Thursday, September 04, 2008

Biden Takes On Fred 'Red October' Thompson

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden attacked a series of Republicans in a speech here, taking on not only Sen. John McCain, but McCain campaign manager Rick Davis, President Bush and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson.

"I don't think I would run into a single Floridian who would walk up to me and say, 'Joe, the economy is doing great' ... unless I bumped into John or maybe Fred," Biden told a crowd of several hundred at a community center here, as he referred to speeches Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention.

McCain has acknowledged Americans are struggling with a slowing economy, but in a speech at the convention, Thompson attacked Obama's economic plan, saying "you don't lift an economic downturn by imposing one of the largest tax increases in American history."

Referring to Bush's speech praising McCain, Biden cast them as the Minnesota Twins.

"George Bush said, quote, 'The man we need is John McCain,' " Biden said.


"John has earned this endorsement; he's voted with him 90 percent of the time."

(Bush in that speech emphasized he and McCain had often disagreed on key issues.)

And Biden criticized a remark made by Davis, who told The Post in an interview, "This election is not about issues -- this election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

"Not about issues!" Biden said. "That means to them this election is not about whether you're able to scrape up the tuition money to send your kid to college."

Biden, on the third day of a campaign swing targeting older white and working class voters, delighted in deepening his voice as he tried to mimic Thompson, who he referred to as "Red October."

"Fred went there up and said, 'Well, the Democrats are going to raise your taxes,'" Biden said in a low tone as the crowd laughed. "I don't know why we need to give another tax break to Exxon Mobil."
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