Advertisement

Opinion: Joe Biden’s remembrance of single fatherhood forges a listener bond

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Sarah Palin wasted precious little time trying to establish a personal connection with the huge audience that tuned in for her Thursday night debate with Joe Biden.

In her very first answer, she evoked the image of Saturday soccer games where parents, while watching their children dash about from the sidelines, candidly discuss their concerns about the economy. Just a few minutes later, she dropped the phrases ‘Joe Six-Pack’ and ‘hockey mom’ into one of her responses.

Biden -- as much a creature of Washington as Palin is not -- waited much longer to seek to establish a visceral bond with his listeners. Indeed, the 90-minute verbal joust was nearing its end when he did so.

Advertisement

But the story he movingly related -- of his experience as a single dad to two young sons seriously hurt in a car accident that killed his wife and daughter -- widely was viewed as his standout moment in the debate.

It certainly moved sportscaster and actress Lisa Guerrero, who lost her mother at a young age. And it spurred her to offer reflections on men, emotions and our culture for The Times’ new blog, The Fabulous Forum. We commend the posting to your attention.

-- Don Frederick

Advertisement