Biden on McCain's harsh attacks
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 6:09 PM by Cathy Finkler
On Monday, Chris Matthews talked with Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden about his reaction to the McCain campaign's negative attack tactics during the past week of the race.
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST, HARDBALL: I sat down with Sen. Biden and pushed him on the Republican efforts, including those by Gov. Sarah Palin, to paint Barack Obama as someone who associates with terrorists, someone obviously not to be trusted.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I was talking about that ad on television that says Barack consorts with terrorists. I mean, look, I mean, Barack was 8 years old when this guy was doing the things he was doing in 1969.
And yet I think the average person will look at that -- would look at that guy's picture and say, "Is he al-Qaida? Is he something else?" I mean, I think it's over the edge.
MATTHEWS: What do you make of the, sort of the pattern with these Republican surrogates up on the stage last week referring to him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama? Do you see that as part of that inference?
BIDEN: Yes. Look, I mean, I think this is all about not wanting to talk about what's really bothering people and trying to change the subject.
Look, think about it, Chris, real simple politics. You're an old-time politician. Me, too. How do you explain what got us into the spot we're in economically and in terms of our foreign policy without walking away from the last eight years' policies or coming up with another explanation why it's somebody else's fault?
Well, I don't think the McCain-Palin particularly can do either. One, if they do, they lose their base. The other, if they do, there's no legitimate argument. So what are they going to talk about? They're going to talk about Barack and they're going to try to scare people.
MATTHEWS: Scare people. John Lewis, who I know you respect, with the great civil rights record that he had, he said that he feels that the rhetoric coming from the other side, from the Republican side is stimulating, triggering the kind of atmosphere we saw back which led to so much tragedy in the '60s.
BIDEN: Well, look, I just think it's unhealthy, you know? You don't throw race, terrorism, you know, the "other guy," "Who is this man?"
That's a combustible mix in an environment where people are concerned, angry, some people, where we still haven't been able to deal with the cause of what 9/11 and, you know, I mean, it's just not a healthy mix. I don't think it's...
MATTHEWS: Are we talking the potential of violence here? Is that what we're talking about?
BIDEN: I hope not. I hope not. It's just not a useful time to be running an ad, I'll just stick to that, that says, look, the guy consorts with terrorists, puts a picture of a guy up nobody knows, doesn't explain Barack Obama was 8 years old when this guy did bad things and this guy has now received all kinds of awards, whether he should have or shouldn't have. I mean, I just think it's just not good.
MATTHEWS: OK. Let's talk about the big night coming up Wednesday night, the last of the debates. You were in one.
BIDEN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: There's been two presidential debates. It's an interesting thing, because Barack Obama, your running mate, has said, "OK, whatever you have to say, forget the inferences, forget the ads, say it to my face." What kind of a situation will that be Wednesday night, if John McCain does continue with that pattern that the campaign has been following of, as you call them, inferences?
BIDEN: I think John will regret the rest of his life, having an incredible career being cast in what people will remember. I don't think John will do that.
MATTHEWS: You don't think he'll get face-to-face?
BIDEN: No, I think John's already begun to realize, just by what I've seen on television and a lot of you have reported, that John's sort of pushing back on...
MATTHEWS: Friday night he did.
BIDEN: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have read about him, and he's not -- he's not -- he's a -- he's an Arab. He is not? No?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No, ma'am. No, ma'am. No, ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about. He's not. Thank you.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: That was the old John McCain. That's the guy you and I, I'll speak for myself, that I've known.
MATTHEWS: Yes, well, we saw that all the time.
BIDEN: Yes, I mean, that...
MATTHEWS: You think he had enough of it?
BIDEN: I think he's had enough of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Ladies and gentlemen, good to be here. It's good to be home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEWS: The states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, they seem to be once again called the battleground states, the states that will decide this -- what's your outlook right now, this Columbus weekend, for Pennsylvania?
BIDEN: Very good. I feel very good about Pennsylvania, now, maybe because I am in Delaware, and Pennsylvania has sort of been my market, and I'm from Pennsylvania. You know the state, Chris, better than anybody I know.
MATTHEWS: But you're the third senator from Pennsylvania, everybody calls you.
BIDEN: Yes, well -- well, it is. And I think I know the state. I think I know the state.
And, look, if there's ever a time when the things that matter to the people in Pennsylvania, those very people you're talking about, those seniors you're talking about, older population, my God, they just watched $2 trillion of, you know, their retirement just blown away. And these guys are talking about privatization or partial privatization of Social Security?
They're looking out there. And what's the one thing they've always valued, whether in North Philly or up here? Where was it? Education. "My kid's going to get educated."
They're looking now and saying, "I'm not going to be able to send Mary back to second semester, let alone get Charlie there the first time going around." So all of these issues are issues that I think are really the kitchen-table issues of -- of the people that I grew up with.
I don't know. I feel good about Pennsylvania. I know we're going to do very well in Michigan, and I think Ohio has come along. I also feel good about Florida.
MATTHEWS: Do you think the regular guy, the regular Joe up here, is going to be able to make that leap and say, "That guy out there from Chicago, with the different name, is in my interest. This guy who seems more familiar to me, John McCain, isn't?"
BIDEN: At first blush, no. But now they're getting to know them. Watch them both at debates. What did they see in those debates? They saw the guy from Chicago connecting more with them.
They saw the guy from Chicago standing there saying, "I can remember my mother when she was dying, having to argue with the insurance company." They get it. They get it.
They see -- they see Barack at the debate. They see him steady. They see him cool. They see him -- nothing at all about him came across as sort of ethereal. This guy is in a different -- and they watched John McCain, the guy -- heroes up this side of the -- this neck of the woods are people with steady hands, know exactly what they think, know where they want to go. John's bouncing from pillar to post on the issues. He doesn't seem...
MATTHEWS: He's lurching, you said.
BIDEN: Well, I did say lurching. I did.
MATTHEWS: What's that mean?
BIDEN: Well, he's just jumping from one position to another. He just -- it's almost like he's -- I think -- I think John knows...
MATTHEWS: You don't think he's too old, do you?
BIDEN: No, I don't he's too old.
MATTHEWS: Just -- when you say lurching, you mean policies?
BIDEN: Yes, I mean policy. I mean, he just is searching for what it is; I think John thought this whole race was going to be about foreign policy. And all of a sudden, it's about things that John -- they're not familiar to him.
MATTHEWS: Senator, it's great. Thank you very much, Sen. Joe Biden.
BIDEN: Appreciate it. Thanks.
Watch the complete video.
