Maybe we could just have a "Joes gaffes" forum.

[StarfishSaver]

37. I think it comes from stubbornness and lack of discipline

He's always been very fluid and said just what he wanted and when it came out garbled, he just laughed it off and people said, "that's just Joe being Joe." He's been able to get away with it for years when other politicians couldn't get away with such imprecise and often plain goofy and confusing language. But it shows a certain lack of discipline - a thoughtfulness about how they communicate and effort to do it carefully - that most other politicians and people in public life employ.

Can you imagine if Obama had put his foot on his mouth the way Joe does? It wouldn't have been seen as charming or as "that's just Barack being Barack." He would have been seen as inarticulate lacking in depth. Of course, if he had been as gaffe-prone as Biden, we wouldn't be talking much about him because he'd still be in Illinois, since he'd never have been elected to the U.S. Senate, much less the presidency.

Now that the stakes are higher, Biden's staff is trying to get him to be more disciplined with his language, but he's apparently refusing. I think this stems from a certain stubbornness and a "I'm gonna do it my way" attitude. Some find that charming and real. But time will tell whether he's right that people won't mind Joe just being Joe or whether it will hurt him in the long run.