BACKGROUND: When a candidate is campaigning for state representative or state senator, it's reasonable to expect that the person knows simple qualities about people they introduce.
But things get trickier when a person is campaigning for Vice President of the United States. For someone like Joe Biden, unless he's campaigning in Delaware or parts of Pennsylvania, he probably depends on staffers to give him notes about prominent individuals at rallies. And on a September day on the campaign trail, somebody screwed up really, really, really bad.
Soon after Biden started speaking to a packed crowd at the Columbia ARC, he started going through a list of elected officials. The first stumble came when he listed off a couple of people - such as departing state Rep. Jeff Harris - who were definitely not in attendance. After every introduction, Biden would tell each elected official to "stand up" and be recognized.
Biden went through the same routine when he got to Sen. Chuck Graham, a Democrat who had been an early and active supporter of Barack Obama. He told Graham - who has been in a wheelchair since he was a teenager - to "stand up." And with that, Columbia became one point on the map for Biden's many gaffes.
WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Yes, this moment received a lot of attention on the Internet and on some late night television shows. And it probably wasn't Biden's best moment. But it should be noted that Biden noticed his flub right away, immediately apologized and greeted Graham personally. It could have been a lot worse.
And in the end, I don't think Biden's gaffe had much of an impact on the 2008 election cycle. But the moment was memorable, which is why it's on the list. Also, a subpar video I made of the incident is still my most watched Youtube clip.
FUN FACT: In 2009, I decided to join the ARC. I have spent many winter months running at least two miles on the superb elevated track. I used it a lot less during the summer, as I typically prefer to run outdoors.
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