"Middle class Joe" Biden attacks Romney on Bain

KEENE, N.H. - As President Obama's campaign continues to face criticism for its attacks on Mitt Romney's history at Bain Capital, Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday made clear that he's happy to be the designated hitter.

Casting himself as "Middle Class Joe" in a speech to 450 people at Keene State College in New Hampshire, Biden used layman's terms to argue that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee's private equity experience "no more qualifies you to be president than being a plumber."

Biden called "totally legitimate" attacks on Romney's previous employment at Bain, in light of complaints from both sides Republicans and Democrats that the topic isn't fair game. "The fact of the matter is, when the company succeeds, they make money. When the company fails, they still make money - a lot of money," Biden said. "Folks, making money for your investors - which Romney did very well - is not the president's job."

Amid signs touting the campaign slogan "Forward" scattered throughout the student center where he spoke, Biden also criticized the former Massachusetts governor for failing to come up with original ideas. "To paraphrase President Clinton," Biden said, Romney "doesn't want to just go back to the old administration. He wants to do it on steroids."

Romney "is starting to sound like the horse that just won the Preakness - 'I'll Have Another' - except the horse is a real winner!" the vice president joked.

But even as he tried to paint himself in contrast to Romney as "Middle Class Joe... who climbed out of a Scranton, Pennsylvania coal mine with a lunch bucket in his hand," Biden said, he admitted that "I do very well - you pay me a lot of money [as vice president] ... and I have a beautiful house." Biden lives in the official vice presidential residence on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.

Romney spokesperson Andrea Saul issued a statement slamming Biden's claim that the economy is recovering under the Obama administration: "He must not be talking to the millions of Americans who are suffering from declining incomes, fewer jobs, and skyrocketing household costs in the Obama economy," she said.

[libbiesRliers]

This POTUS and VP have done absolutely nothing to reverse any of the most foul policies of the Bush administration. In fact, they've renewed them.

The only difference between this administration and the Bush administration is the color of their tie.

Of course one advantage is we're not assaulted nightly with news about Libturds camped outside the president's residence du jour to protect the "illegal, unjust" war in Afghanistan, even though Obama has escalated exactly what he pledged to end. But alas, once Romney is elected we're bound to see the Leftie drones out and about again.

[OldTimeTruth]

I think Joe is a real down to earth guy. So GO JOE GO!Give em hell!

[stormerF69]

Joe is so middleclass there is rumor Obama will replace him with Hillary by election time.Poor Joe has been in Office since 1972,maybe he has lost touch with the real middle class, who never got to law school? By the way is there really anyone on the left that wants Biden as President?

[luadda22]

by Ben37221 May 22, 2012 11:52 PM EDT
Romney's experience as a job destroyer is not what we need for a president. If his advice to let Detroit go bankrupt was followed millions of auto workers will be out of work today.
====================================================================

News alert!!! GM did file bankruptcy. What did Obama do different than Bain would have?? What did Obama want? How about just for starters:

Cut the number of manufacturing plants from 47 to 33 in 2012.

Sell Saab to Swedish government.

Sell or spin off Saturn.

Cut jobs to 72,000 by 2012 from 92,000 hourly and salaried employees at the end of 2008 (47,000 jobs cut).

Cut dealerships to 4,700 by 2012 from 6,246 in 2008

Cut labor costs to the level of foreign competitors with U.S. plants.

Convert two-thirds of the company's outstanding unsecured public debt to equity.

Sale of AC Delco's independent aftermarkets business.

On top of that Chrysler was sold to a foreign over-seas company.

Add to that the questionable legality of both Bush and Obama's use of the TARP and bail-out funds.

Sound familiar? You know maybe Romney just could do better.

[jimmybbbbbb]

Quite frankly, why isn't Obama running on his own merits if he has done such a great job? If he were the right guy for the position, I would expect his campaign to be more like:

- "Let's keep it rolling!"
- "Another term like the last!"
- "Four more years of the same growth!"

His campaign says it all. :(

[annaj144]

I am a Black woman! Why is the Left intent on demonizing and villifying people who work hard, have succeeeded, pay more than their share of taxes, keep this economy going, etc.

Because I made good choices and did well that equates to having no empathy for others. I will never understand this socialist view by the left. And I know countless black Republicans who share my views (and many of them are black single mothers).

I'm being berated because I'm not sitting at home waiting on a government handout. Instead, I'm on the other side of the fence paying for those handouts.

[marychgo]

No one's berating you, Anna, for not "waiting on a government handout." What some people are berating you for is thinking that you "pay more than (your) share of taxes" and that your success is entirely attributable to your own hard work and good choices.

Millions of Americans, of all races, have worked every bit as hard as you have and have made good choices, but haven't been as lucky as you have. Instead of worrying about not having an employer match for their 401(k) contributions, they're wondering how they're going to feed their kids or pay the rent or mortgage. Several million of them right now are worrying about what they'll do when their unemployment benefits run out, and are frustrated that the employers to whom they send their resumes don't even bother to reply. Or they'd like to train for a different career, but the Republicans have cut funding for job training programs.

My advice remains the same: get out and talk to some of the people who are raising families on $30,000 or $40,000 or $50,000 a year. Ask them how well they're going to do when Mitt Romney chops up what little is left of the safety net so he can cut your "excessive" taxes and those of the millionaires and billionaires, otherwise known as "the job creators." You might be surprised by what you learn....

[Rod_Smith]

Anna, ignore these idiots that think that hard work and making good choices is not what led to your success. You aren't lucky, you earned your success. You are also right about paying more than your fair share of taxes. Anyone who pays taxes pays more than their fair share, since half the people don't pay anything. Wasn't it Obama that said everyone needs to have some "skin in the game"? If he really believed that, he should propose a system where everyone pays at least a little. That would change perspective of a lot of people on government spending.

[stormerF69]

Maybe a plumber would make a better president,for sure a Plumber would understand the value of work ethic and money better than Obama does.

[marychgo]

I'm having a lot of trouble, Anna, believing that you are who you say you are.

I don't know any black single mothers who've "never really struggled" during 25 years in corporate America.

I don't know any black single mothers whose big complaint is that their employers haven't given them a raise or matched their 401(k) contributions since 2009. Sadly, I don't know very many black single mothers who even HAVE a 401(k)!

I've never met a black single mother who thought "regulations" were among our economy's major problems.

I don't know any black single mothers who don't understand how negative Republican policies are for mothers and for kids.

I don't know any black single mothers who don't have grandparents, parents, siblings, or cousins whose lives would be devastated if Mitt Romney were elected president.

I don't know any black single mothers who don't understand that Republicans built the iceberg our economy ran into in 2008.

I've never met a black single mother who had so little empathy for those of all races who have been less fortunate than you've been.

If you actually are a black single mother, Anna, I'd suggest you go out and ask around about how your neighbors would fare if Mitt Romney cut government expenditures to 18 or 20 percent of GDP, earmarked 5% for Defense, and cut deeply into everything else government does. You might actually learn something....

[marychgo]

Anna J144 may well be a black single mother. If she is, however, she's stunningly unaware of how fortunate she is, and of the consequences for MOST black single mothers (and for most Americans) of the policies she's advocating....

[annaj144]

I am a Black woman! Why is the Left intent on demonizing and villifying people who work hard, have succeeeded, pay more than their share of taxes, keep this economy going, etc.

Because I made good choices and did well that equates to having no empathy for others. I will never understand this socialist view by the left. And I know countless black Republicans who share my views (and many of them are black single mothers).

I'm being berated because I'm not sitting at home waiting on a government handout. Instead, I'm on the other side of the fence paying for those handouts.

[tafhdyd]

Darn it Joe. Why did you have to mention a plumber? Now the right wing nuts will resurrect "Joe The Plumber"

[RealWorldNow]

Did Joe say he was a "middle class lawyer" ?

[annaj144]

I am a black single mother who's worked in corporate America since my early twenties. I'm almost 50 now. I've always earned a good salary and never really struggled due to hard work, determination, promotions, and being with companies that did well. This is the first time in my career (under this administration) that I have struggled to the point that I can barely make ends meet. My savings is just about gone (which was really for my child's college). Since 2009, the company I work for has not given increases and stopped matching our 401K. It's a mess.

I did not vote for Obama because I believe in less government and have seen over my lifetime that free enterprise does work. And anyone can jump in and get a piece of it if they want it. It's dangerous to give the government so much control over our lives. My advice to young people is to find a skill and work hard at it. And never, ever depend on the government for your well-being and livelihood.

Mitt Romney may not be the perfect candidate, but the Titanic is sinking. Four more years of Obama and we could all go down with the ship. I don't have any statistics or poll numbers to give you. I'm just being real and speaking from my experience.

[Ben37221]

The Titanic may be sinking, where is the wisdom in asking the republicans who punched the hole in the titanic that caused it to sink to take it over. Their is no logic in your statements. How convenient for you to forget who created the economic melt down. You have the republicans to thank for whatever you are going through. Obama have made the economy better. We were bordering on a Greek-like economy when Obama came into office.

[tafhdyd]

By free enterprise do you mean companies like Enron that not only ruined the lives of individuals but whole communities? By find a skill and work hard at it do you mean like pilots and employees of many of the airlines that are told if you want to retire on what we told you, tuff luck, we are going to file for bankruptcy so you can take 10 cents on the dollar. As for the ship sinking. Yes it is but not due to what Obama is doing. It is because the GOP "Job Creators" are drilling holes in the bottom faster than the current administration can bail it out.