Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2008
Encyclopedia
The Joe Biden
presidential campaign, 2008 began when Senator
Biden announced his candidacy for President of the United States
on the January 7, 2007 edition of Meet the Press
. He officially became a candidate on January 31, 2007 after filing papers with the Federal Elections Commission. Biden had previously run for president in 1988
, but failed to receive the nomination of the Democratic Party. If elected, Biden would have been the first sitting Senator and Roman Catholic to be president since John F. Kennedy
, and the first President to be born during World War II
. (b. 1942)
During the campaign, Biden focused on his plan to achieve political success in the Iraq War through a system of federalization. He touted his record in the Senate as the head of several congressional committees and experience in foreign policy. Despite a few notable endorsements, Biden failed to garner significant support in opinion polls, and was marred by controversial comments made while campaigning. He ultimately dropped out of the race
on January 3, 2008, after capturing less than 1% of the vote in the Iowa caucus
.
Seven months after conclusion of his campaign, Biden was selected to be Democratic nominee Barack Obama
's running mate
. The pair won in the general election, and were sworn in on January 20, 2009.
had lasted for only three and a half months. He had been forced to withdraw due to controversies arising over reusing other politicians' speeches without credit, and falsely recollecting parts of his academic record.
Biden first mentioned his intentions to run for president for 2008 on the Don Imus
radio show on December 8, 2004. In the January 23, 2006 edition of The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world."
because of his foreign policy experience and credentials. Biden rejected the notion outright, saying "Under no administration will I accept the job of Secretary of State". He stated that he was focused only on the presidency. At a campaign event, Biden commented, "I know a lot of my opponents out there say I'd be a great secretary of state. Seriously, every one of them. Do you watch any of the debates? 'Joe's right, Joe's right, Joe's right.'" Other candidates commenting that "Joe is right" in the Democratic debates has been converted into a Biden campaign theme and ad.
On January 31, 2007 as Biden entered the presidential race he attacked frontrunner Hillary Clinton's plan for the War in Iraq. During an interview on Good Morning America
, Biden called Clinton's plan "a disaster" and "counterproductive". Biden stated that his plan called for a "political solution" unlike Clinton's "military solution". Biden praised Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate, calling her "fully qualified". He also spoke highly of Illinois
Senator Barack Obama
referring to him as an "incredible person".
During February campaigning Biden appeared on the February 18, 2007 edition of Face the Nation
, criticizing the new surge policy of the Bush administration in Iraq. He spoke about a piece of legislation that he put forth before the Senate to stall the surge policy from enactment, which would strip the president of the authorization he was given to go to war in 2002. After the legislation went up for a vote it failed by four votes in the Senate. Biden stated:
While campaigning in March 2007, Biden stated that he would put a great quantity of focus on the first Southern primary state of South Carolina
as a strategy. While speaking to rural audiences Biden noted that the war in Iraq continued to be an important facet of his campaign agenda. He said that he would talk to Independent voters
to convince them to propel him to the nomination stating that if "the Democratic nominee cannot attract independents, Democrats cannot win". Biden would later drop out of the race before the South Carolina primary would take place.
calling him " fundamentally wrong" for his support of the surge policy in Iraq. Biden wrote an opinion column to the Sacramento Bee, which called the surge a "failed policy". He conceded that violence was down in Iraq but that the "militia... simply waiting out the surge" accounted for the downward trend. Biden argued that no political change had occurred as there had been "no trust of the government by the [Iraqi] people." He later described his plan which calls for a system of federalism
.
As the debate stage of the election began, Biden participated in the first presidential debate of the election on April 26, 2007 in South Carolina. He was the second to respond to a question originally posed to Senator Hillary Clinton on whether Senator Harry Reid
's assessment that the war in Iraq was "lost" is factual. Biden responded by stating the war is not a "game show" or a "football game", which can be lost. He went on to argue that the real question that should be asked is, "Are we going to be able to leave Iraq... and leave behind something other than chaos?" He elaborated on this statement revealing his belief in the need for a change in the strategy for Iraq, declaring that the United States has to "change the fundamental premise of this engagement, and that is... to decentralize Iraq... give the regions control over their own destiny..."
After the South Carolina debate, Biden campaigned in California
to begin May 2007 attending events in San Francisco. Later in the month after President George W. Bush
enacted economic sanctions against Sudan
to pressure the government to end the genocide in Darfur, Biden momentarily shifted focus from Iraq to the crisis in Darfur. He released a statement on the campaign trail that expressed his belief that Bush was right to enact the sanctions. However, Biden argued that it was not enough, calling for a No-Fly Zone
over the region and a possible commitment of United States forces to the nation.
On June 3, Biden participated in the second Democratic Debate featured on CNN, and set in the first primary state of New Hampshire
. Biden discussed the War in Iraq, his recent vote to continue the funding of the troops and briefly about illegal immigration. On immigration Biden stated that it would cost too much money to send all 14 million illegal immigrants back to their native countries. He stated that those who commit crimes should be sent back and the rest should be given a pathway to citizenship. His statement: "Folks, being commander in chief requires you to occasionally be practical." drew some laughter from the audience. Later in the debate Biden addressed his opposition to the "Don't ask, don't tell
" policy of the military and touched on the situation in Darfur.
Later in June, Biden participated in another debate, this time featured on PBS
and set at Howard University
in Washington D.C. At the debate the candidates discussed issues pertinent to African-Americans including education, civil rights and reproductive safety. Biden stated that to prevent the spread of AIDS
public servants have to communicate to "black men...[that] it is not unmanly to wear a condom, getting women to understand they can say no, getting people in the position where testing matters. I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack [Obama] got tested for AIDS."
and most notably the July 23 YouTube
debate in Charleston, South Carolina
featured on CNN. In this debate when asked what Republican he would pick as a running mate if forced, Biden answered, "I would pick Chuck Hagel
, and I'd consider asking Dick Lugar to be secretary of state." In regards to Iraq, Biden stated that it was unrealistic to say that all troops would be redeployed. He instructed those who used that rhetoric to "Tell the truth for a change." When he discussed education Biden declared that he "would scrap" the No Child Left Behind Act
. He concluded his participation in the debate after being asked to say something he didn't like about the candidate to his left, Dennis Kucinich
. Biden replied, "I don't like a damn thing about him...only kidding."
The next month Biden was not able to participate in two debates, the August 4 debate sponsored by the DailyKos and the August 9 LGBT
Debate featured on the gay network Logo
. He participated in the August 7 AFL-CIO
Debate and the August 19 Iowa
debate featured on ABC
. On August 20 Biden aired his first campaign advertisement in the first caucus state of Iowa. In the 30 second ad a voiceover states that Biden has a plan to end the Iraq War, and that "We (America) must end this war in a way that doesn't require us to send their (soldiers) grandchild back." It continues by declaring, "Joe Biden is the only candidate with a plan to get us out of Iraq and keep us out."
As September began, while on the campaign trail in Iowa, Biden confided to the Associated Press
that he was "counting on Iowa a lot". He hoped to come in "first, second or an indistinguishable third" and if not he would leave the campaign trail and return to Washington. His early statements seemed to mirror the future as he would ultimately drop out of the race after finishing lower than third in the Iowa Caucus. The results also presented a refutation of what he stated in September 2007 when he said that the campaign was "gaining some traction [in Iowa]." The September 2007 assessments made by University of Iowa
professor Bruce Gronbeck and Drake University
professor Dennis Goldford displayed more merit at the end of the race after Gronbeck stated that Biden was not gaining traction in the race and with Goldford adding that "[Biden] talks like a senator, not a president". Democratic strategist Ron Parker argued in September that Biden still had a chance but just had to sell his case to the American people.
On September 9, two days before the Iraq commanding General David Petraeus
addressed the Senate, Biden stated that, "I really respect him, and I think he's dead flat wrong [about the War in Iraq]". He criticized the president, arguing, "This president has no plan — how to win and/or how to leave". During the September 11 testimony by the General, Biden stated that the question to be asked to determine progress was "Are we any closer to a lasting political settlement in Iraq at the national level today than we were when the surge began eight months ago?" He answered his own question by stating "In my judgment, I must tell you, based on my experience and my observation here, as well as in-country, the answer to...[the] questions is no." After the testimony concluded, Biden and other Democrats were criticized for their conduct during the deliberations. In the following weeks Biden would continue with these arguments while campaigning.
At the September 26 MSNBC
debate, Biden explained how he would allow for Social security
to last. He said that in the 1980s he had a meeting with prominent members of Congress and the solution they came up with was the raise the cap level, he stated that now the same solution would apply and that unity between the two parties was also necessary, "It was Joe Biden, Pat Moynihan, Bob Dole
...[and] George Mitchell
when we made that deal [to reform social security]. I'll never forget Bob Dole turning to Pat Moynihan and saying, 'we all got to jump in this boat at the same time.' So the bottom line here is, you can't do it by growing the economy alone. So I would raise the cap." Later in the debate Biden was one of three participants (along with Dodd and Richardson) who said they would ban smoking in public places.
plan. It called for expanded coverage for children and adults but stops short of mandates for complete universal coverage. It aimed to encourage wellness and modernization of treatment. Biden stated it would cost between $80 billion and $110 billion per year. He said it could have been paid with a rollback of tax cuts of the richest 1% bracket, capital gains and dividends and the elimination of tax loopholes for hedge fund
managers and private equity partners. The plan would also had increased the SCHIP program to include children 300% above the poverty level.
At the October 30, 2007 debate in Philadelphia and the November 15 debate in Las Vegas
, Biden was noted for some one-liners that drew some laughter from the audience. First, when speaking about Rudy Giuliani
at the Philadelphia debate, Biden stated, "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun
, and a verb
and 9/11." At the Las Vegas debate Biden seemed to attack all his opponents when he stated, "I know there's more to say, Campbell. I appreciate you asking me the question and I'm sorry I answered it. I know you're not supposed to answer questions, based on what I've heard."
In his final debate before the Iowa Caucus, Biden participated in the December 13 forum sponsored by The Des Moines Register. His most notable part came when asked to respond to allegations that he was "uncomfortable" speaking about race since making remarks earlier in the year when he referred to Barack Obama using the adjectives "clean" and "articulate". Biden answered the question remarking that anyone who has known him knew of this commitment to civil rights
and race relations. Barack Obama
came to his defense, saying: "Joe is on the right side of the issues and is fighting every day for a better America."
Following the debate and subsequent assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
, Biden shifted focus of his campaign to the issue of relations toward the nation of Pakistan
. He stated that the country was "the most dangerous nation on the planet" and that he had made that assertion on previous occasions. The event marked an opportunity for a candidate such as Biden with past foreign policy experience to gain momentum in the opinion polls with the looming Iowa Caucus less than a week away. Biden finished off the year's campaigning trying to improve his standing in the race by speaking of the events surrounding the situation in Pakistan and particularly his solution of protecting the nuclear weapons of the nation.
on January 3, 2008, garnering only one percent of the total vote, Biden ended his presidential bid. In a tearful rally with family and friends by his side, Biden declared, "I ain't going away. I'll be going back to the Senate as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and I will continue to make the case I've been making..." The end of this campaign marked the end of all presidential campaigns for Biden who stated that this run would be his last.
which donated $571,800. Biden raised nearly $2 million in the third quarter. This was fourth among Democrats. Biden has qualified for matching funds for his primary campaign but did not decide whether or not to accept them. According the Center for Responsive Politics
, Joe Biden raised $8,215,739 for his presidency campaign. Individual contributors gave $6,087,885 toward his campaign, PACs gave $101,475, and $2,026,379 has come from his Senate Re-election Fund. 66% of the PAC contributions came from business groups, 19% from labor groups, and the final 16% from ideological organizations. 19.3% of his finances had been disclosed, while 80.7% had not. When he withdrew, Biden had $1,886,340 on hand, spent $6,329,324, and had a total of $128,210 in debts.
found that 38% of the public had never heard of Joe Biden and 17% had no opinion at all about him. In contrast, 0% of the public had never heard of Hillary Clinton and only 3% had no opinion according to a June 1–3 poll by Gallup.
A September poll conducted by Clemson University
found that 36% of the public had never heard of Joe Biden and only 44% had a favorable opinion of him. However, this was the highest awareness rating in the Democratic field outside of the frontrunners (Clinton, Obama, and Edwards) and non-declared but highly discussed Al Gore
. A September 18 poll found that 56% of respondents had not heard enough about Biden to form an opinion about him.
Biden had remained low in the opinion polls when compared to other candidates. A Rasmussen
survey taken September 19–24 put him in fourth place among his Democratic opponents at 4%, trailing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
, John Edwards
. In the American Research Group, Biden was fourth at 5% behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
, and John Edwards
, for the month of October 2007. In head-to-head matchups with Republican candidates, Biden trailed Senator John McCain
on January 10, 2007 38% to 46%.
On July 17, Biden trailed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani 37% to 46%. The closest Biden came to a GOP candidate in a head to head matchup was against former Senator Fred Thompson, trailing him 38% to 40% on July 17, 2007.
, which he feels he played a role in ending. Biden stated earlier in his campaign that "[he] truly believe[s] the American public is waiting for leaders to come along who have the experience to say what they will do to restore America's leadership in the world." At times during his campaign he believed his experience would help him win the Democratic nomination, but when Barack Obama's campaign began to surge with the candidate's emphasis on change, Biden shifted his focus from his experience in politics to his ability for action. He stated during a November 2007 debate, "This [election] is not about experience. It's not about change. It's about action. Who among us is going to be able to, on Day 1, step in and end the war?"
, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq
. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way": federalizing
Iraq and giving Kurd
s, Shiites, and Sunnis "breathing room" in their own regions. With public approval of the handling of the conflict decreasing considerably since the invasion in 2003, Biden believed this plan would have helped his campaign among the electorate had he been nominated. The key points included:
, Biden stated in regards to his relationship with the Indian-American community:
"I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans — moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts
unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." His comment was caught on C-SPAN
. When asked to explain further, Biden spokesperson Margaret Aitken stated "The Senator [Biden] admires, supports and respects the Indian-American community... The point Senator Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers
, scientists
and physicians, but more recently, middle-class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run small businesses..." The Indian-American activist who was on the receiving end of Biden's comment later called the media coverage of Biden's comments "completely unfair," and stated that he was "100 percent behind (Biden) because he did nothing wrong."
; Biden was quoted in the New York Observer
as saying: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, ... I mean, that's a storybook, man." The audio of the interview, posted on the Observers website, reportedly includes a significant pause after "African-American" which would drastically change the meaning of the statement. Biden sought to clear up the controversy by apologizing to Obama on the same day and repeated his regret on The Daily Show
that same evening: "Look, the other part of this thing that got me in trouble is using the word clean. I should have said fresh." Some media observers labeled Biden's announcement a "launch pad disaster." Jesse Jackson
telephoned Biden and reported afterward "Senator Biden...assured me that he regrets that his remarks were misinterpreted. He was serious and contrite. To me, this was a gaffe, not a statement about his philosophy
or ideology
."
The remark did much to undermine the start of Biden's campaign, and severely damaged his fund-raising ability.
, clocking a 77.5 percent liberal voting record in 2006 and lifetime score of 76.8 percent. Biden is Pro-Choice
on abortion
rated 100% by NARAL and supports a state's right to have civil unions. He favors a Balanced Budget Amendment
and a rollback of the Bush tax cuts
. He supports the PATRIOT Act, the war in Afghanistan
and voted in favor of authorization of military force into Iraq. He believes a political solution can be met in Iraq through federalization. Biden would favor American military intervention into Sudan
to end the Darfur genocide. He supports Gun control
and was given an F by the NRA
. He opposes the No Child Left Behind Act
although he voted in favor of it in 2002. Biden opposes capital punishment
and supports the continuation of the war on drugs
. In 2007 he voted in favor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill
and supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Biden opposes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
and believes that the government must take action against global warming
.
While Biden's presidential campaign did not last beyond the first caucuses, he created a favorable impression during the debates and increased his stature among Washington politicos. In particular, Barack Obama
changed his opinion of Biden, liking how he had handled himself at campaign stops and appreciating his appeal to working class voters.
On May 30, 2008, it was reported by The Washington Times
that likely Democratic nominee Obama asked Biden to play a "more prominent" and "deeply involved" role in his campaign, with some speculating that Biden was on Obama's shortlist of vice presidential candidates.
On August 23, 2008, the Obama campaign announced that Biden would become Barack Obama's running mate.
's selection of Biden, the Senator's vice-presidential general election campaign began. During the campaign, he used his political experience to complement Obama, and debated Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
. Biden was elected Vice President on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009.
fined the Biden presidential campaign $219,000 for campaign finance violations. The commission's audit revealed the campaign to have accepted contributions above the legal limit, to have failed to properly compensate for a 2007 jet ride, and to have issues checks that were never cashed. A Biden spokesperson said that "Some repayment is commonplace after presidential campaign audits and the repayment ordered here is relatively small. Payment is due to the Treasury 30 days after the FEC issues its formal ruling and 'Biden for President' will comply with that."
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
presidential campaign, 2008 began when Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Biden announced his candidacy for President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
on the January 7, 2007 edition of Meet the Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
. He officially became a candidate on January 31, 2007 after filing papers with the Federal Elections Commission. Biden had previously run for president in 1988
United States presidential election, 1988
The United States presidential election of 1988 featured no incumbent president, as President Ronald Reagan was unable to seek re-election after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the Twenty-second Amendment. Reagan's Vice President, George H. W. Bush, won the Republican nomination, while the...
, but failed to receive the nomination of the Democratic Party. If elected, Biden would have been the first sitting Senator and Roman Catholic to be president since John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, and the first President to be born during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. (b. 1942)
During the campaign, Biden focused on his plan to achieve political success in the Iraq War through a system of federalization. He touted his record in the Senate as the head of several congressional committees and experience in foreign policy. Despite a few notable endorsements, Biden failed to garner significant support in opinion polls, and was marred by controversial comments made while campaigning. He ultimately dropped out of the race
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
on January 3, 2008, after capturing less than 1% of the vote in the Iowa caucus
Iowa caucus
The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
.
Seven months after conclusion of his campaign, Biden was selected to be Democratic nominee Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
. The pair won in the general election, and were sworn in on January 20, 2009.
Groundwork for the campaign
Biden had run for president once before, but his 1988 presidential campaignJoe Biden presidential campaign, 1988
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr., a Democratic United States Senator from Delaware at the time, was a candidate for President of the United States in the 1988 United States presidential election....
had lasted for only three and a half months. He had been forced to withdraw due to controversies arising over reusing other politicians' speeches without credit, and falsely recollecting parts of his academic record.
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
radio show on December 8, 2004. In the January 23, 2006 edition of The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world."
First quarter 2007
Biden declared his candidacy for president on January 31, 2007, although he had discussed running for months prior. It had been speculated that Biden would be offered and accept the position of Secretary of StateSecretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
because of his foreign policy experience and credentials. Biden rejected the notion outright, saying "Under no administration will I accept the job of Secretary of State". He stated that he was focused only on the presidency. At a campaign event, Biden commented, "I know a lot of my opponents out there say I'd be a great secretary of state. Seriously, every one of them. Do you watch any of the debates? 'Joe's right, Joe's right, Joe's right.'" Other candidates commenting that "Joe is right" in the Democratic debates has been converted into a Biden campaign theme and ad.
On January 31, 2007 as Biden entered the presidential race he attacked frontrunner Hillary Clinton's plan for the War in Iraq. During an interview on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, Biden called Clinton's plan "a disaster" and "counterproductive". Biden stated that his plan called for a "political solution" unlike Clinton's "military solution". Biden praised Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate, calling her "fully qualified". He also spoke highly of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
referring to him as an "incredible person".
During February campaigning Biden appeared on the February 18, 2007 edition of Face the Nation
Face the Nation
Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer is an American Sunday-morning political interview show which premiered on the CBS television network on November 7, 1954. It is one of the longest-running news programs in the history of television...
, criticizing the new surge policy of the Bush administration in Iraq. He spoke about a piece of legislation that he put forth before the Senate to stall the surge policy from enactment, which would strip the president of the authorization he was given to go to war in 2002. After the legislation went up for a vote it failed by four votes in the Senate. Biden stated:
While campaigning in March 2007, Biden stated that he would put a great quantity of focus on the first Southern primary state of South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
as a strategy. While speaking to rural audiences Biden noted that the war in Iraq continued to be an important facet of his campaign agenda. He said that he would talk to Independent voters
Independent (voter)
An independent voter, those who register as an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter of a democratic country who does not align him- or herself with a political party...
to convince them to propel him to the nomination stating that if "the Democratic nominee cannot attract independents, Democrats cannot win". Biden would later drop out of the race before the South Carolina primary would take place.
Second quarter 2007
In April 2007 Biden criticized Republican presidential candidate John McCainJohn McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
calling him " fundamentally wrong" for his support of the surge policy in Iraq. Biden wrote an opinion column to the Sacramento Bee, which called the surge a "failed policy". He conceded that violence was down in Iraq but that the "militia... simply waiting out the surge" accounted for the downward trend. Biden argued that no political change had occurred as there had been "no trust of the government by the [Iraqi] people." He later described his plan which calls for a system of federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
.
Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid is the senior United States Senator from Nevada, serving since 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Senate Majority Leader since January 2007, having previously served as Minority Leader and Minority and Majority Whip.Previously, Reid was a member of the U.S...
's assessment that the war in Iraq was "lost" is factual. Biden responded by stating the war is not a "game show" or a "football game", which can be lost. He went on to argue that the real question that should be asked is, "Are we going to be able to leave Iraq... and leave behind something other than chaos?" He elaborated on this statement revealing his belief in the need for a change in the strategy for Iraq, declaring that the United States has to "change the fundamental premise of this engagement, and that is... to decentralize Iraq... give the regions control over their own destiny..."
After the South Carolina debate, Biden campaigned in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to begin May 2007 attending events in San Francisco. Later in the month after President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
enacted economic sanctions against Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to pressure the government to end the genocide in Darfur, Biden momentarily shifted focus from Iraq to the crisis in Darfur. He released a statement on the campaign trail that expressed his belief that Bush was right to enact the sanctions. However, Biden argued that it was not enough, calling for a No-Fly Zone
No-fly zone
A no-fly zone is a territory or an area over which aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in a military context, somewhat like a demilitarized zone in the sky, and usually prohibit military aircraft of a belligerent nation from operating in the region.-Iraq,...
over the region and a possible commitment of United States forces to the nation.
On June 3, Biden participated in the second Democratic Debate featured on CNN, and set in the first primary state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Biden discussed the War in Iraq, his recent vote to continue the funding of the troops and briefly about illegal immigration. On immigration Biden stated that it would cost too much money to send all 14 million illegal immigrants back to their native countries. He stated that those who commit crimes should be sent back and the rest should be given a pathway to citizenship. His statement: "Folks, being commander in chief requires you to occasionally be practical." drew some laughter from the audience. Later in the debate Biden addressed his opposition to the "Don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
" policy of the military and touched on the situation in Darfur.
Later in June, Biden participated in another debate, this time featured on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
and set at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington D.C. At the debate the candidates discussed issues pertinent to African-Americans including education, civil rights and reproductive safety. Biden stated that to prevent the spread of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
public servants have to communicate to "black men...[that] it is not unmanly to wear a condom, getting women to understand they can say no, getting people in the position where testing matters. I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack [Obama] got tested for AIDS."
Third quarter 2007
The next month Biden participated in two debates: The July 12 Debate in Detroit, MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and most notably the July 23 YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
debate in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
featured on CNN. In this debate when asked what Republican he would pick as a running mate if forced, Biden answered, "I would pick Chuck Hagel
Chuck Hagel
Charles Timothy "Chuck" Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002...
, and I'd consider asking Dick Lugar to be secretary of state." In regards to Iraq, Biden stated that it was unrealistic to say that all troops would be redeployed. He instructed those who used that rhetoric to "Tell the truth for a change." When he discussed education Biden declared that he "would scrap" the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. He concluded his participation in the debate after being asked to say something he didn't like about the candidate to his left, Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
. Biden replied, "I don't like a damn thing about him...only kidding."
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Debate featured on the gay network Logo
Logo (TV channel)
Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
. He participated in the August 7 AFL-CIO
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
Debate and the August 19 Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
debate featured on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. On August 20 Biden aired his first campaign advertisement in the first caucus state of Iowa. In the 30 second ad a voiceover states that Biden has a plan to end the Iraq War, and that "We (America) must end this war in a way that doesn't require us to send their (soldiers) grandchild back." It continues by declaring, "Joe Biden is the only candidate with a plan to get us out of Iraq and keep us out."
As September began, while on the campaign trail in Iowa, Biden confided to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
that he was "counting on Iowa a lot". He hoped to come in "first, second or an indistinguishable third" and if not he would leave the campaign trail and return to Washington. His early statements seemed to mirror the future as he would ultimately drop out of the race after finishing lower than third in the Iowa Caucus. The results also presented a refutation of what he stated in September 2007 when he said that the campaign was "gaining some traction [in Iowa]." The September 2007 assessments made by University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
professor Bruce Gronbeck and Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
professor Dennis Goldford displayed more merit at the end of the race after Gronbeck stated that Biden was not gaining traction in the race and with Goldford adding that "[Biden] talks like a senator, not a president". Democratic strategist Ron Parker argued in September that Biden still had a chance but just had to sell his case to the American people.
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
addressed the Senate, Biden stated that, "I really respect him, and I think he's dead flat wrong [about the War in Iraq]". He criticized the president, arguing, "This president has no plan — how to win and/or how to leave". During the September 11 testimony by the General, Biden stated that the question to be asked to determine progress was "Are we any closer to a lasting political settlement in Iraq at the national level today than we were when the surge began eight months ago?" He answered his own question by stating "In my judgment, I must tell you, based on my experience and my observation here, as well as in-country, the answer to...[the] questions is no." After the testimony concluded, Biden and other Democrats were criticized for their conduct during the deliberations. In the following weeks Biden would continue with these arguments while campaigning.
At the September 26 MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
debate, Biden explained how he would allow for Social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
to last. He said that in the 1980s he had a meeting with prominent members of Congress and the solution they came up with was the raise the cap level, he stated that now the same solution would apply and that unity between the two parties was also necessary, "It was Joe Biden, Pat Moynihan, Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
...[and] George Mitchell
George J. Mitchell
George John Mitchell, Jr., is the former U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace under the Obama administration. A Democrat, Mitchell was a United States Senator who served as the Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995...
when we made that deal [to reform social security]. I'll never forget Bob Dole turning to Pat Moynihan and saying, 'we all got to jump in this boat at the same time.' So the bottom line here is, you can't do it by growing the economy alone. So I would raise the cap." Later in the debate Biden was one of three participants (along with Dodd and Richardson) who said they would ban smoking in public places.
Fourth quarter 2007
On October 23 Biden revealed his health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
plan. It called for expanded coverage for children and adults but stops short of mandates for complete universal coverage. It aimed to encourage wellness and modernization of treatment. Biden stated it would cost between $80 billion and $110 billion per year. He said it could have been paid with a rollback of tax cuts of the richest 1% bracket, capital gains and dividends and the elimination of tax loopholes for hedge fund
Hedge fund
A hedge fund is a private pool of capital actively managed by an investment adviser. Hedge funds are only open for investment to a limited number of accredited or qualified investors who meet criteria set by regulators. These investors can be institutions, such as pension funds, university...
managers and private equity partners. The plan would also had increased the SCHIP program to include children 300% above the poverty level.
At the October 30, 2007 debate in Philadelphia and the November 15 debate in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Biden was noted for some one-liners that drew some laughter from the audience. First, when speaking about Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
at the Philadelphia debate, Biden stated, "There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
, and a verb
Verb
A verb, from the Latin verbum meaning word, is a word that in syntax conveys an action , or a state of being . In the usual description of English, the basic form, with or without the particle to, is the infinitive...
and 9/11." At the Las Vegas debate Biden seemed to attack all his opponents when he stated, "I know there's more to say, Campbell. I appreciate you asking me the question and I'm sorry I answered it. I know you're not supposed to answer questions, based on what I've heard."
In his final debate before the Iowa Caucus, Biden participated in the December 13 forum sponsored by The Des Moines Register. His most notable part came when asked to respond to allegations that he was "uncomfortable" speaking about race since making remarks earlier in the year when he referred to Barack Obama using the adjectives "clean" and "articulate". Biden answered the question remarking that anyone who has known him knew of this commitment to civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and race relations. Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
came to his defense, saying: "Joe is on the right side of the issues and is fighting every day for a better America."
Following the debate and subsequent assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
, Biden shifted focus of his campaign to the issue of relations toward the nation of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He stated that the country was "the most dangerous nation on the planet" and that he had made that assertion on previous occasions. The event marked an opportunity for a candidate such as Biden with past foreign policy experience to gain momentum in the opinion polls with the looming Iowa Caucus less than a week away. Biden finished off the year's campaigning trying to improve his standing in the race by speaking of the events surrounding the situation in Pakistan and particularly his solution of protecting the nuclear weapons of the nation.
Withdrawal
After a finishing fifth place in the Iowa CaucusIowa caucus
The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
on January 3, 2008, garnering only one percent of the total vote, Biden ended his presidential bid. In a tearful rally with family and friends by his side, Biden declared, "I ain't going away. I'll be going back to the Senate as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and I will continue to make the case I've been making..." The end of this campaign marked the end of all presidential campaigns for Biden who stated that this run would be his last.
Financials
According to the Federal Elections Commission Biden took in $4,013,090, sixth among Democrats and spent $1,174,174. Most of his support came from New York and all of his support came from Northeastern States. Biden raised $2,343,639 in the second quarter. He spent $2,517,654 which left $2,772,442 cash on hand. The most support came from the state of New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
which donated $571,800. Biden raised nearly $2 million in the third quarter. This was fourth among Democrats. Biden has qualified for matching funds for his primary campaign but did not decide whether or not to accept them. According the Center for Responsive Politics
Center for Responsive Politics
The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
, Joe Biden raised $8,215,739 for his presidency campaign. Individual contributors gave $6,087,885 toward his campaign, PACs gave $101,475, and $2,026,379 has come from his Senate Re-election Fund. 66% of the PAC contributions came from business groups, 19% from labor groups, and the final 16% from ideological organizations. 19.3% of his finances had been disclosed, while 80.7% had not. When he withdrew, Biden had $1,886,340 on hand, spent $6,329,324, and had a total of $128,210 in debts.
Endorsements
List of people who endorsed Joe Biden |
|---|
Biden's endorsers include:
|
Polling
Perhaps the biggest problem Biden faced was the fact that voters did not know about him and his candidacy. An April 2–5 poll conducted by GallupThe Gallup Organization
The Gallup Organization, is primarily a research-based performance-management consulting company. Some of Gallup's key practice areas are - Employee Engagement, Customer Engagement and Well-Being. Gallup has over 40 offices in 27 countries. World headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Operational...
found that 38% of the public had never heard of Joe Biden and 17% had no opinion at all about him. In contrast, 0% of the public had never heard of Hillary Clinton and only 3% had no opinion according to a June 1–3 poll by Gallup.
A September poll conducted by Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
found that 36% of the public had never heard of Joe Biden and only 44% had a favorable opinion of him. However, this was the highest awareness rating in the Democratic field outside of the frontrunners (Clinton, Obama, and Edwards) and non-declared but highly discussed Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
. A September 18 poll found that 56% of respondents had not heard enough about Biden to form an opinion about him.
Biden had remained low in the opinion polls when compared to other candidates. A Rasmussen
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen Reports is an American media company that publishes and distributes information based on public opinion polling. Founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen in 2003, the company updates daily indexes including the President's job approval rating, and provides public opinion data, analysis, and...
survey taken September 19–24 put him in fourth place among his Democratic opponents at 4%, trailing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
. In the American Research Group, Biden was fourth at 5% behind Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, and John Edwards
John Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
, for the month of October 2007. In head-to-head matchups with Republican candidates, Biden trailed Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
on January 10, 2007 38% to 46%.
On July 17, Biden trailed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani 37% to 46%. The closest Biden came to a GOP candidate in a head to head matchup was against former Senator Fred Thompson, trailing him 38% to 40% on July 17, 2007.
Experience vs. change
Biden spoke of the fact that he had spent 34 years in the Senate and had been active in many congressional committees including being the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and formerly holding the post as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. On the campaign trail he touted his years of foreign policy experience particularly in regard to the conflict in BosniaBosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
, which he feels he played a role in ending. Biden stated earlier in his campaign that "[he] truly believe[s] the American public is waiting for leaders to come along who have the experience to say what they will do to restore America's leadership in the world." At times during his campaign he believed his experience would help him win the Democratic nomination, but when Barack Obama's campaign began to surge with the candidate's emphasis on change, Biden shifted his focus from his experience in politics to his ability for action. He stated during a November 2007 debate, "This [election] is not about experience. It's not about change. It's about action. Who among us is going to be able to, on Day 1, step in and end the war?"
Plan for Iraq
Earlier in his campaign the most important issue for Biden was the Conflict in Iraq. In November 2006, Biden and Leslie GelbLeslie Gelb
Leslie Howard Gelb is a former correspondent for The New York Times and is currently President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is author of published by HarperCollins in March 2009.-Background:...
, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way": federalizing
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
Iraq and giving Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
s, Shiites, and Sunnis "breathing room" in their own regions. With public approval of the handling of the conflict decreasing considerably since the invasion in 2003, Biden believed this plan would have helped his campaign among the electorate had he been nominated. The key points included:
- Giving Iraq's major groups a measure of autonomy in their own regions. A central government would be left in charge of interests such as defending the borders and distributing oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
revenues. - Guaranteeing Sunnis — who have no oil rights — a proportionate share of oil revenue and reintegrating those who have not fought against Coalition forces.
- Increase, not end, reconstruction assistance but insist that ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
states fund it and tie it to the creation of a jobs program and to the protection of minority rights. - Initiate a diplomatic offensive to enlist the support of the major powers and neighboring countries for a political settlement in Iraq and create an Oversight Contact Group to enforce regional commitments.
- Begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces in 2007 and withdraw most of them by 2008, leaving a small follow-on force for security and policing actions. The plan named as The Biden-Brownback Resolution passed on the Senate floor 75-23 on September 25, 2007, including 26 Republican votes.
Controversial comments
Controversial comments had adversely affected the campaign of Joe Biden. Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is quoted as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth."Indian-Americans
In July 2006, while speaking to a group of Indian-Americans in Manchester, New HampshireManchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
, Biden stated in regards to his relationship with the Indian-American community:
"I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans — moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts; it is now headquartered in Canton...
unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." His comment was caught on C-SPAN
C-SPAN
C-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
. When asked to explain further, Biden spokesperson Margaret Aitken stated "The Senator [Biden] admires, supports and respects the Indian-American community... The point Senator Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, scientists
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and physicians, but more recently, middle-class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run small businesses..." The Indian-American activist who was on the receiving end of Biden's comment later called the media coverage of Biden's comments "completely unfair," and stated that he was "100 percent behind (Biden) because he did nothing wrong."
Barack Obama
On January 31, 2007, Biden took his first steps into the presidential campaign, but his comments about other candidates overshadowed his entrance. Biden especially drew criticism in the popular press for his evaluation of Senator Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
; Biden was quoted in the New York Observer
New York Observer
The New York Observer is a weekly newspaper first published in New York City on September 22, 1987, by Arthur L. Carter, a very successful former investment banker with publishing interests. The Observer focuses on the city's culture, real estate, the media, politics and the entertainment and...
as saying: "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy, ... I mean, that's a storybook, man." The audio of the interview, posted on the Observers website, reportedly includes a significant pause after "African-American" which would drastically change the meaning of the statement. Biden sought to clear up the controversy by apologizing to Obama on the same day and repeated his regret on The Daily Show
The Daily Show
The Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
that same evening: "Look, the other part of this thing that got me in trouble is using the word clean. I should have said fresh." Some media observers labeled Biden's announcement a "launch pad disaster." Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
telephoned Biden and reported afterward "Senator Biden...assured me that he regrets that his remarks were misinterpreted. He was serious and contrite. To me, this was a gaffe, not a statement about his philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
or ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
."
The remark did much to undermine the start of Biden's campaign, and severely damaged his fund-raising ability.
Political positions
Biden is considered to be a moderate liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, clocking a 77.5 percent liberal voting record in 2006 and lifetime score of 76.8 percent. Biden is Pro-Choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
rated 100% by NARAL and supports a state's right to have civil unions. He favors a Balanced Budget Amendment
Balanced Budget Amendment
A balanced-budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that the state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government....
and a rollback of the Bush tax cuts
Bush tax cuts
The Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama that generally lowered tax rates and revised the code specifying taxation in the United States...
. He supports the PATRIOT Act, the war in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and voted in favor of authorization of military force into Iraq. He believes a political solution can be met in Iraq through federalization. Biden would favor American military intervention into Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to end the Darfur genocide. He supports Gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
and was given an F by the NRA
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. He opposes the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
although he voted in favor of it in 2002. Biden opposes capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and supports the continuation of the war on drugs
War on Drugs
The War on Drugs is a campaign of prohibition and foreign military aid and military intervention being undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade...
. In 2007 he voted in favor of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, or, in its full name, the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 was a bill discussed in the 110th United States Congress that would have provided legal status and a path to citizenship for the approximately 12 to...
and supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Biden opposes oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
and believes that the government must take action against global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
.
Aftermath
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
changed his opinion of Biden, liking how he had handled himself at campaign stops and appreciating his appeal to working class voters.
On May 30, 2008, it was reported by The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
that likely Democratic nominee Obama asked Biden to play a "more prominent" and "deeply involved" role in his campaign, with some speculating that Biden was on Obama's shortlist of vice presidential candidates.
On August 23, 2008, the Obama campaign announced that Biden would become Barack Obama's running mate.
Obama–Biden campaign 2008
Following U.S. Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's selection of Biden, the Senator's vice-presidential general election campaign began. During the campaign, he used his political experience to complement Obama, and debated Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. Biden was elected Vice President on November 4, 2008, and sworn in on January 20, 2009.
FEC fine
On July 16, 2010, the Federal Election CommissionFederal Election Commission
The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency that was founded in 1975 by the United States Congress to regulate the campaign finance legislation in the United States. It was created in a provision of the 1975 amendment to the Federal Election Campaign Act...
fined the Biden presidential campaign $219,000 for campaign finance violations. The commission's audit revealed the campaign to have accepted contributions above the legal limit, to have failed to properly compensate for a 2007 jet ride, and to have issues checks that were never cashed. A Biden spokesperson said that "Some repayment is commonplace after presidential campaign audits and the repayment ordered here is relatively small. Payment is due to the Treasury 30 days after the FEC issues its formal ruling and 'Biden for President' will comply with that."
See also
- Political positions of Joe BidenPolitical positions of Joe BidenJoe Biden is the Vice President of the United States and former senator from the US state of Delaware. He served in the Senate from 1973 until 2009 and made his second run for President of the United States in the 2008 presidential election as a Democrat...
- Joe Biden presidential campaign, 1988Joe Biden presidential campaign, 1988Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr., a Democratic United States Senator from Delaware at the time, was a candidate for President of the United States in the 1988 United States presidential election....
- United States presidential election, 2008United States presidential election, 2008The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
External links
- Transcript of Vice-Presidential nomination acceptance speech
- Joe Biden.com, Campaign site
- Spartan Internet Political Performance Index rank for Joe Biden by week
- Joe Biden for President 2008
- Joe Biden campaign news
- Joe Biden's presidential campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Joe Biden's presidential campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
- Washington Post Presidential Field