Everybody cheered for Vice President Joe Biden today at a small rally in Tacoma aimed at scaring folks into voting for Democratic Senator Patty Murray. They cheered again for Murray, then for Congressman Adam Smith, and finally for Senator Maria Cantwell. But everybody did not cheer for Gov. Chris Gregoire, who was introduced to scattered boos.
As Gregoire spoke, about 10 green-shirted members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) turned their back on the stage. “She turned her back on us,” said Rick Hertzog, an AFSCME member and employee at Western State Hospital, citing a lack of state resources that has resulted in his over-burdened hospital shipping residents to a local shelter.
Anyway, back to captain smiles:
While on stage, Biden’s rhetoric sounded like he was still campaigning in 2008. In fact, if you were in Tacoma for Biden’s last campaign trip, you might have had déjà vu: criticism of Bush policies, warnings that anything but a Democratic victory would spell a return to deficit spending, and the threat of big tax cuts for the wealthy. Gregoire charged that Wall Street, under Republican reign, was, “playing Russian roulette with our savings.”
Murray’s opponent, Republican Dino Rossi, was quick to release a broadside in response to the rally. Citing U.S. Dept. of Labor numbers released today showing no change to the national unemployment rate, Rossi had this criticism for Murray: “Washingtonians who are struggling to find good paying jobs and pay their bills are wondering why Senator Murray is rallying with the Vice President who called the stimulus a success and said it had brought about the ‘Recovery Summer’ just a few months ago.”
In what might have been the only recognition of the tight race this year, Murray harkened back to her first race for Senate. “I was outspent three to one,” she reminded her supporters, possibly addressing her recent fundraising woes. Rossi out-raised Murray by $1 million in the third quarter.
As for the Biden gaffe watch, the Vice President only slipped up once, and made an adorable recovery. Mentioning his wife, Jill Biden, the veep absentmindedly referred to her as the First Lady. Recovering, Biden said, “I’m sorry, Second Lady. She’s first lady as far as I’m concerned.” Awwwww.
But boy, can that man spin a yarn. Between talking about his working class roots in Scranton, PA, and what it really means to be a middle-class American, he took up more time on the program than all of the other speakers combined. I have to admit, Biden lost me when he started quoting Yeats. But most of Biden’s remarks, again, were well worn lines from the campaign trail. “We have seen this movie before, and it is a horror movie,” warned Biden. Another favorite from recent weeks: “Don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative,” he said.
In other words, fear is the bi-partisan emotion of choice this election season.
More pictures of Biden talking, glad-handing, and crushing a woman after the jump.
sorry, nothing in this article interested me except for the omission of the Yeats.
so hears an excerpt for you:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
wtf am i thinking, stupid stupid.
Did he remind his base how stupid they are for wanting them to deliver on their campaign promises? I love it when he does that!
I am going to vote. I was always going to vote. When Biden went on Maddow and told me to get off my ass and stop whining about all of Obama’s broken promises and chicken-shit compromises, I stopped wanting to vote.
F the AFCSME and any other government unions. They’re the ones truly ruining this country with their unwillingness to compromise on anything. Share the pain you bastards.
@4 The divide between rich and poor is greater than it has ever been in the history of this country, and you think that working class people wanting a livable wage is the problem.
You have had your thoughts replaced with idiotic propaganda. Everything you think you know is wrong.
Those are toddlers and preschoolers. “Holding babies” my ass.
In 2 years, the Democrats went from hiding Joe “The Gaffer” Biden in the basement, to now sending him out in place of Obama because he probably has a higher q rating at this point!
Tragic for them Dems.
What’s up with the UW jacket? Represent the Blue and Gold! Go Blue Hens!
#5. Bullshit. Everything YOU think is wrong. True, rich people are richer and wall street tycoons are and always have been criminals, but it’s the government pensions that will truly break this country. It’s completely unsustainable and nobody knows how to pay for it but unions will not back down. So many municipalities will have to declare bankruptcy before this is over and that’s not because of rich people, it’s because of the pension system.
As a member of one of those government unions (albeit not AFSCME) I can assure you that not only have we compromised (furloughs, wage cuts, increased workload, etc) we are now the ones brining the unemployment level up: jobs are being created in the private sector, but are being massively shed in the public sector.
It’s cute and naive of you to believe that old mythology about unions running everything, but unless you are content to live your life as a quaint little throwback who is easily manipulated, and not at all curious about how things really work (and thus never taken seriously) you really should try to think outside your odd little world from time to time.
The people with the money run everything. That’s not you or me, or anyone else who reads slog, and it sure ain’t the unions. But a union is one way for people to unite in common defense against getting steamrolled by those people with money. That’s why a lot of money goes into keeping people suspicious of unions.
With that said, a union is only as good as it’s members, and the leaders those members elect. But is’t that true of everything?
Oh, and regarding pensions: it’s not the pensions that will bankrupt this country, it’s the military (who all get pensions as well, btw) and our incredibly stupid, amazingly inefficient healthcare system.
It’s true that everyone gets healthcare on this country, but a sizable percentage gets it too late, when it’s at it’s highest cost and least effectiveness. That, along with all the middlemen demanding their over-inflated piece of the pie, are what’s smothering us.
And keep in mind that most pension plans were in fine shape until the unregulated Wall Street tycoons started messing with the markets. It’s not anything the members did.
it’s important to correct the dots to get to the root cause of problems, almost as important as honoring contracts with employees.