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Joe Biden update: Frustrated at lack of outrage, he calls donors 'dullest audience I've ever spoken to'

October 8, 2010 |  3:28 am

Democrat vice president joe Biden makes a point to Democrat audience

For many months now both Vice President Joe Biden and the other guy have been traveling the country and telling audiences they know times are tough, but times aren't as tough as they would have been had they not done what they did do that hasn't actually done what they promised it would do.

Oh, and how about that massive healthcare legislation that a majority of Americans still wants to repeal?

Judging by the Nov. 2 polls showing a wave of angry voters flocking to the other party that hasn't run Congress in almost four years, many in the audiences aren't buying the administration's talk, let alone refrigerators and houses and other job-creating items. As our....

...colleague Michael Memoli notes, many Democrats are dodging appearances with the Obama-Biden team.

And after Biden's emphatically-promised economic Recovery Summer didn't recover anything and all this travel and talking, it can be frustrating for a longtime self-respecting ex-senator to stand in front of a bunch of dullard Democrat donors who just don't get it.

Finally, Thursday the effing vice president had had enough.

The nearly 68-year-old was in Madison, Wis., not exactly a conservative stronghold, speaking to a crowd of party supporters who'd paid at least $250 to hear him praise Democrat gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett.

According to the pool notes, Joe was dishing the same old failed Bush yada-yada and talking about how awful they found things when they took over the White House after spending $750 million of other people's money to get there.

Barrett had gotten an enthusiastic audience response in his previous briefer remarks.

But nothing the longtime Delaware train rider could say was riling anyone. "We want to reward people who manufacture things in the United States," he said. "In Wisconsin! Not to take them overseas to China and to other countries!"


"You are," the vice president of the United States informed the party donors, "the dullest audience I've ever spoken to."

Finally, applause and laughter.

Biden then took his political good will tour to Missouri. He'll be in Seattle all day today, folks, for two more riveting fundraisers.

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-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo: Jeff Roberson / Associated Press (file).