Biden tells Va. supporters that Romney would put blacks ‘back in chains’Vice President Joseph R. Biden told an audience that included several hundred black supporters Tuesday that Republican Mitt Romney’s efforts to loosen Wall Street regulations would put voters “back in chains.”
“Romney wants to, he said in the first 100 days, he’s gonna let the big banks again write their own rules, unchain Wall Street” Mr. Biden said of the presumptive GOP nominee at a campaign rally in Danville, Va. The vice president then lowered his voice and added, “They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”
Danville is roughly half black, and there were many black supporters in the audience of about 800 at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research.
The Romney campaign reacted swiftly, accusing the Obama campaign of gutter politics.
“After weeks of slanderous and baseless accusations leveled against Governor Romney, the Obama campaign has reached a new low,” said Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul in a statement. “The comments made by the vice president of the United States are not acceptable in our political discourse and demonstrate yet again that the Obama campaign will say and do anything to win this election. President Obama should tell the American people whether he agrees with Joe Biden’s comments.”
Former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer tweeted: “The press pounded [Sarah] Palin when she talked about ‘blood libel’ … what will they do about Biden’s ‘chains’ remark.”
Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, opposes some of the financial reforms in the so-called Dodd-Frank legislation signed by Mr. Obama in 2010. Democrats said the law would curb risky investment practices and help to prevent another financial meltdown.
The vice president’s remarks came during a two-day campaign swing in Virginia and North Carolina, where he called Mr. Romney’s selection of Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as his running mate a move that will help clarify the race for voters. The Obama campaign is attacking Mr. Ryan’s budget plan, as well as his blueprint for reforming Medicare.
“This is a good thing, a good thing for the country that we have this stark, stark choice,” Mr. Biden said.
Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said on MSNBC that the campaign has “no problem” with Mr. Biden’s comments.
“I think he [the president] probably agrees with Joe Biden’s sentiments,” Ms. Cutter said. “He’s using a metaphor to talk about what’s going to happen.”
She said the Romney campaign was engaging in “faux outrage.”
“If you want to talk about the use of words, then take a look at Mitt Romney’s stump speech where he basically calls the president un-American,” Ms. Cutter said. “The bottom line is that we have no problem with those comments” from Mr. Biden.
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