By John Aloysius Farrell
So what can we learn about the Obama campaign from what it had Joe Biden say in Springfield, Ill. this afternoon?
The introduction of a running mate is one of those prized moments when America pays attention to presidential politics. Care went into this speech. Obama’s strategists didn’t turn the microphone over to Biden, and say `Wing it, Joe baby.’
(Biden might still be talking if they had.)
First off, we see that Obama’s team is worried that their guy is being perceived as cocky, insubstantial, unknown and elitist. McCain’s “celebrity” attacks have drawn blood.
Biden – twice! – described his new running mate as the humble son of a single mom, whose grandfather fought in Patton’s army and grandmother worked her way up from the secretarial pool to become a vice president at the bank.
There was no mention of Obama’s African dad.
Next up, it seems that McCain has had success distancing himself from the highly unpopular Bush administration. When Biden turned to the attack it was to, repeatedly, tie McCain to Bush and warn voters that McCain’s election would mean “four more years” of disastrous Bush policies.
Then, we heard Biden stressing “leadership.” McCain, in the last few weeks, has come across as tough and feisty as he pummeled Obama. Americans want strong presidents, especially in wartime. So Biden praised Obama’s qualities as a pragmatic and energetic Senate leader and – perhaps with a nod to the growing public sentiment that McCain is running a negative campaign – a president who can unite, not divide, Americans.
And finally, for all the talk of how Biden’s resume is supposed to bolster Obama’s inexperience on national security and foreign policy issues, today’s speech was focused on “kitchen table” issues, the economy, and working class values.
The quip about McCain’s seven kitchen tables was a prime example.
Largely by focusing on gasoline and energy prices, McCain has cut into Obama’s lead as the candidate who will bring back prosperity. And so we heard, and will continue to hear, about Biden’s Irish-Catholic working-class ancestry, the hard times his family endured, and those kitchen tables. Iraq was hardly mentioned.
