Vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden speaks to the crowd Thursday morning at Missouri Western State University.
Joe Biden and fellow Democrats turned the "community gathering" in St. Joseph Thursday into a neighborhood social, promoting an agenda they said would restore America's middle class after eight years of Republican calamity.
From the applause for Barack Obama neighborhood team leaders to the Delaware senator's repeated "in-my-neighborhood" references, the vice presidential candidate made his campaign appeal local and personal.
"When the middle class fails, America fails," Mr. Biden told about 770 people in the old gymnasium at Missouri Western State University.
Mr. Obama's running mate focused his remarks on the economy and the Democratic ticket's plan for creating jobs, expanding health care and providing tax relief.
But Mr. Biden reserved time for portraying Republican nominee John McCain as "an angry man" whose policy positions shift erratically and whose platform offers little change from the course charted by President Bush.
Speaking in front of a large blue banner with the word "Change," the candidate cited a recent survey that called all McCain campaign ads negative.
"I guess when you vote with Bush 90 percent of the time, you have to go negative 100 percent of the time in order to make a point," Mr. Biden said.
The senator recited a list of middle-class concerns - sending kids to college, paying for health care, filling the gas tank, keeping a job - and insisted the Obama-Biden ticket has a plan to address them.
An Obama administration, he said, would invest in American infrastructure and devote $15 billion a year toward the development of renewable energy. He claimed 95 percent of American working people would see a tax cut with a Democratic team in the White House. Affordability of a college education would also be a top priority.
"Jobs, jobs, jobs" would be the theme of the next presidency, he said.
"We don't measure progress by how many regulations we cut, how well the CEOs of America are doing," Mr. Biden told the crowd. "We measure progress in terms of dignity and respect for the middle class, the working people of America."
Mr. Biden called the current economic crisis the final verdict on a failed monetary philosophy that cut regulations and blindfolded overseers. And he criticized Mr. McCain for saying at the beginning of the crisis that the fundamentals of the economy were sound, then two hours later regarding the economic conditions as dire.
"Folks, that's what we Catholics call an epiphany," Mr. Biden said. "He didn't see the light. He saw the presidency slipping from his grasp."
The Senate colleague of both men, Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri, said earlier that the tone of the Republican ticket was "petty, small and personal" and was now being guided by "the politics of fear and smear."
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, speaking for the Republican National Committee in an afternoon conference call, said the Obama-Biden ticket promised only higher taxes for Missourians.
"The last thing Missouri families need, or the Missouri economy needs, is a tax increase," the governor said. "Sen. Obama has voted 94 times to raise taxes. ... He has supported as a member of the Senate middle-class tax increases that would hurt middle-class families."
He added an Obama presidency would deliver "a bigger, more intrusive government."
Mr. Biden's schedule called for subsequent Missouri stops in Liberty and Jefferson City, with an event scheduled in Springfield today. The attention indicates the campaign's renewed interest in the state, a traditional battleground but one where polls show a McCain lead slipping. In the past two presidential elections, Missouri has gone for Republican candidates.
Indicating a desire to stay on message, Mr. Biden used a teleprompter for the Missouri Western rally. Only one slip-up occurred: He said an "estimated 137 million Missouri families are living in poverty" of the state with fewer than 6 million residents.
It mattered little to the partisan crowd, which interrupted his 42-minute speech dozens of times with applause. About eight minutes in, the candidate asked, "You all mind if I take my coat off?" The audience applauded.
In a rousing summation, Mr. Biden recalled advice from his father: "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up."
He said Americans have been knocked down the last eight years. "It's time for us together to get up," Mr. Biden said.
Ken Newton can be reached
at kenn@npgco.com.
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David says...
When one of our elected officials is running for re-election or trying to climb the political ladder we should do more than listen to what they promise to do in the future. We should look at what some of them have done in the past, http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_more/... Vote for change, Baldwin/Castle in 08 http://www.baldwin08.com/
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
October 10, 2008 at 1:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Rax says...
They applauded when he asked to take off his coat? That says a lot about the Obama flock, they don't even care what's being said, they simply smile and applaud like good little sheep. But I guess that is about the most exciting thing as the Obama camp has to offer.....
October 10, 2008 at 5:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jambreman says...
I agree with you one-hundred percent that we should go a step further than listening to promises of hopeful candidates. Check out McCain's voting record..it is not pretty. He voted to cut welfare, child support, and student loans, he voted against health-care for millions of children, he voted against a bill that would give billions to companies to explore alternate energy, reducing our oil dependence. He also voted yes to make it harder for American's to declare bankruptcy, but allows the bailout of Wall Street. He has also failed to vote on issues 64.1% of the time during the current Congress. He voted with his party 88.1% of the time, so his message of change is void. It is an empty promise. He and his wife also have 51 pages of income and assets, and he is for the little man?http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/m000303/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/...
October 10, 2008 at 5:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
azmaggie says...
Are you putting McCain down because he has money???
What about the Democrats that were elected 2 years ago? They were going to get the country streightened out!!! Well I for one am a lot worse off than I was 2 years ago!!! What have they done for you????
October 10, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sharpstyx says...
If i were matt blunt i would be talkin smack too, he probably doesn't want to admit that his days are numbered, as are his dads. republicans like to huff and puff but in the end they are just as fallable to greed,corruption and cronyism as anybody else. More so in this case. I'm sure that they were pleased with themselves when they got todd graves fired, and now the backlash is going to be fierce. Somebody needs to report on that story get it out to the voting public. This is just the latest in a series of blunders the republicans thought would never see the light of day.
October 10, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TFurguson says...
An Obama presidency would deliver "a bigger, more intrusive government."...Hey, it worked for the Soviet Union for awhile too.
October 10, 2008 at 8:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gr8fan says...
Ninja,
I hate to keep picking on you, but you keep aiming at the people who care about America. I think you need to sharpen your sword! Please share all of these lies that the "republicans and non-party folk" as you call them, are telling about Obama. The only lies being told are about his past relationships, and those are by him. And if you don't think his judgment in whom he associates with is important, then just don't drink any of the koolaid they bring out at his next rally. The biggest lie in the whole election? I will approve tax cuts for the middle class. Funny promise from an individual (Obama) who has never once, (and that means never ever, none, notta) voted for such a cut in his time of service (if you wanna call it that)to the people. How about another lie? John McCain will give the wealthy a $700,000 tax cut. The cut is already in place. He isn't initiating or giving it to them.Not all of them make $12.8 million annually either, which is where you have to be to get that cut.There are so many more lies that the messiah, Obama, is feeding the people, but he is basing his platform on those, so I thought I would enlighten you are those. Who's telling lies?
October 10, 2008 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
4wildones says...
You can't believe anything any of the politcal candidates say during election. They are all a bunch of liars and cheats. None of them are for the people they are supposed to represent, they are all out for theirselves. Unfortuntately this election will not be based on who is best for this country, it will be based on who will do the least amount of damage. I think anyone who voted for the bailout should be out of office. How dare they commit me to paying for the greed and mismanagment of others. I did not contribute to the financial crisis, I should not have to bail out or rescue those that did. Obama tells just as many lies and has just as many negative adds and makes just as many negative, smear tactic commments as the republican campaign does. Neither one is better than the other in that respect.
October 10, 2008 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
suzyQ says...
I wonder if campaign funds paid for O'Biden's Botox...hmmm? :P
October 10, 2008 at 12:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Stellar357 says...
Everyone needs to do their own research and learn what is fact and what is fiction. Go to http://www.factcheck.org/ and learn what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to these candidates.
October 10, 2008 at 10:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )