I'm FINALLY reading the Brooks piece. What is this??

[gateley]

Working-Class Roots. Biden is a lunch-bucket Democrat. His father was rich when he was young — played polo, cavorted on yachts, drove luxury cars. But through a series of bad personal and business decisions, he was broke by the time Joe Jr. came along. They lived with their in-laws in Scranton, Pa., then moved to a dingy working-class area in Wilmington, Del. At one point, the elder Biden cleaned boilers during the week and sold pennants and knickknacks at a farmer’s market on the weekends.


Is that true about Joe's dad? This is the first I've ever heard of it (I haven't read his book, so maybe that's where this info comes from?)

[CrispyQ]

1. Off topic, but I read Sirota's piece over at Common Dreams.

He does a take on The Good, The Bad & The Ugly on Biden & said this:

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/08/23/11114/

snip...

The Bad: He is one of the most arrogant and conceited people in Washington - one of the jokes in D.C. when I was there is that Biden uses the term “I” more than anyone else.

===
If I recall, yesterday some of you commented on a video of Biden from some time ago & remarked that he seemed very arrogant. Could Sirota be commenting on a Biden of years ago? Because he just doesn't come across as arrogant or concieted to me, but rather in touch & concerned about the working class.

I've often thought that if Edwards had resonated the same kind of working class feel Biden does, he would have been more successful. Edwards always seemed too polished to me, which I viewed as fake. I liked his message, but I didn't feel he was genuine. Biden is the real deal.

[jillan]

2. That was me commenting on Biden being arrogant.

I wonder if he was referring to that time.
The Biden I saw in that clip was not the Biden I support right now.
He was young and cocky and full of himself.

I'm beginning to think that Biden has mellowed with age. He still has that fire in his belly, but nothing like he was in earlier years.

[PatSeg]

3. I'm beginning to get the feeling

that the negative view we hear about Biden was formed back then and never went away. I have to admit the guy in that video was not very appealing. Still had a lot of rough edges.

[PatSeg]

4. I had forgotten that about his dad

but think it was in the book. Obviously all Joe's memories were of pretty hard times.

[Muttocracy]

5. I remember a reference somewhere to the polo gear being in a closet

I don't know who he means with the business failure, if it's Joe Sr. or Joe Sr.'s father?