Biden’s “chains” remark riles Romney campaign
Vice President Joe Biden has drawn the ire of Republican Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign with a loaded remark he made about Romney’s economic plan this morning at the Institute for Advance Learning and Research in Danvillle.
“He [Romney] said the first 100 days, he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules — unchain Wall Street,” Biden said. “They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”
Biden’s comment drew this response from Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul:
“After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Governor Romney, the Obama Campaign has reached a new low. The comments made by the Vice President of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama Campaign will say and do anything to win this election. President Obama should tell the American people whether he agrees with Joe Biden’s comments.”
But Stephanie Cutter, Obama’s deputy campaign manager, called the Romney campaign’s outrage “hypocritical.”
“For months, Speaker Boehner, Congressman Ryan, and other Republicans have called for the ‘unshackling’ of the private sector from regulations that protect Americans from risky financial deals and other reckless behavior that crashed our economy,” Cutter said in a statement issued by the campaign. “Since then, the Vice President has often used a similar metaphor to describe the need to ‘unshackle’ the middle class. Today’s comments were a derivative of those remarks, describing the devastating impact letting Wall Street write its own rules again would have on middle class families. We find the Romney campaign’s outrage over the Vice President’s comments today hypocritical, particularly in light of their own candidate’s stump speech questioning the President’s patriotism. Now, let’s return to that ‘substantive’ debate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan promised 72 hours ago, but quickly abandoned.”
Gov. Bob McDonnell said this afternoon that Biden’s statement “seemed incredibly offensive and out of touch, which from time to time is the manner of this vice president.”
“I don’t know, honestly, the whole context, but it just sounded just very, very much out of touch,” McDonnell said in response to a question about Biden’s comments. ” I hope he’s now removed his foot from his mouth.”
U.S. Rep. Robert Hurt, R-Chatham, who represents Danville, also issued a statement criticizing Biden.
“Instead of the Vice President using his stop in Southside Virginia to talk about jobs that are so badly needed and how to put people back to work, he used his speech to divide and distract,” Hurt said. “At a time when we need to come together as Americans to address the serious problems facing our country, comments like the one made by the Vice President only serve to lower the public discourse and pit one group against another.”
– Michael Sluss
August 14, 2012 - 2:57 PM
As if McDonnell would know about being ‘in touch’ with anything other than monied interests and GOP SuperPACs…
Two threads critical of Biden in one day. Man, you’re on a roll!
Biden is as dumb as they come. A puppet for the Teleprompter King. Any reference to slavery should bring the media to a frenzy, however, the liberal biased media will not say a thing. Sad!
Since it’s coming from LEFT via BO’s two bit mouth piece…you know, the guy who announces “it’s a big F*&^#!n deal” through an open mic, the MSM (main sewer media) and the left will nod like bobble heads and give it a pass. Now if a politician on the right said that…instant nuclear attack. Just consider the source and know that his hypocrisy knows no bounds.
If a Republican candidate had said something about putting people “in chains”, liberals would be losing their minds and screaming “racism” at the top of their voices.
When Biden says it, it’s just “crazy ol’ Joe”.
I favor Romney/Ryan but I am opposed to incendiary speeches or advertisments about any of the candidates. I voted for McCain last time but would not have voted for him if he had engaged in calling Obama “Barry” or emphasized his middle name. And, I would not vote for Romney if his campaigning behaves that way either (although I would not vote for Obama under any circumstances – there are plenty of third parties). Of course, this time, with the rise of the Super-Pacs it will be harder to pin bad behavior on a campaign, but if they do not say anything when one of the PACs behaves badly their benefit, they may have to take some of the blame too – it depends on the situation. I don’t want Romney’s camp suggesting that Obama is not an American or that he is a communist (I would accept European Democratic Socialist or the like) and I don’t want Obama’s camp attacking capitalism or calling Romney a murderer. All of that is reprehensible, but sadly what we come to expect from our candidates. What I would like is for them to have a real debate (hah!) about the economy and virtually nothing else (they are so similar on foreign affairs, and try to make such a difference, that it is ridiculous). In the meantime, if Joe Biden, who sometimes I wonder about, says something like in the above video, the Romney campaign should shrug, say it is a shame and move on. And, they should not retaliate or wring their hands, but let Obama be the bad guy. I really think people will get sick of the attack politics. Romney did well in the Republican debates b/c of his poise and they should continue that program. Being nasty didn’t work for Gingrich or Perry, did it?
So unshackling the economy is the same as putting y’all back in chains when spoken to a room heavily populated with African Americans…real good Ms. Cutter…clean and articulate.
David Eisenberg, are your forgetting or discounting the attack ads that deep pockets Romney utilized against the folks running against him during the primaries? Disarmament cannot be unilateral. Romney spent millions trashing his TP/GOP rivals and is more than willing to do the same to Obama. Self defense is no vice.
In an economy like this and with the truth of an obstructive Congress being the reason Obama has been so “ineffective” it is hard to honestly debate what Obama has not been able to do. I do not believe honesty is the goal of those wanting to “take their country back”. If they tell the truth about their positions on gay rights, abortion, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, tax cuts and wealth protection for the wealthy, they will lose in a landslide. Attacks, destruction of Obama/Biden personally, and misleading rhetoric are literally all they have if they want to win.
Biden’s choice of remarks can be taken many ways. Those who want to make hay will do so. The truth is that the impact of their plans do put a burden on the folks who work for a living and those whose wages do not allow for saving for retirement.
It’s telling that the Romney camp is “outraged” at Biden’s remark. Rather than issue a statement addressing how their “plan” would help everyone, they attempt to make race an issue. Pathetic.
I know it is beyond a primordial hate filled mind but it is a rhetorical flourish. Clearly, “unshackled” and “chains” just works. Only gutter minds make it about race IMO.
“Two threads critical of Biden in one day. Man, you’re on a roll!”
It’s okay Michael Sluss, keep up the good work.
If you need to put me down as a reference, you can!
A blog like this could be so beneficial if we could talk about real issues. If you writers want to make a true difference for the better of all of us you should focus on writing about the differences in policy and keep the trash talk out of the picture. The american people need a media that will help uncomplicate the issues not just add to the hype.
10.”I know it is beyond a primordial hate filled mind but it is a rhetorical flourish. Clearly, “unshackled” and “chains” just works. Only gutter minds make it about race IMO”
What.. spoken by the PC queen. Every other remark on earth is “race” but not this one. LMAO!!!
Biden in Danville VA: Nasty Vicious Racist
Today, Aug 14th 2012 marks a new low in Virginia politics dating back to Reconstruction.
Biden tells a Danville VA audience that Romney and Ryan would:
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“put y’all back in chains.”
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http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2012/08/14/biden-southern-audience-romney-financial-plan-would-put-y-all-back-chains
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Has there ever been such a nasty and racist team in the White House as Obama and Biden and Holder? All Biden needed was a stove-pipe hat and a carpet-bag with his y-all crap!
Apparently Biden found it necessary to be even nastier than Obama at his Roanoke Fire House #1 speech.
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Is this what “hope and change” means?
Are these the type of people and leaders that represent America’s best?
Are these the people of big ideas?
Or are these just typical of Chicago gutter politicians?
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This is a great Country! We deserve better!
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http://roanokeslant.blogspot.com/2012/08/biden-in-danville-va-nasty-vicious.html
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Sandi, give us the top three races to have experienced a significant portion of their history ‘in chains’.
I was there, and even though I am voting for Romney, Joe Biden’s speech was actually a strong Democratic pitch, and his comments were not inappropriate in the context he used to deliver them.
Yeah let’s all get riled that the stiffest people on earth suddenly all think a remark that is not racist in any way is offensive and totally ignore the slight of hand that says we will talk about our tax policy after the election. Wow!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/paul-ryan-taxes_n_1777353.html
““I don’t know, honestly, the whole context…”
Getting to be a habit with Republicans.
According to CBS news, nearly half of the audience was African-American.
No, Biden wasn’t pandering at all… /sarc
#16 Thank you for the report from somebody who actually heard it instead of somebody who’s picking out one sentence or even just one word, VC.
#14 We do deserve better, LB, but our Constitution says we allow you to express your opinion no matter how slanted and ugly it is.
#19 Dang good thing Romney NEVERS panders to an audience, eh, OR?
Got any more fairy tales for us?
Going back in chains and back in time apparently. 20th century here we come! And to think only Obama stands between this fool and the presidency.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/biden-folks-wheres-it-written-we-cant-lead-world-20th-century_650017.html
LB Hagen open your blog up for comments and take some of the crap and heat you so freely dish out and stop trolling for hits here.
Marked Man #15, if Biden’s remarks had anything to do with race, I would be happy to skewer him for his ignorance and insensitivity. Since I do not believe that is what he meant (and since you all cling to your belief on what Obama said at the Roanoke firehouse, I know you back me up on this), I have no need to name anything, but certainly, many indigenous or abducted peoples have spent time in real and figurative chains as have many immigrants and poor people.
No one voted for Obama because of Biden,and no one will vote Rmomey because of Biden either. This nattering about Bidens speeches is a side show. It won’t matter by the election. It won’t mater by Sunday.
I look forward to reading about Rmoney’s campaign triumphs.
If Romney and Ryan are elected, no one will be able to afford chains anyway. Twine maybe, but certainly not chains!
The President is a socialist and the Vice-President is a racist. “We see your true colors shining through”. Hilarious! They are like Moe and Larry when they get worked up. I cannot wait for the debates! You can’t make this stuff up.
LB Hagen may be surprised to learn that there were racists in the White House before Obama, and to call Biden a racist is just a way to say something angrily about someone you already don’t like.
I just heard something, as well, that Obama’s health care plan is to the RIGHT of Nixon’s. And that by many standards, apparently, Obama is to the right of many of the “conservatives” of yesteryear.
It’s weird that people think Obama is a socialist, considering how friendly he is with big corporations.
Biden’s “chains” comment is just a little dumb, but not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Dubya and Quayle and Biden all together would make a great All-Time Gaffe squad.