Joe Biden Said That?

In August of 2009 (this month! hot off the presses!) Biden was in Chicago plugging the wonders of government-provided (i.e., rationed) health care. He had some words to say regarding the current percentages of Americans who are already experiencing the joys of centrally-planned medicine:

We provide about 50 percent of the health care already [...]

This is incorrect, of course. The government provides about a quarter of healthcare coverage via Medicare and Medicaid; two-thirds of Americans are covered by private insurers. Thanks to the News Virginian for the legwork on the numbers.

And thanks to VP Biden for making a speech! We here at joebidensaidthat.com were wondering when we'd get some fresher material. Not that there's not plenty of existing fodder from past speeches... all of which we'll continue to research, summarize, and provide here for your viewing pleasure.

Source: Abdon Pallasch at the Chicago Sun-Times

And now a classic that I've saved for a while. In early 2007 Biden was getting ready to announce his run for president, and what better way to do that than to comment on the other candidates? He had some kind words for then-Senator Barack Obama:

I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man.

And here's a video commentary on that quote with Biden's audio:

Gaffe-tastic! Everything was smoothed over quickly, although former black presidential candidates like Alan Keyes and Jessie Jackson were probably a bit annoyed. But this one ranks highly on the long list of Bidenisms.

Thanks to Jim Bass from Attack Machine for this one. During the VP debate from 2008, Biden was asked about the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict". He rambled for a bit (here's the transcript) and then let this loose:

When we kicked -- along with France, we kicked Hezbollah out of Lebanon, I said and Barack said, "Move NATO forces in there. Fill the vacuum, because if you don't know -- if you don't, Hezbollah will control it." Now what's happened? Hezbollah is a legitimate part of the government in the country immediately to the north of Israel.

Here's the video; skip to around 1:08 for the good stuff:

Andy McCarthy at National Review asks the obvious question "Exactly when did this kicking occur? Has anyone alerted Sheikh Nasrallah?" McCarthy notes that not only did this never happen, and also that if Obama or Biden had proposed that NATO make such a move it would have driven their Leftist supporters bonkers.

It's a shame that Sarah Palin didn't call Biden on this one on the spot; that would have been devastating. Maybe next time!

Thanks to Michael Kriskey for this collection of Bidenisms. In May of 2009 Biden was giving a commencement address at Wake Forest University and let flow a variety of gems. Thanks to Michael for picking these out from the full transcript:

I believe so strongly, as you may recall when I was here in October, not in you particularly but your generation…

Hey, thanks much!

Folks, we’re either going to fundamentally change the course of history, or fail the generations that come after us, because change will occur. Non-action is action, unlike most generations.

Would that also make action non-action? Or maybe it's not symmetric?

There’s not a single issue on this President’s plate that will not yield a change — just merely by ignoring it, it will change.

Let's not bother electing anyone then!

When I graduated, all had not changed utterly yet. Today, it has. And in the last 12 to 15 years, a terrible beauty has been born. It’s a different world out there than it has been any time in the last millennia. But we have an opportunity to make it beautiful, because it is in motion.

Well hey, I'm inspired. Or at least confused. Joe Biden, ladies and gentlemen!

Once again Phil Walter brings a classic Biden moment our way. While campaigning just before the 2008 election Biden was speaking at a fundraiser in Seattle. Thinking ahead to post-victory events, he warned:

Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate. And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you - not financially to help him - we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right.

Well, well! So much content there to think about! A generated crisis? One that wouldn't happen if McCain got elected? Hm, so, the message is "stave off disaster, vote McCain"? Probably not what he had in mind.

Furthermore, the administration will take actions, those actions will appear to be wrong, and loyal Democrats should fall in line and support whatever's done? I recall hearing that "dissent was the highest form of patriotism". Oh wait, that's a 2000-2008 slogan.

Source: ABC News' Matthew Jaffe

Phil Walter pointed me to this Bidenism from the campaign trail in August 2008. Biden was warming up a crowd in Scranton, Pennslyvania and had a few things to say about Senator Bob Casey. Here's the quote as deciphered by Ed Morrissey at Hot Air:

There was a guy named Bob Casey and there was Bobby Casey. Bob Casey was twelve years older than me, and Bobby Casey was twelve years younger than me. And I knew somebody famous was going to come out of Scranton, and I sure a’ hell knew it wadn’t gonna be me.

And here's the accompanying video:

The problem with this quote is, as Ed notes, that Biden left Scranton two years before Senator Casey was born. So he wasn't around to appreciate Senator Casey's potential for fame. Perhaps he saw into the future and skedaddled while he had a chance. Who knows? It's a Bidenism!

Shortly after 9/11, Biden was having a committee staff meeting and discussing ways to show the Arab world that the United States was not preparing to attack them en masse. After discarding various bad ideas, he found a good one: and said:

Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran.

Hm, wait, is that a good idea? Thankfully, his staffers delicately torpedoed it, and only that quote remains as part of Biden's considerable legacy.

Source: Michael Crowley in The New Republic

In May 2009 Biden was addressing the US Air Force Academy graduating class and his teleprompter was knocked over by a gust of wind. Seizing the moment, Biden uncorked this quote:

What am I going to tell the president when I tell him his teleprompter is broken? What will he do then?

This, of course, is a reference to President Obama's difficulties when the teleprompter isn't working; see the TOTUS (Teleprompter of the United States) blog for full coverage of all that.

Here's the incriminating video:

It got a laugh from the zoomies, but I'll bet that President Obama wasn't quite as amused. Et tu, Biden?

Alert reader "Your Majesty" found this gem. A month or so after 9/11, Biden was heading to his office when he encountered a group of airline employees who asked for help with benefits for laid off workers. Biden responded:

I hope you will support my work on Amtrak as much as I have supported you. If not, I will screw you badly.

How's that again? Screw you badly? On a cheerier note, he then went on to say:

You've not been good to me. You're also damn selfish. You better listen to me...

Oh wait, that's not a cheerier note. Well, at least airline employees know where they stand!

Source: The New Republic's Michael Crowley.

Alert reader chrisdotgordon brought up another Bidenism from the campaign in October 2008. During the VP debates, the moderator asked a question about the role of the vice president. Pailn responded and then Biden had his say:

“The idea he [Dick Cheney] doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.

And here's the video; skip to about 1:15 for the good stuff:

As chrisdotgorden says, "Indeed, the ever-so-experienced 30+ year Senator confused Article 1 of the Constitution - which concerns the establishment and powers of the Congress - with Article 2, which covers the executive branch and 'the role of the vice president of the United States.'” Nicely put. Matthew J. Franck further dissected this Bidenism over on National Review's site. Enjoy!