Joe Biden - Democrat

 

Joe Biden was born November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1961 from the Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware, and in 1965, from the University of Delaware in Newark. He graduated in 1968 from Syracuse University College of Law, and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969. In that year, he began to practice law in Wilmington, Delaware, until 1970, when he was also elected to the Council of New Castle County, Delaware.

His career took a dramatic turn of pace when he was elected to the U.S. Senate as the Senator from Delaware in 1972. He assumed this office in 1973, being the age of just 30. This made him the fifth-youngest U.S. Senator in the history of the United States, and he has continued to win additional terms into the present day, where he is currently the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Delaware history, the fourth-longest serving Democrat Senator, and the sixth-longest serving Senator in office.

He has served on a number of committees in the 110th United States Congress. He has acted as Chairman in the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, and has co-chaired the Caucus on International Narcotics Control. Additionally, he has served as a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the Subcommittee on Antitrust Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, the Subcommittee on Immigration Border Security and Citizenship, and the Subcommittee on Technology Terrorism and Homeland Security.

Previously, he has been a Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 1987 to 1995, and has been a ranking minority member on that committee for a much longer period. More recently, he has been the ranking minority member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations starting in 1997, and Chairman of this committee from 2001 until 2003.

Joe Biden has been responsible for the creation of many Federal crime laws throughout his career, with a chief focus on drug crimes, crimes against women and minorities, and crimes against civil liberties. He was elemental to the formation of the commonly-known "Drug Czar" policy. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 is one of his most famous accomplishments. He has also introduced the "RAVE Act" (Reducing Americans' Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act) and the "VAW Act" (Violence Against Women Act). He has also passed legislation to improve education, with college aid and loan programs, and spear-headed the "Kids 2000" legislation to promote the accessibility of computers and the Internet to low-to-middle-income children and the vocational training of children in technology careers.

Having been a "career Senator" for 35 years spanning the terms of 7 Presidents, he has now announced his candidacy for President as of January, 2007.

He previously sought election to President in 1988, but quit the race early in December of 1987. He was replaced as the Democrat front-runner by Michael Dukakis. Previous to this, he had been nominated as a Presidential candidate in 1984, even to the point of winning one vote from the Democratic National Convention, but declined the nomination.

Politically, Joe Biden has gotten a reputation as the "sensible center of the Democratic party". He has been neither too extreme to the left nor wavered too far from his Democratic stance. With his record, he is easily able to win votes from the "tough on crime" crowd. Women and minority voters can find something to like in his past work, and he also has some claim to call himself "pro-education".

Most importantly, he can stand firmly on his career as a "Washington insider" who knows how to get things done. During previous debates, so common did the phrase "Joe's right" repeat that he has now made that phrase his campaign slogan. He is very glib and well-spoken, and quick with a sound-bite for the media whenever a microphone is around. Most recently, he has been investigating into the scandal of deleted videotapes showing the interrogation of suspected terrorists, which is an issue that has been in the news and hence on voter's minds.