Vice President Biden showed today why the President may need him on the ticket this year. After a rough week and a half, and following some speculation in the press he could be dropped by the Obama campaign, the Vice President returned to the campaign trail today and delivered a personal and passionate pitch to Ohio voters. He spoke to blue collar workers on the floor of a Youngstown factory. In his most fiery moment, Biden railed against Republicans who say the middle class is envious of the wealthy, saying he "resents when they talk about families like mine that I grew up in" (see the clip below).
The Vice President also name checked Mitt Romney, painting him as out of touch with middle class, rust belt voters. He called Romney "a patriot, a generous man, he gives to his church, he has a beautiful family." However, a theme echoed throughout the speech, said Romney "doesn't get it." Biden spoke about his father needing to leave his family for a year to get a job 157 miles away in Wilmington, Delaware. But, he continued, at that time his father was able to assure his mother, "it'll be ok, honey, because he believed the system was such that even in rough times...it'd be ok." Vice President Biden contrasted that with Romney's record at Bain, saying the former governor "made sure the guys on top got to play by a separate set of rules, he ran massive debts, and the middle class lost."
Perhaps what made the speech so effective is Biden's ability to say, "they don't understand us." He spoke to the metal workers at M-7 Technologies in a way only someone who grew up with blue collar roots could. While the Vice President sometimes has trouble censoring his honesty, today's remarks show why he will continue to play a pivotal role in the President's re-election efforts.
