I don’t understand why I have been hearing my peers say that Joe Biden is the moderate, safe choice for Obama’s running mate. It seems that students, in particular, are ready to attack Obama for his choice and say that the Biden selection demonstrates that there is no such thing as change in Washington. The problem is that people see Biden as he is now and forget the Biden that has been developing for 30 years.Biden is a working-class democrat.

Admittedly, Biden’s family was rather affluent prior to his birth. However, by the time Joe came into play, the family’s wealth had been lost through a series of poor decisions and bad investments. He grew up knowing what it was like to be blue-collared. Even today in Washington, Biden stands out as one of the few true working-class democrats left in the senate and is known for his disapproval of the luxurious lifestyles some senators lead.

Students also seem to be showing disapproval of Biden because of his age. This new breed of ageism shows a misunderstanding of Biden’s character. Biden was the fifth youngest senator ever to serve, serving when he was only 30 years old. When he won his first term he beat out a very established GOP nominee which Nixon, himself, had encouraged to run for another term.

Change can come through Biden, even though he doesn’t look the traditional part. Biden is a smart choice – he has good roots and he has never forgotten them, but he has also been around long enough that he will be respected as a leader by the senate. Change can come for us, students, who seem most eager for it, and Biden’s voting record and past action proves that he is willing to fight to bring about change.

While he did originally vote for the war, he has since become an outspoken critic of the war citing that, at the time, he assumed the president would possess competence. Biden is a man that can admit when he has made a mistake – after the last eight years, this is a highly desirable quality.

Also Biden takes on issues that are often overlooked by other members of the Senate. He is a leader on the effort to stop genocide in Sudan and was one of the earliest senators to tackle the issue of global warming. Specifically related to students, Biden has done a great deal of work to reduce the cost of college by using the tax code.

Don’t be so quick to attack Obama for his Biden selection. Just because someone has been around for a long time doesn’t mean he or she isn’t a proponent of change. Until he moves into the White House in early 2009, he will have never even lived in Washington. Biden was the right choice for Sen. Obama’s right-hand man on his crusade for change.

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