Joe Biden-Super Joe VP - Shotgun
Wielding Gaffe Machine
Many articles of late make a point of
highlighting Vice President Joe Biden's verbal missteps. It seems
quoting our amiably eccentric VP is the sport of the day. I want to
make it very clear that I don't find fault where others do. In
contrast to popular opinion, I appreciate the off the cuff remarks as
words from someone who speaks from the heart and not a rehearsed
script prepared by White House staff writers. I don't mind the
mistakes, because everyone makes mistakes.
Many of his remarks tend to be on the
humorous side, but then again, many of the questions he's asked are
of the sort where any response will seem humorous. He often laughs
and smiles wide before responding to questions. In fact, many of the
things he is supposed to respond to are ridiculous and I am certain
that anyone in his shoes would come across just the same.
All public figures past and present
have made their share of mistakes, but our VP Joe Biden may be more
scrutinized than most.
Recently VP Joe Biden was speaking and
recalled what his son had told him … "That's one of the things
that he finds was most in need when he was over there in Iraq for a
year," - "That people would come to him and talk about what
was happening to them at home in terms of foreclosures, in terms of
bad loans that were being ... I mean these Shylocks who took
advantage of, um, these women and men while overseas." These
comments relate to the predatory lenders who were taking advantage of
vulnerable service members.
Now it seems the word “Shylock” has
come to be an anti-Semitic slur. Who knew? Most Americans and in fact
almost everyone everywhere would never have guessed that. That's one
comment that is only on the radar of those who try to find
anti-Semitic in whatever anyone says.
VP Joe Biden immediately apologized and
said it was a poor choice of words when it really wasn't necessary.
His comments were never anti-Semitic motivated. It's just a scenario
where he speaks plainly and others scrutinize to find fault.
Like anyone, he has made some mistakes
when stating facts. His mistakes usually strike us in a funny way
that can only be a reflection of just how endearing he is to all of
us. Below are some of my favorite Joe Biden comments. These are only
funny because they're Joe's. If they were comments from Al Gore or
someone else, they'd have been mistakes forgotten and not the funny
memories of a real human being before us.
1.
"Folks, I can tell you I've known eight presidents, three of
them intimately." – Joe Biden
2.
"A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next
President of the United States — Barack America!" – Joe
Biden, at his first campaign rally with Barack Obama.
3.
"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is
articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean,
that's a storybook, man." – Joe Biden speaking of Barack Obama
4.
"Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to
be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly, it
might have been a better pick than me."
5.
"Stand up, Chuck, let 'em see ya." –- Joe Biden, talking
to Missouri state Sen. Chuck Graham, who was in a wheelchair.
6.
"Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle
the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as
Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs." – Joe
Biden
7.
"You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a
slight Indian accent.... I'm not joking." --Joe Biden
8.
"If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty,
there's still a 30% chance we're going to get it wrong." - Joe
Biden, speaking to members of the House Democratic caucus who were
gathered in Williamsburg, Va., for their annual retreat.
9.
"This is a big fucking deal!" – Joe Biden, congratulating
President Barack Obama during the health care signing ceremony.
10.
"My mother believed and my father believed that if I wanted to
be president of the United States, I could be, I could be Vice
President!" – Joe Biden
And let's not forget the “Buy a
shotgun, buy a shotgun,” rant, when asked about Citizens rights and
the issue of gun control. Although he came across in a humorous
manner, he's actually right, a shotgun is easier to control and more
than effective. You don't need 30 rounds with a semi-automatic to
make you safer.
Then when talking about Russia and Putin, he said, - "We no
longer think in Cold War terms, for several reasons," - "One,
no one is our equal. No one is close. Other than being crazy enough
to press a button, there is nothing that Putin can do militarily to
fundamentally alter American interests." - "I said, Mr.
Prime Minister, I'm looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you
have a soul," and "He looked back at me, and he smiled, and
he said, “We understand one another."
And of course, most recently he said in a speech in Iowa on
September 17, 2014, that Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern
Singapore, is "the smartest man in the Orient." Now it
seems the use of the word "orient" or "oriental"
is now considered outdated and offensive by Asians.
It's unfortunate that many people can not appreciate sincere
heartfelt sentiment. Instead, many will pick apart every comment and
every word, in search of another gaffe. It's a good thing that most
of us don't get the same scrutiny...imagine what others might think
and say about you.
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