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Biden to Seniors: GOP Wants to Take Your Dignity

After a gaffetastic week, the vice president gave what he deemed a major campaign address in a swing-state triple-header.

by
Bridget Johnson

Bio

March 23, 2012 - 4:28 pm
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“See, the thing that I get angry about — they look at people like you and me, and they think all we care about — after all you’ve done for the nation is that all we care about is ourselves after a lifetime — a lifetime — of you not only caring for yourselves, but caring for all those people you love, caring for your community,” Biden said. “And they turn around and say, no, no — as long as we tell you, you won’t be cut, you won’t mind if your children, you won’t mind if your grandchildren, you won’t mind if your younger neighbors and friends end up having to pay. They don’t understand us.”

There were also more direct attacks on Mitt Romney than the other candidates, a trend noticed in recent campaign speeches that the White House is considering the former Massachusetts governor to be the presumptive Republican nominee.

“Governor Romney supports cut, cap, and balance, which is yet another demonstration that there is no daylight between Governor Romney and the Republican leaders on the most important issues facing this country,” Biden said. ”And not even Romney’s Etch A Sketch can change that.”

“They’re making it even harder for the middle class at a time when we know if we were — if we want our economy to be strong, the middle class has to be strong. They’re tearing the bonds that connect us, generation to generation at the very moment we should be strengthening those bonds.”

He joked to the crowd about not wanting to use the word “elderly” anymore.

“I mean for years I used to rip up the AARP bulletins I got,” he said to laughter. ”But I’m not ripping up my Social Security checks, you know what I mean? But I don’t like elderly — those of us who are more mature. Those of us who are more mature.”

Even though Biden’s campaign series promises to focus on four different subjects and unique target audiences, the campaign theme of President Obama’s fairness doctrine promises to run through every one.

“Look, we’re not asking anybody very wealthy to change their standard of living. We’re not — no, serious. We’re not asking them to do anything they can’t do now,” the vice president said. “On $3.1 million, you don’t need another $100,000 to maintain your home, to drive the vehicle you drive, to vacation where you want to vacation. But when we ask you to take a 20 percent cut or a 30 percent cut in your Medicare or your Social Security or your children, that changes the standard of living.”

He concluded: “If you like what you see, vote for me. If not, vote for the other guy. But look us over, and look into your heart. Look into your heart, and ask yourself the question after all the speeches are done: Who do you believe? Who do you believe is genuinely committed to preserving the dignity of people in terms of their health care and their basic, basic ability to live?”

The vice president capped off the day with two more campaign events in Hollywood, Fla.

Next Friday, it’s Obama’s turn to hit the campaign trail again. The White House announced today that he’ll fly to events in Burlington, Vt., and Portland, Maine, and return to Washington that evening.

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Bridget Johnson is a career journalist whose news articles and opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe. Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor at The Hill, where she wrote The World from The Hill column on foreign policy. Previously she was an opinion writer and editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. She has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, Politico and more, and has myriad television and radio credits as a commentator. Bridget is Washington Editor for PJ Media.
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