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Biden's Florida Rally Disrupted by Protesters
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ShareNovember 02, 2008 2:57 PM
ABC News' Matt Jaffe reports: Just 48 hours before Election Day, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden's rally Sunday at Florida State University was disrupted by a raucous group of Republican opponents just outside the event's gates.
About 30 supporters of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin blared sirens and chanted so loudly that they even got Biden's attention.
"Maybe those McCain folks can hear this, they’d be interested back there," Biden said over the din of the protesters just a hundred yards away. "They can hear this, I’ll say it loudly as I can. I thought it was a siren, it’s just a whine, I guess. It’s gonna be OK folks."
As he has always done on the stump, Biden then ripped McCain's economic policies.
"Look, if John actually had had an epiphany, if he had an epiphany, he would have seen the light," Biden continued. "But if he saw the light, he’d have to acknowledge that in fact the economic policies of the last eight years are the cause, the cause of the economic crisis we find ourselves in now."
The protesters chanted "Say it ain't so, Joe!" "Country first!" and "Obama's not ready, Joe you said it," referring to Biden's guarantee at a Seattle fundraiser that if elected, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., would be tested by an international crisis within his first six months in office.
The group carried signs reading, "It's our dough, Joe!" "Obama not ready," "Barack Obama wants your money," "Why so socialist?" "Spread butter not wealth," "Abortion is murder," "Don't tax me for working hard," "Taxed to death" and "I wrote Joe's speech."
References to another famous Joe, Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, were also a prominent feature among the protesters, flashing signs that read, "Regular Joes for McCain," "We are all Joes," and "Both Joes take your money, but only Joe the Plumber fixes things."
One GOP supporter wore a white T-shirt that read, "Hello, my name is Joe the Plumber".
But Biden was unfazed, using the presence of the protesters to preach a message of unity and bipartisanship to his audience of 2000 gathered outside the school's Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
"They're good folks," Biden said of his noisy opponents. "They're committed, they're committed to John's notions, but we know what they don't know. We know that we can do this. This is not some hat trick. This is not something beyond our capacity. We have always as Americans risen above our difficult moments. Always."
It was just one of four references Biden made to the Republican crowd disturbing his Sunshine State rally.
"We can't move past the politics of division unless after this election is over, if God willing we win, we reach out to the very people out in the outer parking lot," Biden noted moments later. "I mean it literally. Not a joke."
"I know you find some of that obnoxious, but the folks... -- look folks, we gotta reach out, we gotta end this," demanded the Delaware senator. "Somebody's got to be big enough to stand up and end this."
Despite his call to bridge the partisan divide, Biden wouldn't be deterred from his usual digs at the Republican ticket.
"John McCain and Sarah Palin can have Dick Cheney’s endorsement," he said, citing the current vice president's praise Saturday for the GOP ticket. "We’ll settle for people like Warren Buffett and Colin Powell."
November 2, 2008 in Biden, Joe, Vote 2008: Democrats, Vote 2008: Republicans, Washington, White House | Permalink | User Comments (1169)
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Exactly the reason I voted against all Republicans this year. So sick of their divisiveness.
Posted by: Chad | Nov 2, 2008 3:10:10 PM
Republicans do seem pretty full of themselves, don't they?
Posted by: fivepin | Nov 2, 2008 3:15:38 PM
What a shame for our nation that Joe the "wife beating" plumber has become some kind of idol. He beat the crap out of BOTH of his wives! It's public record!
Joe and Barack will have a tough job healing this nation after all of these smears.
They have the right to protest - that's our democracy - and NO ONE threatend to beat them up like they do Obama supporters at Palin and McCain rally's.
for the life of our nation - STOP calling that wife BEATER Samual Joseph Wurzelbacher anything close to HUMAN. He is a filthy pig who should have gone to prison for what he's done to those women!
Posted by: Independant American Woman | Nov 2, 2008 3:16:26 PM
VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
DON'T GLOAT!!!!!!!!!!
THE ONLY POLL THAT MATTERS IS NOV. 4!!!!!!!!!
VOTE!!!!!!!!!
VOTE!!!!!!!!!
VOTE!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: This is SO Old | Nov 2, 2008 3:17:41 PM
McCain would have been a good
president 50 make it 100 Years ago...
But NOT IN THESE TIMES......
Posted by: Anita Yova | Nov 2, 2008 3:19:29 PM
How much does it cost to be civilised?
What is the use of interruption?
Posted by: FM | Nov 2, 2008 3:19:41 PM
That is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher "the wife beater" AKA Joe the plumber!
Posted by: Independant American Woman | Nov 2, 2008 3:20:23 PM
Those protesters are just angry that McCain will lose. All I have to say is get over it and accept Barack Obama is our next president.
Posted by: Kathy | Nov 2, 2008 3:20:25 PM
I used to support Sen. Obama, but Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden are so not only divisive, they're dismissive. I'm a small-town American, and I value my Second Amendment rights, and I value my faith. Sen. Obama's theory on that is it's because I'm bitter that I cling to those things, and he insists I harbor bigotry. I believe in lower taxes and smaller government; I believe that is the better thing for our country, I really do, but Sen. Biden says it's unpatriotic to not want higher taxes, and Sen. Obama says it's selfish to want lower taxes. I don't feel reached out to when Sen. Obama stands behind his homemade Seal of the "President" on his lectern and say, "If you're for lower taxes, you're selfish," and "If you're for lower taxes, you're unpatriotic." I respect their ticket for believing what they believe, and I believe they think tax-and-spend liberalism is good for the country, but I respectfully disagree, and I don't want my patriotism attacked for that.
Posted by: Obamacrat for McCain | Nov 2, 2008 3:20:42 PM
It will be nice to once again be called, United States, this country has been divided for too long...
Posted by: Paul | Nov 2, 2008 3:20:54 PM
Don't stray from the scripted word Sen. Biden you may say something thats actually true.
Betcha he got red in the face and screamed, plus wanting to strangle the person that let the McCain/Palin supporters in.
Vote, Vote, Vote
Posted by: usafirst | Nov 2, 2008 3:21:03 PM
DIEBOLD will decide THIS election, your voice DOESN'T matter and it never did!!!
Posted by: hmn | Nov 2, 2008 3:21:06 PM
I can lead a republican to water, but you can't make him "Think".
Posted by: Concerned in OH | Nov 2, 2008 3:22:18 PM
At a recent rally John McCain called Joe the Plumber "a great American hero" and a "role model". Let's see--a guy who only works part time--a guy who is a plumber and can't even bother to get licensed--a guy who doesn't pay his taxes, a guy who B.S.es about buying a business he could never afford--Yeah--that's a great American Hero and role model.
Posted by: teacher | Nov 2, 2008 3:22:46 PM
Wow,
Every McCain speech is disrupted by Code Pink.
Code Pink has distrupted McCain speeches as many as four times during a speech.
Code Pink tried to rush the stage at the RNC when McCain was speaking.
Code Pink founder is an Obama bundler raising money for Obama.
Obama has met with Code Pink.
Amazing that the MSM doesn't report Code Pink who are Obama fundraisers protesting McCain.
This is a clear example of media bias.
I have never seen such bias in my life.
You can't have a healthy democracy with such bias.
Posted by: Ben | Nov 2, 2008 3:23:16 PM
Obamacrat - No Halloween candy for you. Hypocrite.
Posted by: fivepin | Nov 2, 2008 3:24:16 PM
Only the ill-informed and ignorant support McCain. If you want to find out a person's IQ, without actually having them take a test, just ask them whom the support in this election.
Posted by: Nik | Nov 2, 2008 3:24:31 PM
exactly why I am voting For McCain/Palin !!!!!!!!! Because I am sick of anytime anything is said about the Obama ticket ...there answers are all the same "I didn't know" or they are being racist . I for one know race has nothing to do with my decision .My decision is based on what I want for our country so I took the time to look up all matters thus came to the decision McCain is best for America. I don't want someone as president that claims racism that is not the dream of Martin Luther King ...He wanted us all equal the only way we can all be equal is if we stap playing the race card.Nor do I want a president that when the media asks a question they don't like they cut off all future interviews .The President works for us we as Americans have a right to know whats going on.Nor do I want a President who will when asked of his shady characters in his past will say I didn't know.
Posted by: Tammy | Nov 2, 2008 3:24:40 PM
McCain has had dozens of speeches interupted by Code Pink.
McCain is protested by Obama supporting Code Pink all the time.
Yet the media doesn't report that on their blog each time it happens.
This nation has been hijacked by the media.
I can't remember one Obama speech being interupted by McCain supporters and yet McCain has had dozens of speeches interupted by Obama supporters.
Worst covered election ever not even close.
Posted by: Ben | Nov 2, 2008 3:24:58 PM
Republicans think they are the only "good" Americans, thank God they're only 29% of the voters.
Posted by: Concerned in OH | Nov 2, 2008 3:25:02 PM
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