Last year, a journalist asked Biden (Obama's new vp) what he thought of his opponent (Biden had recently announced his candidacy for president), and this is what he said about Obama:

"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."

Sent by hmd1987 | 12:32 AM ET | 08-24-2008

hmd1987:
Wow, that's news to me! I wouldn't have known unless you had posted that comment. Oh wait...yeah I would, because it's in the article above.

Sent by uh | 1:22 PM ET | 08-24-2008

According to NY Times, Biden lost his family members to car accident after becoming senator, please provide correction.

Sent by Nilesh Kulkarni | 1:22 PM ET | 08-24-2008

Personally I like Biden. He ripped McSame a new one yesterday with that 7 kitchen tables comment. I loved it.

RD
http://useurl.us/126

Sent by Jim Jones | 1:31 PM ET | 08-24-2008

"Biden co-wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which created official support structures for victims of domestic violence and criminalized their batterers."

is that all he has done?

what about all the moms who beat thier little boys.. or little bitches who drive men over the edge.. we are all one.. why should a skilled man be passed for job in favour of a unskilled women for political collectedness? happens all the time in tech... most women dont know shit about tech.. why are all the shelters full of men? how come a black man can punch a white man and its not hate crime? why is it so hard for women to share parenting.. driving all the Dads away..

cut the gender crap! its so old-school.. there are so many more important things to discuss...

Sent by asdf | 1:37 PM ET | 08-24-2008

Um, hmd1987, did you read the article? It says that in the third paragraph.

Sent by Matt Kantor | 1:47 PM ET | 08-24-2008

"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."

I think it was more of a compliment to Obama. Did you ever take Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton seriously as presidential material?

Sent by MIngo | 2:00 PM ET | 08-24-2008

I contributed to Biden's Presidential campaign this year. The primer here is great, I'm hoping more people will get to know Joe and support him and Obama this Fall.

-Brandon Mendelson
http://www.historyisfreakingawesome.com

Sent by Brandon Mendelson | 2:10 PM ET | 08-24-2008

He has also been one of the leading proponents of the failed War of Drugs for decades. "Liberals" who want freedom in their personal lives should not be suprised when their civil liberties continue to be attacked under Obama / Biden.

http://www.alternet.org/story/14259/

Sent by milec31 | 2:11 PM ET | 08-24-2008

Nilesh-
Biden lost his family member between the time he was elected and took office. There's your "correction". This article is not incorrect.

Sent by patty | 3:07 PM ET | 08-24-2008

No mention that the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (which contained the Violence Against Women Act) also expanded the federal death penalty. Or his sponsorship of the execrable bankruptcy bill in '05.

Nice whitewash NPR.

Sent by Craig Hanson | 3:13 PM ET | 08-24-2008

um, matt kantor, did you read the comments? it says that in the second entry.

Sent by bbbballs | 3:22 PM ET | 08-24-2008

Ms. Ludden states Biden was "accused" of plargiarism. In fact, this was not just an accusation,in that Biden, once confronted, admitted that he had done so. Furthermore the entire situation was far more substantial that one incident. Earlier media articles from journalists at the NYT and the Washington Post, report the following combination of publicized actions (omited by her bio) which forced Biden to leave the race: The reports state that he did in fact, lift an Entire Speech from a well-known British Labor MP, that he flunked a law school class after being caught lifting an entire law review article, and submitting it as his own, and that he bragged during the campaign of having earned three degrees(he earned one),of winning an award for "top political science student"(he was only nomimated), and finally, that he won a full academic scholarship(he only had a half scholarship based on financial need). To quote an old NYT article. It "made him appear shallow".

Sent by Ragnell | 7:01 PM ET | 08-24-2008

milec31, too true, and gun control laws... but McCain sucks twice as much, so what are we left with? RON PAUL! Write him in!

Sent by RON PAUL | 7:12 PM ET | 08-24-2008

OooooOOoo, asdf gotta chip on his shoulder...and maybe a few scapegoats besides.

Sent by your momma | 9:51 PM ET | 08-24-2008

"Pro-Choice" Catholic? How can you be a Catholic and take a stance diametrically opposed to your church. The Catholics need to step up with the ex-communications.

Sent by Bob Goron | 11:33 PM ET | 08-24-2008

Obama made another blunder by picking Biden. How is Biden a candidate of change? He is a bit of a hambone and loves nothing more to hear himself talking. Obama may blow this thing yet. I hope not.

Sent by Ken Burnside | 7:30 PM ET | 08-25-2008

i'm thrilled mr obama picked joe biden. i'd have voted for him for president given the opportunity. i worry about his tendancy to stick his foot in his mouth, but i believe his values as a man and an american are impeccable, and his credentials as a foreign policy expert are matchless. he and barack are an unstoppable team. let's just hope joe can keep his brain and mouth in synch

Sent by Yejide | 10:19 AM ET | 08-26-2008

just one more thing . . . are you clowns whining about biden's imperfections forgetting the back-to-back bush coronations? is there ANYBODY out there as corrupt and terrifying as bush and his boyz? do you really think mccain is somehow different? do you honestly believe ron paul - or anyone for that matter - is a viable alternative? do you really not remember how ralph nader assisted in the ruination of the country by his determination to run a divisive and destructive campaign? are you really going to let yourselves be numbed again (yeah, i know some of you bozo's voted for dubya twice!!!) by the republican machine and its determination to scare you into believing they are your saviors? saviors from circumstances they themselves created?? c'mon. you people are really scaring me - again!!

Sent by Yejide | 10:33 AM ET | 08-26-2008

We bozo's and clowns are also scared that McCain will win. That is why we are voicing our opinion about the moves that Obama is making. Barack is head and shoulders the best candidate but as you said the American people picked bush twice. That is why we voice our opinions. We are not bozo's or clowns. Those are the people who elected bush.

Sent by Ken Burnside | 10:28 PM ET | 08-26-2008

Women Want Safety, not Biden's Abuse of Power

Senator Joe Biden proudly proclaims that he was regularly and severely beaten by his older sister as a child and as an adolescent. This is the same sister that raised his two sons after his wife and daughter were killed in an auto accident.

Biden has often claimed that the Violence against Women Act is the greatest achievement of his career. He also claims that a woman cannot be a perpetrator of domestic violence, despite the fact that hundreds of studies show that women commit acts of domestic violence as often as, or more often than men. Many studies also show that lesbian women physically attack their intimate partners at least as often as heterosexual men.

As a result of Biden's Violence against Women Act, the federal government pays states to create laws effectively requiring that innocent men be removed from their homes and families without even an allegation of violence, with no legitimate standards of evidence, when a woman makes a claim that she is afraid.

Elaine Epstein, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association (1999), has said "the facts have become irrelevant... restraining orders are granted to virtually all who apply. Regarding divorce cases, she states "allegations of abuse are now used for tactical advantage". According to Epstein, who is also a former president of the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association, restraining orders are doled out "like candy" and "in virtually all cases, no notice, meaningful hearing, or impartial weighing of evidence is to be had."

State restraining order laws are starting to fall because they're unconstitutional. The federal law behind them, written by Joe Biden, is likely to fall as well, not because it isn't popular, but because it is clearly unconstitutional.

There is a rapidly growing activist community dedicated to addressing this issue. One of the focal points of this community is the Glenn Sacks blog, www.glennsacks.com .

Supporting Documentation

Here are some of the facts regarding Biden's abuse at the hand of his sister. During senate hearings held on December 11, 1990, Biden testified to the abuse.

http://www.ifeminists.net/introduction/editorials/2006/0503roberts.html

This recent CDC study indicates that women between the ages of 18 and 28 initiate reciprocal violence against their intimate partners about as often as men. It also indicates that women initiate non-reciprocal violence against their intimate partners more than twice as often as men.

http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/42/15/31-a

Here is a link to a bibliography of over 200 studies indicating that women are as violent as men in their intimate relationships:

www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm

According to the US Department of Justice, women also abuse, neglect and kill their children at significantly higher rates than men. Here's some of the data on child homicides.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm04/figure4_2.htm

Research clearly indicates that lesbian battery is at least as common as heterosexual battery.

http://www.glennsacks.com/domestic_violence_a_2.htm

http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/lesbianrx/factsheet.shtml

http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbianhealth/a/DVFactsMyths.htm

Cathy Young reports on the Elaine Epstein quote and the broader issue at Salon.com here:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/10/25/restraining_orders/

and provides in depth analysis here:

http://www.iwf.org/files/50c58dda09f16c86b2c652aa047944f6.pdf

This report from RADAR (Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting) provides much insight into the situation brought about, in large part, by Joe Biden.

http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/RADARreport-VAWA-A-Culture-of-False-Allegations.pdf

Sent by HumanRights101 | 3:48 PM ET | 08-28-2008

yeah, seriously, what ABOUT the little bitches that drive men over the edge?!!
wow. are you serious? you have to start somewhere and no matter what your personal experience is, women tend to be on the bottom of the food chain. positive change is a very slow process ESPECIALLY in government. people are set in their ways so i'm 100% supportive of acts such as that one.

and as for being catholic and pro-choice-
it is very easy to understand that when you give away certain rights (gun ownership, abortion-choice, privacy ect.) you will absolutely be expected to give up others. i can see why being pro-choice would and should be not a personal bias but an understanding of rights. it's not a catholic decision, but a legal and constitutional one.

Sent by westolebreaths | 9:45 PM ET | 08-31-2008

Obama is just that - a good looking, well-spoken, politician - with hardly any experience at all. Who's blind??

Sent by yomomma | 1:48 PM ET | 09-03-2008