The word on new ‘08 hopeful: too many words

By Ron Fournier

Editor-in-chief

updated 10:20 a.m. ET Jan. 8, 2007

Ron Fournier • E-mail

“I am running for president.” Those five words are guaranteed to draw a harsh spotlight to a politician, particularly when the new presidential candidate – Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware – is known for being rather wordy.

Biden, who put the “l” in loquacious, announced his 2008 candidacy on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “I’m going to be Joe Biden, and I’m going to try to be the best Biden I can be.” Viewers wondered whether the best that he can be will be good enough.

“I just hope someone in his camp is candid enough to tell him that he has a tendency to go on and on and on and on – like a drone in a maze,” wrote “wamoshiii” at the issues-based HOTSOUP.com. “If he were deaf and had to use sign language, his hands would be shriveled into an arthritic mess long before now.”

Wamoshiii participated in an online discussion started by “Travis0485” minutes after Biden announced his ambitions. “Am I the only one that feels he has little to no chance?” Travis wrote. The consensus at HOTSOUP is that Biden is indeed a longshot, though he received generally good reviews. Some samples:

“Biden is too inside the Beltway. He has no broad appeal,” wrote “Civilservant.”

“The more the merrier. Of all the (Democrats) declared so far, he has the most foreign policy experience, which might come in handy for the next president,” wrote “Chenrossi.”

“I like Biden,” wrote Ian Broverman of suburban Washington. “I’ve heard him a couple of times doing business-as-usual stuff (as opposed to his political theater stuff) and found him to be competent, able to get to the heart of the matter, and able to put the partisan baggage on the shelf for a while.”

“I have always respected Joe Biden’s candor on subjects, even when I didn’t agree with him philosophically,” wrote independent voter Jonathan Bechard.

Even so, Bechard said, Biden “does go on and on, very often talking down to the listener rather than with the listener.”

Join the conversation at www.hotsoup.com

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