By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri's most senior Republican says Barack Obama's choice of Joe Biden as his running mate makes the Democratic presidential ticket lean even more to the left.
Senator Kit Bond, in a conference call with reporters, called Biden the third-most liberal member of the U.S. Senate.
Bond says the senior senator from Delaware doesn't understand the problems of the average Missourian.
"The Missouri housewife, who's worried about the price of gas when she has to drive carpool for her kids...the farmers who see the price of fuel for their operations going through the roof because we're not drilling," Bond said.
Jack Cardetti, spokesman for the Missouri Democratic Party, disagrees.
"Senator Obama and Senator Biden understand the problems facing Missouri...right now, Missouri has decade-long high unemployment, we have home foreclosures that are skyrocketing, and our health care costs are crushing our small businesses...meanwhile, John McCain cannot even name how many houses he owns," Cardetti said.
As for whom McCain might choose, Bond says the most important factor is support for the nominee's policies, as opposed to what kind or how much experience a running mate may have.