Joe Biden Takes Center Stage as Obama’s Running Mate

GWEN IFILL:

Senator Joe Biden has wanted to be president for at least 20 years. What drives the man who will now be the Democratic vice presidential nominee?

For that, we turn to people who have worked with him and known him: Ruth Ann Minner, the governor of his home state of Delaware; and David Wilhelm, a former party chairman who ran Biden's Iowa effort in 1988 and Bill Clinton's national campaign in 1992.

Governor Minner, you've known Joe Biden for many, many years. Is this a good fit, vice president?

GOV. RUTH ANN MINNER (D), Delaware: Absolutely. Joe has many of the same ideals, feels very strongly about family issues, and health care, and the same things that Obama feels about, and that's a good fit.

He also brings the experience of all that he's done with foreign relations, the opportunity to make friends with all of those countries that have been sort of slighted, you know, treated a little badly. And it's time that we got them all back in our corner when we fight world issues.

GWEN IFILL:

You're a governor of one of the nation's — if not the smallest state in the nation. What is it about Delaware…

GOV. RUTH ANN MINNER:

We're 49th largest.

GWEN IFILL:

… 49th largest, there's one smaller.

GOV. RUTH ANN MINNER:

Yes.

GWEN IFILL:

And yet he's going for the second most powerful job in the country. How does that — is there a leap that he's making, too big a leap?

GOV. RUTH ANN MINNER:

Well, this is a leap for our state, even. He is running for the highest office, because we are small, but Delaware is the first state. The rest of you wouldn't be here without us.

It's only fair that Joe Biden, our Joe Biden, get that opportunity to run for vice president.

GWEN IFILL:

David Wilhelm, you have worked with — you have been an aide to Joe Biden over the years, stayed friends with him. How big a fit is this? He's been in Washington for 25 years, yet we're hearing him — they're telling us he's the son of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and a son of the smallest — of the small state.

DAVID WILHELM, Former Chair, Democratic National Committee:

Right.

GWEN IFILL:

But how do you make that leap?

DAVID WILHELM:

Oh, how do you make the leap to the vice presidency from Delaware?

GWEN IFILL:

Well, the Washington insider versus the hometown guy?

DAVID WILHELM:

Well, it always drives me a little bit crazy when you hear Joe Biden described as a Washington insider and people just pointing to his national security experience, because I think that misses the essence of the man.

I mean, this is a guy who never really has become part of the Washington milieu. This is a guy who took the train back to Wilmington every night as a single father to be with his kids.

This is a guy who has the authentic voice of the aspirations, and hopes, and fears, and challenges that middle-class families face.

One of the things that I am grateful for during the course of the past couple of weeks is that story about who Joe Biden is. What makes him tick, I think, has been more broadly painted on the national scene.

GWEN IFILL:

But does he represent change in the way that Barack Obama has been campaigning for?

DAVID WILHELM:

Oh, I think he absolutely represents change. This is a guy who wants to change business as usual, has always been about that, desperately wants to change the image of this country around the world, wants to fight for those who have not gotten the benefits of — due to gridlock in Washington, D.C.

This is somebody who, in my view, is the perfect pairing with Barack Obama.