WASHINGTON - Barack Obama achieved a historic breakthrough with his election as America’s first black pr
esident. But his running mate made a little history too.
After a campaign featuring much talk of “Joe Sixpack” and “Joe the Plumber,” the Democratic victory in Tuesday’s presidential election ensured America will have its first “Joe the Vice President.”
When Joe Biden is sworn in as the 47th vice president on Jan. 20, he will follow in the footsteps of five Johns, three Georges, three Thomases and three Charles (including two in a row) who occupied America’s second-highest office. Among other vice presidential first names were Elbridge, Millard, Hannibal, Schuyler, Chester, Adlai, Alben, Lyndon and Spiro. But until now, not a single Joe. Neither has a Joe occupied the White House.
Three Joes before Biden ran unsuccessfully for the No. 2 spot, including Joe Lieberman, the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000. This year, Lieberman campaigned against his old party and a fellow Joe by supporting Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
History is full of Joes. The name Joseph is of Hebrew origin and is sprinkled throughout the Bible. It’s the name of one of Christianity’s most revered saints. Kings, emperors and dictators have gone by the name as well as major sports figures like boxer Joe Louis and baseball’s Joe DiMaggio. Variations of Joseph are common in many languages.
The name is so familiar in English that it has become in popular usage the moniker for the common man — just your “average Joe,” or “regular Joe,” and the more biting “Joe Blow.”
Biden’s given name won’t be his only claim on history. He is also the first Catholic elected vice president and the first from Delaware. Plainly, the next vice president is no “ordinary Joe.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed. Biden holds his granddaughter Naomi during the election night rally in Chicago, Nov. 4, 2008.
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[...] who would be in their cabinet. I believe the choice of senate foreign relations committee chairman Joe Biden as VP was smart because it defended the argument that Obama wouldn’t know what to do [...]
- Posted by A long 5 days… « The Best of WesRight on to joe and the nation for putting him there. It’s one of those things where i belive that every american somehow somewhere knows a joe. I am glad he is the next V.P. he will be good with Barack in the white house.
- Posted by we will[...] of the trappings of a presidential event, with tight security, a huge press corps in attendance, Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., White House chief of staff-designate Rahm Emanuel and a phalanx of advisers on hand, and a row of [...]
- Posted by President-Elect Meets the Press - Countdown to Inauguration |Mr. Biden will be USA’s first “Joe the Vice President”.
- Posted by Xitong LinMr. Biden’s given name won’t be his only claim on history. He is also the first Catholic elected vice president and the first from Delaware. Plainly, the next vice president is no “ordinary Joe.”
Welcome, Mr. Biden, the 47th Vice President of USA!
Oh, how quaint. I love how no one gets all up in arms about Joe’s Catholic faith - “Ohmigod! A Catholic in the White House!” Maybe because Joe doesn’t tow the Catholic line. The political left loves a Catholic who doesn’t abide by the teachings of his faith.
- Posted by June