Joe Biden: The Sidekick Effect

Where in the world is Joe "One Man Gaffe Machine" Biden? You don't hear much about him now, aside from his steady stream of gaffes. Here's a theory to explain why no one has talked about him since his announcement as Obama's VP.

He's the sidekick.

Americans understand the role of the sidekick. The sidekick is there solely to make the hero look good. The sidekick doesn't have any other practical function, other than perhaps to offer up a few throwaway comedic lines. He's the bumbling fool, the clutzy moron, the last one to get every joke. While the hero looks at himself and his situation with studious seriousness, the sidekick stumbles blithely along, just trying to keep up. As long as the sidekick retains a peculiar sort of charm, he'll remain largely invisible as the cheerful buffoonish tag-along.

Biden fills this role in Obama's campaign. His buffoonery is obvious and constant, but his golly-gee-whiz charm still manages to make people chuckle. Thus, it is understood that he's the sidekick. And, of course, if he's the sidekick, people expect the sort of antics that he's been delivering in spades over the past few weeks.

So, while Biden has offered up gaffe after gaffe after gaffe, no one really notices...or cares. After all, he's the sidekick, and that's what the sidekick is supposed to do.

There's my two cents.