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{{wikinews|Biden questions Bush's "special treatment" of "Scooter" Libby}}
{{wikinews|Biden questions Bush's "special treatment" of "Scooter" Libby}}
Biden declared his candidacy for president on [[January 31]], [[2007]], although he had discussed running for months prior.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013100404.html</ref> In the [[January 23]] [[2006]] edition of ''[[The News Journal]]'', Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world." He goes on to quote ''[[Washington Post]]'' columnist [[Richard Cohen (Washington Post columnist)|Richard Cohen]] as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth." Biden is currently polling in fifth place, both in Iowa and nationally. <ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/democratic_presidential_nomination-191.html </ref>
Biden declared his candidacy for president on [[January 31]], [[2007]], although he had discussed running for months prior.<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013100404.html</ref> In the [[January 23]] [[2006]] edition of ''[[The News Journal]]'', Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world." He goes on to quote ''[[Washington Post]]'' columnist [[Richard Cohen (Washington Post columnist)|Richard Cohen]] as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth." Biden is currently polling in fifth place, both in Iowa and nationally. <ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/democratic_presidential_nomination-191.html </ref>

It has been speculated that Biden would accept the position of Secretary of State because of his foreign policy experience and credentials. <ref>http://www.observer.com/2007/candidate-secretary-state</ref> However, Biden has rejected the notion outright, saying "Under no administration will I accept the job of secretary of state." He claims that he is focused only on the presidency. At a campaign event, Biden commented, "I know a lot of my opponents out there say I'd be a great secretary of state. Seriously, every one of them. Do you watch any of the debates? 'Joe's right, Joe's right, Joe's right.'" <ref>http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov29/0,4670,PoliticalPlayoftheDay,00.html</ref>


==Almanac==
==Almanac==

Revision as of 20:50, 9 December 2007

"Biden" redirects here. For other uses, see Biden (disambiguation).
Joseph R. Biden,
Jr.
United States Senator
from Delaware
Assumed office
January 3 1973
Serving with Tom Carper
Preceded byJ. Caleb Boggs
Personal details
Born (1942-11-20) November 20, 1942 (age 81)
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Neilia Hunter (deceased)
Jill Tracy Jacobs
Residence(s)Wilmington, Delaware
Alma materUniversity of Delaware
Syracuse University
ProfessionLawyer

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the incumbent senior U.S. Senator from Delaware. Biden is currently serving his sixth term and is sixth-longest serving among current Senators (fourth among Democrats) and Delaware's longest-serving Senator. He is the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in the 110th Congress. Biden has served in that position in the past, and he has served as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. He has officially filed as a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election.

Early life and family

Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph R. Biden, Sr. and Catherine Eugenia Finnegan.[1] He was the first of four siblings and proudly identifies with his Irish Catholic heritage.[2][3] Joe has two brothers James Brian Biden and Francis W. Biden, and a sister Valerie Biden (Owens).[4] The Biden family moved to Delaware when Biden was 10 years old, and he grew up in suburban New Castle County, Delaware, where his father was a car salesman. In 1961, Biden graduated from Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware and, in 1965, from the University of Delaware in Newark. He then attended Syracuse University College of Law, graduated in 1968, and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969.[5][6][7]

In 1966, while in law school, Biden married Neilia Hunter. They had three children, Joseph R. III (Beau), Robert Hunter, and Naomi. His wife and infant daughter died in a car accident shortly after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972. His two young sons, Beau and Hunter, were seriously injured in the accident, but both eventually made full recoveries. Biden was sworn into office from their bedside. Persuaded not to resign in order to care for them, Biden began the practice of commuting an hour and a half each day on the train from his home in the Wilmington suburbs to Washington, DC, which he continues to do.

In 1977, Biden married Jill Tracy Jacobs. They have one daughter, Ashley, and are members of the Roman Catholic Church. In February 1988, Biden was hospitalized for two brain aneurysms which kept him from the Senate for seven months.

Biden's elder son, Beau, was a partner in the Wilmington law firm of Bifferato, Gentilotti, Biden & Balick, LLC and was elected Attorney General of Delaware in 2006. He is a captain in the Delaware Army National Guard, where he serves in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. Biden's younger son, Hunter, works as a lawyer in Washington, DC, serves on the board of directors of Amtrak, and previously worked in the Commerce Department.

Since 1991, Biden has also served as an adjunct professor at the Widener University School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on constitutional law.

United States Senator

See also: List of current United States Senators
See also: United States order of precedence

In 1969, Biden began practicing law in Wilmington, Delaware, and was soon elected to the New Castle County County Council, where he served from 1970 to 1972. The 1972 U.S. Senate election presented Biden with an unusual opportunity. Popular Republican incumbent Senator J. Caleb Boggs was considering retirement, which would likely have left U.S. Representative Pete du Pont and Wilmington Mayor Harry G. Haskell, Jr. in a divisive primary fight. To avoid that, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon was invited to a meeting to convince Boggs to run again with full Republican support. Boggs ran, but Biden eventually won.[8]

Biden took office on January 3, 1973, at age 30, becoming the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in United States history. He has since won additional terms easily, defeating James H. Baxter, Jr. in 1978, John M. Burris in 1984, M. Jane Brady in 1990, and Raymond J. Clatworthy in 1996 and 2002, usually with about 60 percent of the vote. He is now the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Delaware history. He is an advocate for Amtrak, the Dover Air Force Base, and the downstate chicken processing industry.

As the fourth most senior Democratic Senator, because of their majority, he would become President pro tempore of the United States Senate if his three more senior Democratic colleagues (Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Daniel Inouye) were no longer in the Senate.

110th Congress

Biden serves on the following committees in the 110th U.S. Congress:

For a comprehensive accounting of Biden's voting record see Project Vote Smart[9] and other material noted in the Reference section.

Judiciary Committee

Biden on Meet the Press

Biden is a long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which he chaired from 1987 until 1995 and served as ranking minority member from 1981 until 1987 and again from 1995 until 1997. In this capacity, he dealt with issues related to drug policy, crime prevention, and civil liberties. While chairman, Biden presided over two of the more contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings: Robert Bork in 1987 and Clarence Thomas in 1991.[10]

Biden has been involved in crafting many federal crime laws over the last decade, including the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, also known as the Biden Crime Law. He also authored the landmark Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA), which contains a broad array of measures to combat domestic violence and provides billions of dollars in federal funds to address gender-based crimes. Although part of this legislation later was struck down as unconstitutional, it was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. In March 2004, Biden enlisted major American technology companies in diagnosing the problems of the Austin, Texas-based National Domestic Violence Hotline, and to donate equipment and expertise to it.[11][12][13]

As chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus, Biden wrote the laws that created the nation's "Drug Czar," who oversees and coordinates national drug control policy. In April 2003 he introduced the controversial Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act, also known as the RAVE Act. He continues to work to stop the spread of "date rape drugs" such as Rohypnol, and drugs such as Ecstasy and Ketamine. In 2004 he worked to pass a bill outlawing steroids like androstenedione, the drug used by many baseball players.[14]

Biden's legislation to promote college aid and loan programs allows families to deduct on their annual income tax returns up to $10,000 per year in higher education expenses. His "Kids 2000" legislation established a public/private partnership to provide computer centers, teachers, Internet access, and technical training to young people, particularly to low-income and at-risk youth.[15]

Throughout his career Biden has vehemently opposed tort reform, while continuously joining Senate Republicans to support stricter bankruptcy laws.[16]

Foreign Relations Committee

Biden gives his opening statement and questions U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and General David H. Petraeus at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on Iraq; September 11, 2007

Biden is also long-time member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. In 1997, he became the ranking minority member and chaired the committee from June 2001 through 2003. His efforts to combat hostilities in the Balkans in the 1990s brought national attention and influenced presidential policy: traveling repeatedly to the region, he made one meeting famous by calling Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic a "war criminal." He consistently argued for lifting the arms embargo, training Bosnian Muslims, investigating war crimes and administering NATO air strikes. Biden's subsequent "lift and strike" resolution was instrumental in convincing President Bill Clinton to use military force in the face of systematic human rights violations.[citation needed] Biden has also called on Libya to release political prisoner Fathi Eljahmi.[17]

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Biden was supportive of the Bush administration's efforts, calling for additional ground troops in Afghanistan and agreeing with the administration's assertion that Saddam Hussein needed to be eliminated. The Bush administration rejected an effort Biden undertook with Senator Richard Lugar to pass a resolution authorizing military action only after the exhaustion of diplomatic efforts. In October 2002, Biden voted for the final resolution to support the war in Iraq. He has long supported the Bush administration's war effort and appropriations to pay for it, but has argued repeatedly that more soldiers are needed, the war should be internationalized, and the Bush administration should "level with the American people" about the cost and length of the conflict.[18]

In November 2006, Biden and Leslie Gelb, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, released a comprehensive strategy to end sectarian violence in Iraq. Rather than continuing the present approach or withdrawing, the plan calls for "a third way": federalizing Iraq and giving Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis "breathing room" in their own regions.[19]

Presidential campaigns

1988

Main article: Joe Biden presidential campaign, 1988

In 1987, Joe Biden ran as a Democratic presidential candidate. When the campaign began, he was considered a frontrunner because of his moderate image. However, the campaign ended when he was accused of plagiarizing a speech by Neil Kinnock, then-leader of the British Labour Party. Though Biden had correctly credited the original author in all speeches but one, the one where he failed to make mention of the originator was caught on video. In the video Biden is filmed repeating a stump speech by Kinnock, with only minor modifications. “Why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go a university? Why is it that my wife . . . is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? . . . Is it because they didn't work hard? My ancestors who worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania and would come after 12 hours and play football for four hours? It's because they didn't have a platform on which to stand.” After Biden withdrew from the race it was learned that he had correctly credited Kinnock on all other occasions. He failed to do so, however, in the Iowa speech that was recorded and distributed to reporters (with a parallel video of Kinnock) by aides to Michael Dukakis, the eventual nominee. Dukakis fired John Sasso, his campaign manager and long-time Chief of Staff, but Biden's campaign could not recover.[20]

2004

In 2003, Biden considered joining the Democratic field of candidates for the 2004 presidential race but decided otherwise, saying he did not have enough time to cultivate a sufficient fundraising base. Some thought Biden a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry, but Biden urged Kerry to select Republican Senator John McCain instead.[21] Biden also had been widely discussed as a possible U.S. Secretary of State in a Democratic administration.[22]

2008

Template:Future election candidate

Main article: Joe Biden presidential campaign, 2008
See also: Political positions of Joe Biden

Biden declared his candidacy for president on January 31, 2007, although he had discussed running for months prior.[23] In the January 23 2006 edition of The News Journal, Delaware's largest daily newspaper, columnist Harry F. Themal reported that Biden "occupies the sensible center of the Democratic Party." Themal concludes that this is the position Biden desires, and that in a campaign "he plans to stress the dangers to the security of the average American, not just from the terrorist threat, but from the lack of health assistance, crime, and energy dependence on unstable parts of the world." He goes on to quote Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen as saying that Biden's candidacy might be endangered by his "manic-obsessive running of the mouth." Biden is currently polling in fifth place, both in Iowa and nationally. [24]

It has been speculated that Biden would accept the position of Secretary of State because of his foreign policy experience and credentials. [25] However, Biden has rejected the notion outright, saying "Under no administration will I accept the job of secretary of state." He claims that he is focused only on the presidency. At a campaign event, Biden commented, "I know a lot of my opponents out there say I'd be a great secretary of state. Seriously, every one of them. Do you watch any of the debates? 'Joe's right, Joe's right, Joe's right.'" [26]

Almanac

Government offices
Preceded by Judiciary Committee
(Chairman)
January 4 1987 – January 3 1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Foreign Relations Committee
(Chairman)
June 1 2001 – January 3 2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Foreign Relations Committee
(Chairman)
January 4 2007 – present 		Succeeded by
incumbent
Public Offices
Office Type Location Elected Term began Term ends notes
County Council Legislature Wilmington 1970 January 4 1971 January 3 1973 "4th" District
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 1972 January 3 1973 January 3 1979
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 1978 January 3 1979 January 3 1985
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 1984 January 3 1985 January 3 1991
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 1990 January 3 1991 January 3 1997
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 1996 January 3 1997 January 3 2003
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington 2002 January 3 2003 January 3 2009


United States Congressional service
Dates Congress Chamber Majority President Committees Class/District
1973–1975 93rd U.S. Senator Democratic Richard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford 		Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1975–1977 94th U.S. Senator Democratic Gerald R. Ford Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1977–1979 95th U.S. Senator Democratic James E. Carter, Jr. Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1979–1981 96th U.S. Senator Democratic James E. Carter, Jr. Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1981–1983 97th U.S. Senator Republican Ronald W. Reagan Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1983–1985 98th U.S. Senator Republican Ronald W. Reagan Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1985–1987 99th U.S. Senator Republican Ronald W. Reagan Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1987–1989 100th U.S. Senator Democratic Ronald W. Reagan Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1989–1991 101st U.S. Senator Democratic George H. W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1991–1993 102nd U.S. Senator Democratic George H. W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1993–1995 103rd U.S. Senator Democratic William J. Clinton Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1995–1997 104th U.S. Senator Republican William J. Clinton Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1997–1999 105th U.S. Senator Republican William J. Clinton Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
1999–2001 106th U.S. Senator Republican William J. Clinton Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
2001–2003 107th U.S. Senator Republican
Democratic 		George W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
2003–2005 108th U.S. Senator Republican George W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
2005–2007 109th U.S. Senator Republican George W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2
2007–2009 110th U.S. Senator Democratic George W. Bush Judiciary, Foreign Relations class 2


Election results
Year Office Election Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1970 County Councilman General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 10,573 55% Lawrence T. Messick Republican 8,192 43%
1972 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 116,006 50% J. Caleb Boggs Republican 112,844 49%
1978 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 93,930 58% James H. Baxter, Jr. Republican 66,479 41%
1984 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 147,831 60% John M. Burris Republican 98,101 40%
1990 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 112,918 63% M. Jane Brady Republican 64,554 36%
1996 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 165,465 60% Raymond J. Clatworthy Republican 105,088 38%
2002 U.S. Senator General Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Democratic 135,253 58% Raymond J. Clatworthy Republican 94,793 41%

Works

  • Administration’s Missile Defense Program and the ABM Treaty: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, December 2004) ISBN 0-7567-1959-3
  • Examining The Theft Of American Intellectual Property At Home And Abroad: Hearing before the Committee On Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, May 2004) ISBN 0-7567-4177-7
  • Hearings to Examine Threats, Responses, and Regional Considerations Surrounding Iraq: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, November 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2823-1
  • Strategies for Homeland Defense: A Compilation by the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2623-9
  • Putin Administration's Policies toward Non-Russian Regions of the Russian Federation: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2624-7
  • Threat of Bioterrorism and the Spread of Infectious Diseases: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, September 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2625-5
  • How Do We Promote Democratization, Poverty Alleviation, and Human Rights to Build a More Secure Future: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, June 2003) ISBN 0-7567-2478-3
  • Political Future of Afghanistan: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, January 2003) ISBN 0-7567-3039-2
  • International Campaign Against Terrorism: Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, January 2003) ISBN 0-7567-3041-4
  • Halting the Spread of HIV/AIDS: Future Efforts in the U.S. Bilateral & Multilateral Response: Hearings before the Comm. on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate edited by Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, 2002) ISBN 0-7567-3454-1
  • Hague Convention On International Child Abduction: Applicable Law And Institutional Framework Within Certain Convention Countries Report To The Senate by Jesse Helms, Joseph R. Biden Jr. (Diane Publishing, April 2000) ISBN 0-7567-2250-0
  • Homeland security law and policy edited by William C. Nicholson with a foreword by Joseph Biden (C. C Thomas, c2005)

Notes

  1. ^ http://www.wargs.com/political/biden.html
  2. ^ Meet Joe Biden [1]
  3. ^ A Tribute to an Irish Mother [2]
  4. ^ Joe Biden biography [3]
  5. ^ Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [4]
  6. ^ Delaware’s Senators [5]
  7. ^ Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics. pp. p. 376. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ Cohen, Celia (2002). Only in Delaware, Politics and Politicians in the First State. Newark, DE: Grapevine Publishing. p. 199. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ http://www.vote-smart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=S0150103
  10. ^ Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics. pp. p. 377. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ History of the Violence Against Women Act [6]
  12. ^ Making connections to end Domestic Violence [7]
  13. ^ Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics. pp. p. 377. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  14. ^ Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics. pp. p. 377. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ Kids 2000 Program [8]
  16. ^ The Left Coaster [9]
  17. ^ Biden Renews Call for Release of Libyan Political Prisoner [10]
  18. ^ Barone, Michael & Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of American Politics. pp. p. 378. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  19. ^ Iraq, A Way Forward [11]
  20. ^ "Offers Briton His Talks `Without Attribution' Biden Meets Kinnock, but He's Not Speechless", Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, Calif.: Jan 12, 1988. pg. 2
  21. ^ McCain urged to join Kerry ticket, Reuters MSNBC (May 16, 2004) [12].
  22. ^ Times Online [13]
  23. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/31/AR2007013100404.html
  24. ^ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/democratic_presidential_nomination-191.html
  25. ^ http://www.observer.com/2007/candidate-secretary-state
  26. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov29/0,4670,PoliticalPlayoftheDay,00.html

References

  • Barone, Michael (2005). Almanac of American Politics. Washington: National Journal Group. ISBN 0-89234-112-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Boyer, William W. (2000). Governing Delaware. Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press. ISBN 0-87413-721-7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Peirce, Neil R. (1977). Mid-Atlantic States of America. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. ISBN 0-393-05541-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  • Cohen, Celia (2002). Only in Delaware, Politics and Politicians in the First State. Newark, DE: Grapevine Publishing. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

Images

  • Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [14]

External links

Presidential campaign
Senate
Informational

Places with more information


Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Delaware
1973–present
Served alongside: William V. Roth, Jr., Thomas R. Carper 		Succeeded by
incmbent
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Biden&diff=176846951&oldid=176846144

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