If You're the Vice President, Can You Still Be the Underdog?

According to an email that landed in my inbox this afternoon, scrappy Joe Biden is Fighting the Power on health care reform:

We've got a fight on our hands. Powerful insurance companies are pulling out all the stops to defeat the President's plan for health reform. They're spending seven million bucks a week on lobbyists, blanketing the country with deceptive TV ads, and just funded two high-profile "reports" to distort what reform would mean for you.

Whining about media spending by the other side seems like it's in bad taste when your boss can take over the nation's airwaves for a 47-minute speech defending your position. (Well, to be fair, the other side did get two words in that day):

Comments

[Paul]

They're spending seven million bucks a week on lobbyists,

Lobbyists who are talking to you, Mr. Obama, and a Democratic Congress and Senate. So... what's the issue here?

[J sub D]

Biden's boss just attended a $15,000 a plate fundraiser.

No lobbyists or special interest rent seekers attended.

[MP]

It was a Representative style dinner. The common people pooled their $10 and $20 donations and then one person was randomly selected to bask in his glory.

[sage]

I wonder who gave Pelosi that pearl necklace.

[Jeff]

I confess. In my defense, I mistook her for my Realdoll.

[Old Mexican]

I wonder who gave Pelosi that pearl necklace.

Dunno - I can guess the process to obtain it could have left a bad taste in her mouth . . .

[Mango Punch]

Whoever it was was a dick, haven't they seen how malnurished she looks, she needs to INGEST the protien

[John]

Gee what a surprise the poor losers of 2000 and 2004 have turned into the poor winners of 2008. These people will never be happy. Even if they manage to silence the opposition, they would just turn on each other.

[Paul]

No, there's another group they'd turn on. I wonder who that would be?

[Lorenzo]

Once one assumes the mantle of victimhood, it's hard to take off. It becomes too comfortable.

[John]

See for example celbrities who claim how couragous they have to be to be pro choice and liberal. It is part of the liberal identity to be fighting against the establishment. The small fact that they are the establishment and an oppressive one at that, can't get in the way of a good fantasy life.

[Old Mexican]

We've got a fight on our hands. Powerful insurance companies are pulling out all the stops to defeat the President's plan for health reform. They're spending seven million bucks a week on lobbyists, blanketing the country with deceptive TV ads, and just funded two high-profile "reports" to distort what reform would mean for you.

That seems rather disingenuous for me, considering that lobbyists can only talk to legislators, one, and the Democrats hold the majority of both houses, two.

Second, what is he doing criticizing how insurance companies spend their money? Why would that be the role of the VP, in any case?

[G Mc]

Who cares what the VP says anyway?

[Gilbert Martin]

Ha!

Obama, Biden and the rest of the Dems are the hands down champs at distorting what their proposed plans (any of them) would actually do to the public.

The insurance companies can't even hold a candle to them in that department.

[A$$H@T]

Joe Biden, the one vp that male even Al Gore (aka Manbearpig) and Dan Quayle look good by comparison.

[mitch]

KM-W,

To answer your question, if you are some kind of imbecile, you are always the underdog.

[Kevin]

I don't get where the fight might be. The Dems control both houses of Congress and the Presidency. So even if insurance companies are spending $1T per week, all the Dems have to do is ignore them.

Unless Biden is saying that the Dems are all corrupt and can be bought by special interests. In which case, I'd have to agree.

[mark]

+1

[Mango Punch]

Isn't "Vice President" the definition of "Under Dog"?

[ransom147]

it was 'til the 12th amendment. now it's the definition of "lackey"

[Robert]

That's what I thought too. If you're #2, you can't be the favorite, can you?

[G Mc]

I thought "Under Dog" was a yoga position?

Biden does yoga?

[John]

No you are thinking of the reverse cowgirl.

[G Mc]

That would be a funny Halloween costume.

And by funny I mean disturbing and potentially scarring to any and all children.

[Russ 2000]

Biden makes me miss Cheney. At least Cheney had the decency to come out of his hole just two times a year.

[J sub D]

Biden makes me miss Cheney. At least Cheney had the decency to come out of his hole just two times a year.
Biden makes me miss Cheney like a pimple makes me miss an oozing pustule on the head of my penis.

In other words, NOT!

[Ray Butlers]

Sorry, but "you lie" is not the Other Side. The Other Side needs to be factually correct first. It is not. There's only one side. The truth.

[Postmodernism]

What's that?

[Flyover Country]

Has Obama been factually correct yet?

How many jobs has he claimed to have saved or created? Is that a fact?

Will any health care bill that has been proposed been deficit neutral?

[Tulpa]

I had no idea politics was a Mobius strip.

A Klein Bottle I could see, though.

[Mr. Blather]

"the President's plan for health reform"

Um, the President's plan? What plan? The president hasn't actually proposed a plan. If he had, I suspect we'd already be enjoying the same care and service our veterans and ex-military receive at Walter Reed.

[R C Dean]

Mr. B., he has delegated to Congress the drafting of his health care plan, so they are all his. We are free to pick the worst features of every draft now in circulation and beat him over the head with them.