Biden defends 'patriotic' tax remark
Posted: Thursday, September 18, 2008 3:58 PM by Carrie Dann
Filed Under:
Joe Biden
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
AKRON, Ohio -- Fired up in a room full of union members, Joe Biden angrily defended both his ticket’s tax plan and his own claim that tax hikes for the rich are patriotic, while urging fellow Democrats to stand their ground on what he said was a values debate.
Biden, speaking to members of the Laborers International Union of North America, began by saying that there is “no disagreement” between John McCain and Barack Obama on the need for tax cuts. The real issue, he said, is who gets them.
“Catholic social doctrine as I was taught it is, you take care of people who need the help the most,” he said. “Now it'd be different if you could make the case to me that by giving this tax cut to the very wealthy, everybody else was going to be better off. We saw what happened the last eight years when we gave that tax cut."
He then explained his statement, first made at a rally in Sarasota, FL, two weeks ago, that asking the wealthiest Americans to accept tax hikes would be patriotic. And he added that the tax rates would still be lower than they were under the Reagan administration.
“I tell you, Democrats,” Biden said, gritting his teeth. “Don't you step down from anybody telling you that we don't value, we don't have American values. … I want this debate about values! I want this debate about American values.”
Biden was speaking before a very friendly audience, but urged them to spread the word, acknowledging that even some Democrats remain wary of Obama.
“Say you’re right, last eight years worked pretty well, didn’t they?” he said. “How do you feel, small businessman, about the last eight years? How do you feel, white-collar worker, about the last eight years? … This is not about Democrat or Republican. It’s about the facts.”
Biden, who has been doing regular interviews with both local and national press, deviated during his remarks to challenge both members of the GOP ticket to do the same.
“It’s not just Sarah Palin,” he said. “When’s the last time John’s had a press conference? I’m serious! … When an elected officials stops holding press conferences, it ain’t because he’s found a new way to communicate, it’s because he doesn’t want to communicate.”
Though Biden has done his share of interviews – by one count over 80 – he has not himself held more than two solo press conferences, and none in nearly two weeks. His first solo press conference was in Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, and was very brief, as he explained his decision to cancel an appearance in the city’s Labor Day parade. He did speak with reporters aboard his campaign plane on Sept. 7 for over a half hour.
