Subject: Biden's inner 'gorgeous charm monster'
From: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:28:41 -0500

Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
[email-masked]
P Consider the environment before printing this email.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/pulpculture/2014/02/27/biden-meyers-view/5866843/

Biden's inner 'gorgeous charm monster'

He kissed Barbara Walters, put his hand on Whoopi Goldberg's knee and even let "Parks and Recreation" star Amy Poehler use his lap as a seat.

There's a reason why Poehler called Vice President Biden a "gorgeous charm monster" on the debut of "Late Night with Seth Meyers" earlier this week – Biden can schmooze like no other.

"He is a charmer. He's famous for it," says Ralph Begleiter, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Political Communications. "I've seen him surrounded by students here on the campus. By putting his arm over someone's shoulders and smiling for a photo, it's almost uncanny his ability to make them feel at that very instant that the vice president of the United States is all theirs."

And Biden's particularly effective when he has a soft landing spot laid out for him on entertainment shows, as seen during his whirlwind tour this week welcoming Meyers to "Late Night" and visiting Walters & Co. on "The View."

After laying low most of last year when it comes to national television outings like these, Joe Cool is back.

In one moment, he was able to humorously explain away his most recent Biden-being-Biden moment when he gleefully shot finger guns behind President Obama during the State of the Union. He was then able to turn around and make targeted political points, like defending Obamacare, the next.

In between, he fended off questions about running for president with open-ended answers that landed him and the 2016 chatter as the lead segments of shows like "Morning Joe" and "Hardball with Chris Matthews" the next day, bolstering his image.

Unlike some politicians who can seem out of place on programs like these, Biden blends in effortlessly. During a recent interview with Meyers, even radio host Howard Stern chimed in on Biden being booked for "Late Night": "I like him as a guest. He's not stiff, at least."

Vice President Biden with Barbara Walters on "The View" earlier this week.(Photo: Lou Rocco ABC)

After giving each of "The View" hosts a silver ring box engraved with the vice presidential seal – "No one ever remembers the vice president so I thought I would bring a gift," Biden joked – Walters gave him a bit of an awkward thank you kiss, after asking permission.

While wiping her lipstick off his face, things got a bit more awkward when she added, "I don't want you to go home to Jill with my lipstick." If you remember, Walters admitted to having an affair with a married senator in her 2009 autobiography.

Biden then went on to pound home his message that Obamacare is good for women, targeting the female-heavy audience of "The View."

It's not like he had to fight for airtime to make his political points. At one point, co-host Sherri Shepard unfurled this invitation, er, question: "I know that you have a key message that you want to get out to a key group of people for Obamacare, which is moms and young adults. So is there something you want to say to them about Obamacare?"

The infomercial-like softball seemed to even make Biden uncomfortable, starting his response by deadpanning, "Thanks for the prompt."

Policy took a backseat to comedy on Meyers' highly-anticipated "Late Night" debut with Biden seated next to the night's first guest, Poehler. Biden guest-starred on "Parks and Recreation" with Poehler in 2012.

Vice President Biden during the State of the Union address.(Photo: NBC)

Meyers immediately brought up Biden's State of the Union performance, joking that if there were a National Rifle Association for finger guns, Biden would be president.

For the first time, we got an explanation from Biden about what he was up to during the president's speech. (And, no, Biden hadn't been taking advice from Toronto Mayor Rob Ford about how to act in public, although it seemed that way as he goofed around during the joint session of Congress.)

Before the speech, Biden said a senior senator had asked him not to stand and applaud too much during Obama's speech with the hope that the speech would go faster. Biden said he then counted the number of times the senator had stood – 17 – and that's when he started pointing at the senator, unwittingly creating a viral video clip for the next day.

"Talk about a suck up," Biden said of the senator to Meyers.

Just like any interview Biden does these days, talk eventually turns to whether he will run for president in 2016. This week, his answers got him plenty of free press as commentators debated whether Biden would run against former first lady Hillary Clinton.

"I was planning on making a major announcement tonight," Biden told Meyers as some in the crowd let out an audible gasp, anticipating his decision. "But I decided tonight is your night so I hope you invite me back."

Vice President Biden on the set of "The View" earlier this week.(Photo: Lou Rocco ABC)

On "The View," Walters dug into the vice president in an attempt to pull whatever she could out of him about his '16 decision and Clinton's role in it.

"Whether she runs or not will not affect my decision," answered Biden, labeled a "comeback addict" in a new Politico Magazine piece about him released Thursday. "It's as likely that I run as I don't run. I just truly haven't made up my mind."

Begleiter says it makes perfect political sense for Biden not to rule himself out, even if deep down he has no plans of challenging Clinton in 2016.

In fact it makes sense for the nation given the power of his office. After all, Biden would be president if Obama was unable to fulfill his office for any reason. Also, Biden still has nearly three years of work ahead of him.

"If he suddenly becomes a lame duck by saying he's out of it, that is going to sap a variety of kinds of power from his filling of the office," says Begleiter, a former CNN correspondent and UD's Rosenberg Professor of Communication. "Every conversation he then has would be prefaced by, 'Congratulations on your retirement.' They are just not going to take that person as seriously as they would if that person could be president of the United States, whether tomorrow by virtue of a presidential tragedy or the day after tomorrow by virtue of an election."

While Biden's time in the TV spotlight this week didn't create any new Bidenisms, it didn't take long for another to surface.

At an event honoring African-American history month with former NBA star Kevin Johnson, now Sacramento's mayor, Biden broke from The White House's normally restrained discussions about race with a joke about basketball.

"I told the President, next game I have him," Biden said Tuesday. "Just remember I may be a white boy, but I can jump."

Maybe Biden was just backing up what Poehler had said about him on "Late Night" as she sat by his side: "People love when people speak the truth and speak plainly. I think they respond to it. I love it."

Vice President Joe Biden talks with host Seth Meyers on "Late Night" earlier this week.(Photo: NBC Peter Kramer/NBC)