Why is Joe Biden mocked as childish?

[alp227]

I was watching The Colbert Report this weekend and on the , Stephen Colbert, discussing First Lady Michelle Obama's "Big Help" award in this year's Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awareds, stated that Nickelodeon entertains Vice President Biden.

A recurring segment on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon mocks speeches by President Obama by characterizing VP Biden as acting like a little kid. One such skit scripted Biden as boasting about his Lunchables while Obama spoke at an elementary school.

Does anyone know how the joke about Joe Biden being immature originated? I know about his verbal mishaps and the time he plagiarized a British politicians' speech, but I'm not quite sure how those incidents inspired the running gag on the late-night comedy shows.

[WI_DEM]

1. because they always have to find something on the VP and Obama is a hard one to get comedy

material on so they focus on Biden who is outwardly more passionate and unpredictable.

[rfranklin]

2. Yeah, Cheney had a lot more gravitas...

and he did so much to improve the USA and the rest of the world.

[Cosmocat]

5. democrat ...

pure and simple, gotta have a negative meme for any democrat, despite who smart and decent he or she may be ...

Gore was arrogant, Kerry untrustworty ...

Then the negatives for the gawd aweful pukes are turned into positive - Bushco was a guy you would want to have a beer with, then a guy who stuck by his convictions ...

Cheney was horrible, just flat horrible ... Further, he was totally unaccessible for 8 years, and now they give him the microphone and a 48 hour news cycle any time he emerges from his oxygen chamber. If a D pulled the shiite he pulled as VP not being accessible, he would have been vilified, but with cheney, they just cowher to him ...

[RaleighNCDUer]

6. Actually, they accuse Dems of being opposite their actual qualities.

Kerry - untrustworthy. Gore - arrogant. Obama - socialist. Each can easily be shown to the exactly the opposite of what they are accused of being.

Makes me wonder how down to earth Kucinich really is - he certainly doesn't sound all spacey when talking on labor issues.

EDIT: Oops - lost track of what I was saying. To continue...

Biden - childish? He strikes me as being quite the opposite - a somewhat conservative senior statesman. He definitely has more gravitas than the youthful president.

[old mark]

3. Biden is an emotional guy who has genuine feelings and speaks

from his heart...not the usual politician who has every word he speaks in public written by staffers and checked by lawyers.

He ia a very good, smart man, just an easy target for the stupids.

mark

[LiberalFighter]

4. Of course, these comedians and their writers

can do a much better job in public office. :sarcasm:

[Grand Taurean]

9. True.

[opihimoimoi]

7. The GOP Bullies often turn to MOCKERY as their only arrow in their flawed quiver.. They R Pathetic.

Joe makes them jealous.....

[mkultra]

8. i didnt know he was. Sounds made up to me.

[Clio the Leo]

10. Every good cast of characters has to have a Joker...

... that's all it is.

Biden makes about himself all the time. I dont think he's overly stressed about it.

On the other hand, I would imagine the notion of Barack Obama handpicking you to be his replacement should anything happen to him has to pack an ego punch that would last a person quite some time. ;)

[saltpoint]

11. I love Joe.

Long may he run.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Biden is a classic comedia style buffoon

Nothing wrong with that. He is well known in showbiz circles for his shouted agreement with Palin that gay people should never be equal because of their mutual religion. Antics such as that will certainly have a result.

[karynnj]

13. My guess - it is a media effort to diminish him and his influence

If you look at Biden's personal life, it is an inspirational story. As a 30 year old man, he suffered the pain of losing his first wife and baby daughter right as he started his career as a Senator. Somehow, he was able to get past his own pain and to give his sons the love and attention needed and to do his work in the Senate. This is as mature as you can get.

I don't agree with everything he did in the Senate, but it is ridiculous not to think he was an accomplished, successful Senator. His "media stereotype" reputation then was that he was very garrulous, which could be seen at any hearing he was at. There was no hint of anyone saying that he was juvenile then.

My guess is that this- like the constant meme of gaffes - are coming from republicans, who see him as an easier target than Obama and possibly from allies of others in the administration, seeking to maximize their own influence by diluting someone else's.