Empsall sat down at the table outside of Collis Center, carefully placing his typed, five-point outline of the reasons he loves Biden in the brim of his black cowboy hat. His passion for Biden unfolded during the interview as he described his commitment to the campaign, consistently referring to "Joe" with the familiarity of an old friend. Empsall, the head and founder of Students for Biden, also serves on Biden's Steering Committee in New Hampshire, is a personal volunteer for the campaign and may soon become a full-time staffer.
Empsall started the first student campaign group -- Students for Biden -- in February of 2007. There's not enough interest in the group to sustain regular meetings, but Empsall tells interested students to send him an e-mail -- his BlitzMail nicknames include JoeBiden. Empsall joined Biden's New Hampshire supporters group last winter, even before Biden had staff in the state.
"[Those supporters and I] were the campaign in the state," he said.
Empsall has elected to take two classes this term rather than the normal three-class course load "just to add more time for the campaign." He spends his time establishing support and visibility for Biden on blogs and on Facebook.com as well as by canvassing and postering around campus.
He keeps close track of any progress.
For example, Empsall said during the interview that the "Students for Biden" Facebook group is "roughly on par with Edwards in the Facebook group. If I'm correct they have one more member," he said. "But I've got a bunch of invites I've just sent. The Blitz list is continuing to grow." In a later e-mail to this reporter, Empsall reported that the "Students for Biden" Facebook group had added a member and is now on par with the Edwards one.
Independently, Empsall sits down each week to write a blog for the front page of mydd.com, which he described as one of the largest, most read liberal blogs. The articles highlight what's new across politics and in Biden's campaign and include personal anecdotes of his interactions with the Bidens, pictures of the Senator and his family, videos, and links to more information. His blogs get a flurry of responses -- some that politely or vehemently disagree with Empsall, some that thank him and others that match his enthusiasm for Biden with comments such as, "I love Biden" or "I could live with the guy."
Empsall admitted that most Dartmouth students lack interest in or awareness about Biden's campaign. Though the senator is trailing leading candidates like Clinton and Obama in the polls, Empsall believes that in reality all the candidates takes cues from Biden.
"People follow Joe Biden. The most common line of [the] debate was 'Joe's right' or 'I agree with Joe.'"
Biden's position will serve as a "springboard" to bring him to the front of the race, especially in Iowa, Empsall said.
When asked why he supports Biden, Empsall points to the candidate's personality and platform.
"Joe wants to hear who you are, what you do," Empsall said. "He wants to tell you about his plan ... but he wants to know who he's talking to."
Empsall's five-point outline of why he supports Biden -- the one he tucked into his hat -- includes Biden's experience as a bipartisan statesman, his being the only candidate offering a detailed political solution for Iraq, his support for women's issues, his never "ducking a question," and his personal values and background.
Biden's Iraq plan, which involves dividing Iraq into separate federalist states, particularly resonated with Empsall.
"I was actually calling for federalism before he called it. When my guy called my plan it was great," he said. "Every time he says something new it's either something I've already said or something I like to hear."
For Empsall, his support of Biden, in the end, is personal.
"Ultimately, it's all for Joe."
