Sniveling Biden Still Whining About Jason Mattera Asking Tough Questions; Update: Mattera Responds

What a baby this guy is. He runs around claiming there will be an increase in rapes if Obama's tax increase isn't passed, then when questioned about he runs away like a frightened little girl. Now he's officially complaining about it.

Man up, Joe.

Joe Biden’s office has complained to the Senate press gallery about a confrontation the vice president had with a conservative journalist last week on Capitol Hill.

Biden aides asked whether Senate rules were broken in the wake of the contentious exchange between the vice president and the reporter.

Jason Mattera, who works for Human Events, a conservative magazine, used a pretext to catch Biden off guard in a Senate hallway and grill him on claims the vice president has made about jobs legislation.

Biden’s office has also contacted the standing committee of correspondents, which oversees the gallery, regarding whether Mattera broke the rules by ambushing him.

Heather Rothman, the chairwoman of the gallery’s standing committee, said the matter is under review.

“We’re aware of the concerns,” said Rothman, a reporter for BNA. “It’s being discussed.

“We’re aware this occurred and the vice president’s office [has made] contact,” she added, noting the standing committee itself hasn’t met to deliberate the issue.

The video of Wednesday’s exchange went viral, as news outlets and the Drudge Report highlighted Biden’s comment to Mattera: “Don’t screw around with me.”

CNN aired a segment — including footage of the incident — the same afternoon, and a YouTube clip of the interview has already attracted more than 380,000 views.

Biden had just left a rousing rally where Democratic leaders said Republican opposition to federal funding for police and firefighters threatened public safety. But the cable news coverage focused on the dust-up between Biden and Mattera.

Biden’s visible irritation might be explained by how he was lured into the short interview.

Lured into the interview? Please. The idiot thought it was a photo op and wasn't prepared for any questions. Too damn bad, Plugs.

All he and Obama want are pre-packaged questions they already know the answers to. They're unable to think on their feet and come off looking like schmucks otherwise. Now that he's whining about it he looks even worse.

Mattera admits to using a pretext to momentarily disarm Biden, but argues his methods were justified.

“ABC and CBS have done undercover sting operations and have done them for decades. The fact that a conservative publication goes after a public official who was misrepresenting himself and a Senate bill to the public and tries to get an answer from him, that’s great,” he said in an interview Monday.

“The media should take notice that this is how you ask a question. If I had said, ‘Hey, Mr. Vice President, a question regarding your rape comments,’ he would shrug it off.

“He’s not going to take questions hostile to his agenda. I want to get him in that honest moment when he doesn’t have his talking points and isn’t prepared to spin,” Mattera added.

Mattera said his technique is “premised on looking to get the most honest reaction from politicians used to conning the media daily — and even their constituents.”

“You shouldn’t play patty-cake with politicians to gain access,” he said.

Funny, but Biden played such a tough guy during the interview. Then like a little worm he complains behind the scenes.


Since the network news outlets ignored this dust-up, Biden's best recourse would be to forget about it. He looked like and idiot, but then again he does that every day.

He just can't accept the fact he lost badly.

Update: I reached Mattera and he states simply:

The Obama Administration wants to take me on? Okay, fine. Bring it. My press credentials are a little something, something called the First Amendment.

Also, John Hayward lays the smackdown.

It's Come to This: Obama Now Hawking SEIU Merchandise on Twitter

Could this guy be any more low rent? Seriously, the President of the United States is now pimping out Joe Biden can holders?

Notice it says Workers United at the bottom. Guess who that is.

Workers United, SEIU is a union of 150,000 workers in the US and Canada who work in the laundry, food service, hospitality, gaming, apparel, textile, manufacturing and distribution industries. Workers United is a new union with a 100 year heritage, and includes members from predecessor unions like the ILGWU, ACTWU, UNITE and UNITE HERE.

Biden: More Rapes And Murders in Flint, MI If 'Jobs Bill' Not Passed

It just doesn't get any lower than this. So if we don't pass Obama's tax increase crime will be even worse in this cesspool? Does Obama get the blame for the current crime rate?

"In 2008, when Flint had 265 sworn officers on their police force, there were 35 murders and 91 rapes in this city," Biden said. "In 2010, when Flint had only 144 police officers, the murder rate climbed to 65 and rapes--just to pick two categories--climbed to 229. In 2011, you now only have 125 shields. God only knows what the numbers will be this year for Flint if we don't rectify it."

Using Biden's logic, should Obama be held responsible for the reduction in the number of police officers?

Via Weekly Standard.

Flashback: Biden On Nuclear Option In 2005: 'I Pray To God' Democrats Do Not Do This When We Have Power

That was then, this is now.

In a shocking development Thursday evening, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) triggered a rarely used procedural option informally called the “nuclear option” to change the Senate rules.

Reid and 50 members of his caucus voted to change Senate rules unilaterally to prevent Republicans from forcing votes on uncomfortable amendments after the chamber has voted to move to final passage of a bill.

Reid’s coup passed by a vote of 51-48, leaving Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) fuming.

Eh, rules are only for Republicans.

Clueless Joe: 'Who's Van Jones?'

Is he playing dumb or does this just come naturally?

Tuesday morning on AM Tampa Bay on 970 WFLA, Vice President Joe Biden was asked by Jack Harris about the Occupy Wall Street Movement. The VP said "I really don't know about the Van Jones group, except what I read in the press." The group is currently protesting in New York City against the social and economic inequality, corporate greed and the influence of corporate money and lobbyists on government.

Later in his response in talking about the frustration seen in the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street Group, Biden said "you have on the one end Van Jones' guys, whoever he is, talking about Wall Street." Jack Harris and Tedd Webb stopped him to tell him he had previously been "Green Czar" in the administration. The VP responded, "Oh is that... alright"

All those Communists look alike to Joe.

Listen here:

Biden Flashback: 'Recovery Act Has Had an Unprecedentedly Low Level of Fraud'

Care to take that one back, Sheriff Joe?

“Sheriff” Joe Biden’s remarks could come back to haunt him when it comes to Solyndra, the solar company that went bankrupt after winning a $535 million loan guarantee from 2009’s economic stimulus package.

President Obama named his vice president the sheriff of the stimulus, and Biden’s duties were to ensure that no money was wasted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Biden, a key figure in any White House negotiation with leaders on Capitol Hill, has boasted of his success in limiting fraud and waste in the stimulus.

“Now, there were a lot of naysayers back then who said that there was no way we could implement the Recovery Act without massive waste, fraud and abuse,” Biden said in a June 13 post on the White House blog announcing the new “Campaign to Cut Waste,” which was to root out wasteful government spending at every agency and department.

“You know what? They were wrong. Thanks to our diligence (and some help from advanced computer models and sophisticated data analysis), the Recovery Act has had an unprecedentedly low level of fraud, with less than 0.6 percent of all awards experiencing any waste or abuse.”

Obama asked Biden to reprise his sheriff role Wednesday, appointing him to lead a review of how agencies spend taxpayer dollars following a Justice Department report that found “extravagant” spending on conferences, including $16 muffins.

The Solyndra controversy represents a small portion of the total stimulus funds, but it still strikes at the administration’s promise to prevent fraud and waste. And Biden finds himself in the middle of the controversy.

Republicans argue the White House rushed the loan to Solyndra so that Biden could announce it at a company event in 2009, when the administration was pushing green energy as a way to create jobs.

According to Obama flunky Jay Carney, this was merely an "investment" that didn't pan out. Nothing to see here, move along.

"The reason why fledgling, cutting-edge industries need this kind of assistance is because they can be high risk as well as high reward," White House press secretary Jay Carney said. He also observed that "what happened here is an investment did not pan out."

Um, so why not let everything out in the open rather that running for cover and stonewalling investigators?

Meanwhile, to no surprise we've got an apparent Soros stench emanating from another Obama scandal. Imagine our surprise.

As Republican lawmakers begin to dig into the White House's cozy relationship with a startup wireless company and the wealthy Democratic donor who owns it, a new character has appeared on the story's edges: liberal superdonor, conservative bete noire and controversial investor George Soros.

Soros reportedly invested in the telecom company LightSquared through a hedge fund, and many of the nonprofits he finances have backed LightSquared in regulatory and policy disputes.

Figures: Biden Prepped for Hurricane By Golfing

Bet his boss is really envious. Obama at least pretended he was concerned by showing up at a hurricane center.

Delaware was pounded by Hurricane Irene on Saturday night, but Vice President Biden got in one last round of golf in his home state before the heavy stuff started coming down, Fox News has learned.

Biden played golf at a Wilmington-area course on Saturday morning, according to two sources familiar with his schedule.

Asked directly whether Biden played golf on Saturday, Biden's office would not comment to Fox News.

Biden's official schedule released Friday showed him spending down time at home in Wilmington after a 10-day official trip to Asia.

Biden: I've Always Had Trouble Trying to 'Annunciate'

He's having an even more difficult time with his spelling.

Secondly, you compliment me by saying I’m an accomplished public speaker. I don't know whether you’ve had an opportunity to see a movie that has gotten worldwide circulation called “The King’s Speech.” Well, but for the royal blood and the money, that could have been me. I was a serious stutterer when I was in school as a child, as a high school student, and even into college. And I practiced very, very hard by myself, standing in front of a mirror, trying to annunciate without contorting my face.

All these years later he's still not making any sense.

Biden also wished he could speak Chinese. Joe, listen now. You're already incoherent in English, why bother not making sense in another language?

Biden Throws Taiwan, Tibet Under the Bus

Let's face it, he knows who his real boss is.

Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden has said that his country is committed to building a close, permanent and friendly relationship with China. Biden expressed these view during talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping here Thursday morning, official media said. During the talks, Biden exchanged views with Vice President Xi on furthering bilateral ties. He said that since strategic trust is crucial to the lasting and steady development of U.S.-China relations, both countries should increase their contact in order to enhance mutual understanding and avoid strategic miscalculations. Biden said that cooperation between the two nations plays a vital role in stabilizing the world economy, adding that the United States welcomes China’s sustained economic growth and is ready to make joint efforts with China to ensure the steady growth of the global economy.

Biden stated that the United States fully recognizes that issues related to Taiwan and Tibet are part of China’s core interests.

He said the U.S. will firmly adhere to the one-China policy and will not support “Taiwan independence.” He said the U.S. fully acknowledges that Tibet is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.

Biden also pledged to boost cooperation with China to properly handle regional issues and global problems in order to promote world peace and stability.

Can't wait for the "clarification" on this one.

Biden: 'We Have a Leader With the Backbone of a Ramrod'

Let's see. According to the Urban Dictionary, "ramrod" can mean any number of things: A dick, a penis, a crazy guy that refers to himself in third person and a large blunt object that protrudes into someones anal orphus.

Yup, that pretty much describes Obama.

“You can feel the change,” Biden noted, speaking before a crowd that included Gov. John Lynch, as well as former congressmen Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter, among other party leaders who lost their seats during last year’s elections.

“The American people get it, and they’re getting it more profoundly than ever before,” he said, his voice hushed to a dramatic whisper. “We have a leader with the backbone of a ramrod, and now the real Barack Obama … is coming into focus.”

Barack Obama: The man with a backbone of a penis!

Here's video of Crazy Joe:

Biden: Hey, How About Me in 2016?

Well, he's going to have plenty of free time on his hands once January 20, 2013 rolls around, so why not?

Vice President Joe Biden surprised a gathering of donors in Cincinnati last week when he floated the prospect of his succeeding President Barack Obama in the White House.

Biden, who started in the Senate young and would be just 70 in 2012, raised the possibility unprompted during a wide-ranging conversation at the May 19 dinner with major Democratic Party donors, a source in the room said.

The Vice President, who has never ruled in or out running in six years, told the group he hadn't made up his mind, and cited both political conditions and his own health as relevant factors.

But the spontaneous suggestion caught the attention of at least some in the audience, said the guest, "given he volunteered that without prompting...and given the audience."

Joe Biden: Not a High-Priority al-Qaeda Target

Sheriff Joe's ego hardest hit.

Perhaps if he wasn't such a useful idiot they'd be more inclined to go after him.

US officials have revealed that Osama bin Laden’s diaries contain the rather startling conclusion that he didn’t think Vice President Joe Biden was worth bumping off (hat tip: a tweet from my New York colleague Jon Swaine).

According to ProPublica, the Obama administration is briefing that Barack Obama was bin Laden’s the “top target” (no surprise there) while “military chiefs like the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the defense secretary” were also major scalps.

But Joe Biden’s scalp (hair plugs and all)? Apparently, not so much. A counterterrorism official said: “There is a note indicating that the vice president is not an important target because that position has less weight.”

To be fair, it seems that Uncle Joe was not mentioned by name and the al-Qaeda leader tied the comment to the constitutional weakness of the vice-presidency rather than the antics of the garrulous current occupant.

But one does suspect that bin Laden might have rather liked to have got Dick Cheney.

Cross-posted.

Biden Wets His Pants, Outs the SEALs

Who needs Wikileaks when we have Joe Biden?

Just imagine if this this blabbermouth ever got a hold of the nuclear football.

Since President Barack Obama announced that “a small team of Americans” had killed Osama bin Laden, US government officials have carefully stuck to the line that they will not talk about which units were involved.

Obama did not say it was the SEALs. In numerous television appearances, Obama’s counter-terrorism chief John Brennan didn’t and his deputy national security adviser Denis McDonough didn’t. Despite the numerous news reports that named the SEALs, none of the anonymous briefers from the CIA and Pentagon would confirm it.

*****

But here’s what the legendarily verbose and loose-lipped Vice President Joe Biden said at a dinner at Washington’s Ritz Carlton Hotel last night to mark the 50th anniversary of the Atlantic Council:

Let me briefly acknowledge tonight’s distinguished honorees. Admiral James Stavridis is a, is the real deal. He can tell you more about and understands the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday.

And:

Folks, I’d be remiss also if I didn’t say an extra word about the incredible events, extraordinary events of this past Sunday. As Vice President of the United States, as an American, I was in absolute awe of the capacity and dedication of the entire team, both the intelligence community, the CIA, the SEALs. It just was extraordinary.

h/t: Drudge.

Biden Dozes Off During Obama Speech

Let's face it: How many times can someone listen to a guy read prepared text off a TelePrompter before you start tuning him out? It's not as if his boss was saying anything he believed, anyway.

Vice President Biden was caught on camera dozing off for the better part of a minute during President Obama's much-hyped deficit speech Wednesday.

Biden's eyes were firmly closed and his head bobbed several times - often the tell-tale signs of a good snooze.

He eventually jolt awaked [sic] - and looked into his lap as if taking notes or in deep thought.

Biden's nap, first noticed by ABC's The Note blog, was particularly noticeable as he was seated next to the seemingly engaged Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

The gaffe-prone Vice President did not seem to be the only one struggling to stay awake. A woman seated behind him in glasses was also caught on tape fighting droopy eyelids.

Now Obama's not only blowing smoke and just saying things he thinks people want to hear, he's downright boring.

'The Truth Is, I Don't Deserve This'

Finally, some truth from Joe Biden.

Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday witnessed the newly-renovated Wilmington, Del. Amtrak station be named for him, and appeared humbled by the honor.

Biden became famous for frequently traveling from his home town to Washington on Amtrak during his nearly four-decade Senate career, but said that he is not worthy of the accolade.

"The truth is, I don't deserve this, unless you reward longevity," Biden said, according to delawareonline.com.

The Wilmington station is now officially called the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Railroad Station.

A $37.7 million renovation project was recently completed at the Wilmington train station. Construction took almost two years. $20 million from the federal stimulus act, which Biden helped oversee, went toward the project.

Nothing like a government program you voted for to help fund your legacy.

Joe Biden (D-olt, White House): Republicans Are Like Rape Apologists, Or Something

On this lovely bipartisan note, I suppose Joe Biden expects House Republicans to actually give a rip about whether Harry Reid or Barack Obama will sign off on their lackluster budget cuts.

What, they do?!

Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at a fundraiser in Philadelphia Friday, compared Republicans in Congress to people who excuse rapists by blaming their victims.

The vice president, known for speaking his mind and at times putting his foot in his mouth, said that Republicans who want to cut spending while at the same time cutting taxes for the wealthy are similar to rape apologists.

In setting up his comparison, the vice president explained to the audience that before the Violence Against Women Act that he championed was passed into law, “there was this attitude in our society of blaming the victim," according to a press pool account of the event.

“When a woman got raped, blame her because she was wearing a skirt too short, she looked the wrong way or she wasn't home in time to make the dinner,” Biden said.

Wasn't home in time to make the dinner?

Huh?

“We've gotten by that,” he said. “But it's amazing how these Republicans, the right wing of this party – whose philosophy threw us into this God-awful hole we’re in, gave us the tremendous deficit we’ve inherited – that they’re now using, now attempting to use, the very economic condition they have created to blame the victim – whether it’s organized labor or ordinary middle-class working men and women. It's bizarre. It's bizarre.”



President Obama has tapped Biden to be his lead negotiator with congressional Republicans on the budget.

Good call there, Mr. President. Single best decision you ever made.

h/t: Amanda Carpenter.

Cross-posted.

In a Surprise Move, Biden Hires WaPo Stenographer to Replace Obama's New Flack

A regular revolving door at the Washington Post.

Veteran political reporter Shailagh Murray is leaving the Washington Post to serve as communications director for Vice President Joe Biden, The Fix learned today.

“There are few reporters more skillful than Shailagh when it comes to connecting politics and policy in Washington,” said Post national editor Kevin Merida. “She is a master at explaining complex legislation and the unpredictable twists and turns of Congress. Her sophisticated understanding of issues and an ability to bring big ideas to our pages have served readers well.”

With such awesome skills, it's a wonder how someone with such a sophisticated understanding of issues never found a more meaningful pursuit in life other than mouthing Democrat talking points.

Case in point, her "reporting" following the Gabrielle Giffords shooting.

Giffords’s seat was targeted by Republicans in the 2010 midterm elections, but she managed to win a tough battle against a tea party-endorsed opponent. The up-and-coming lawmaker, known as a moderate Democrat who stayed in touch with her district, had been singled out by Sarah Palin’s SarahPac as one of 20 Democrats representing states that supported Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for president in 2008.

Liberals on Saturday blamed the tea party movement’s sometimes militant rhetoric: for example, Palin’s telling supporters via Twitter, “Don’t Retreat, Instead – RELOAD,” and Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle’s advocating “second-amendment remedies” to some of the nation’s problems.

The link to Palin touched off a war of words Saturday on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as prominent left-wing bloggers accused Palin and others of encouraging extremism. Palin weighed in by issuing a call for “peace” on her Facebook page.

So a woman who was quick to insert Sarah Palin into the debate there, a low point in recent media history, is hired by the administration to make sense of Joe Biden's incoherent ramblings.

Wonderful.

Expert Train Rider Joe Biden Finally Gets His Props

Why any politician would want his name attached to a taxpayer-subsidized fiscal sinkhole like Amtrak is...

Never mind. This all makes perfect sense.

Frequent train rider, Vice President Joe Biden will be forever linked with the Wilmington train station.

In honor of the long-time Amtrak rider and strong advocate of passenger rail, the newly renovated station will be dedicated as the Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station on Saturday.

As a U.S. Senator from Delaware for 36 years, Biden regularly traveled by train between Wilmington and Washington, D.C.

Wilmington Station underwent a nearly two-year, $37.7-million renovation. Funding for the project included $20 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The station is the 12th busiest in the Amtrak system, serving more than 696,000 passengers in Fiscal Year 2010. SEPTA and Delaware Transit Corporation passengers also use the station.

Amtrak said passengers will enjoy a larger concourse, safety improvements and a new passenger information display system. The renovation also included enhancements to the station's accessibility for people with disabilities.

Perhaps Biden will call on Chuck Graham to test out the new wheelchair ramps during Saturday's ceremony.

Cross-posted.

This Almost Happened: "Joe Biden Elementary School"

Fortunately, Delawarean grade-schoolers narrowly averted this humiliating indignity.

President Obama already has seven schools named after him, but his vice president still has some catching up to do.

Delaware voters may have sent Joe Biden to the Senate six times, but it seems they are not quite ready to name a school after him.

The News Journal (DE) reported yesterday that Brandywine School District officials asked local residents to vote on a name for a new elementary school that is being built on the former site of Hanby Middle School in north Wilmington.

Biden’s name ended up as one of the finalists, but ultimately Delawareans voted to keep the same name. The new school will be Hanby Elementary School.

The News Journal reported that a anonymous campaign popped up online in early January urging Delaware residents to not vote for Biden, saying it was inappropriate to name a public building after an elected official who is still alive.

“Mr. Biden will receive many honors in time,” the site reads. “Let's not make this one of them."

Indeed. One day, there will plenty of schools like this one clamoring to adopt Biden's moniker.

Just be patient, Delaware!

Cross-posted.

Latest Bumbling Biden Appearance: Two Gaffes for the Price of One!

Cameras capture Joe Biden's gaffes: wishtv.com

Let's look at the bright side. At least he didn't implore a wheelchair-bound man to stand up. All he did here was confuse a woman for a man and called his hosts Enron. Pretty standard fare for Gaffemaster Joe.

Vice President Joe Biden made a couple of mistakes at the microphone when he appeared at the Ener1 plant in Hancock County, Ind. on Wednesday.

The first came when he mentioned a state Senator. "Senator Gard is here, wanna recognize him, I was told he was here," said Biden.

Senator Beverly Gard, in fact, was in the audience. She met with Biden after the speech.

The Vice President didn't always get the name of the company right, either. At one point he referred "Enron one leading the way."

Maybe he should learn to use the TelePrompter as a crutch, like his boss does.