Think Before You Speak, Senator Biden.
This advice does not draw from our first amendment right to freedom of speech. All Americans need to think before we speak, but especially candidates for President. We are a very individualistic society and want instant gratification, so we blurt things we do not mean. And even in our impulsive sayings – things come out of our mouths and we simply do not think about the consequences. Yes, I know, it is hard to think about every little thing you say but especially in politics, candidates need to be aware of their surroundings at all times, including who is listening. Everything they say and do will be recorded and repeated, many times – especially if it has negative connotations.
U.S. Senator Joe Biden from America’s first state, Delaware, has an exceptional background in politics. He appears to be a deserving candidate for the Presidential consideration in 2008. He’s a dedicated family man who has more than 30 years experience in the U.S. Senate. He serves on the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and has served on it for the three decades he’s been in office. In January, he was elected chairman. As chairman he has began to hold hearings on the War in Iraq; the committee also successfully passed a resolution to stop President Bush from sending more troops to Iraq.
During his time in office he pushed for some very impressive legislation issues. In 1994, he wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which set up a national hotline and shelters all across the country. And he also has continuously pushed for crime bills – his Biden Crime Law requires communities to be notified when convicted sex offenders move into a neighborhood.
It is no mystery that Biden’s family is one of the most important aspects in his life. Shortly after being elected into the Senate in 1972, his first wife and daughter were both killed in a car accident; leaving him a single parent to his 2 sons. Even now, with 3 children and 5 grandchildren, Biden still resides in Delaware choosing to take public transportation home every night to be home with his wife and mother. With all of his years of experience in the U.S. Senate, his wonderful legislation, and his dedication to his family –he should be a viable candidate in the 2008 election.
However, despite his dedication to American values and the American family – perhaps the biggest lesson Biden should have learned in his more than 30 years experience in the Senate is to think before he speaks. Recently, in an interview with the New York Observer, Biden referred to one of his Democrat counterparts, Senator Barack O’bama (Ill.), as a “clean, articulate African American man.” This statement set off a media frenzy, which Biden defends by stating his comments about O’bama were taken out of context. Biden’s apology and O’bama’s own reaction - he did not think Biden was trying to offend anyone - are still making headlines. He even got a little time on ABC’s “The View.” Even the very outspoken co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Joy Behar defended Biden’s comment.
Nevertheless, this isn’t Biden’s first run with the insert-foot-into-mouth syndrome. He made comments with racist connotations against Indian-Americans when he stated that you can not go into a 7-11 convenience store without one of “them” owning one. And he even made statements against his own state, as a slave state, that fought with the North because they could not find their way to the South. Biden also had a run in with accused plagiarism charges at several different occasions – the most recent was in 1987 where he knowingly plagiarized excerpts from a speech by a former British party leader, Neil Kinnock. That incident and the background of several other plagiarism cases in his academic past led him to drop out of the 1988 Presidental election.
So that was 20 years ago. And Joe Biden is back to speaking without thinking and it may be at a deadly cost for his presidential bid. His comments about O’bama will not be taken lightly in the upcoming broad-range Presidental election in 2008. His words may have been taken out of context but they will not be erased – which might ultimately mean his campaign could be terminally tarnished. But can Biden regain the trust and forgiveness of the American people like he has done before? Only time and the American people will tell.
Furthermore, before Americans head to the primary polls and elections, the candidates need to be aware that Americans are listening and watching. And, Americans do know how to do their own research and make educated decisions for themselves without the media and without political slander. So politicians, especially, Senator Joe Biden, be aware of your comments because Americans can forgive but we certainly don’t forget, especially, in this era of electronic campaigning.
Cheryl Gressley ‘08
Wilkes University
Communication Studies Major
This advice does not draw from our first amendment right to freedom of speech. All Americans need to think before we speak, but especially candidates for President. We are a very individualistic society and want instant gratification, so we blurt things we do not mean. And even in our impulsive sayings – things come out of our mouths and we simply do not think about the consequences. Yes, I know, it is hard to think about every little thing you say but especially in politics, candidates need to be aware of their surroundings at all times, including who is listening. Everything they say and do will be recorded and repeated, many times – especially if it has negative connotations.
U.S. Senator Joe Biden from America’s first state, Delaware, has an exceptional background in politics. He appears to be a deserving candidate for the Presidential consideration in 2008. He’s a dedicated family man who has more than 30 years experience in the U.S. Senate. He serves on the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and has served on it for the three decades he’s been in office. In January, he was elected chairman. As chairman he has began to hold hearings on the War in Iraq; the committee also successfully passed a resolution to stop President Bush from sending more troops to Iraq.
During his time in office he pushed for some very impressive legislation issues. In 1994, he wrote the Violence Against Women Act, which set up a national hotline and shelters all across the country. And he also has continuously pushed for crime bills – his Biden Crime Law requires communities to be notified when convicted sex offenders move into a neighborhood.
It is no mystery that Biden’s family is one of the most important aspects in his life. Shortly after being elected into the Senate in 1972, his first wife and daughter were both killed in a car accident; leaving him a single parent to his 2 sons. Even now, with 3 children and 5 grandchildren, Biden still resides in Delaware choosing to take public transportation home every night to be home with his wife and mother. With all of his years of experience in the U.S. Senate, his wonderful legislation, and his dedication to his family –he should be a viable candidate in the 2008 election.
However, despite his dedication to American values and the American family – perhaps the biggest lesson Biden should have learned in his more than 30 years experience in the Senate is to think before he speaks. Recently, in an interview with the New York Observer, Biden referred to one of his Democrat counterparts, Senator Barack O’bama (Ill.), as a “clean, articulate African American man.” This statement set off a media frenzy, which Biden defends by stating his comments about O’bama were taken out of context. Biden’s apology and O’bama’s own reaction - he did not think Biden was trying to offend anyone - are still making headlines. He even got a little time on ABC’s “The View.” Even the very outspoken co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Joy Behar defended Biden’s comment.
Nevertheless, this isn’t Biden’s first run with the insert-foot-into-mouth syndrome. He made comments with racist connotations against Indian-Americans when he stated that you can not go into a 7-11 convenience store without one of “them” owning one. And he even made statements against his own state, as a slave state, that fought with the North because they could not find their way to the South. Biden also had a run in with accused plagiarism charges at several different occasions – the most recent was in 1987 where he knowingly plagiarized excerpts from a speech by a former British party leader, Neil Kinnock. That incident and the background of several other plagiarism cases in his academic past led him to drop out of the 1988 Presidental election.
So that was 20 years ago. And Joe Biden is back to speaking without thinking and it may be at a deadly cost for his presidential bid. His comments about O’bama will not be taken lightly in the upcoming broad-range Presidental election in 2008. His words may have been taken out of context but they will not be erased – which might ultimately mean his campaign could be terminally tarnished. But can Biden regain the trust and forgiveness of the American people like he has done before? Only time and the American people will tell.
Furthermore, before Americans head to the primary polls and elections, the candidates need to be aware that Americans are listening and watching. And, Americans do know how to do their own research and make educated decisions for themselves without the media and without political slander. So politicians, especially, Senator Joe Biden, be aware of your comments because Americans can forgive but we certainly don’t forget, especially, in this era of electronic campaigning.
Cheryl Gressley ‘08
Wilkes University
Communication Studies Major
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