Grandchildren Take Center Stage

Vice presidential nominee Joe Biden's mother, wife, three children, and five grandchildren join him at the Democratic National Convention in Denver

Moments after Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) delivered his speech accepting his party's nomination for vice president, he was joined on stage by Catherine Eugenia "Jean" Finnegan, Biden, his 90-year-old mother; his wife, Jill; his three children — and five grandchildren: Naomi, Finnegan, Roberta Mabel, Natalie, and Robert Hunter.

Biden held one of the grandchildren aloft, and two precocious youngsters stepped to the front of the stage near the podium and waved to the crowd.

Brit Hume, Fox News Channel anchor said, as he described the touching scene, "Grandchildren: They're like political dynamite."

Presumably, Hume meant that in a good way. Presumably, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain will likely be part of a similar scene next week in Minnesota with his seven children and four grandchildren.

There's a reason for it, of course.

After watching Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and his wife and two small children join Biden and his family on stage, New York Daily News television critic David Hinckley noted in his August 28 column, "In politics, of course, this sort of tableau is about as spontaneous as the cycle of a traffic light. But it's done for a reason: It works. Here, the sight of the two families chatting and Biden's cute young grandchildren waving to the crowd was the sort of image that tells even the casual viewer they're okay. If they all lived next door, the neighborhood would be fine."

Beau Biden, attorney general of Delaware and Biden's son, lauded Biden before the nominee took the stage. Beau Biden told the crowd that his father recently turned down attending "a fancy Washington cocktail party" to attend a birthday party for his granddaughter.

In his speech, Biden made reference to Obama's two daughters and to his own grandchildren.

"When I look at their young children, and when I look at my grandchildren, I realize why I'm here." Biden said. "I'm here for their future,"

He later implored Americans to, figuratively, get back up when they've been knocked down.

"Our debt to our parents and grandparents [is] too great, our obligation to our children is too sacred," Biden said.

These days, the election's on everyone's mind — including ours! So from time to time, Grandparents.com reports on political issues that pertain to grandparents and grandchildren. We make every effort to keep this coverage 100 percent impartial — meaning, we are not affiliated with nor do we support a particular party, campaign, or organization. What we do support is every grandparent's right to know about the issues that affect them. We think it's great that so many grandparents are getting involved in the election, and, as always, we'll do our very best to keep you informed.