Perhaps what I should have made clear is that since I support neither Senator Obama nor Senator McCain, I am tending to look at this races more neutrally than I might otherwise.

Notwithstanding the fact that it raises issues regarding his “change” message, Obama’s pick of Biden was probably the smartest move he could make. There isn’t another candidate out there that could have helped Obama more than Biden is likely to in the coming months. Those Republicans who are laughing him off are, in my opinion, either kidding themselves or seriously deluded about what they’re facing this year.

A concern troll is a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the user’s sockpuppet claims to hold. The concern troll posts in web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group’s actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed “concerns”. The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the group.

Also, I didn’t even consider your newer definition of a “Republican offering harmful advice” because this post isn’t offering any advice. Doug is providing commentary and criticism. Concern trolling would be Doug arguing Biden would be the best VP pick because he’d be the best “change” pick…which is obviously 100% opposed to what Doug actually believes.

Still, you apparently believe Doug isn’t an honest broker, and I doubt anything I could say is going to change that.

from wikipedia; Concern troll:
Republicans offering public advice and warnings to the Democrats

(of course it could be visa-versa)

And BTW I think you knew exactly what I meant.

On the GOP side, since McCain is running as a moderate himself, he’s likely looking for someone with conservative credentials who won’t alienate moderates. That may be quite a bit harder to pull off.

@gerryf – This doesn’t seem to me to be a “I really wish he would have picked somebody else because THEN I would have voted for him” post. He’s merely stating some pretty straightforward observations about what a Biden pick brings to the campaign.

@Rob – Yeah, he’s a troll alright. A troll who has been blogging for years under his real name. Have any other insights for us?

My sense is you are a right leaning centrist–that’s OK, there’s plenty of room for everyone in the Donklephant tent. I am a left leaning centrist (now), who actually voted for and volunteers for McCain in 2000 when he ran against Bush.

My point in my question is that this pick was intended to shore up the left side of the equation–people who were leaning to Obama, but were uncomfortable with his lack of foreign policy experience in a scary world. The Obama World Tour of a couple weeks ago was intended to do that, but the right successfully turned his broad worldwide appeal into a rock concert.

Joe Biden provides the gravitas to take the world wide appeal and give it some heft. He wasn’t picked to change the votes of people on the right–he was picked to reassure the left and the independents who were already leaning Obama’s way. It was a calculated, smart move–not an exciting move.

It was a good pick.

You and many others may not have made your final choice in who you will vote for, but people who participate in blogs like this and who follow politics as we do are already leaning pretty heavily one way or another.

I was almost 100 percent certain to vote for Obama this time out, but Biden clinches it even though I have some misgivings about him still.

It would take a shocking pick to get me to swing McCain’s way–it probably isn’t even possible at this point–the McCain I voted for in 2000 is not the McCain of today.

VPs should not be game changers; they are game clinchers.