News Cut: August 23, 2008 Archive

Joe Biden, the Democratic convention, and whatever you hold dear

Posted at 7:32 AM on August 23, 2008 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

So it's Joe Biden, the guy who said "it's not me. I'm not the guy" earlier in the week. And the whole "you'll know first by text message" angle turned out to be a load of hot air. Big shock, both. For many, the text mails announcing Biden's choice are still making their way to the be-the-first-to-know recipients.

The early line from Rasmussen? Biden is seen favorably by 43% of those surveyed.

What do you think? Whenever I think of Biden, I think of one of the two best political quotes of all time (in my opinion): "The greatest love affair in Washington is between Joe Biden and the sound of his own voice." The other great quote has nothing to do with Joe Biden but it was Walter Mondale's comment the day after he got clobbered in the election for president, "I wanted to run for president in the worst way, and that's just what I did."

Here's my analysis: Kiss it goodbye, Gov. Pawlenty. The McCain campaign has made 'experience' an issue in this campaign. There's going to be a debate between the vice presidential candidates. So how can the McCain camp trot out a Tim Pawlenty -- nice guy, but being governor of a state in flyover country and the state rep from Eagan isn't going to compare well with the credentials of Biden, no matter what you think of Joe Biden.

Forbes Magazine today rips Biden on the basis of the economy, and says all of the rumored choices were negative on that issue. But Pawlenty's state now has higher unemployment than the national average, so he's not going to stand out as a sage on economic issues, either.

For that matter, Gov. Mitt Romney -- the other oft-mentioned possibility for McCain's vice president -- doesn't match up that well, either.

Tom Ridge and even Joe Lieberman move up a rung on the ladder, it says here, regardless of their position on abortion.

I'm on my way to Denver today and probably won't have much to post until later this evening. Hopefully we'll be able to provide you with a gentle blend of trivia, behind-the-scenes images, and occasional insight that cuts through the showbizzy informmercialness of it all.

As I did at the '04 conventions, I want to make this a conversation during the week -- letters to home from the convention, and involve your perspective and questions on things. So bookmark this page, and whenever you're moved to ask a question or make an observation about things, write it down and send it and I'll figure out some way to work it in here.

Some of the MPR crew is already in Denver, the rest are heading there today. There's a "media" party tonight, which is usually one of the two major non-political events. In the past, they've been sponsored by the dominant media in the convention city. But that was when the media was a living, breathing thing -- not the shriveled-up banana peel it often appears as today. The media party planned for Minneapolis next week is nothing if not "restrained," and it's sponsored by the host committee.

I'm not entirely sure what Denver's scale is or the involvement of the local media -- in particular Dean Singleton's operation (the head of the company that also owns the Pioneer Press). I'll let you know if I make it there.

Sunday night is a media party of our own, although it's not a party. I started the "tradition" in '04 with MPR reporters and a small group of fellow-Minnesota reporters. We have one nice meal together on Sunday evening, knowing that come Monday, our dinners consist mostly of vending-machine Cheetos and soda. Seventeen colleagues from MPR, the Star Tribune, and the Pioneer Press are getting together.

I called only two places for reservations. The first -- downtown -- had no tables available. The second seemed almost relieved I called. So I'll try to assess the local business impact of the convention this week to see how it may -- or may not -- reflect on what the Twin Cities will experience starting next week.

I'm anxious to explore one comparison between Denver and MSP. Can I take a picture in Denver without being rousted? If you don't hear from me again, you'll have the answer.

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Denver Diaries: Arrival

Posted at 7:15 PM on August 23, 2008 by Bob Collins (0 Comments)
Filed under: The political conventions

The MPR News team has arrived in Denver. That's boss Mike Mulcahy, left, rounding up reporters Mark Zdechlik and Tom Scheck. Within a few days, they'll experience the down side of traveling with a blogger.