Urban Thought Collective

Like many other Americans, I’ve gotten up in the political process for the first time in my life. There was something so completely and unavoidably engaging about Barack Obama and his campaign for change that I found myself watching more CNN than “SportsCenter” and reruns of “Soul Food.”

On Saturday afternoon, I was among the millions of people worldwide watching the all-news network when Obama, who had announced his vice-presidential pick the night before, mistakenly introduced Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware as “the next president of the United States.”

Gaffe aside, I’m still not sure Biden is the right choice to fill either slot. Politically, yes, it makes sense to cast a “scrappy kid from Scranton (Penn.) who beat the odds” in the No. 2 spot. Biden will appeal to all the Irish-Catholic blue-collar workers whose grandparents proudly cast their votes for John F. Kennedy in 1960. And, with a little luck he might be able to reclaim some of the Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters that are still on the fence because the prospect of having a black man living in the White House is scary and unimaginable.

But most importantly—and this is an observation and not a proclamation—the media pundits purport that Biden gives Obama some credibility because of his seniority and experience in foreign affairs.

That’s all cool, but I’m not convinced I trust this dude even after Obama’s glowing remarks regarding his character and senate service record. Biden, who dropped out of the race after his dismal numbers in the Iowa primary, was the same dude going around saying that Obama was uniquely unqualified. Sure, that might have just been political rhetoric at the time, but using words like “clean,” “good-looking” and “articulate” to describe an African American peer in 2008, are really rather off-putting to people like me who were alive and kicking during the post-Jim Crow Camelot era.

But who knows. Biden, who grew up in humble and predominantly white surroundings could have just put his foot in his mouth or the senior citizen from the great state of Delaware could have really meant what he inferred—that he’s not the most enlightened Caucasian on the planet.

Although the media referred to Biden’s statement on Obama as a gaffe, some children of the ‘60s, like me, are not so easily convinced that it was an innocent misstep. It’s been my experience that those kinds of slips come from a place that is learnedly inherent. Throughout history there have been plenty of high-profile white politicians who have made similar blunders and apologized profusely afterward. I didn’t exactly trust them either.

I trusted dudes like George Wallace because he had the courage of his convictions back in the day. You knew exactly where he was coming from. He didn’t see the light and apologize until he was halfway through that tunnel that takes you to the other side. With guys like him you learn to forgive, but never forget.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying Biden is a racist or a little dim like George H.W. Bush’s sidekick Dan Quayle. I’m just not sure his intentions are coming from a warm and fuzzy place. After all, this is a 65-year-old man who was running against Obama when the race to White House began 19 months ago.

He might have another agenda. Is he going to be OK riding shotgun to one of the biggest celebrities in the world? Does anyone that age really want to be the No. 2 guy? And if he’s looking ahead, visualizing himself in the Oval Office, he’d be 69 if Obama does only one term and 73—a year older than John McCain is now—if Obama is re-elected.

Just a thought.

I’m also a little concerned about the way he turned on his boy McCain during his speech on Saturday. I understand that all is fair in love, politics and war, but it’s a little unsettling to me to see Biden or anyone else spit on a hand that he once shook. I don’t trust people like that. Kind of reminds me of a scene in “Trading Places” with Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd.

Remember how Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche turned on Akroyd? White-on-white crime can be pretty ugly.

But, according to the CNN pundits, Biden’s attacks on McCain are yet another reason why he’s the perfect choice for the veep spot. While Obama likes to rise above controversy and mud slinging and keep stepping, Biden doesn’t mind mixing it up in the dirt.

So when he dogs McCain no one will make much of it. If Obama went there, he’d likely be labeled a liberal racist or an unpatriotic flag pin-wearing elitist. Translation: uppity Negro.

As I listened to Biden’s speech on Saturday—one that was a little too politically scripted with highlighted “talking points” for my liking—I heard him say that he has learned a lot about Obama over the past year. He never did acknowledge his previous “gaffe,” but he praised him as a man of strong character with a good heart.

“Barack has the vision and the courage to make this a better place,” Biden said. Those words, I believe. But does he?

I also appreciated Biden acknowledging that Washington is a broken place. That’s the truth and nothing but the truth so help us God. It’s a simple statement but one that might give us a truer indication of who this man is.

Obama described Biden as a man with “fundamental decency.” He also said that the senior senator had brought change to Washington, but that “Washington had not changed him.”

Hopefully, that’s a good thing.

But in a campaign that’s supposed to be all about change, I’m just wondering if an old dog from Scranton can really learn new tricks in an ever-evolving America. And if he can’t hopefully he’ll just keep his mouth shut.

Miki Turner is a poor little colored girl from the suburbs who has the courage of her convictions. Her writings have been featured in Essence, Ebony, Upscale and MSNBC.com. She can be reached at devodiva1@aol com. Her periodic dispatches from the world of entertainment, politics and society can be read here at www.urbanthoughtcollective.com.