Scorpio Attack Dog

Joe Biden Astrology Profile

by Jeff Jawer

Vice President and former Senator Joseph Biden, Barack Obama's running mate, is a Scorpio with the warrior planet Mars in this indomitable sign. This makes him well-equipped to take on a rough and tumble campaign -- fighting for and winning Obama's election.

The traditional role of a vice presidential candidate in a U.S. election is to act as an attack dog for the person at the head of a ticket. We expect future presidents to be above the fray and show strength without being overly aggressive. On that score, Barack Obama's choice of Joseph Biden as his running mate is a good one. Biden was born on November 20, 1942 at 8:30 a.m. in Scranton, Pennsylvania. His Rising sign is outgoing Sagittarius, but behind the friendly persona are four planets in Scorpio that give him plenty of bite. His Sun (will), Mercury (intellect), Venus (charm) and Mars (aggression) are all in this passionate and persistent Water sign.

Most Scorpios aren't overtly aggressive, preferring to keep their claws in until they are ready to be used, but they don't tend to give up easily. Biden is one of the longest-serving members of Congress, a man who has survived the death of his wife and child and a brain aneurism, yet seems to have the enthusiasm of a newcomer. He's a battled hardened veteran of two campaigns for the presidency and decades of debate in the U.S. Senate, but he still has a bounce in his step and a ready quip for the media.

Joe Biden is famous for his love of talking. This is not typical for a Scorpio, a sign better known for careful speech or total silence than for garrulousness. Biden, though, has Mercury in a free-flowing trine (120-degree angle) with expansive Jupiter. This unfiltered connection between the planets of communication and excess is a clear reflection of unrestrained speech. However, this positive alignment also indicates an interest in foreign cultures and faraway places. Biden is, of course, the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a recognized expert in the field. Another asset Biden brings to the campaign is his working class roots, which endears him to blue collar voters. This is a part of the electorate that any Democrat must have to win the presidency.

It's Biden's Moon in down-to-earth Taurus that reflects his background and his appeal to the common man and woman. Taurus, the sign in which the Moon is said to be exalted in traditional Astrology, has a degree of directness and simplicity that makes a person seem more real and accessible.

Biden and Obama are as different astrologically as they appear to be temperamentally. Biden is earthy and intense, while Obama is calm and cerebral. The passion of Biden's Scorpio Sun contrasts with the shining confidence of Obama's Sun in Leo, and the solidity of Biden's Taurus Moon is far from the flexibility of Obama's Moon in Gemini. These men are complementary rather than comparable. Although this might cause conflict between them down the road, it proved to be a winning combination for the 2008 election.