How Biden Boosted the Democratic Ticket

Some major newspapers have agreed, with The New York Times touting Obama's selection of Biden in its Oct. 23 endorsement of the Democratic ticket.

"Mr. Obama would have a learning curve on foreign affairs, but he has already showed sounder judgment than his opponent on these critical issues," read the editorial. "His choice of Senator Joseph Biden -- who has deep foreign-policy expertise -- as his running mate is another sign of that sound judgment. Mr. McCain's long interest in foreign policy and the many dangers this country now faces make his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska more irresponsible."

At every rally across the nation, Biden blasted McCain's economic and foreign-policy plans while touting Obama's judgment and character.

Biden also visited parts of the country that Obama had not hit, regions that fell into Republican hands four years ago. Of Biden's 67 events, not counting fundraisers and joint rallies with Obama, 35 were in counties that were carried by Bush in 2004.

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The six-term senator, as he did Sept. 5 in Langhorne, Pa., has frequently quoted a line that former President Truman once said to a supporter who yelled out "Give 'em hell, Harry!"

"And he yelled back, 'I'm not going to give them hell -- I'm going to tell them the truth and they're going to think it's hell!'" Biden said, as always garnering huge applause from his audience.

And give the Republicans hell Biden has, ripping McCain and Palin on a regular basis, as he did in a blistering address at his home state's Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Oct. 13.

"Barack Obama and I want to attack America's problems," Biden said. "It appears that all Sarah Palin and John McCain want to do is attack us. We want to attack problems. They want to attack us."

Although he initially displayed a reluctance to go after Palin -- calling her "good-looking" in Toledo Aug. 31 in his first comments on McCain's surprise pick as running mate -- Biden eventually began to blast his GOP counterpart.

"She said in the middle of that debate as she was winking at y'all, she said she'd been listening to my speeches since she was in second grade," Biden said of the lawmakers' much-watched vice presidential debate Oct. 2 in St. Louis. "Well, I guess, just like she can see Russia from Alaska, she can see Delaware from Alaska."

The only problem was that Palin had never made that comment at the Show Me State showdown, but rather she said it days before at a Columbus, Ohio, rally. No matter. Biden, whose penchant for hyperbole and embellishing the truth is well known, pressed on with his punch line.

"She looked over at me, she said, 'well, I was in second grade when Sen. Biden got first elected.' I was inclined to say, 'but yes, governor, you were in sixth grade the last time Sen. McCain had a good idea.' You know, but I didn't, I didn't."

When the two vice presidential nominees stacked up against each other in polls, Biden emerged the clear winner.

An Oct. 21 Pew poll found that 60 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Biden, compared to 44 percent of Palin, while an Oct. 15 Bloomberg poll showed that 76 percent of registered voters think Biden is prepared to be president, while 43 percent say the same for Palin.

The senator has also attracted moderates as well, with nearly four in 10 moderates in an Oct. 7 ABC News/Washington Post saying they were less likely to support McCain after the Palin pick, only two said they were more likely. Compare that to Biden attracting three times as many moderates to Obama as he drives away.

And it's not just that voters believe Biden is ready to lead, but the Irish-Catholic Biden has helped Obama among Catholics. A Sept. 9-14 Pew survey found Obama and McCain virtually deadlocked among Catholics, with the former up 45 percent to 44 percent; six weeks later, Obama's advantage had skyrocketed to a 54 percent to 34 percent lead.