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Biden Calls Palin's Comments ‘Mildly Dangerous’

October 08, 2008 1:05 PM

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., today began criticizing the GOP ticket for the tone they're setting by attacking the character of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

At rallies this week where Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin made sinister insinuations about Obama, attendees yelled out "Treason!" "Terrorist" and "Kill him!" in reference to Obama. At a Florida rally for Palin, a supporter used a racial epithet to attack an African-American member of the media.

In Tampa, Fla., this morning, Biden said, "to have a vice presidential candidate raise the most outrageous inferences, the ones that John McCain's campaign is condoning, is simply wrong.....This is beyond disappointing. This is wrong."

Paraphrasing a pledge McCain once made of something he would not do, Biden said of the Republican ticket, "they’re gonna try and take the low road to the highest office in the land, and that’s exactly what they’re doing."

"I think it goes way too far," Biden told Diane Sawyer on ABC News' "Good Morning America." "Look, this really is a case where when you don't have anything to talk about, attack.  And it gets really over the edge.  I mean, some of the stuff she's saying about Barack Obama and the stuff that people are yelling from the crowd, if she hears it, she should be at least saying, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa; that's overboard.'"

Biden added "this is volatile stuff."

Asked on NBC's "Today" show to explain what's going on, Biden said, "They’re losing.  She's been told to go out and pull out all the stops. ... I think it is ugly."

Biden said he "heard that a couple of people hollering from the audience, you know, semi-vile things about, you know, 'terrorist' and things like that. And the idea that a leading American politician who might be vice president of the United States would not just stop mid-sentence and turn and condemn that, you know, I just -- this is -- this is a slippery slope.  This is a place we shouldn't be going."

On the CBS "Early Show" this morning, Harry Smith noted that Palin has "been going to these rallies, tens of thousands of people showing up, talking about a friend of your running mate's as a domestic terrorist. Does your campaign have an answer for that?"

"Yes," said Biden, "It's just malarkey, flat malarkey.  Barack Obama was 8 years old when this guy was engaging in activities he was engaged in.  He is no part of our campaign.  He will be no part of anything having to do with the White House.  The guy Barack Obama is going to turn and ask opinion is me, not that guy.
   
"You know, the idea here that somehow these guys are, once again, injecting fear and loathing into this campaign, is -- is -- it's -- is -- I think is mildly dangerous," Biden continued.

"I mean, here you have out there these kinds of, you know, incitements out there -- a guy introducing Barack, using his middle name as if it's some epitaph or something," Biden said. "This is over the top."

Presumably, Biden meant "epithet," not "epitaph." Though perhaps it was a Freudian slip indicating larger, unspoken fear of Biden's.

-- Jake Tapper and Matthew Jaffe

October 8, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (797)

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"He told the San Fran elite that Pennsylvanian's are bitter, gun clinging, racists .. then he comes to PA to suck up. People of PA, do not forget the remarks this man made about you. This is what he thinks of the people of Pennsylvania."
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It's a little worse than THAT :^) -- the corporate Stalinists Obama's fronting for have disdain for the unrich in ANY state ... hence the campaign's avoidance of discussing anything but the "middle class".

Voting for the hijacked "Democrats" isn't even the "lesser of two evils", this time around.

The best thing to do is vote for Nader. If everybody were to vote for Nader who would LIKE to, Nader would actually ... win the election.


Posted by: Belle Starr | Oct 9, 2008 11:20:08 AM

The news media need to be at this rallies of Palin and McCain and get these people on tape or what they say on video tape. Palin and McCain enticing hate with a good chance of bodily harm to Barack Obama is dangerous. Neither Palin or McCain tried to stop the threats!! Where is FBI??? What are they doing?? Threats to a Presidential Candidate that is guarded by FBI and threatened is serous!! And it's against the law!
Jake, please get ABC to follow these rallies close and be prepared to get on tape. Then apply lots of pressure. I am worried!!

Posted by: Sharonklim | Oct 9, 2008 10:27:01 AM

Oh, but Obama's comments are not dangerous? Did Biden and America seem to forget? He told the San Fran elite that Pennsylvanian's are bitter, gun clinging, racists .. then he comes to PA to suck up. People of PA, do not forget the remarks this man made about you. This is what he thinks of the people of Pennsylvania.

John McCain would never say such harsh remarks about American people. This is a good example of Obama's judgement and what he thinks in his heart. He thinks he is above the working class. Don't reward him with your votes.

Posted by: ml | Oct 9, 2008 7:47:14 AM

Sarah Palin brings glory to her gods Hannity and Limbaugh. She brings great shame to McCain, though.

Obama/Biden 08!

Posted by: Common Sense | Oct 9, 2008 6:17:14 AM

carlyonsue

Sarah Palin DID INDEED SAY "I can see Russia from my house"

She even discussed it in her interview with Couric:

It all took place during part two of Katie Couric's exclusive interview with Sarah Palin.

The Alaskan governor defended her foreign policy experience. She said she didn't get a passport until last year because she spent her life working "at home."

And she also addressed her comment "I can see Russia from my house," made famous by Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live.

"You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?" Couric asked.

Posted by: Aussie | Oct 9, 2008 2:53:53 AM

Mary, Sarah Palin DID NOT say that she could see Russia from her house! She said that Russia can be seen from an island off the coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea. She named the island but I can't remember the name right now. There was a video about it on one of the news programs last week and they showed the island and they showed the coast of Russia in the distance. You can indeed see Russia from Alaska but Sarah DID NOT say that she can see it from her house! She has been much misquoted about that and ridiculed without reason about it too!

Posted by: carlyonsue | Oct 9, 2008 2:31:11 AM

When a person is mentally deranged, they do not look into anybody's eyes, but, McCain said he looked into Putin's eyes and he saw three letters KGB. He failed to look into Palin's eye's and did not see the three letters KGB. He failed to read between the lines when she said she could see Russia from her house. Do we know who Sarah Palin is. Is she a facist from Alaska. American's are such gullible people, kind and good. Jesus said for the christians not to let their guard down, because there would be false prophets and that christians would be deceived by these false prophets

Posted by: mary | Oct 9, 2008 1:41:22 AM

The Palin Hate Rally reminds us of the nationalistic demonstrations that led up to the invasion of Poland in the 1930's. Democratic nations stood by and watched while whole segments of society were persecuted. Nobody stepped up to nip it in the bud. We need to nip these Hate Rallies in the bud, before the Palin zealots get comfortable spewing their brand of Republican hate. Where is the press when we really need them? Where is the media when we need them to help safeguard our democracy?

Posted by: Steve from Danville | Oct 9, 2008 1:19:35 AM

ABC News - get on this story, please. You've got to be there the next time Palin's blood thirsty crowd goes crazy. These people are zealots and they are going to hurt someone. You better get it on tape.. for history, for ABC World News, for This Week, and for evidence.

Posted by: Steve from Danville | Oct 9, 2008 1:11:17 AM

The McCain campaign is off the road and into the ditch. We know that. But this new turn of events, the hate rally for Sarah Palin, is truly disturbing. If ABC News showed us Rev. Wright once they showed him 10,000 times. Give us the same footage of the hateful crowd at the Palin rally. It's disturbing. But America needs to see it.

Posted by: Steve from Danville | Oct 9, 2008 1:01:15 AM

Today the McCain campaign announced that Palin would only be interviewed, on Fox News, by Hannity and Greta Van Sustren. O'Reilly will NOT be allowed to interview Palin. Isn't it time for Chris Wallace to start the clock on Palin? Palinites: if you're getting your TV news from Fox then they are hiding something from you. But why?

Posted by: Steve from Danville | Oct 9, 2008 12:56:31 AM

ABC News - get off your rear end and show America some footage from the Palin hate rallies. It was on Fox News...the footage is there... wing-nuts screaming for blood. Show us the real Palin and the crazy, blood thirsty people who follow her around. It's a cult. Unless you are in the tank for McCain you will show America the footage.

Posted by: Steve from Danville | Oct 9, 2008 12:52:18 AM

Mara,

All Christians believe the Bible. The last book of the Bible says there will be an apocalypse and an end of this world - a second coming of Jesus Christ.

That's not exactly a "fringe" belief.

It's mainstream. You may not agree with it... but you are not the arbiter of other people's religious beliefs. Governor Palin's beliefs are not creating a political issue.

If she went to a church that was a Marxist black liberation theology church for 20 years that preached hatred of "white America"... you'd have a point. If you were white or a black person that isn't racist, that would probly be a concern.

It is for me.

Posted by: laura d | Oct 9, 2008 12:45:23 AM

Sam,

I wonder what others think. I'm thinking of becoming "radical". The reason?? I see how evil government becomes as it takes our money. (For example, the bills you quoted to force education that is really political indoctrinatoin). But, more than that, how government "had money" and it created the mortgage meltdown... and then the economic crisis.

This resulted in a "bail out" vote in which our officials refused to hear the people and voted "yes" when we said "no".

My "radical" nature would say, "Enough's enough". Yes, I'm against Obama himself as a candidate. But I am really not putting extensive "faith" in any politician. I believe the evidence shows - they do more harm than good.

I would like to radically "defund" the federal government other than basic necessities like the military, etc. and things of that nature. Otherwise, I believe everything must be returned to the states... monetarily. (And they should be defunded also.)

What citizen referendums can we get on the ballot to illegalize federal taxation by constitutional amendment??

These SOB's have destroyed our economy. The money they have the more harm they do.

I would like the necessary programs "earmarked" like defense, social security, medicare - programs that are "social contracts" the government already entered into. Then basic things like diplomacy.

I would like to see us pay down the national debt... and save money.

But I would like to defund the federal government and pull a tax revolution by citizen referendum and constitutional amendment.

No more income tax. Rather, whatever the amount we decide to provide for the basics... maybe just a flat tax. If it's small enough, we can all pay our equal share. Wouldn't that be "fairness"?? If every American over age 18 paid the same tax?? Perhaps provide "tax rebates" to waive the tax and "zero it out" for those making under "$X" per year. They can present an income tax return. The rest of us who will pay the flat tax - we'll just pay it all the same amount.

I'm ready for tax revolution and defunding government. They've only abused the money and have destroyed our economy.

No more money. They didn't listen to our "NO" vote... so I say we do a citizen referendum and defund the SOB's. They we don't have to worry about "special interests" anymore. There won't be any money available to them.

Federal government - defunded. Existing only to provide necessary functions... and all other power goes back to the states.

I'm ready for a tax revolution to defund the federal government of it's wastefulness and deficit spending... because it failed to monitor itself and destroyed our economy.

No more of money to you!! Game over.

Posted by: laura d | Oct 9, 2008 12:39:54 AM

Voter1010: You forgot that McCain hangs out with other convicted felons (Cindy's daddy and uncle), and a spiritual advisor who believes that 70 million Catholics are the anti-Christ. The Palins hang out with he AIP (whose founder called for violence against Americans and said that he hated the US - not when Tood was 9, but when he was in his 30s - and he joined anyway), and belonged to a church for 28 years which preaches end-of-days philosophy (life will end in our lifetimes and we will help to bring that about through war in the middle east - which will bring the second coming of Christ - Alaska will be a refuge during those days - before rapture. She is a stealth candidiate who is hiding her true religious beliefs. Domestic terrorists? You don't have to look at old board meeting records. All you have to do is look in the newspaper. The Palins are Ruby-Ridge revisited.

Posted by: mara | Oct 9, 2008 12:25:34 AM

Angry American Voter,

Remember - the truth shall set you free.

Posted by: laura d | Oct 9, 2008 12:25:00 AM

Angry American Voter,

We're not demonizing you... you are being demonized as you listen to Obama lie. That's the demon: the lies.

Posted by: laura d | Oct 9, 2008 12:23:49 AM


how do you know that those out-of-order demonstrators at Palin's rallies are not some of Obama's "plants".... like the ones at the Republican convention and at several of McCain's?

Frankly, I wouldn't put it past Obama's campaign; and it certainly wouldn't have been the first time!

Posted by: just thinking | Oct 8, 2008 10:26:51 PM


"Obama has shown that he is a man of limited experience, questionable convictions, deeply troubling associations (Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, Tony Rezko) and an alarming lack of self-definition-do you really know who he is and what he believes?" -Charles Krauthammer

"Obama could have allied himself with all sorts of other people. But, time and again, he allied himself with people who openly expressed their hatred of America. No amount of flags on his campaign platforms this election year can change that." -Thomas Sowell

"Our opponent... is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect-imperfect enough, that he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country. This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America. We see America as a force of good in this world. We see an America of exceptionalism." -Sarah Palin

Posted by: Jason | Oct 8, 2008 9:11:17 PM

boo, If the truth got out about Obama and his radical ties to people who want to blow up America it would be a wonder that more people would not be carrying pitch forks. You would to if you had any common sense.

Posted by: Heads up | Oct 8, 2008 8:46:44 PM

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