Joe Biden was hesitant to accept the offer to run as VP with Obama. He thought that he would have more influence as a senior senator (with a Democratic president) then as a VP.
But Obama really wanted him and he talked him into it. Joe said that his condition was that he wanted to be in all the important decisions and he wanted to be the last person in the room before Obama decided. He wanted to be a real, helpful, and impactful #2.
What he didn’t want to be was his predecessor, Dick Cheney.
Cheney didn’t see himself as serving the president. He saw himself as the one person the president couldn’t fire because he was elected. He argued that his oath of office made him independent. Many argue that Cheney ran a shadow government that really made many of the decisions during the W. years. He was not a great guy (understatement alter).
Biden was horrified that someone would use the office like that and he did all he could to restore dignity and the proper balance to the vice presidency. He saw Cheney as a “cautionary tale”
from the book Barack and Joe:
To Biden, Cheny’s conduct as vice president was abhorrent. Cheney’s view of the office and his abuse of his position disgusted Biden. Before the inauguration the two men sparred publicly over their sharp personal, political and operational differences.
in the debate with Palin, Biden said “ Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history.” and he promised to return to the norms of a Vice President not abusing his power.
In a Fox news interview Cheney said “If he wants to diminish the office of the vice president, that is up to him.”
What Biden did wasn’t to diminish the power of the office — it was to heighten it to the best version of what it should be. Biden was the last person in the room for Obama. He didn’t make any of the decisions but he was always honest and he did his best to be a great number two. In modern history, we have never had a president/vice president with such a great partnership and working relationship.
Another president might come into this mess we have and fix some stuff but also take advantage of the power grabs that Trump did for the office. We know Biden won’t do that because Biden already showed us how he acts in this exact situation — Biden has a huge amount of respect for our system of government and the offices that support it. He will return the presidency to where it should be.
Joe Biden will be a great president.
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This is Day 59 in my series 100 Days of Loving Joe Biden
Did you miss any of the 100 days? Here are links for all of them:
Day 1: Biden’s Tax Plan
Day 2: Biden and Gay Marriage
Day 3: Biden’s FDR Sized presidency
Day 4: Biden is a mensch
Day 5: Biden has a Covid-19 plan
Day 6: Biden ran the Obama economic recovery
Day 7: Biden’s Housing Plan
Day 8: Biden knows love and commitment
Day 9: Biden knows exactly who Republicans are
Day 10: Biden understands America
Day 11: Biden will bring smart, progressive policies to help Americans
Day 12: Biden has felt pain and found empathy
Day 13: Biden and the Violence Against Women Act
Day 14: Biden was endorsed by John Lewis
Day 15: Biden will protect teacher’s unions
Day 16: Biden will be a steady hand in the White House
Day 17: Biden cares about people in the dawn and twilight of life
Day 18 Biden has a great economic plan
Day 19: Biden would yank the Keystone XL Pipeline
Day 20: Biden has plans to help Americans with disabilities
Day 21: Biden sponsored the very first climate bill when in the senate
Day 22: Biden is a person of great character
Day 23: Biden has a great plan for saving the planet
Day 24: Biden has a great healthcare plan
Day 25: Biden will increase housing equality
Day 26: Biden loves dogs
Day 27: Biden has foreign policy swag
Day 28: Biden will work to increase the minimum wage to $15
Day 29: Biden will stand against gun violence
Day 30: Biden will protect, empower, and expand unions
Day 31: Biden knows commitment, love, and patience
Day 32: Biden is a person of faith
Day 33: Biden will listen to experts
Day 34: Biden will protect and expand social security
Day 35: Biden picked Kamala Harris
Day 36: Biden has an expansive plan to empower Latinos
Day 37: Biden will address income inequality in his economic agenda
Day 38: Biden will protect at risk communities from climate change
Day 39: Biden has great pro-worker plans for his presidency
Day 40: Biden was for civil rights before civil rights were cool
Day 41: Biden has a childcare plan to help parents and children
Day 42: Biden will reboot our foreign policy
Day 43: Biden is a genuinely kind man
Day 44: Biden takes the steps to help people
Day 45: Biden protected us from a SC justice Bork
Day 46: Biden is not afraid to take the side of good over evil
Day 47: Biden hates bullies
Day 48: Biden has a plan to protect veterans and their families
Day 49: Biden refuses to define others by their biggest mistakes
Day 50: Biden has a great infrastructure plan
Day 51: Biden will keep ALL Americans safe
Day 52: Biden will bring us first lady Jill Biden
Day 53: Biden’s age and experience gives him the perspective needed to handle the ups and downs of the White House
Day 54: Biden showed empathy, humility, and wisdom in Kenosha
Day 55: Biden supports the women and men who protect our country.
Day 56: Biden values family
Day 57: Biden’s No Malarkey Attitude will be great for foreign policy
Day 58: Biden knows how to get votes when we need them to pass important legislation. He did it as a Senator and as VP and he will do it as President.