It's good to see Joe Biden back on the campaign trail, and I know we all wish him, Jill and his family peace at this time of grieving.
His absence started me thinking about the role surrogates play in the campaign and how they reflect on the candidate for whom they're a surrogate.
Remember after the first debate, Biden was all over the airwaves and Palin, well, she was in a bar here in Philadelphia, shunning cameras and microphones like they were going to suck her tan right off her. There were lots of comments here then about how McCain had hurt himself by not picking a VP who could share his burden and carry his message.
I started thinking about that even more lately...take a look with me at the candidates' closest surrogates and their roles.
Team Obama: Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden
Team McCain: Sarah Palin, Cindy McCain, Todd Palin
Obama's team is made up of 4 strong articulate candidates, any one of whom can and does handle him or herself brilliantly, independently. Joe, Michelle and Jill can each give a speech, handle a press conference, chat on the View or Letterman, sit down with small groups of voters.
Obama has picked partners, in both his personal and his professional life, who reflect his core values - integrity, independence, intelligence, communication, collaboration. Any one of the three could be a worthy candidate on his/her own, should s/he so choose.
Then we have Team McCain:
Sarah Palin: good at delivering talking points although even then she occasionally gets them wrong. Cannot answer a single unprompted question from the media without looking like a deer in headlights. Makes gaffe after gaffe (and not the kind of talking-too-much gaffe Biden occasionally makes, but gaffes that show no understanding of the issues, no complex thought process, no humility, and not even much awareness of McCain's points of view). McCain can, and now has to, let her away from his side. But reporters cannot ask her questions and now can't even ask her supporters questions. She does not stand alone as an independent surrogate.
Cindy McCain: She could probably give a speech, and has done some interviews and sit downs. But when you look at BarbinMD's daily candidate schedule posting, she rarely if ever appears as a separate entity. She's a useful surrogate at times, but I've never heard anyone describe her as intelligent or particularly interesting.
Finally, The First Dude: He's not even on the radar screen. Seriously - nowhere. I guess he stands next to Palin at some appearances.
So we have Team Obama, supported by 3 strong, competent surrogates. 3 people to carry the load, share the press, articulate a message. 3 people Obama can trust.
And we have Team McCain: 3 people, two of whom can occasionally be let out alone under tightly controlled circumstances. Not one who can do all of what Joe, Michelle and Jill can each do.
And what does this say about the candidates' characters. To me, it's the strongest indication of confidence. Obama is confident in himself, and translates that to confidence in others. While he maintains tight control, he doesn't do so by muzzling the press or those around him, he does so by aligning himself with people who share his fundamental values.
McCain is a fearful, controlling man whose desperation for the presidency has clouded his judgment. He does not view women as equals - actually, I doubt he views anyone as his equal. He picked a spouse and a VP who some would say look good on paper ("runs a successful business" "mayor and governor") but who lack substance and depth. He did not choose true partners because he does not believe he needs any. He chose based on image - blond heiress wife, perky beauty queen running mate - not based on substance. He has to shoulder the burden essentially alone, not because of happenstance but because of his own choices.