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Posted: June 21, 2007 2:52 PM
Biden Sticks to Internet Appearances During Busy Senate Term
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Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., was busy in the Senate this week with a number of votes on energy and other issues, cutting into some of his campaign events.

On Tuesday, he joined Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Gordon Smith, R-Ore., and other senators to introduce a bill that would help expedite the admittance of Iraqi refugees to the United States. Two days later, Biden held a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing to examine U.S.-Russian relations, calling for a new strategy to deal with an increasingly "anti-democratic" Russia. Also Thursday, Biden was a guest at the Sperling lunch, sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, but had to leave the lunch early for a vote.

Due to "a scheduling conflict," Biden had to cancel his participation in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees forum on June 19. That same hot afternoon, he spoke at the AFL-CIO/Teamster's rally on Capitol Hill in support of the Employee Free Choice Act, calling on voters to "change the tide in this country so American unions can grow."

"These guys [in the White House] have declared war not only in Iraq, they declared war on labor's house, they declared war the day they came in. It's about time we just said enough is enough. ... White collar workers ... finally figured out that those corporations they counted on ain't taking care of them. They finally figured out the only reason they have any benefits is because of unions. And they're ready to join if we give them a chance. Ladies and gentlemen, let's declare war back. We've had enough." Biden said, ending his remarks with: "You're crazy sitting out in this sun."

While Biden's schedule has kept him tied up in the Senate, he has been making many virtual appearances on his YouTube.com and campaign sites. In fact, his campaign has posted some 100 online videos about his positions on energy, Iraq, immigration, health reform, public transportation and education to date. His most popular video is "How to Break Our Dependence on Oil," with nearly 200,000 views. Biden also has dozens of videos that are personal responses to individuals who have e-mailed the senator. In one video response, Biden agreed with "Anastasia in Chicago, Illinois," that better use of public transportation would help the United States conserve energy and the environment.

Next week, the senator plans to spend most of his time in the Senate, his campaign staff said. And, his son, Beau Biden, the attorney general of Delaware, will be the keynote speaker at a firefighters' convention in Iowa City on behalf of his father on June 26. Biden also plans to participate in the Howard University forum hosted by Tavis Smiley on June 28.

Biden has scheduled a big swing through Iowa the week of July 4 with specific details pending. When a staffer was asked whether the Biden campaign had chosen a theme song in the wake of the attention New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton's received, the staffer replied, "We don't have an official one right now, but we've been playing 'I Won't Back Down' by Tom Petty a lot at campaign events."