Biden Uses Daylight Saving Zinger to Say Romney Likes to “Turn the Clock Back”
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(ARVADA, Colo.) — In his first of two stops in Colorado Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden used a little comedy at a local high school to highlight how the GOP ticket’s policies will set the country back, reminding voters to change the times on their clocks on Saturday night on what Biden billed as Mitt Romney’s favorite night of the year.
“Look folks, I want to remind you. This is the end of Daylight Saving time tonight. It’s Mitt Romney’s favorite time of the year because he gets to turn the clock back,” Biden said to laughter and applause at Arvada High School Saturday afternoon. “He wants to turn that clock back so desperately. This time he can really do it tonight. It happens.”
“I’m so ready to win this election, man,” Biden added.
The vice president emphasized the GOP ticket’s willingness to abandon their principles, but Biden warned that despite the changes in their policies, the sun is about to set on Romney’s presidential bid.
“You saw those debates. You began to wonder. Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan seem to be running as fast away from their positions as they can. It’s like watching a guy, a little kid trying to outrun his shadow, man! It keeps comin’ up to him. It’s like whoa! It’s still there. It’s still there. Shadow doesn’t go away until the sun goes down. It’s goin’ down Tuesday night! That’s what’s goin’ down.”
But it wasn’t all jokes for the vice president. As he wound down his speech, the vice president accused Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan of lacking “confidence in average Americans” and promoting policies which dictate that only “the enlightened, the wealthy, the powerful” are fit to govern this country.
“They’re not bad men. Why would they do this? It’s because I truly believe, if you look at all their policies, the fundamental dividing line between the president and me and Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, who talks about the culture of dependency and all this stuff, here’s what I think the fundamental difference is: I don’t think, I don’t think they have confidence in average Americans,” Biden said. “I really mean it. I think they really do believe, unless the enlightened, the wealthy, the powerful are absolutely able to have their hands on the wheel and direct everything, that we’re in trouble. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s not the history and journey of this country. I can tell you with absolute confidence, the president and I have total confidence in the grit and determination.”
The vice president opened his speech by delivering a heartfelt note of gratitude for veterans and the man who introduced him, Steve Simmons, a Vietnam veteran.
“You’re looking at a hero here man,” Biden said with Simmons at his side. “A Vietnam generation went over there and fought. This guy had that Agent Orange rained down on him. This guy came back and he fought, he fought health problems, he fought like hell. And I want to tell you what: I am proud to stand here with this man.”
“Because of guys like you, the president and I decided – and everyone decided – we’re never again gonna do, never again gonna do to veterans who fought for America what happened to the Vietnam veterans,” Biden said. “That’s why I’m so proud to serve with the president. We not only made sure we vastly increased the assets available to Veterans Affairs and the Veterans hospitals and education. But you know what we did? They’re an awful lot of people of this man’s generation – warriors who fought, who got left behind, Agent Orange we fought for years and years, post-traumatic stress for years and years wasn’t acknowledged…and I apologize it took so damn long.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio