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Biden Continues South Florida Assault on McCain
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ShareOctober 08, 2008 8:51 PM
ABC News' Matthew Jaffe reports: Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden continued his rip-roaring return to the campaign trial Friday with more attacks in Florida on the Republican ticket's ties to the Bush administration and their diversionary tactics.
"They hurt every single American, these false and baseless charges," Biden said. "These accusations are merely an attempt to get you to take your eye off the ball, not focus on what’s actually going on in this country. Look, beyond the attacks, what is John McCain really offering in this campaign? Well the truth is, what about the last eight years?"
Biden, who has repeatedly dubbed McCain “Bush 44”, then referenced Bush 42 in his evening address to a raucous crowd of 4,000 packed into the gymnasium at Ft. Myers' Florida Gulf Coast University.
“Ladies and gentlemen, look at me. To quote an elder Bush, read my lips, we will end this war. We will end this war!" he exclaimed as the audience rose to their feet.
The Delaware lawmaker, mirroring his remarks this morning in Tampa, focused on the economy, saying that many Americans have been "in an economic hell" during the Bush administration.
“You've gotta know where you've been in order to know where you're going," he said. "And for an awful lot of people, they've been in an economic hell for the past eight years. An awful lot of people are in real trouble. And as Barack says, it's not enough just to get us out of this economic crisis. We need a wholesale, fundamental change in our economic philosophy. The last eight years have been an abject failure. An abject failure!”
As he has done repeatedly in recent weeks, Biden attacked McCain’s healthcare plan, citing the Republican nominee's recent article in “Contingencies”, leading to a Bidenesque ad-lib when a baby in the crowd started crying.
“He said, quote, “Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done in the last decade in banking, would provide more choices for innovative products and less burden by the worst excesses of state-based regulation", said Biden, before then stopping to acknowledge a crying baby in the crowd.
"I don't blame that baby for crying, I don't blame that baby for crying because I'm crying," Biden pointed out. "That child knows what he's crying about.”
The senator put an exclamation point on his argument that McCain’s healthcare plan is “cockamamie” by emphasizing that the president of the Business Roundtable even criticized it, a group "not traditionally…the biggest fans of Democrats."
“It’s not just Democrats and Independents who think that John's healthcare plan, to use my grandfather's word, is cockamamie," the senator stated. "Even business leaders, they don't love this plan either. They're worried that the private marketplace isn't ready and that John's plans will in fact hurt what they refer to as their workers."
"And I’m quoting, “One of the things we don't want to do is jeopardize 175 million Americans who get insurance through their employers"," Biden said. "And that's not coming from me, that's coming from the CEOs of the largest corporations in America about John's plan."
"John, take a look at your plan," Biden pleaded. "Take a look at your plan. Even your own guys ain't crazy about it, John.”
October 8, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (144)
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tell me about it!! we are being bombarded with ads..
But, as McCain said back in 2000:
"I just have to rely on the good judgment of the voters not to buy into these negative attack ads. Sooner or later, people are going to figure out if all you run is negative attack ads you don't have much of a vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it."
He is showing he has no vision.
Posted by: Concerned American | Oct 8, 2008 8:59:31 PM
Joe - your audience loved you in Tampa, we are praying for Obama and your success next month to save our country.
Posted by: Disgruntled | Oct 8, 2008 9:02:10 PM
Uh Joe why have you Barack, Nancy (Pelosi) and Harry (Reid) done what you were elected to do and END the damn WARS... Instead of expand them to more countries and leave us with open borders and NO ONE left t odefend them from those who, just might do us harm??? C'mon Joe, you can duck meeting with the finacier of a hijacker on 911 but you can't duck this! It's time for answers Joe!!!
Posted by: hmn | Oct 8, 2008 9:06:36 PM
Nice Joe!Great to have you back!
Keep hitting them on the issues! They have NO PLAN, NO SOLUTIONS, and NO VISION!
All the have is low brow smears.
Americans need leadership and McCain and Palin offer absoliutely nothing.
We certainly don't need an eratic short sighted individual and a sarcastic speech reading parrot like McCain and Palin.
Posted by: Rachel | Oct 8, 2008 9:08:39 PM
RACHEL,
You are absolutely correct!
In tha past week Obama has run 36% negative ads....McCain 100%!!!!
Obama/Biden offer a chance for middle class America. A positive vision for the future.
McCain and Palin are just rolling in the mud and using smear tactics.
It's all they've got. They know they're out classed.
Posted by: Dave in VA | Oct 8, 2008 9:13:27 PM
I love Joe Biden. He's just soooo much better than Palin! Joe tells it like it is. Palin tells it like she's been told to tell it.
Posted by: GO JOE! | Oct 8, 2008 9:16:25 PM
Joe Biden lost all credibility with me when he lied and said the truck driver that killed his wife and child had been drinking. No such thing! There were no charges whatsoever. Biden's wife wondered into the intersection.
Posted by: Ann | Oct 8, 2008 9:21:39 PM
The Think Tanks that has studied Obama's health care plan say it is good for the insurance companies, bad for the patients. No insurance company should be forced to approve coverage for people who are really ill with cancer, heart problems. It is as stupid as people getting homes mortgages they can not pay for because the Democrats and minories demanded it. It is another plan for disaster and we all pay dearly. Obama offers NO SOLUTIONS whatsoever for the real world.
Posted by: Marla | Oct 8, 2008 9:22:02 PM
LOOK FORWARD Senator McCain. Too much effort attempting to discredit your opponents (with sometimes half truths). Remember, we're listening to help ourselves decide who's going to be our next President. Think LEADERSHIP!!!!!! www.LikeSoup.com
Posted by: Jim Campbell | Oct 8, 2008 9:27:04 PM
Can't even watch "New Christine" without Obama's endless negative lying ads. TCMA (Tax cut my *ss)
Posted by: geevill | Oct 8, 2008 9:30:56 PM
Ann ...it's "wandered" not "wondered"
please ,dont vote...
Posted by: bah | Oct 8, 2008 9:32:14 PM
Who wants this mentally ill botoxed lunatic a heartbeat way and his Socialist running mate in the White House?
Posted by: geevill | Oct 8, 2008 9:32:46 PM
They hurt every single American, these false and baseless charges," Biden said. "These accusations are merely an attempt to get you to take your eye off the ball, not focus on what’s actually going on in this country.
********************************************* I could not agree more!
Posted by: Truth Matters | Oct 8, 2008 9:33:01 PM
I don't blame that baby for crying, I don't blame that baby for crying because I'm crying," Biden pointed out. "That child knows what he's crying about.”
He is crying about this nutjob who tells America to visit a restaraunt that closed 20 years ago.
Posted by: geevill | Oct 8, 2008 9:34:41 PM
When Palin let the "kill him" and "treason" shoutouts go without challenging them, she lost me. We've had enough hatred ... Biden's right ... it's the economy, stupid.
Posted by: small town girl | Oct 8, 2008 9:35:54 PM
hey geevil , my sage advice to you is move to haiti asap ,this country is about to large scale change in a big way fast, whether you and your republican friends like it or not.
however i have a feeling you (and they) wont like it. so feel free to go now ,or get ready to enjoy some really liberal political rule for the next 20 years or so....loser
Posted by: bah | Oct 8, 2008 9:36:34 PM
The Delaware lawmaker, mirroring his remarks this morning in Tampa, focused on the economy, saying that many Americans have been "in an economic hell" during the Bush administration.
No man, We were in economic heaven!!!!! Thanks to our boy Obama and his gay friend Barney Frank we were getting loans for houses we couldn't afford.
Posted by: Nat Turner | Oct 8, 2008 9:37:10 PM
I believe that should read Bush '41, in reference to Bush '43 's father
Posted by: Joe Steel | Oct 8, 2008 9:38:58 PM
Help: My home state has been high jacked by McCain lawyers trying to hault the abuse of power investigation on Palin. I would never in a million years vote for the McCain/Palin ticket! I have 700 billion reasons not to!
Posted by: Natalie Wasilla
What McCain doesn't get is that people are SICK of this election. They are SICK of negative ads. There is only so much we can take! How many people are really going to sit through one of these attack ads? We are tuning the ads out and turning them off. Enough is enough!!
And here is the man who promised he wouldn't wage a negative campaign? Jeez Louise. Right. Like we are really going to believe anything he says NOW? HA!
Posted by: mavisdarling | Oct 8, 2008 9:40:29 PM
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