Full Name: Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.
Born: November 20, 1942, in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Political Base: Delaware
Family: Married to Jill Jacobs Biden. Three children: Beau, 43; Hunter, 42; Ashley, 30
Biography: Biden grew up in rural Pennsylvania and Delaware in a family of modest means. After a brief law career, the 29-year-old Biden defeated a sitting Republican in a 1972 Senate race. Before he took office, his family was in a tragic car accident that killed his first wife and young daughter and seriously injured his two sons. As a single parent, he struggled through his first term as a senator, but found renewed purpose after meeting his eventual second wife, Jill Jacobs. He served 36 years in the Senate, including a long stint on the Foreign Relations Committee, before joining Obama’s ticket in 2008.
Strength: Joe Biden is a classic “retail politician.” He excels at personal, one-on-one politics in which he can sell himself to the electorate a single voter at a time. That’s not easy to do on a national stage, but when Biden’s at full strength this knack for personal connection can translate well from individual meetings and small stump speeches to a debate stage. In his 2008 debate with GOP nominee Sarah Palin, he was powerfully emotional when speaking about his past financial and family-related hardships.
Weakness: The Vice President has a tendency to go off-script in public remarks. Often, the resulting remarks and one-liners are heartfelt, funny, and rousing. Unfortunately for Democrats Biden is just as likely to put his foot in his mouth. Recently, he warned that Republican policies would put his audience - including many African Americans - “back in chains.”
