cnredd's 2 Seconds With Biden - Page 2

bhkad · #11 (**permalink**) 09-05-2008, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

This JUST happened here in Philly...

Just got back from paying my mechanic for a new window, and was about to stop by the Dunkin' Donuts for my large with cream and sugar. I had trouble getting into the parking lot with that bus and all of those state troopers and SUVs around (not very green IMO)...

So as a trooper was directing traffic, I rolled down the window and "Who we got?"...The response?

"Joe Biden"...

I said, "Oh...I thought it might've been somebody important."...he smiled, but that kind of a smile that says "I don't want to smile, but you made me."...

But in reality, he IS important...so I found an empty spot nearby and parked. Good thing I was wearing a shirt with a hole in it and flip-flops...

Biden was inside a diner, so I thought "Let me drop the Political Wrinkles name on the staff hangin' around outside."...

I walked up to an SUV with a guy sitting there with the engine idling, the air conditioner on full blast, and the window down (not very green IMO)...

"You with the campaign?"...Probably a stupid question since the guy had an "Obama08" button on...

He said "yeah" and I proceeded to do a spontaneous pitch...

I handed him my card, which has Political Wrinkles and the address on it (It has my personal info, too, but that's all I had on me...I'll probably be getting the Secret Service at my house tonight)...

"It's a total coincidence...I live a few blocks away, but I run a political website called "Political Wrinkles". We're not affiliated with any party, and we have members from across the whole political spectrum. We're not one of those "Freeper" or "DemocraticUnderground" sites when everyone says someone sucks and 50 people agree. We try to keep the backhands to a low-roar and focus on legitimate debate."...

I even threw a little nudge out for their participation...

"If someone from your press staff has a release or would like to keep people updated with schedules or daily activities, you could throw that stuff out at Political Wrinkles to help spread your message."

I must've threw out that spiel about 6 or 7 times...

That was the standard 2-second meeting except for the last guy...

After my "pitch", he said "Are you a registered voter?"...I said "Yup...Republican."...

Apparently, this guy had his OWN pitch to throw at ME...

"Are you happy with the last 8 years?" I was asked...

I decided to play coy..."Nope"...

"Then you're a Republican voting for Obama?"...

"Nope...I'm probably gonna end up holding my nose and voting McCain."...

"Why would you do that after 8 years of not being happy with what Bush has done?"

I decided to break out the rain for his parade...

"Because I TOLERATE what he's done because Bush did what NEEDED to be done. On a scale of 1-10 I put him at a 3 or 4, but I also know that if it were Gore or Kerry it would been a solid 1...And when the options are "sucks" and "sucks worse" normal people will go with "sucks" every time."(I've written that last line quite a few times on multiple forums over the years)...

It wasn't confrontational...It wasn't agressive...But he knew a "Can I get you to switch?" angle was dead in the water and I think he knew he wasn't deling with an average non-politico...

Instead of looking for angles, he went with opinion questions...I didn't give him any fodder...

"What did you think about the McCain speech?"

"It wasn't bad...nothing too up or too down...It probably would've worked better if he was talking BEFORE Palin, but no campaign would ever do that."

"What did you think of her speech?"

"It did what was needed...It was an official introduction to the country and showed everyone she was girl on your block you can relate to...Nice breath of fresh air."

I may be wrong, but after each answer he'd pause and nod his head like he was thinking "OK...Now what do I have to do to find the opening in his armor?"...

We wouldn't find out...Biden was wrapping it up inside and the guy I was talking to had to get into one of the 7 or 8 SUVs (not very green IMO). Didn't even bother to shake my hand...

I saw Governor Ed Rendell...He's Palin-like in that he's the guy next door and you can relate to him...I've said "Hi" to him a few times before...

"Hello Governor"...

"Heeey! How ya doin'?" (BIIIIG handshake...One of those "I'll shake your hand while I put my other hand over yours" kind)...

"I'm doin' good"...

"Great...man it's hot out here!"...

I WANTED to say "Maybe it's all of these SUVs idling with the air conditioners on and the windows down causing all of this global warming...Not very green IMO."

But I digressed...

"Sure is" I replied...

"I'll see ya later!" he said as he walked away...He's always been a nice guy...Must have some Republican blood in him somewhere...

I went back to standing under the shade of a tree when Captain Hairplugs himself came out...he was surrounded by Secret Service and media...the guy up front was walking backwards with a huge microphone-on-a-stick 10 feet long...

I wasn't positioned for a handshake...I was about 15 feet away and I was on the other side of the SUV he was gonna get into...I could walk up to him and maybe "try" to break through the mess, but I decided not to bother...

He got into the SUV that was idling with the air conditioner on the whole time (Not very green IMO). He was sitting there for a few seconds and then noticed me (He was sitting by the window on my side)...he pointed forward like he was a general leading a charge and then gave me a thumbsup...

I just waved non-chalantly and mouthed "Hey Senator"...he returned the small wave with one of his own...and then they were off...

Your description made me feel like I was there.

But without actually sweating from the heat.

Spencer Collins · #12 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 07:12 AM

I've always liked Joe Biden and yes,at times he suffers from foot in mouth disease.He has his imperfections like we all do but he is a likeable guy and I believe he really has our best interests in mind. We may disagree with the methods but I believe he loves this nation.I saw JFK in person and it was a thrill I will never forget.Thanks for sharing your close encounter of the political Wrinkles kind...

Michael1 · #13 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 11:27 AM

Thanks for the post, my friend. Very well written.

They just finally put a Dunkin Doughnuts in my neck of the woods. It's quite controversial because we're the home of Krispy Kreme.

I actually had a few words with both Bill and Hillary Clinton. I used to work in merchandise operations on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. On separate occassions each visited. I don't even recall much of meeting either one. It was just formalities (and a pain in the ass because of the secret service). Meeting non-political celebrities was certainly much more enjoyable.

highway80west · #14 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael1

Thanks for the post, my friend. Very well written.

They just finally put a Dunkin Doughnuts in my neck of the woods. It's quite controversial because we're the home of Krispy Kreme.

I actually had a few words with both Bill and Hillary Clinton. I used to work in merchandise operations on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. On separate occassions each visited. I don't even recall much of meeting either one. It was just formalities (and a pain in the ass because of the secret service). Meeting non-political celebrities was certainly much more enjoyable.

The Krispy Kreme donuts got too much sugar on their donuts, but their coffee ain't bad. Still, I can't wait to get to DD store on my travels later this month.

saltwn · #15 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 05:42 PM

I don't know who Cpt Hairplugs is.

bhkad · #16 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

I don't know who Cpt Hairplugs is.

Biden.

Quote:

Biden's helmet
By: Avi Zenilman
August 24, 2008 10:41 PM EST

It is a fraying, combed-back helmet that barely covers a longtime fact of Washington life: The senator from Delaware has taken steps to pre-empt baldness.

The most common hypothesis is that he received a hair transplant, where follicles from the bushier back of the head are grafted onto fading spots closer to the front of the dome.

In 1987, a Washington Post reporter asked him to confirm the theory. "Guess," he responded. "I've got to keep some mystery in my life."

A quick Politico survey of stylists and hair transplant surgeons — some of whom have followed Biden’s career path for years, while others didn’t know about him until yesterday — found that there was little mystery.

“When he had darker hair it was pretty obvious, he had larger plugs,” said Dr. Michael Beehner, medical director of the Saratoga Hair Transplant Center in New York. “With the lightening of his hair, it looks much, much better now.”

“Years ago, it was much more detectable,” added a surgeon from the Midwest who refused to be identified. The pattern of Biden’s hairline, according to him, did not follow the normal path of baldness.

Until the late 1980s, according to Beehner, the only method of hair transplantation involved “plugs” that each contained 15 to 30 hairs. If executed well, they could be lined up to create a solid wall of hair. Today, it’s different — and much less visible. “They use little tiny grafts,” Beehner said. “And a typical session is 1,000 to 2,000 grafts.”

“A lot of people have touch-up work, and he may have had some,” he added.

The stylists Politico spoke to, while not enamored with Biden’s haircut, thought the work had turned out well.

“I think he should darken the hair on the top of his head,” e-mailed Christina, a stylist who generally works with celebrities. “One of the reasons being, with it being lighter than the rest of the hair it makes it appear to be thinner.”

“In my view, his haircut and style do not complement his squarish face shape,” added Sky Vega, a stylist in New York. “A forward comb with a serrated fringe would soften that.”

“I feel like it’s a minimal amount of work,” she noted. “I mean, it’s really common for a lot of guys." (The International Society of Hair Restoration surgery estimated that more than 100,000 operations were performed in 2006.)

“Transplant hair, if a good one, can be cut and styled almost exactly like your real hair,” said Christina. “It depends on the technique.”

Along with Biden, the ranks of the senatorial plugged-in included the late Wisconsin Democratic Sen. William Proxmire — who served from 1957 to 1989 — and South Carolina Republican Strom Thurmond, whose fiery orange plugs stayed in until he died in 2003 at the age of 100.

At Thurmond’s 90th birthday party, Biden found a patch of common ground. "When I came to the Senate in '72, you were 70,” he said. “And I want to tell you I resent any reference to your hair. You have been an inspiration to me in so many ways.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12760.html

Mikeyy · #17 (**permalink**) 09-06-2008, 06:47 PM

Geeez Now I know more then I ever needed to about plugs. It really bugs some guys. I can't say I know how they feel. I have more hair on my head then I want most the time. But I have an old friend who I haven't seen without a hat in years. I really don't know how bald he is. I kinda feel bad for them. I could give a crap personally if someone is bald or not. In some whys I envy them. You can cut it close and it looks good. When you have thick hair like mine its hot and sweaty. And it doesn't lay down well like people with thin hair. I guess maybe its a matter of perspective.

saltwn · #18 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highway80west

The Krispy Kreme donuts got too much sugar on their donuts, but their coffee ain't bad. Still, I can't wait to get to DD store on my travels later this month.

Oh my gosh! That reminds me of this lady truck driver that loved donuts as much as my husband. They were in a constant debate over which was better Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme!

And then she would call me and ask where we were. Once we were in Chicago at rush hour (in other words, not 2 a.m.

), so after she hangs up from me she text messages him and tells him she's already delivered her load and now has her hot chocolate and Bavarian cream in front of her. yada-yada-yada.
We were out walking someplace and passed a bigazzed donut factory with all picture windows, kind of a novelty tourist attraction I guess. My husband used up all my battery taking pictures to rub it in that he was in the donut Mecca cause she was at the loading dock of a notoriously slow warehouse.
O.K. We are old and boring, but we do have our moments.

Mikeyy · #19 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saltwn

Oh my gosh! That reminds me of this lady truck driver that loved donuts as much as my husband. They were in a constant debate over which was better Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme!

And then she would call me and ask where we were. Once we were in Chicago at rush hour (in other words, not 2 a.m.

), so after she hangs up from me she text messages him and tells him she's already delivered her load and now has her hot chocolate and Bavarian cream in front of her. yada-yada-yada.
We were out walking someplace and passed a bigazzed donut factory with all picture windows, kind of a novelty tourist attraction I guess. My husband used up all my battery taking pictures to rub it in that he was in the donut Mecca cause she was at the loading dock of a notoriously slow warehouse.
O.K. We are old and boring, but we do have our moments.

I gotta go with Dunkin Donuts over Krispy Creme

saltwn · #20 (**permalink**) 09-08-2008, 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikeyy

I gotta go with Dunkin Donuts over Krispy Creme

Me too. That was the "team" my girl friend chose also. My husband goes with Krispy Kreme because he likes their fillings better.

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