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While there is still a lot of research to be done on this, here are five areas that Senator Joe Biden could help Barack Obama in as they begin their fight to defeat John McCain.

Helps bring in Catholic vote: Joe Biden is very open about the fact that he is Catholic, there will be no emails circulating around the internet questioning the authenticity of his Christianity. Sorry guys, you won’t be seeing emails questioning whether or Joe Biden ever attended a madrasah. Yes, Joe Biden is pro-choice, however there are many Catholics who will always support “their own,” regardless of where they stand.

Helps bring in the female vote: Joe Biden has an extremely interesting life story when it comes to his family and taking charge as a father. Here is a brief summary from his Wikipedia page talking about just one of the tragedies that have made him the family man he is:

“His wife and infant daughter died in a car accident shortly after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. His two young sons, Beau and Hunter, were seriously injured in the accident, but both eventually made full recoveries. Biden was sworn into office from their bedside. Persuaded not to resign in order to care for them, Biden began the practice of commuting an hour and a half each day on the train from his home in the Wilmington suburbs to Washington, DC, which he continues to do.

Doesn’t create a wealth distraction: One issue that many candidates run into when seeking office is their own personal fortunes and what has been handed down to them, which makes it hard to paint themselves as the candidate for the “middle class.” While Barack Obama and Joe Biden are not poor by any standards, they both come from very humble beginnings (Obama raised by a single mom, Biden by a used car salesman). This is in contrast to John McCain, who is the son of an oil heiress and married an heiress himself (though I personally see nothing wrong with it, but I’m sure some Soros ad will go after it).

Foreign policy experience: As we all know, in terms of foreign policy experience, Barack Obama really doesn’t have much. However, Joe Biden is currently the Chairman on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, a committee he has been on consistently since 1973. Those 35 years on the committee have given Joe Biden insider access to all of the international hostilities that have occurred during his tenure.

A son currently serving in the military: While it seems that the economy is going to be the biggest debate for this election, you cant sidestep the fact that we are still a nation at war. Barack Obama has said repeatedly that his goal is to get our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, which has left many moderates questioning whether he understands how the military works and the consequences. When you mix the fact that Joe Biden’s son will more than likely be in Iraq when (if) he is innaugerated, with his years of service on the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations, many voters may feel reassured knowing that he has a personal and a professional stake in the military, meaning he wont take action that doesn’t make sense for the troops and for the country.

Please don’t hesitate to leave your comments, and additional things that you think Joe Biden brings to the table for Barack Obama.

Of course, expect a post in the coming days of “5 ways Joe Biden hurts Barack Obama.”

So we know that Joe Biden has now been added to the ticket to help Barack Obama attempt to take down John McCain in November. However, lets take a look back at one of the ideas Joe Biden had for Senator McCain during the last election:

Biden endorses a Kerry-McCain ticket
Democrat’s ‘Hardball’ comments likely to fuel new speculation
By Mike Stuckey
MSNBC.com Politics Editor

One of the presidential nominating season’s most unusual ideas was pushed again Tuesday, this time by one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress, when Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware advocated a “unity” ticket of Democratic Sen. John Kerry and Republican Sen. John McCain.

Biden made his comments on MSNBC TV’s “Hardball” when moderator Chris Matthews asked him: “Do you think McCain is seriously — and I mean this professionally — flirting with the idea of accepting a second place on the ticket with John Kerry, and creating a fusion ticket to run against the president?”

Replied Biden: “I think that this is time for unity in this country, and maybe it is time to have a guy like John McCain — a Republican — on the ticket with a guy he does like. They do get along. And they don’t have fundamental disagreements on major policies.”

When asked by Matthews if he would support such a ticket, Biden said, “I would. Yeah, if John Kerry said that’s who he wanted, and McCain — I’d encourage McCain to say yes. I doubt whether John would do it. I doubt whether John McCain would do it. But, you know, we need some unity here, man. The red states and the blue states — we’ve got to have something to coalesce around here.”

The notion that a lifelong Republican like McCain would join the Democratic ticket is widely dismissed by many Washington observers, but McCain himself fanned the flames when he said last week on an ABC News show that he would “entertain” joining Kerry on the Democratic ticket.

“John Kerry is a close friend of mine. We have been friends for years,” McCain said on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday. “Obviously I would entertain it.”

But the Arizona senator’s chief of staff, Mark Salter, shot the idea down a short time later, saying that he had McCain’s approval to firmly announce that “Senator McCain will not be a candidate for vice president in 2004.”

And despite his close relationship with Kerry, McCain himself had cast such an invitation as highly unlikely. “It’s impossible to imagine the Democratic Party seeking a pro-life, free-trading, non-protectionist, deficit hawk,” he said.

Biden’s endorsement of such a ticket Tuesday is likely to bring a fresh round of speculation in Washington. The Delaware Democrat is the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and considered his own bid for the presidency this year.

Let’s see how long it takes for him to come up with a clever way to retract that.

Just when I was getting tired of this ridiculous campaign, the fine folks at barelypolitical.com come up with another video to make things a little less monotonous and a bit more humorous:

It’s a little crude, but it’s still funny.

CNN.com is reporting that John McCain is expected to meet on Wednesday with Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, in what many believe could be one of the final vetting events before McCain finalizes his choice for running mate.

While I think that Bobby Jindal is a great American, with a great story, I truly believe that if John McCain picked him to be his running mate, Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States.

Unlike my posts about why Mitt Romney should be selected as McCain’s running mate, my reasons for coming to this conclusion are much simpler, experience.

The reality is that Bobby Jindal has very little experience in governing. One of the biggest arguments that people have used against Barack Obama is that he doesn’t have the experience needed to be President; however, Barack Obama has much more political experience than Bobby Jindal. Let’s remember, Bobby Jindal has only been Governor of Louisiana for seven months, and when he was in Congress, it was only for one term.

In a campaign where age is going to be an issue, the last thing John McCain needs is people second guessing his pick, simply because they are young and lack experience.

As I’ve said earlier, Mitt Romney (or someone of similar caliber) is exactly what John McCain needs to remain viable in this election.

There has been a lot of speculation lately about who John McCain should, or is going to pick to run alongside him in his battle for the White House. CNN’s Political Ticker has also been reporting that it appears that McCain might be heading in the direction of Mitt Romney.

It’s no secret to anyone who has read this blog that long before I was a McCain supporter, my top choice, by far, was Mitt Romney. Naturally, there is some bias with me when it comes to this, however to help paint a better picture, here are 5 reasons that I think would give John McCain incentive to selecting Mitt Romney as his running mate.

1. Mitt Romney brings a strong understanding of economics and economic policy to the table. This isn’t something that was picked up in a committee hearing, instead something learned by operating, managing, and consulting some of American’s top companies.
2. Mitt Romney will bring some much needed youth to the campaign. Yes, Mitt Romney isn’t the first guy you think of when it comes to being youthful, but at least he has an understanding of technology and new media.
3. Mitt Romney understands the importance of having a strong relationship with foreign countries, but beyond that also understands the value in having strong business relationships. Mitt Romney has dealt with foreign economies before and he will have no problem transitioning those skills and observations on a larger level.
4. Mitt Romney is an articulate speaker, who can quickly make key points without having to rely on note cards and overused talking points. It’s one of my biggest pet-peeves with McCain, is that most of his speeches seem overly rehearsed, or reliant on note cards and talking points. I know that’s how politics is, but some just pull it off better than others.
5. Mitt Romney will be able to bring in a considerable amount of money into the campaign. Even without his personal wealth, Mitt Romney is an extremely well connected guy, both in business and religious circles. These two areas are obviously areas that McCain could be stronger in when it comes to fundraising.

I’m sure others might have their own reasons, or even opposition to this. Regardless of your point of view, I welcome and urge all comments!

It looks like there is an update to the post I made back in April, Where ‘States Rights’ Sometimes Get Complicated.

Even though the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that the death penalty was too severe of a sentence for those found guilty of child rape, it appears that many state legislatures will remain steadfast in introducing and attempting to pass laws that provide these offenders with the toughest possible sentencing guidelines.

I was quite surprised Supreme Court was able to develop a majority opinion (5-4) that essentially removed the rights of individual states to determine what is ‘just punishment.’

Even though this was a huge victory for many on the far-left and certain religious types, I was pleased to see how John McCain and Barack Obama addressed this case:

Republican Sen. John McCain called the ruling “an assault on law enforcement’s efforts to punish these heinous felons for the most despicable crime.” Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said there should be no blanket prohibition of the death penalty for the rape of children if states want to apply it in those cases.

I have to admit, I was quite pleased to see Barack Obama make this statement. All too often to Democratic candidates succumb to the pull of the far-left fringe, and it usually comes back to haunt them, especially in middle America.

Obama’s statement makes me wonder what how he would prioritize the view of states rights when it comes to picking his Supreme Court Justice should he be elected. Would it be more important than a potential nominees stance on abortion? Gay rights?

I think it would be an interesting question to be presented to the candidates in a debate, “if you were given the task of picking a Supreme Court nominee during your presidency, list the top three ideological viewpoints that you would be looking for, in order, based on priority.”

Hopefully if they do another YouTube debate, someone can sneak in a question like this. Maybe the snowman.

In the past, I have been very critical of campaigns at all levels, primarily going after their lack of effort in trying to capture the young, energetic and willing base of the GOP.

Fortunately, I haven’t been the only one who has noticed these problems, and for many of the campaigns they have made strides in the right direction in terms of using technology in their favor (see Bob Schaffer for on example).

However, as candidates are starting to finally get their websites and campaign structures in order to accommodate volunteers and activists, I’ve started to see what seems like a withdrawal from campaigns on all levels, even by those who would be classified as “campaign die-hards.”

I know that things like this are bound to happen when your party has a sitting two-term President. For many, there seems to be an assumption that simply writing a check to Senator McCain or the Republican National Committee is going to take care of securing a victory come November.

Even though check writing isn’t going to make someone President (though it helps), lets just pretend that their logic is correct. Let’s assume that each of these Republicans writes their check to Senator McCain and he is able to work the right states and win the election, then what? Was this a win for the GOP?

There are many Republicans that I have spoken with who seem to believe that the only victory that the Party has to worry about is the presidency, assuming that once John McCain is in office, he’ll simply veto every piece of earmark-laden piece of legislation that comes across his desk.

Unfortunately, those who make that assumption need to understand that if the GOP doesn’t pick up some key seats, or loses just a few, having a veto-proof majority is something that wont be too far out of reach for the Democrats.

Just look at what happened with the Farm Bill, even without the Democrats having a veto-proof majority, they were able to override President Bush’s veto and pass one of the most earmark-packed pieces of legislation I’ve ever seen.

As the Democratic majority in the House continues on its likely path of growth, why would anyone assume that the addiction to earmarks is going to lessen on either side? For the Demcrats, they know that the more votes they have, the more secure they become. For some Republicans, the assumptions sets in that even if they try to stop earmarks, the Democrats will just override them, so they might as well take what they can get for their districts.

Basically what I’m saying is that the only way that the prospects of a McCain presidency can be successful in terms of fulfilling the pledges he’s making now, is by having a strong effort to get likeminded Republicans elected with him.

While the House is probably a lost cause for at least another cycle, I think that the GOP can keep or pickup some key seats in the Senate. In my opinion, Virginia (Jim Gilmore), New Mexico (Steve Pearce), Louisiana (John Kennedy), Colorado (Bob Schaffer) and New Hampshire (John Sununu) are the states that we should focus on doing whatever we can to keep in, or bring to Republican control.

In order for any of these seats to be won, Republicans need to start helping these campaigns in conjunction with their efforts to get Senator McCain elected. Furthermore, if the means are available, we need to contribute money to these campaigns and get our friends to do the same. In fact, you can even create your own fundraising page at Slatecard.com and give to the candidates you want to see win. Just talk to Joe Mansour, and he’ll help you get started.

I’m not saying that everyone should stop helping the McCain campaign. In fact, I’d suggest just the opposite and encourage more people to help him win, but at the same time also consider helping candidates in your area who might also have a chance to bring or keep a conservative voice in Congress.

It’s going to be an ugly battle this cycle, but with the right amount of foot soldiers on the ground, I’m confident that those conservatives who deserve to stay in Congress or get elected will.

Another great BarelyPolitical production:

And of course anyone who has ever worked on a campaign can probably understand this video. There is a reason one of my favorite songs is”Gone Til’ November” by Wylcef.

I’m not sure if the only one who found this interesting, but check out the email below that the McCain campaign sent out to their supporters today:

We recently launched a brand-new JohnMcCain.com and want to invite you to visit our new website today. But first, we want to take a minute to say thank you for being a part of our online community. You are the engine that drives our online efforts, which have so far raised millions of dollars online, organized thousands of volunteers and spread John McCain’s message to your friends and family.

There is more work to be done and we’re excited to unveil a new website that will be the cornerstone of our online efforts. More importantly, we want to hear from you. After you’ve visited the new JohnMcCain.com please take a minute to complete a brief online survey to tell us what you think.

Working together, we’re confident the web will be an important tool to involve you in this campaign, to communicate our message, organize supporters and win in November. But we need your help - please visit the new JohnMcCain.com today, surf around and give us your feedback. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like and send us your ideas. More importantly, take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family with a personal invitation to visit our new website.

Thank you, as always, for your strong support for John McCain online. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
The McCain 2008

Did anyone notice that nowhere in the email, or on the survey did they ask you for money? I can honestly say that of the hundreds of emails that I have received from various campaigns, this is one of the few that doesn’t have a fundraising ask in it.

Normally I would analyze this is being a wasted opportunity to raise some much needed money. However, this email does something that the McCain campaign hasn’t really been doing before, inviting people to be engaged with the campaigns website.

Now instead of asking for a cover charge to become involved with the campaign, all they are asking now is that you simply “join the conversation,” as David All would say.

I can honestly say that in terms of using email to engage supporters, this is probably the ‘best of McCain’ thus far.

If people open the email and take the survey, I’m certain that a vast majority of them will reach a new height in terms of their dedication to getting John McCain elected.

Furthermore, if this successful, this could be a good starting point for the McCain campaign to build an online model similar to Barack Obama, where you don’t ask for their money right away, but instead simply ask that they get involved. Once they’re in, asking them to invest $10, $20 or even $50 at a time becomes much easier, simply because they have already put so much time into the campaign.

For those of you haven’t already heard, Barack Obama has finally clinched the Democratic nomination, finally bringing a start to the much awaited general election.

Even though Senator McCain has already acknowledged that the general election begins today, there is still the factor (or non-factor) of Hillary Clinton.

There were many reports today that Hillary Clinton was going to be dropping out of the race this evening, giving Barack Obama the go-ahead and guaranteed nomination. However, I knew from the beginning that those reports were inaccurate for one reason, her Wednesday morning schedule.

Hillary Clinton is scheduled to speak to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) policy conference, where she will address over 6,500 pro-Israel activists. It should be no surprise to anyone that if Hillary Clinton wants to remain successful in bankrolling her future elections, keeping the New York Jewish community (that is in heavy attendance) happy is an absolute must.

Walking into the conference the morning after (I guess a political walk of shame could apply here?), giving a speech as the loser is something that no Clinton would ever do. She will take advantage of this speaking opportunity in some way, whether that be by finally stepping aside, or declaring that she will remain steadfast. But, no matter what she says, she’ll get media coverage and will have text for a future fundraising letter.

This could also be a good venue for Senator Clinton to make the case that even if she cant be on the ticket as the Presidential candidate, she still can bring a lot to the table as the Vice-Presidential candidate.

Currently, Barack Obama does not have strong support within the Jewish community. In fact, this past weekend at the Israel @ 60 birthday celebration here in Washington, I was shocked to count over 300 John McCain stickers on random attendees, and only 30 or so Obama stickers.

Unfortunately the Clinton campaign didn’t send any staff to this event, however I have no doubt that there would have been an exponentially higher number of people showing their support for Hillary Clinton over Obama at this event.

This is something that Obama is really going to have to consider if he wants to even come close in this election.

Without someone like Clinton on the ticket, someone who is down with the chosen people, Obama is going to have a hard time getting to many of the pro-Israel, Jewish Democrats, simply because they don’t see him as someone who will stand up to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah when Israel is in her time of need.

With that observation, this should be the time that the McCain campaign, Republican National Committee (RNC), and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) go after the Jewish, pro-Israel vote more aggressively. This is a base that Republican Party must make great inroads with if we want to be successful in any upcoming election. Based on what I saw this weekend, it appears that McCain is right on cue with their outreach.

I’m hoping the RNC will soon follow.