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| Joe Biden and me, circa 2012 |
It was the second time Joe and I posed together for a photo that election season. The first was at a fund-raiser at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill. The second (the photo in this blog) was at a home inside the Raleigh beltline, in a pricey neighborhood. Both were at Democratic fund-raisiers with Biden as the main attraction. To my good fortune (no pun intended), I did not have to make a financial contribution to attend those events.
At the second of the two fund-raisiers, I was trying to mingle with several elected officials and donors (all Democrats, of course) when we were instructed to line up for individual photo shoots with the Vice President. Joe Hackney, then the minority leader in the North Carolina House of Representatives and previously the Speaker of the NC House but who was not seeking re-election, was just behind me in the line. "Why not," I asked about his decision not to seek re-election. "It's not fun any more," said Hackney, a Democrat. "When your party is not in power, it's just not fun to be there."
As we inched toward the VP for the photo-opt, I ease-dropped on conversations between Biden and the photo-opters, Most were offering comments of praise about Obama's policies. "I really like what y'all are doing about (fill in the blank)" and "I like your policy on (more blanks to fill)" and stuff like that. When it was my turn, I shook his hand, quickly reminded him of the Chapel Hill rally and photo, which he said he recalled but probably didn't, looked him square in the eye, and said, "You look as if you've lost weight since then." He took that as a compliment. "Thanks!" he said with that wide grin as we turned to the camera for one quick camera snap. The photo op was over in a flash.
The photo has been sitting on my desk ever since. I agree with many but not all of his policy ideas, but I'm very sure he will be a better President, many times over, than the guy now occupying the White House. As far as our weights, I was about 215 in 2012. Today, I'm around 185+/-. Better eating and lots of exercise. Not sure about Joe's weight then or now.
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Speaking of elections, I'm for vote by mail instead of voters congregating at the polls in November unless there's a vaccine for the coronavirus. Imagine a three part form (all one page with perforation between sections) mailed from the State Board of Elections to all registered voters. Each section would include the same identifying number. The entire form would have watermarks to prevent counterfeiting.The top part (front and back) would be the ballot. The middle section would include a statement that confirms I am who I say I am, which I would sign and date. The third part is similar to the second but I would remove the third part and save it for confirmation at a later date, if necessary. There would also be a postage-paid envelope to return the ballot and the second section (must remain attached to the ballot).
Once received by the State Board of Elections, the number on the ballot and on the second part would be compared. If the same, the second part is removed and stored while the ballot is fed into a scanner for counting the votes. All ballots would have to be post-marked no later than the official election day, November 3. It's a simple system, and it's better than social distancing. It would eliminate all those campaign signs and volunteers from voting sites.
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Do you know who becomes President if for some reason the 2020 general elections are postponed through inauguration day in January 2021? You may be surprised! Read this: If 2020 elections are not conducted, who becomes US President?
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