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Oh, That Joe! (No. 19 in a Series) -- Bluegrass Banter
September 24, 2008 10:10 PM
"Let me get right to it," said Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., at the outset of his Tuesday evening rally.
The economic crisis? Nope.
Maybe the hard-fought presidential election? Nah.
How bout the debate about the debates? Not quite.
"I want to make something real clear to you," Biden told the crowd in Jeffersonville, Indiana, just across the Ohio River from Kentucky.
"I know we can look right across the river into Kentucky and I just want you to know the best thing that ever came out of Kentucky was my sister-in-law from Owensboro. How she puts up with my brother, I don't know, but thank God, the whole family worships at her feet for that."
The Hoosier State crowd, with more than a few Bluegrass State supporters mixed in, laughed uproariously at Biden's joke about his brother Jimmy's wife Sara Jones Biden.
"But I tell ya what," the senator continued, "something else good came out of Kentucky the last couple days - we won back the Ryder Cup 'cuz of two Kentucky boys!"
No sooner had Biden referenced Franklin's Kenny Perry and Campbellsville's J.B. Holmes then the Kentucky transplants in the audience were hooting and hollering like they were still at nearby Louisville's Valhalla golf course celebrating the United States' 16.5-11.5 upset victory Sunday over the favored Europeans.
"Let me ask ya a question. How many of you have ever played golf, raise your hand?" avid sports fan Biden asked. "How many of you dreamed about even hitting the ball 300 yards? Can you imagine a boy hits the ball 417 yards over a green?"
"Let me tell ya something," the loquacious Blue Hen told the Bluegrassers, "if I could do, if I could do what that boy J.B. Holmes can do, I wouldn't be standing here talking to y'all, I'd be out doing something else!"
"My Lord, can those Kentucky boys hit a ball, I wanna tell ya!" said the Delaware senator.
From the roar of the crowd, one might have thought the U.S. team had broken the Euros' three-match winning streak all over again.
But alas, there were some other national matters that the Democratic vice-presidential nominee needed to discuss.
"Look folks, the fact of the matter is that there's some serious business, though...." Biden said.
And with that, Biden finally got right to it. But for the record, the biggest cheers of the evening were already behind him.
-- Matt Jaffe and Jake Tapper
September 24, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (52)
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I like Joe Biden; I don't like his political positions and posturing. But out of all 4 candidates, he is the one that would be most fun to have a beer with.
But that doesn't mean that I think he is a good choice to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. After all, he is the consumate career politician and Democratic insider beholden to trial lawyers (oh boy is he!), unions and minority groups.
Posted by: SlouchingtowardBoulder | Sep 25, 2008 3:36:27 PM
I love Joe Biden. Glad to see a Dem getting some love in Southern Indiana. I used to live in Louisville and drove across the river to work in Clarksville (just past J'ville) - sometimes it felt like crossing into a different world. I'm so happy to see IN turning blue this election; just wish I could say the same for my native KY. At least my adopted home of North Carolina is going for Obama/Biden, though!
But come on, Kentucky! I know there's still some blue in the Bluegrass State...
Posted by: thisniss | Sep 25, 2008 1:35:07 PM
Biden to Couric:
A good leader has to know what he is talking about.
During the Depression you saw FDR on TV...
Biden-a heartbeat away.
Posted by: sally | Sep 25, 2008 8:53:34 AM
Joe's the only one of the top four that I actually do like - gaffes and all.
Posted by: mhhunt | Sep 25, 2008 7:52:02 AM
Those that think the tv debate on Friday will just be a show or the ones that don't want to hear facts DIRECT from the candidates themselves. They would rather show their "political expertise" in unsubstantiated comments on an internet blog.
Folks, the best way to get the straight scoop is from the proverbial horses' mouth -- not from someone who has no idea what he/she is talking about on a blog.
By the way, this has been a bipartisan comment - for those of you that only watch shows and can't comprehend real life- the debate will have BOTH parties (assuming chicken McCain shows up) so you can get both sides of the story.
Posted by: LOfromMO1 | Sep 25, 2008 7:44:53 AM
Joe Biden is a gaffee machine! Half the time when he's on tv I wonder if he's had a few drinks beforehand, by his manner and speech. If he wasn't such a "nice" guy, he would seem like a big, dumb animal. He's s mess, though, and if he is the VP, he would really embarrass our country. *and he'd be just a smokey puff away from being the President...
Posted by: David | Sep 25, 2008 6:35:01 AM
I get a kick out of watching Joe Biden. It's like going into a car dealership and watching exactly how the salesman is going to try and pressure you.You know it's coming. Of the four people running, he's the one with no personality. Just a typical political party hack. His speaking
would be about as exciting as watching paint dry except for the gaffe you know is coming. The only bad thing is it'll be hard to top the wheelchair gaffe. That one is historic. It actually beat Obamas 57 states gaffe.I do enjoy watching how Obama and Biden aren't even on the same page with their answers.
Posted by: Jack | Sep 25, 2008 6:23:24 AM
Maybe this is why McCain suspended his campaign - there is no good tone to take on the campaign trail right now.
Joe Biden certainly didn’t hit the right tone yesterday in Kentucky - getting the crowd all revved up by talking about local sports heroes and then abruptly switching gears.
Harry Reid certainly didn’t hit the right tone yesterday with his nasty, embarrassingly partisan response to McCain’s statement.
Obama certainly didn’t hit the right tone yesterday when he said, basically, that he was just going to keep campaigning until he’s needed for a vote.
*Jake – did the Obama campaign ever get back to you about his assertion that the CEOs of companies that get this bailout money shouldn’t receive one dime of it?
Posted by: Barb in MN | Sep 25, 2008 6:18:32 AM
I believe neither McCain nor Obama should help with the Bill. The Preidant does not interfere, in Congress. So McCain and Obama, must take on the Presidential roll and NOT INTERFERE.
Lets see how Both act as a Presdident RIGHT NOW.
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 6:15:01 AM
Jake,
I hope you read this one.
I have a question about a Fox Poll.
According to Fox, the number of Hillarys voters, will not vote for Obama. If this was true, then we also can conclude, that they are not voting for McCain. McCains numbers are actually dropping. While Obamas votes are rising. So does this mean those people talking to Fox's Pollster are lying. Or is the Fox Station itself lying? Can ABC take a Poll, on this issue? :)
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 4:52:32 AM
Check out some of the authors, of those recent, failed books. Exspecial those coming out now. A Lobbiest will buy 100, copies of a book to Lobby for ones support. Exspecially if the book promotes, a particular company, or person. Old tactic, from histories forgotten.
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 4:30:19 AM
Should I make one more revelation, about how some Extreme Capitolists, are money laundering and being Lobbied to help their other Capitolist buddies?
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 3:35:49 AM
PLEASE TELL ME WHERE SARAH PALIN IS!?!?!
SHE'S NOT A SENATOR... SHE CAN'T RUN THE CAMPAIGN WHILE YOU'RE IN WASHINGTON ?
You think she's qualified to be V.P., but you can't leave her in charge of your campaign for a couple days ????????
YOU ARE A JOKE JOHN MCCAIN!
Posted by: Chad | Sep 25, 2008 3:26:43 AM
johnTX,
Shhhh, I LOVE it when Republicans chant HOOVER!, HOOVER!, HOOVER!.
Posted by: Leonard Peltier | Sep 25, 2008 3:09:09 AM
How corupt are the Oil companies. Well with all the deregulations lobbied by them, in the 1980's allowed a little oversight of the Exxon Valdez scandel. the deregulataions allowed many corupt and Capitolist Tycoons take short cuts, on saftey issues. Inside trading also began again, because of deregulations allowed so many loopholes to benifit Capitolists, who took advantage of the Middle Class. Purposful Greed, thinks it can find solace in religion. But a closer inspection of ANY religion, denounces 'Greed'.
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 3:07:09 AM
Of course Biden never said that FDR was President in 1929. He simply said FDR gave a speech after the collapse - which of course he did because he was Governor of New York, the state with the stock markets.
The only thing poor Joe got wrong was that it was done over radio and not television.
Posted by: johnTX | Sep 25, 2008 3:00:00 AM
Gaffes from all Candidates are funny, but think goodness, it shows they are human.
Posted by: historyforgotten | Sep 25, 2008 2:39:50 AM
If your house is burning,and you are POTUS, you'd better d*mn well be able to Multi-Task, are you insane?
Also, why should Obama have done the McCain plan, he's ahead?
Posted by: Leonard Peltier | Sep 25, 2008 1:28:26 AM
If there was ever a time when the American People needed to connect to good old everyday American life...it would be now...way to go Joe...that's how you walk a campaign along side the people.
Posted by: KenB, MI | Sep 25, 2008 1:08:04 AM
Biden are starting to sound like Obama - lying everywhere he goes, from personal stories to campaign promises.
Posted by: young_voter | Sep 25, 2008 12:46:26 AM
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