to run with or against John McCain, because I think the country would be better off.” Apparently Obama can forgive Biden but not Hillary. Hillary was clearly the best choice as a running mate. Hillary is a proven vote-getter who captured more than 18 million votes while winning 21 primaries. Hillary has been completely “vetted,” she has a passionate base of supporters nationwide and she beat Obama in key states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida and New Mexico. If Obama was playing to win then Hillary was the smartest choice. Most Republicans would agree that a Hillary selection probably meant “game over” for McCain. Instead, it is now “game on!” It will be interesting to see if Hillary supporters can get over this epic snub. I wish McCain would choose someone like Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. Ryan is smart, articulate and has a strong background on domestic policy. He is a family man. Ryan is a proven vote-getter in a swing district because he focuses on issues most Americans care about. Ryan is the future of the party nationally and conservatives and young voters would rally behind the pick. However, I think McCain will choose Mitt Romney. Like Hillary, Romney is a proven vote-getter, he has the potential to put New Hampshire and Michigan back in play, and he can raise money like no other GOP candidate in 2008. It is hard to imagine a veep candidate having a significant impact in Wisconsin unless it is Paul Ryan. Undecided Wisconsin voters won’t pick a candidate based on who their running mate is. However, they may view the pick as way to analyze Obama and McCain’s judgment and they will likely come to the conclusion Obama made a big mistake by not picking Hillary. -- McCoshen is senior vice president of the lobbying firm Capitol Consultants and served as Commerce secretary under former GOP. Gov. Tommy Thompson.