What do you know about Joe?

Well, it’s inauguration day. I’m sure you know that, it’s all over the place. How could you miss it? And yes, history is being made as our nations first African American president is sworn in.

I believe people have done more research on our new president than they ever did on any president of the past. With the internet available 24/7, news channels devoted strictly to politics and the front page of every major newspaper covering every tiny detail, how could you not know who Barack Obama is?

I tend to believe that people are even aware of Obama’s family. If I said he has a wife named Michelle and two daughters, most people would nod their heads and say I was right. What I’m not sure of is if people know about our new VICE president.

Joe Biden has not received the same amount of publicity that Obama has, his life is not splattered all over the place. While he and his wife did appear on Oprah I was not aware of it until I saw a tiny little story way at the bottom of my news feed.

Biden is just a backup. He’s not the important one. He’s not the president. That’s the feeling I get when I see these very few and far between stories about our new vice president. People just don’t think he’s that important. I don’t agree with that line of thought. If something were to happen to Obama (you have to admit that’s completely possible. In this day and age people would not hesitate to do harm against our president), Biden will replace him.

So who is this man that will be running our country in the event of a tragedy? What do we know about him? Honestly, I knew very little about him. I decided some research was in order...

He was born November 20, 1942 in Scranton Pennsylvania. He comes from an Irish Catholic family and has two brothers and one sister.

He has a wife as I said. Her name is Jill. While I don’t believe physical appearance makes any difference in someone’s ability to be a contributing human being, I’ll tell you she’s beautiful. And it’s not just on the outside. She speaks from the heart and doesn’t hold back (as seen on the Oprah clip below). I feel like she would be incapable of hiding anything. They met in 1975 and they married in 1977. They have one daughter together. But Jill is his second wife.

His first wife’s name was Neilia. They met in 1964 and married in 1966. They had three children, two sons and a daughter. In 1972 she and his one year old daughter were killed when the station wagon they were traveling in was hit by a semi truck. His two sons were critically injured in the accident as well but thankfully recovered.

Biden began his career in the United States Senate at the minimum age to be eligible, 30. He has represented Delaware from that January 3, 1973 day until his resignation on January 15, 2009. He resigned only because of his being elected to the vice presidency.

He's the former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. He opposed the Gulf War in 1991 and voted in favor of the Iraq War Resolution in 2002. He has also served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. And he helped create the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988 and was originally running for president in this years election. He is the first Roman Catholic and the first Delawarean to be elected Vice President of the United States.

I have the faint feeling that I just struck gold. I’ve already expressed my support and approval of Obama. Now I have to say, I really like Joe Biden. I think he’s going to do our country good. I think the two of them together, Obama and Biden, may be able to make our country great again. I feel it. It’s on its way. I’m practically singing. Happy days are here again…

Joe & Jill Biden on the Oprah show