It’s Their Fault

I really like the Biden pick. Though it certainly has its political advantages, it primarily shows me that Obama is a politician who has truly overcome Boomer-style politics. Beyond all the meaningless media speculation and campaigning about “what this pick means” and “symbolizes” in terms of getting Obama elected, what matter to me is that Obama has chosen someone who actually would be a great day-to-day Vice President–and I think this may have been (shockingly) a primary consideration is his decision. Obama even did a good job of explaining his choice as such.

Despite this, it is amazing to me how irrelevant this point–the fitness of a VP to his/her potential job for four years–is to pundits, commentors, and voters of all political stripes. Instead its “how will this sure up this or that constituency,” “how will the right attack this,” “this guy annoys me,” “he has hair plugs,” etc.

Most disappointing is the fact that pro-Obama pundits are coming down on this decision in cynical, Boomer-style ways–bringing up gaffes, personality complaints, and the like. Most annoying is the cringe worthy fact that some say Biden “shows Obama doesn’t really want to change Washington.” That complaint is only true if you look at it in the way a Boomer looks at it–in the most surface level, symbolism-oriented, uninformed ways that cynical Boomer politicians have been trying to program the public to think like for years. The pick was in fact a precise example of overcoming old Boomer style politics: pragmatic, well-informed, consistent with a vision of actually getting things done, and about something other than the scoring of political points. It assumes voters will see past media hype and politics. That’s what Obama / change is about, at least to me.