Let’s face it: As journalists, we’re suckers for a good Joe Biden vine. But on Friday, the vice president responded to a fitness challenge from First Lady Michelle Obama with a six-second video that singlehandedly justifies Vine’s existence.
https://vine.co/v/O9TEhID2O2U
First Lady Obama had tweeted a shout-out to Biden earlier Friday, in which she asked him to do five reps—”Gimme Five”—in celebration of the five-year anniversary of her Let’s Move! initiative.
Hey @VP: Ready to join the workout? #GimmeFive of your best reps and pass on the challenge: pic.twitter.com/SDZCJhghyO
— First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) March 13, 2015
Biden accepted her challenge, lifting a weight while talking on the phone and telling viewers, “I do a million of these a day.”
The vine is classic Amtrak Joe, but it raises a few questions that we can’t stop pondering.
- Who is Biden talking to?
- Does he have a set of weights in his office at all times, perhaps as a distraction during boring conference calls?
- What significance do his tie’s colors hold for this weight-lifting video?
- Why wasn’t he concerned about missing what the other person was saying when he took the phone away from his ear? Does he really care that little about our nation’s most pressing business? Can America trust a vice president who vacillates between matters of state and humble-bragging to a mobile phone camera?
Biden seemed fully committed to the bit, and when it comes to the importance of staying in shape, any publicity is good publicity.
But as journalists, we feel obligated to point out one glaring flaw with this vine. After repeatedly scrutinizing the six-second video, we can confirm that Bro Biden here only lifts the weight four times despite claiming to have participated in the “Gimme Five” challenge.
The Obama administration has some explaining to do. #WeightGate is now officially a scandal.
Photo via Jim Greenhill/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Andrew Ratto/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) | Remix by Jason Reed
