Joe Biden 2008 presidential campaign

Joe Biden
President of the United States
Preceded by	J. Caleb Boggs
Personal details
Born	(1942-11-20) November 20, 1942 Scranton, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Neilia Hunter (deceased) Jill Tracy Jacobs
Alma mater	University of Delaware
Profession	Law

United States Democratic Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, announced his candidacy for president of the United States on the January 7, 2007 edition of Meet the Press. He officially became a candidate on January 31, 2007 when he filed papers with the Federal Elections Commission. Biden had previously run for president in 1988, but failed to get the nomination of the Democratic Party.

Campaign development

Early stages

Biden first mentioned his intentions to run for president on the Don Imus radio show on December 8, 2004. He has since launched a website, [2], in order to build support and donations.

Polls

Main articles: General Election Polling and Democratic Primary Polling

Biden has remained low in the polls and a recent Rasmussen survey taken August 6–12 puts him in a tie with Dennis Kucinich for 5th place among his Democratic opponents at 2%, trailing Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson.

Financials

First quarter

According to the Federal Elections Commission Biden took in $4,013,090, sixth among Democrats and spent $1,174,174. Overall he ranked 9th among all candidates and fourth when compared only to Republicans. Most of his support came from New York and all of his support came from Northeastern States.

Second quarter

Biden raised $2,343,639 in the second quarter. He has spent $2,517,654 and has $2,772,442 cash on hand. The most support came from the state of New York which donated $571,800.

Supporters' arguments

Experience

Biden’s major strength is that he has spent 34 years in the Senate and has been active in many congressional committees. He currently is serving as the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and formerly held the post as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

"I truly believe the American public is waiting for leaders to come along who have the experience to say what they will do to restore America's

leadership in the world." (Joe Biden)

Plan for Iraq

Arguably the most important issue for the upcoming election will be the Conflict in Iraq. Biden has established a plan on this issue involving a five point plan to end the violence and bring the troops home.:

1. Establish One Iraq, with Three Regions
Federalize Iraq in accordance with its constitution by establishing three largely autonomous regions - Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- with a strong but limited central government in Baghdad
Put the central government in charge of truly common interests: border defense, foreign policy, oil production and revenues
Form regional governments -- Kurd, Sunni and Shiite -- responsible for administering their own regions
2. Share Oil Revenues
Gain agreement for the federal solution from the Sunni Arabs by guaranteeing them 20 percent of all present and future oil revenues -- an amount roughly proportional to their size -- which would make their region economically viable
Empower the central government to set national oil policy and distribute the revenues, which would attract needed foreign investment and reinforce each community's interest in keeping Iraq intact and protecting the oil infrastructure

3. Convene International Conference, Enforce Regional Non-Aggression Pact
Convene with the U.N. a regional security conference where Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, pledge to support Iraq's power sharing agreement and respect Iraq's borders
Engage Iraq's neighbors directly to overcome their suspicions and focus their efforts on stabilizing Iraq, not undermining it
Create a standing Contact Group, to include the major powers, that would engage Iraq's neighbors and enforce their commitments

4. Responsibly Drawdown US Troops
Direct U.S. military commanders to develop a plan to withdraw and re-deploy almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2007
Maintain in or near Iraq a small residual force -- perhaps 20,000 troops -- to strike any concentration of terrorists, help keep Iraq's neighbors honest and train its security forces

5. Increase Reconstruction Assistance and Create a Jobs Program
Provide more reconstruction assistance, conditioned on the protection of minority and women's rights and the establishment of a jobs program to give Iraqi youth an alternative to the militia and criminal gangs
Insist that other countries take the lead in funding reconstruction by making good on old commitments and providing new ones -- especially the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries

Detractors' arguments

Biden making a comment

Controversial Comments

Biden stated on January 31, 2007 in regards to Barack 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." These comments caused an uproar in the African-American community. He later apologized for the comment saying he misspoke but this was not the first time he misspoke. In July, 2006 he stated in regards to Indian Americans, "I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian Americans — moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.” The comments were later better explained by a spokesperson but it remains that a trend has been shown by Biden, making this a weakness of his campaign.

"If the gaffe does destroy Biden’s chances, few in either party will be particularly surprised. The senator’s biggest enemy has always been his own mouth...He simply cannot control what comes out of his mouth." (Jonathan Darman of Newsweek)

Notoriety

Perhaps the biggest problem faced by Biden is the fact that his poll numbers are so low and that few people outside of politics have actually heard of him. An April 2-5 2007 Poll done by Gallup found that 38% of the public had never heard of Joe Biden and 17% had no opinion at all about him. This is compared to Hillary Clinton who on a June 1-3 2007 poll by Gallup found that 0% of the public had never heard of her and only 3% had no opinion.

Campaign focuses

See also: Political positions of Joe Biden

File:Bidenpresident.jpg

These are the specific issues that Biden is targeting with his campaign and these are his positions on these issues taken from his campaign website.

Afghanistan and Darfur
If we should be surging forces anywhere, it is to Afghanistan. That country is not lost, but it is on the brink of a major comeback by the Taliban, Al Qaeda, warlords and drug traffickers. Our necessary investment in blood and treasure risks being squandered -- we need an infusion of military and economic assistance and a plan to wean that country away from drugs. This administration rightly called what's going on in Darfur genocide, but it has failed to match its words with deeds. Joe Biden has been calling for NATO to declare and police a "No Fly Zone" over Darfur; for an international peacekeeping mission we should impose if Khartoum says no; and serious sanctions against the regime which is aiding and abetting the slaughter of innocents.
Energy
Joe Biden believes that domestic energy policy is at the center of our foreign policy and economic policy. Most of the world's oil is concentrated in nations that are either hostile to American interests or vulnerable to political upheaval and terrorism. Our oil dependence undercuts the advance of freedom and limits our options and influence around the world because oil rich countries pursuing policies we oppose can stand up to us and undermine the resolve of our allies. Profits from the sale of oil help fuel the fundamentalism we are fighting. High energy prices hurt business' bottom line. Joe Biden's first priority is energy security. He believes we can strengthen security by reducing our oil consumption by increasing fuel efficiency, transitioning to farm-grown fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, and expanding the use of renewable energy. But we cannot stop there. Joe Biden would make a substantial national commitment by dramatically increasing investment in energy and climate change research and technology so that that United States becomes the world leader in developing and exporting alternative energy.
Jobs
To protect jobs, compete in a global economy and strengthen families Joe Biden believes the next President must first address two things: energy security and health care. This is not our father's economy - America now competes in a global economy. The price of energy is set by the global marketplace. Developing our own sources of energy aren't enough to protect us from high prices that cost businesses and families -- we must invest in using energy more efficiently and become the leader in energy innovation. By 2008, the average Fortune 500 company will spend as much on health care as it will make in profit. In other countries their competitors will not have to bear these costs. Joe Biden believes America will continue to dominate the global economy by putting energy security and health care reform at the top of the agenda.
Health Care
Joe Biden believes that to protect jobs, compete in a global economy and strengthen families we have to have to address out-dated health care system. The next president will have to deal with two challenges: containing the growing costs of health care and providing access to the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance. Joe Biden believes we need to take three steps to contain the cost of health care: modernize the system, simplify the system and reduce errors. He supports the transition to secure electronic records so that people can provide their doctors and nurses with vital medical information in real time. He believes there should be a uniform, efficient system to submit claims. Joe Biden believes the path toward a 21st century health care system starts with the most vulnerable in our society. He would expand health insurance for children and relieve families and businesses of the burden of expensive catastrophic cases. He supports states that are pursuing innovative alternatives to make sure that everyone has access to health care and believes we should use data from these states to evaluate what works best in providing affordable access to health care for all.
Access to Higher Education
Joe Biden believes that every American should have access to higher education. In order to compete in a global economy the American workforce has to protect its edge in education. A college degree is more valuable than ever - and more expensive. As a parent, Joe Biden knows how tuition costs drain family savings. He would expand help for families by increasing the tax deduction for tuition payments. He would expand Pell grants to cover the average tuition at public colleges for low income families. Joe Biden believes that high school students should be engaged in planning and saving for college earlier in their careers so that students in their senior year are not overwhelmed by the process of applying to college and figuring out how to pay for it. He would expand national service programs to high school students so that they can earn money for college by participating in public service while they are in high school.
Preparing for College
Over the past two decades we have made incredible strides in updating our education system. Fifteen years ago it would have been hard to imagine students linked through a high-tech video and high-speed internet network to other students and teachers across the country or teachers interacting with parents via email. New technology holds promise for our education system that we're only beginning to discover. But nothing is more essential than quality educators and engaged parents. Joe Biden believes that to fulfill the promise to leave no child behind we have to direct adequate resources to update schools, reduce class size and school size, reward quality educators, and improve teacher pay.
Homeland Security
This Administration and the Republican led Congress have refused to make the necessary investment in our homeland security. Our ports, chemical plants, railways and other critical infrastructure are not secure. Our local police agencies are stretched too thin, and our first responders still cannot talk to each other in the event of an emergency of natural disaster. The 9/11 Commission gave us a blue print for what we need to protect against terrorist attacks here at home. To be sure, implementing it will cost more. But we can easily afford it - if we change our priorities. This year, the budget for the Department of Homeland Security is $35 billion; at $60 billion, the tax cut for millionaires is nearly double that amount. Joe Biden would take back one year of the tax cuts for Americans who make over a million dollars a year, and put this money in a dedicated Homeland Security and Public Safety Trust Fund to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations and invest in law enforcement.

Crime
Joe Biden is the author of the most innovative and far-reaching criminal justice proposals in recent history including the Violence Against Women Act which established that national domestic violence hotline and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act which was responsible for putting more than 100,000 police officers on the streets. Joe Biden has fought to protect support for state and local law enforcement. But the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress slashed billions in federal assistance for state and local law enforcement and completely eliminated the COPS hiring program. Cities have been forced to reduce the size of their police forces. Joe Biden predicted crime rates would go up because of these cuts - and they did. The most recent reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation show the largest increase in violent crime in 15 years. Joe Biden's priority is restoring the nearly $2 billion dollars that has been cut from state and local law enforcement.
Climate Change
The United States, as the strongest nation in the world, must return to a leadership role to solve global warming. Containing greenhouse gas emissions within our own borders is a necessary and important start - but it is not enough. Joe Biden has led a bipartisan coalition calling on the President to return to negotiations for a new climate change treaty. Developing countries - China, India, Mexico, Korea and Brazil - will soon be the greatest source of greenhouse gas pollution. They must be a part of the solution. But we cannot exert pressure on these countries until we take meaningful action to limit greenhouse gas emissions here at home. Joe Biden supports a "cap and trade" approach to regulating emissions and investment in technologies that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

See also

• Joe Biden
• Political positions of Joe Biden
• United States presidential election, 2008

External links

http://www.joebiden.com

• Spartan Internet Political Performance Index rank for Joe Biden by week