German Press Reacts to Biden Choice

Barack Obama's choice of running mate - Delaware Senator Joseph Biden - is well known in Germany.  The reaction to the news by the German political establishment was overall quite positive:

Gert Weisskirche (SPD):"Obamas Entscheidung für ihn ist eine außergewöhnlich gute Entscheidung, die auch zeigt, wie Obama versucht, alle Strömungen der Demokraten hinter sich zu versammeln" (Obama's pick is an extraordinarily good decision that shows that he's attempting to get all the various factions of the Democratic Party behind him.)
Eckart von Klaeden(CDU): " Bidens Nominierung ist der Versuch Obamas, seine im Vergleich zum republikanischen Präsidentschaftskandidaten McCain geringe außenpolitische Erfahrung auszugleichen" (Biden's nomination is an attempt by Obama to close the gap with the Republican candidate McCain with respect to foreign policy experience.")
Werner Hoyer (FDP): "Sollte Obama die US-Präsidentschaftswahlen gewinnen, wird es dank Biden zu einer anderen Außenpolitik kommen als unter dem Republikaner McCain"(Should Obama win the presidency Biden will ensure that there is a completely different foreign policy than there would be under John McCain.")

The reactions by the commentators are pretty much all over the place: many were hoping for a bold move (Hilary Clinton or Al Gore) and are disappointed by Obama's choice.  Dietmar Ostermann in the Frankfurter Rundschau complains that Biden is solid, loyal, and dull. The Tageszeitung is more generous, calling Biden a man of the people *volksnah" , and a fast learner. The paper also relates the story of the tragic death of Biden's first wife and daughter, and the fact that he initiated legislation protecting women from domestic violence.

A number of publications, such as Focus, make reference to Joe Biden's tendency to commit embarrassing gaffes (Peinlicher Versprecher), but others note his strong oratorical ability ("Der profilierte Außenpolitiker hat eine starke Waffe: seine Rhetorik" ).

Torsten Krauel in Die Welt complains that Obama made a strategic blunder in choosing Biden, since the big issue facing voters in November is the economy, not foreign policy - Biden's area of expertise. McCain could crush Obama by choosing a running mate with strong business credentials such as Mitt Romney or Carly Fiorina (kicked out of Hewlett Packard!):

Es sind alles erfahrene Unternehmer. Im Gegensatz zum ehrlichen Vielredner Joe Biden können sie handfeste Resultate bei dem Thema vorweisen, das die Wähler derzeit am meisten beschäftigt - der Wirtschaft. (These are all experienced entrepreneurs; in contrast to the honest blow-hard Joe Biden they can point to genuine accomplishments in the area that concerns voters the most now: the economy)

The strangest "analysis" comes from the left-wing Junge Welt.  They worry that an Obama-Biden adminsitration would prolong the American empire until 2020, while a McCain presidency would lead to a collapse much earlier:

Nach dem Desaster, das die Neoliberalen im Ausland anrichteten, erhalten Obama und Biden lediglich eine Chance als Protagonisten eines »menschlicheren Gesichts« des US-Imperialismus. So dürfte es dem Duo im Weißen Haus leichtfallen, die europäischen Verbündeten wieder in die imperialen Pläne Wa­shingtons einzubinden und die globale Position der USA wenigstens temporär zu festigen. Aber noch hat John McCain gute Chancen. Im Fall seiner Wahl würde sich, so Friedensforscher Johan Galtung, die Frist bis zum Untergang des US-amerikanischen Imperiums um fünf Jahre auf 2015 verkürzen. Mit Obama als Präsident müssen wir bis 2020 oder sogar noch länger warten. (After the disaster that the neo-liberals created abroad, Obama and Biden have the opportunity of presenting themselves as protagonists of "US imperialism with a more human face".  With this duo in the White House it should be easy to enlist the support of European partners for Washington's imperial plans and secure the global position of the US at least temporarily.  But John McCain still has a good chance to win. According to the peace researcher Johan Galtung, if McCain is elected than the downfall of the American empire should occur in a much shorter timeframe - by 2015. With Obama as president we'll have to wait until 2020 or beyond.)

 

Comments

[Hattie]

I guess by "neo-liberal" they mean what we call"neo-conservative."
Thanks for this rundown on German opinion.
BTW: When I post, I have to post twice in order for my saved personal information to come up. You might want to tell Type Pad about that.