Biden's Florida Rally Disrupted by Protesters

Subscribe to this blog's feed

« Previous | Main | Next »

Biden's Florida Rally Disrupted by Protesters

November 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)

User Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Geez! I didn't even know our "great American hero" was also a wife beater--very interesting.

Posted by: teacher | Nov 2, 2008 3:26:03 PM

Republican is the other name for "American Taliban".

Posted by: JR | Nov 2, 2008 3:26:57 PM

Had it not been for existence of Democrats and Independents, America would have been a Christian fundamentalist theocratic country.

Posted by: Sara | Nov 2, 2008 3:29:29 PM

Hmmm..their(GOP) behavior sounds like their rally's and the posts on these boards.

Posted by: Jwench | Nov 2, 2008 3:30:33 PM

In case you haven't noticed Goldman Sachs runs America. I don't care who you vote for.

Posted by: Hippie Smasher | Nov 2, 2008 3:31:28 PM

Poor Poor republicans if they only understood Mccain is not the one

Posted by: TRUE AMERICAN FOR OBAMA/BIDEN | Nov 2, 2008 3:31:54 PM

more reasons to vote for McCain
let me ask why go after an everyday person who Obama answered a question the wrong way ?????????? We should nopt be afraid to ask questions of our leaders for fear of retalliation .

Posted by: tammy | Nov 2, 2008 3:34:17 PM

That is how Republicans act and I am sick and tired of their tactics and policies that has gotten this country in the mess we are in at home and overseas. I voted for change and Obama. Go Barack Obama!

Posted by: Susan from Tampa Fl | Nov 2, 2008 3:34:37 PM

teacher and independent american women,
GOD,your so smaaaaart it hurts.
Jr,
did you hear about Sen. Obamas civilian army????? Maybe you should sign up for it.

Posted by: usafirst | Nov 2, 2008 3:37:47 PM

If that was a real plumber protesting, I wonder if he's ever worked on a government-subsidized job or on a public building. That's WELFARE!

Posted by: rob | Nov 2, 2008 3:38:10 PM

Posted by: tammy | Nov 2, 2008 3:34:17 PM

Joe the plumber is a fraud plain and simple. Obama was truthful and through the right wing smear sites they have lead you to believe he is a socialist. I guess they left the part out where he says he want us to succeed.

Posted by: Jwench | Nov 2, 2008 3:40:21 PM

You mean the same Democratic party that didn't want see the abolition of slavery in the south which started the Civil War. They found a kinder way of enslaving the populice now allowing us to be paid for our labor and only taking 30%.

Posted by: Hippie Smasher | Nov 2, 2008 3:40:57 PM

Wowoowoww.....considering the fact that this is probably the first protest Republican proponents issued, they are sort of late. I think that these protestors were still hungover from the night before, considering that they are probably college students that have evertyhing paid for by mommy and daddy, and confused about whats really going on in America. Don't be brainwashed by all of the politics, Obama and Biden will heal the great country that Bush ran to turmoil!! Vote Obama/Biden!!

Posted by: SJ | Nov 2, 2008 3:42:30 PM

no respect for the real sarah p who was not there. No respect for his wife that selles gold & lingerie remarks. No respect for womwen. No respect ofr te nation in crisis. I have no respect for McCain.

Posted by: ab | Nov 2, 2008 3:44:21 PM

Someone is going to have to explain to me how Republicans get away with saying "Country first" while they are telling the other half to go to Hell.

Sadly, the most pathetic truth behind her demonization is revealed when someone might propose that every Democrat suddenly stayed home the day after McCain won. Then, those same Republicans who said the Democrats were worthless, dangerous, and treasonous would be demanding we all get back to work.

Sarah Palin and her "us and them" campaign has unleased a beast that we thought had been slain when Joe McCarthy failed to segregeate "them" from "us" fifty years ago, and the ugly after effects are going to last long after election day.

Country first, but who's country is it, Sarah? Yours, mine, or ours?

Posted by: Holden Caulfield | Nov 2, 2008 3:45:00 PM

Look at the issues. Say Joe is real, that he honestly wants to buy a business.

Ok. He would get MORE of a tax break under Obama than under McCain, unless he made over $250,000 in profit. If I made that, I wouldn't complain about a few more tax dollars--I'd have plenty to feed my family.

But he'd have to pay a LOT more for health care under McCain than under Obama.

And then he and his kids and his grandkids would be dying in Iraq--where McCain wants to be for the next 100 years.

Vote for Obama--the only way to get real change!

Posted by: Deena Larsen | Nov 2, 2008 3:45:05 PM

Deena and Holden,
Both excellent posts.

Posted by: Jwench | Nov 2, 2008 3:48:59 PM

usafirst,
Yes, I am smart--that is why I have already voted for Obama. You, on the other hand, are really showing your ignorance.

Posted by: teacher | Nov 2, 2008 3:49:48 PM

I'm very skeptical that Obama-Biden can pull off a win in Florida. Too much of an uphill battle with GOP control of the state.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Posted by: matt | Nov 2, 2008 3:50:38 PM

why so serious? it's just an election. Wait for the real thing. the real obanation will speak for itself. we are lost with Obama.

Posted by: eco delsol | Nov 2, 2008 3:52:10 PM

Post a comment