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Subscribe to RSSIn Charlotte, Democrats are poised to insist that their economic vision is better for America than that outlined by Mitt Romney; they insist the country is better off than it was four years ago. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
DETROIT -- Amid a GOP-driven effort asking whether Americans are better off than they were four years ago, Vice President Joe Biden emphatically declared that "America is better off" now than at the end of the Bush administration.
"Folks, let me say something to you, say it to the press," Biden said at the conclusion of his remarks at a Labor Day rally here in the Motor City. "America is better off today than they left us when they left!"
The question, a staple of elections in which an incumbent is seeking re-election, has developed into a small media imbroglio since surrogates for President Barack Obama appeared hesitant this weekend to give a positive answer.
Democratic Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley answered that question with a "no"; Obama advisers David Axelrod and David Plouffe offered nuanced responses but not a flat "yes."
Republicans pounced in the meanwhile, and the GOP held a press conference today in Charlotte, the site of the Democratic National Convention, to push that very question.
Biden's statement makes him the highest-ranking Obama surrogate to weigh in on the back and forth.
Repeating his frequent "bumper sticker" mantra, Biden said in Detroit: "If you want to know whether we're better off, I got a bumper sticker for you: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive!"
Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in response: "Today, Vice President Biden claimed that Americans are better off than they were four years ago, directly contradicting what President Obama and his campaign surrogates have said. The truth is that the middle class has been crushed in the Obama economy."
Biden, who spoke to several hundred supporters at the AFL-CIO-sponsored event, focused heavily on labor issues in his remarks and blasted Romney for opposing the Obama-backed bailout of the auto industry.
"Folks, you can't say you're going to create jobs in the United States of America when you were willing to let 1m jobs go under by the liquidation of the automobile plants he suggested," Biden said.
He also went after Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, repeating a line first debuted yesterday in Pennsylvania to attack the Wisconsin congressman's Medicare plans.
"We're talking about making sure to protect Medicare. They're talking about creating an entire new system, 'Vouchercare,'" he said, warning "if they win, people are in trouble."
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I guess Biden is better off than he was 4 years ago... 4 years ago he wasn't the VP yet and, heaven knows, with the rent he had to pay, medical insurance, gas in his car... Oh, Wait! Sorry... I must have gotten him mixed up with the average American!
Yes Karen unlike Romney, he is an average american right?
The day this president took office, we had 14 people plotting against the recovery of this country. We also had the likes of Romney saying let people lose their homes "let it bottom out'. Those people were not some random numbers, they were families. We had idiots like Palin exclaiming burn baby burn when it came to our economy. Then of course after Romney says let the auto industry go bankrupt, then he wanted to take credit for the recovery...geeez let's go back to that bs...NO THANKS.
Hello Tammy, I guess you have a migraine because the things you are saying are not what was actually said. Mr. Romney said that they should have been allowed to go through a structured bankruptcy, meaning that cuts could be made to make the company self-sufficient, not the unions. As for the housing industry, it is going to bottom out because the dumb stuff that Obama has tried did not help the situation anyway.
You got that right.
Obama selected everyone of them, and called them Czars.
Tammy, it was way more than fourteen.
Dave, exactly who was going to buy the auto industry? What private investor was going to step up to the plate? NONE. As for the housing industry, in case you have not noticed many did keep their homes. Sadly not enough though. Home sales have been on the increase, no thanks to the banking industry or the GOP. Spin it any way you wish but the GOP set out to ensure that this president would fail and take the country down with him. Their interest of "taking our house back" was more important than the financial welfare of this country.
This doesn't surprise me. I'm convinced that Biden is simplly incapable of telling the truth.
Over the past four years I have watched the downtown area lose one business after the other. First the flowershop, then the hardware store. Last week the lumber yard went under.
If that's better off I can't take much more of it.
Indeed San Diego California has business after business going under.
Meanwhile huge companies like McDonalds get a pass on Obamacare.
Since the passage of the “Affordable Care Act,” it has been some cause for concern — scandal even — that several businesses have been granted waivers excusing them from participation in the federal program.
And now we have a final number of how many businesses are exempt from “Obamacare.”
Roughly 1,200 companies received waivers from part of the healthcare reform law, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) said Friday.
However, what’s slightly unsettling is the fact that the majority of the waivers were handed out to labor unions.
“Documents released in a classic Friday afternoon news dump show that labor unions representing 543,812 workers received waivers from President Barack Obama‘s signature legislation,” writes Paul Conner of the Daily Caller. “By contrast, private employers with a total of 69,813 employees, many of whom work for small businesses, were granted waivers.”
Because of the backlash over the waivers, HHS announced last summer that it would stop accepting applications for one-year waivers and would simply grant or deny waivers all the way through the end of 2013, according to The Hill.
Talk about cronyism!!!
Corruption is destroying America.
I may not be better off financially, but at least we are not in any immoral wars. more money is never the answer, its the quality of life that matters
@SUSAN
Really what do you consider an immoral war?
Iraq?
We still have thousands of troops and tens of thousands of contractors or if you prefer mercenaries.
Afghanistan?
Tens of thousands of troops!
Pakistan
We are droning Pakis weekly!
Uganda
Lord knows how many troops are on the ground.
Lybia
Again they lied about combat troops on the ground.
Syria
How many assets do we have there???
Please explain what an immoral war is.
Consider Obama got a nobel peace award for having done nothing and by all accounts should be forced to return it.
Funny, every business publication I've read - from Forbes to the Wall Street Journal to Fortune - have expressed alarm at how quickly we're heading the wrong way. Do you Democrats really not think these business minds know what they're talking about? Do you not see what has happened in Greece, Spain, Italy and other countries where the governments have over-promised with no way of ever paying for it all? We've got government workers making six figures, retiring at 50, and doing the work that fetches $50k to $60k in the private sector and they're FIRE PROOF to boot.
I can't see any way we can continue on the path we're on. How do we avoid becoming the next Greece? I'd like to know.
Well bless his little heart, of course Joe thinks things are better now than 4 years ago. After all, he got a huge pay raise with lots of perks. Unfortunately, for the regular working folks and the 23 million looking for work, things just are not all that rosy.
I have more respect for "Shoeless Joe Jackson" than I do for "Mindless Joe Biden", with statements like this implying that the Bush administration wasn't actively looking for "Osama bin Laden". Obama just happened to be in office when his location was confirmed and he authorized the mission, if Jon McCain was in office he would have done the same.
I can't speak for everyone else, but I myself am MUCH better off now than I was four years ago. I am working now and able to pay my bills (in fact, I even bought a new Ford F150).
Even if I wasn't, do you really think I would vote for Romney and Ryan? If giving MORE help to the multi-millionaires and billionaires did not work under Bush, what makes you think it will work now?
Have you actually investigated where Omnibus and Tarp funds went?
I suggest you educate yourself on just who is sitting at the trough and you will see DNC supporting millionares and Billionarres are getting even richer.
What a joke the DNC talking heads are allowed to spout off about the rich even as they are filthy rich themselves.
Name one thing Obama has done that has had a direct affect on helping your life...BIGMOUTH?? WELL BIGMOUTH??
Isn't it about time for you 2 to check out? it will be less stupid people voting for criminals.
Your ma and pa kettle right?
Well, good for you having a job and a new vehicle. How many applications did you have to go through to get that job. How many people were in line when you were to get that job? Yoou just got lucky and that is the plain truth.
How much is that welfare check, I mean govt. job pay?
@Benr for all your TARP inquires check sigtarp(dot)gov tons of useful info fox doesn't want you to know.
The most embarrassing VP in american history...can't even tell you what state he's in...yet he's going to tell you../.your better off now than when gas was less than $2 a gallon and bread was under $2 a loaf...keep voting for these idiots...maybe we can get gas at $8 a gallon and bread $5 a loaf.
By the way who let him out of his cage?
What Biden meant is he and Obama Reid and Pelosi are better off, they don't give a damn about the rest of us. If you are not better off, they offer you food stamps and entitlements, not jobs or anything useful.But not to worry they don't mind sending our dollars to kenya and indonesia instead of taking care of problems here at home.
Joey Biden,,,, I'll miss him next year,,,,, He is hilarious
To all those who want Romney to win better be careful what you wish for you might get it then who you gonna blame when your worse than you are now?
I will blame Romney unlike you who still blames Bush.
That's easy, we just blame Obama!
NEWS FLASH Biden already has job offers coming in.
He has been offered a position driving the short bus!!
He said good he all ready has over 12 riders ready to board.
For extra credit name th e other 11 riders.
Harry Reid is my first pick.
I'm with you to a degree. I am better or worse off because of what I do to take care of me and mine. And I will NEVER in AMERICA be told I will settle for less so some lazy ass can have MY money. PERIOD
That is the day I LEAVE.
I'll go get my QUALITY in life in a FREE country.
KMA ok
I own majority stake in two US companies. We employ many americans across the USA. Obama has increased our tax structure already, made it more difficult to afford employing more people, we have had to lay off because of what his administration has already done to us. Business has been stagnant at best since he took office, we pay more for fuel and almost everything we purchase has increased in cost since his administration took office (But we are not making more money to offset these added expenses). Companies are afraid to spend money because of the fear of what the federal government will do to them next. I cannot move one of my plants to the United States because of his proposed tax structure, the cost of my products would increase by a projected 45%!!! If Obama and his administration raises taxes on me again, there will be no other choice but to eliminate even more jobs and that is a terribly painful thing to do to our great workforce and their families, especially in this economy (this will also prevent us from purchasing new equipment such as vehicles, computers, office equipment, production equipment, etc). If you think Obama's Administration is creating jobs in the private sector, you are terribly misinformed and you are being led to believe in a political mirage. This administration is doing the opposite of what is needed to perpetuate private sector growth. These "jobs" they have supposedly "created" are primarily federal government jobs. If the federal government is enabled to yet again increase taxes on the people who employ americans, you will see that the jobless rate will inevitably skyrocket. These are merely simple economical facts. I encourage you to do the right thing and elect Romney for president, this will protect the american job market and perpetuate its growth. Without the fear of being taxed to death, the economy... especially the private sector will cut loose and thrive once again.
American in Ohio, you are exactly right. I have talked to many small business owners in my area who echo your comments. It's the Obama administration that is holding back business growth in this country.The real question is why is he doing it?
I also agree with this. Obama caused me to lose my small business. Me disabled now, trying to repay my business loans on what I get monthly. I also have a student loan that I am paying back and I am down to my last $143.00 and that will be paid off. It is not easy to live on penance and have to pay everyone. I am lucky if I have $20.00 left at least every three months.
Yes ObamaCare has caused a lot of business from employing people. Obama cannot control what the private sector does.
If by America you mean Wall St or Washington DC then yes things are better for you than 4 years ago. If you are still working and paying taxes then things are really not any better but not a lot worse either. Vote every incumbent out until politicians, particularly the legislative branch, learn that you are going home next election anyway so make some difficult decisions and get things fixed.
Right Biden you idiot. Go crawl back under that rock you must be living under. You and Obama don't have a clue. We have been listening to your lies and are tried of them. Time for someone new to give it a shot. If he doesn't do it then we fire him after 4 years too.
Obama has done a lot for us to make us better off. Just look at his record:
He has dedicated himself to enforcing our laws, and has cooperated with congress to secure our borders and.....oh wait, never mind.
But he has managed to cut the deficit in half and pass a budget each...oh wait, that's not true either.
But at least he pulled all our troops out of Afghanistan, closed GitMo, and.....dang it!
Well at least he hasn't raise taxes during a recession, which would cause even greater harm to the economy.
What?.......oh, he did?.....ok, never mind.
(remember what the Supreme Court said)
But in all seriousness, give him a break. I mean who cares about all that trivial stuff like securing our borders and reducing the deficit when their are poor women out there who might have to pay as much as (gasp!) $25 for contraceptives? Because obviously these poor women can neither live without them or pay for them themselves, because you would have to be rich to be able to pay $25 dollars for something. I mean, who the heck goes around carrying $25 dollars in cash in their wallet, anyway?
So the choice is obvious:
Soetoro/Biden 2012
Question should be: Can the world handle another republican caused depression (yes the 1930s Great Depression), the 1991 Bush Sr. recession that destroyed some cities and counties for years, and the 2008 Bush Jr. Great Recession? There are no recessions or depressions in last century that I can remember caused by democrats, only democrats saving us from destruction from republican economic policies. Even the hyperinflation in Carter's years was caused by repub policies of Nixon and Ford and other things not in his control, I believe.
Sooo let me get this stright, Jimmy Carters recession was Bushes fault too?
probably Bush Sr., he could have helped manipulate the oil and gas skyrocketing with his Texas and Saudi buddies just to hose Jimmy.
Of course, now I see.
Only fools would believe what Biden said. We are not better off. Prices keep going up and the old rich who are now middle class and the old middle class who now the majority down one rung above those in proverty who were the low class don't like it. Obama has done nothing in the last 3 3/4 years that he has been in office. He has brought this country to near ruins. He has taken money that all American workers put into Social Security and taken Medicare taxes to fund his health care program. He calls Republicans fools, but at the same time he is calling the majority of Democrats that too. If you lost your job in the last three years, that was because someone who was gun-ho, that was voted in because he would make history, politics stink. As the old folk would say, "Something stinks in Denmark." (This is just a cliche and not meant any harm to those in Denmark.)
Will you be better off when Obama declares Martial Law after EMP's knock out our electrical grid and the United Nations tries to disarm Americans and send us to FEMA Concentration Camps so Obama can remain in office and continue his dictorial leadership?
Impeach Obama NOW!!! Before he destroys the rest of America.
Obama is as fake as his birth certificate.
Prepare for The Freedom War that is brewing in America. World Warriors, Freedom Fighters and others like them unite to protect our rights of FREEDOM.
P.S. The 11th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up. Be prepared America.
Better off? REALLY Joe Blow?
DON'T GO THERE with Floridians. Remember, that swing state you MUST have to win re-election?
Well, OUR unemployment is HIGHER than the national advantage.
By Obama cutting the Constellation program that was to replace the shuttles, THOUSANDS of NASA workers and whole communities where thrown out of work.
Our military personnel is also reeling since your ADMIN bumped up the price of their Tricare nearly THREE FOLD.
Bottom line? Florida is Obama's BIG FAIL.