Biden Is Making Serious Points

I must admit, I'm completely surprised at the ferocity of Biden's questioning of Roberts... as a so-called centrist Dem, Biden, I thought, would give Roberts a pass; however, Biden, to my mind, is the only Dem that has approach the hearings with any seriousness and intensity, which I really like and appreciate.

Am typing this as am listening to Biden's questioning of Roberts, so this is brief and my gut reaction.

Now, of course, Biden knows that we (the grassroots) are watching and, sure, he's got 2008 on his mind -- thus far, I know, he's making some serious points (at least with me).  Now, there are 3 years remaining between now and 2008, so we'll see if Biden applies that ferocity against the administration.

•  All bark

  My thoughts from what I have seen of Biden are that he puts on a great show, asks tough questions that people want to hear, and then he votes Republican.

  by Pennsylvanian on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:18:17 AM PDT

  •  just like he voted for gonzales

    you're so right.

    by BiminiCat on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:20:15 AM PDT

    •  Hotel Reality

      No he didn't

      by Buffalo Girl on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:39:52 AM PDT

      •  he didn't??????

        dammit!!!!

        by BiminiCat on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:40:57 AM PDT

    •  AND Condi... same phoney patterm

      by rhfactor on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 11:04:51 AM PDT

      •  condi too

        that bastard.

        by BiminiCat on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 11:12:59 AM PDT

  •  re`

    and my I add to your thoughts with:

    " then he votes Republican. Then runs to Faux News to see and hear himself on TV bloviate"

    by cookiesandmilk on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:23:00 AM PDT

  •  At least he's bothering with the show

    In politics, perception is reality. How much of the frustration with Democrats is because they are perceived to be intense and well, putting on a show with their opposition?

    by VirginiaBelle on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:24:39 AM PDT

    •  re

      The politics of voting FOR roberts trumps the perception that biden put up a good fight against roberts.

      let's see how he votes.

      by cookiesandmilk on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:29:21 AM PDT

      •  I don't believe Biden will

        Vote for Roberts.

        I still think Roberts will be confirmed.

        by VirginiaBelle on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:38:00 AM PDT

        •  I don't either, VB

          by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:58:15 AM PDT

  •  Yeah, Biden was one of Bolton's biggest

    supporters. Oh, no wait, he voted no. And voted no on Gonzalez. Can we please get our facts straight before we make accusations.

    by jj32 on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:09:49 AM PDT

    •  He eviscerated Bolton on the Senate floor

      It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen. He earned my respect that day.

      I get the impression that most people on the dkos hate Biden because evereybody else seems to, so he must be a bad guy.

      by hstokes on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 11:48:40 AM PDT

•  Yes, he is.

  And he also points out that these hearings are a farce. The idea that a nominee can't reveal his own opinions because it will inhibit his ability to rule is based on the false premise that judges don't base their decisions on their personal views.
  That is the biggest joke of these hearings. These judges are just as result oriented as politicians.
  Bush V. Gore says it all.
  And they pretend like this court has some god-like objectivity. It's as big a joke as the media being objective.

  by AWhitneyBrown on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:21:09 AM PDT

  •  My final moment of disgust,

    before I switched it off for the day, was when Roberts tried to dance his way around the question of whether a person on death row, who could prove his/her innocence, has a constitutional right to have that information heard.  So much for justice!

    by Yellow Dog Dem Woman on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:43:20 AM PDT

    •  My first, not final, moment of disgust...

      was when Biden asked Roberts about his personal views on the issue of whether someone has a basic right to die and to not be kept on life support and if the federal govt should be able to override someone's wishes on that. (That was the gist of the question, anyway. I'm not sure of its exact wording). And Roberts couldn't even say something like "I don't think the govt should be able to force someone to prolong their life if that person doesn't want to."

      This Roberts makes me want to puke.

      by Seemabes on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:56:24 AM PDT

•  I sure wish Biden

  had taken the following approach:

  Ask Roberts for a precedent on an issue, say common pool resource jurisdiction, from the  side of private industry; then ask him for another precedent from the opposing view, say the Sierra Club.

  What difference would there be in the two explanations?  I say it would illuminate his position merely by the fact of his "weighted" argument on one side or the other.

  by MoronMike on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:24:17 AM PDT

•  Biden utterly reeks of pandering to me.

  by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:33:43 AM PDT

•  Thought the Democrats already agreed to confirm.

  That's all I'v heard lately in MSM is that the Dems are already looking to the next Supreme Court nominee, who "should" be a woman, since Roberts was pretty assured of confirmation since he seems not worth fighting over (to the Democrats).  

  I think anybody who considers that the "executive," as he calls the president, is not constrained by Congress in declaring or ending conflicts/wars surely does not understand the U.S. Constitution and is dangerous to have ruling on freedoms that flow from our Constitution.  

  You know, women got abortions before it was legal, folks, and they always will no matter what the law of the land is.  But trashing the Constitution and stealing elections is a whole different order of misdeeds that Roberts participated in and that is being deliberately overlooked in these distracting abortion arguments.

  by Silverbird on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:38:26 AM PDT

•  Thanks for the update

  I finally got so fed up with listening to Roberts squirm away from giving any substantive answers that I turned it off.  My feeling is that I can't do anything to stop his appointment (Frist is my senior Senator -- condolences accepted), so there's no point in having my gut wrenched by listening to him refuse to answer questions.  :(

  Stay strong!

  by Yellow Dog Dem Woman on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:39:47 AM PDT

•  It's Safe

  for Biden to play the harsh questioner in an environment such as this, knowing that Roberts isn't going to answer any tough question directly.  But Biden can rack up the points with people such as you by looking like he has a spine and is playing hardball.

  But he's not.  Biden's Inquisition has as much substance as marshmallow cream.

  by Kevin in Long Beach on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:40:18 AM PDT

  •  yep, the clips are all about him, and that's

    the point!

    by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:42:47 AM PDT

  •  Yep, the clips will be all about Biden,

    and that's exactly his objective. pander/pander/pander

    by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:44:11 AM PDT

    •  oh, good grief-- sorry about that..sheesh!

      by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:44:44 AM PDT

      •  LOL...

        Rough morning, Philly?

        by Kevin in Long Beach on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:47:37 AM PDT

    •  Exactly

      People think he's "getting tough on Roberts" because he's asking "tough" questions in a staged and rigged setting. And people buy into it.  It never ceases to amaze me.

      by Kevin in Long Beach on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:46:49 AM PDT

      •  Well, being sanctimonious about it ain't

        all that attractive either, Kevin ;)

        by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:50:45 AM PDT

        •  We

          All have our flaws and challenges to overcome...

          by Kevin in Long Beach on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:59:18 AM PDT

          •  lol! yep, that be true :)

            by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:03:48 AM PDT

            •  Sanctimonious though?

              I would have given you snotty, but sanctimonious?  Ouch.

              by Kevin in Long Beach on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:07:53 AM PDT

              •  Cute, Kevin

                by PhillyGal on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:24:17 AM PDT

  •  As Some One Noted

    Yes, it is a theatre at this point -- and that's the point, to play into the theatrics.  Yes, the highlight reel focus on Biden, but guess what, regular viewers will come away with this notion: That Democratic Senator is making a strong case, appears to have a spine... I want to hear what he has to say.

    The regular viewer will not know Biden's track record, but they'll know that he's a Democrat and that he showing a spine -- something that the Democratic party as a whole, in terms of public perception, is sorely lacking.

    At the moment Dems Senators on that panel need to be mindful that they are speaking to a national audience and that a highlight reel is being created -- and that reel needs to include moments where Dems Senators take it strong to the hoop, and force a dunk over the opposition... the crowd loves it... and at the moment, that's the point.

    by bedobe on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:44:05 AM PDT

•  Biden has his good moments

  He was fantastic during the whole hearing on Mustache Man and in fact, he's impassioned speech probably contributed to Voivoniwich (sorry bout spelling, I'm too lazy to google) not voting him out of committee.

  by JaneKnowles on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:44:47 AM PDT

  •  Yes, He Was Very Good...

    ...on Bolton.  He was right, he put on great theater, and there was such impressive procedural manuvering going on with the theater that Bush was forced to make a recess appointment.

    by DHinMI on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 09:54:04 AM PDT

•  Biden actually cares about the Constitution

  Reminders, folks, Biden teaches Constitutional Law at Widener Law School in Delaware.  He actually cares about the Constitution, he cares about people here, he cares about the Iraqi people!  The toughness of his questioning is due to his deep knowledge of the law.  Further, he is on to Roberts and his slick presentation, slipping and sliding.  Biden is having none of it.

  I know Biden personally, I worked on his campaign.  Cut the cynicism and sarcasm!
  Back off, Kossacks!

  by bigforkgirl on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:08:58 AM PDT

  •  If he cares so much...

    ...then he really has to very seriously re-think his support for the bankruptcy bill, and perhaps even propose its revocation in light of Hurricane Katrina.

    I'm sure he cares about people, but he seems to care about the Delaware credit card industry a little more than he should.

    by cdodd on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:16:10 AM PDT

•  I haven't seen him today

  but I thought he was awful today. He was too busy listening to his own voice that it took him forever to ask a question. And then he'd ask a (usually pretty important) question, listen to Roberts for 5 seconds, say he was running out of time, and ask another question.

  I thought he came off looking like an idiot, especially when put next to Spector, who was more interested in getting answers than getting the limelight, and actually got Roberts to talk about the right to privacy.

  by AnnArborBlue on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:25:34 AM PDT

  •  ack

    "but I thought he was awful yesterday" not today.

    by AnnArborBlue on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 10:25:54 AM PDT

•  If you go back over Biden's

  distinguished Senate career, you'll see he's always been this way.  He was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee once and acted this same way.  He isn't pandering, he's just being Joe Biden.

  by PAprogressive on Wed Sep 14, 2005 at 06:17:46 PM PDT