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At rally in Warren, Biden attacks McCain’s tactics
Joe Biden in Warren
Gallery
The Republican campaign is ‘so erratic,’ the Democratic vice presidential candidate says.
WARREN — Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, didn’t hold much back as he teed off on John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, at a rally at the Warren Community Amphitheatre.
“Sen. John McCain’s campaign is becoming so erratic, relying on stunts and negative ads instead of offering new solutions,” Biden said Tuesday to a crowd of about 700.
Biden, a U.S. senator from Delaware, said there is a huge difference between U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the Democratic presidential nominee, and McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona.
“The distinction couldn’t be clearer,” he said. “One guy’s fighting for you, and the other guy is fighting mad.”
All of McCain’s ads are negative, Biden said.
“These attacks don’t hurt Barack or hurt me, they hurt the American people,” he said. “They try to distract the American people to what’s going on.”
Nothing being proposed by McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, is fundamentally different from what President Bush has done in his nearly eight years in office, Biden said.
One mention of Palin by Biden drew boos from the crowd — largely consisting of schoolchildren, retirees and union members, several wearing shirts with their union affiliation. Biden made a hand gesture to stop the boos.
Biden said there is a “fundamental difference” between the Democratic and Republican tickets.
Before Biden could continue, someone in the audience yelled “brains.”
The comment drew a laugh from many in attendance as well as from Biden, who said, “Maybe I should stop here.”
Among the proposals discussed Tuesday by Biden include:
UA three-month moratorium on all housing foreclosures.
UA $3,000 refundable tax credit to small businesses for every new employee they hire.
UA $1,000 rebate to help homeowners with heating costs.
UA policy for a penalty-free withdrawal from retirement accounts.
In response, Ben Porritt, a McCain spokesman, said, “Joe Biden did his best to keep a straight face while promoting the very plans that Barack Obama previously labeled ‘disastrous’ when proposed by his political opponent.”
Porritt failed to provide specifics of the plans and opponents in question.
Porritt referred to Biden as a “tax addict” who is “doing his best to cover for Barack Obama’s poor economic judgment.”
Among those at Biden’s Change We Need rally was Hutson Davis of Warren, a retired farmer and steel worker.
Davis praised Biden and Obama as the only candidates who will “put America back in the right direction.”
Too many products that used to be made in this country are being produced elsewhere, he said. The Democrats would reverse that trend, Davis said.
Jean Trask of Warren and Barb Bradford of Cortland, who attended the rally together, questioned how anyone could vote for McCain with the national economy in such poor shape under the leadership of President Bush, a Republican.
Students from a government class at Jackson-Milton High School had excused absences from their teacher to attend Tuesday’s rally.
The students, all juniors, are too young to vote, but they were interested in what Biden had to say.
“I’m here to hear his stance on jobs, the economy and how they’re going to fix those problems,” said Paul Wright, 17, of North Jackson.
Brittany McGee, 16, of North Jackson said she was excited to attend her first political event.
But going through a metal detector for the first time was “pretty intense” and “intimidating,” she said.
The low attendance at the rally — about 700 — was a bit of a surprise to some of those there. There were close to 100 campaign staffers and volunteers, local police and Secret Service agents at the event.
It was one-tenth the crowd that showed up Sept. 16, also a weekday, at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna for McCain and Palin.
It was Biden’s second public rally in the Mahoning Valley. Biden addressed a crowd of about 1,200 on Sept. 18 in downtown Youngstown.
Later Tuesday, Biden made an unannounced stop at the Steel Trolley Diner in Lisbon, where a customer yelled “Let’s go Joe!” when the candidate entered. Biden ordered a vanilla milkshake with chocolate syrup and a burger, then embraced voters and posed for photographs.
skolnick@vindy.com