|
Letter: Biden best qualified candidate for president
Op-Ed · January 02, 2008
Everyone has heard the reasons to caucus for Senator Joe Biden on Jan. 3. Senator Biden is, without a doubt, the most qualified candidate running for president. Most people agree with me on this matter — including those who have thrown their support behind someone else. Even the other candidates applaud Biden’s knowledge and experience! So, why isn’t Biden the current front-runner? Well, I’ve heard a lot of excuses for not supporting him — and, frankly, none of them are convincing.
The first reason I’ve heard is that Biden isn’t high enough in the polls to be viable on caucus night. Perhaps this would be true — if the polls were in any way a true picture of how people will actually vote in January. Recall that four years ago at this time, John Kerry was barely polling in the double digits while Gephardt and Dean were up around 40 percent. Clearly, the polls did not provide an accurate prediction of the caucus results. Also — if enough people who like Joe Biden have the courage to stand in his corner, we can make him viable! Too many Iowans forget that we get to determine what is and is not inevitable on caucus night.
The second reason I have heard is that Biden does not have enough money to do well in the general election, so there is no point in giving him the nomination. This can not be further from the truth! While Biden currently lags behind in fundraising, this is mostly because his fundraising base is in Delaware — a very small state. When Biden gets the party’s nomination, the coffers will open up nationwide. Furthermore, I think it is to Biden’s credit that he has not taken large amounts of money from Washington lobbyists the way some off the other candidates have. Senator Biden has been in office for 35 years and he’s not a millionaire. That’s how you know he’s honest.
The final argument I’d like to address is that Biden would make a good Secretary of State. Would he? Undoubtedly! But — and I’ll second Biden’s own words here — isn’t it time we had a president who was capable of being the Secretary of State? On caucus night, we should ask ourselves whether the candidate we’re supporting is someone who can take charge of our country’s foreign policy — the way the American president used to.
Sincerely,
Norma Beecher
West Branch
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
