As Joe Biden raises money in California, will he be on tape-recorder alert?

Joe Biden embarked today on a treacherous mission, one fraught with the potential to knock the Democratic presidential ticket from its seemingly lofty perch -- behind closed doors, he was raising money in California's Bay Area.

True enough, he could hardly imagine a friendly audience at the three events that will fill his day -- a luncheon, an afternoon reception and a dinner, all at private homes. But that's just why danger lurks. With his guard down, might the voluble Biden make the same foot-in-mouth mistake that Barack Obama made in the same region a little more than six months ago?

It was at a fundraiser in San Francisco, of course, that Obama -- unaware that a Huffington Post "citizen-journalist" was in the audience with a tape recorder -- uttered his now-infamous "bitter" comments about Americans living in small towns.

Obama's rarely been allowed to forget those words since (hammering him over them was an early staple of Sarah Palin's stump speech). And in a recent interview with the New York Times Magazine, he characterized the remarks as his "biggest boneheaded move" in his run for the presidency.

Biden presumably has been prepped. And rather than go off on a philosophical tangent, he likely will regale well-heeled Californians with more than they ever wanted to know about a medium-sized town: Scranton, Pa.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[BJ]

Why does Biden always look like he's ready to cry when he talks? Very good campaign ploy tho.

[Curtis]

Man talk about McCains age influenced issues, what about this guy? McCain looks pretty good up against him. Just think he's only a heartbeat away from the presidency :) ! Ha

[Cheryl]

What are you talking about? Biden looks great!

OBAMA 2008 - get out and vote!

[Barrie O. Ward The Canadian Geezer]

What is the point of this story ... an excuse to bring up Obama's earlier remarks perhaps?

This is called crap journalism at its most pathetic stage.

[Shandra]

there's a difference in "being old" and "looking old"! :) HA!

[Tom]

Barack Obama's comment about small town Americans is significant because it refers to the majority of the American people, particularly those who are struggling to cope with the current economic climate. When he accuses them of clinging to their guns and religion, it sounds as though he hates the constitution. Guns and religion are one of the staples of constitutional rights.

[thorninurside]

Repugnicans who are hoping for Biden to catch Palin's foot-in-mouth disease are sure to be disappointed. Even with a hidden recorder they'll hear have little to use against him. Aand 'ja know ? He'll be talking to real "Pro-Amairiicuns" too. I guess this means I won't get an invite to the weddin'. Golly..I even offered to bring the shotgun. Folks have been saying that after the election she'll crawl back under a rock in Alaska. I don't believe it...I understand she has a book deal, and it's already got a title: "Parenting for Dummies".

[ice weasel]

SO much that is wrong here. It is good to see the LAT leading the way into the decline of the mainstream media. What will the bored writers of the LAT tediously speculate about next? What might happen if...

I happened on this story as a link and now I know that henceforth I can ignore LAT links as they're likely just more tripe such as this.

[krelus]

I might just be weird, but I interpreted Obama's "bitter" remarks as him saying that, because nobody wants to admit to the problems plaguing small-town America, its citizens are forced to vote based on a candidate's religion, or his/her stance on gun control. I.E., things that, while important, won't give them jobs and salaries. To me it makes more literal sense, anyway. Noone will ever know what the true meaning was, though, save for Obama himself. By and large, such speculation is largely a waste of time, as it is inherently subjective and ambiguous.

[Angelica]

Wow, that is really digging deep for a story.
Obama has a rally in St. Louis today, historic in that over 100,000 people showed up - the most ever at a rally and you are wondering if, IF Biden will make a gaffe.
ITMT, we are all wondering if Sarah Mouselini will stumble upon her own "Joe Six Pack" words tonight at SNL.
Freepers creepers!

[Dulce]

Well I guess now that good ole Sarah has stuck her foot in her mouth by saying that only certain small towns are 'pro-american' we should be able to put Obama's gaffe to rest. Her questioning the patriotism of those of us who disagree with her and Repubilcans is getting really old. I am an independent, always have been. I am insulted by her comments, the divisiveness of the McCain/Palin campaign. They are not 'Country First' they are McCain/Palin and winning first.

[NoMan]

The majority of Americans live in urban areas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States#cite_note-0

[Pam]

Interesting that his plagerism is never brought up by the media.
Stand up Joe, stand up....

[Fred]

NObiden and NObama. NO communists

[BJ]

The amount of money the Obama campaign has spent during the primary and this election can be described with one word: OBSCENE

This is magnified especially now that the country is in such a financial crisis. How can Obama rationalize this waste? Outspending Hillary 3-1, and now McCain 4-1. This is beyond comprehension!

Is this the way he intends to manage the country? Oh, I guess he prefers to "spread the wealth". No wonder Louis Farrakhan and his nation of Islam is celebrating that a "new age" is coming.

[Nick]

"Barack Obama's comment about small town Americans is significant because it refers to the majority of the American people, particularly those who are struggling to cope with the current economic climate. When he accuses them of clinging to their guns and religion, it sounds as though he hates the constitution. Guns and religion are one of the staples of constitutional rights."

Translation: Clinging to what makes them feel safe.

Sadly, gun rights and religious beliefs are important enough for many people to vote AGAINST their otherwise best interests.

For example: Nobody likes abortions. Sometimes though, an action can have drastic unintended consequences. Ending all abortions could cause a massive spike in the number of handicapped and illegitimate children born in America. Many of these would wind up in the social services system. This could quickly bankrupt our already underfunded government...

[Thomas]

@BJ:

You do realize that Obama's campaign is funded by contributions? What's he supposed to do, NOT spend the money? Come on!

[tod]

Do you prefer socialism or redistribution of wealth to CEOs, oil companies ?
http://therealmccain.com/

[Mr Nerdbird]

Look its probably true that many Americans cling to guns and religion. Its just not PC to say it. McCain did not know the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. That is a big display of ignorance. I like Obama. He has made a few mistakes but haven't we all. He will make a great President. Give the guy and chance.

[Arun]

Well, it's not a waste of money. Obama takes money from his contributions and spends it, in the same economy. The money isn't going anywhere. Circulation of money is a good thing.

Why do you think World War 2 helped save the economy after the Great Depression? Not that I am promoting wars, it's a waste of things far more important than money, but spending at that level improves economies instead of hurting them.

[Keith]

People people people. If the question is wether or not Bidon will put his foot in his mouth,. All you have to do is watch his biography on CNN presents where he recalls his childhood and how his Father or maybe his Grand father once told him that you should Not judge a man by either honesty or integrity but judge by their ability to make good judgements. Now this must be the reason he is on Barak Hisane Obama's tickit. How sad! If Martin Luther King was still on earth I suggest that he would never endorce either one of these of these men. No, he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and words that are forever serele Judge not the color of ones skin, Judge by the content of ones character. I ask you, would lying or plagerizing or phoney birth certificates that will not be allowed to be proven true that come from someone such as Obama? Would an old dinosaur politician entreched in Washington politics presented before us as real change even come close to One of our countries greatest leaders endorsement? I don't think so, but if good judgement is attained by sitting in a congregation tha propheses the Love of Jesus but uses Gods name in vain and curses an entire race based on the color of skin I shudder to think what consequenses are ahead in the tribulation before us. Prove all things, hold fast to that which is pure and true. Vote not the color of ones skin, vote that which is a genuine war hero willing to put his or her life before God Country and their own personal ego!

[davide]

There is a tradition in rural, white, America, that teaches the children about God, guns, and racial prejudice. What is wrong with saying it> . People always fall back on their core beliefs in times of trouble.

[Keith]

People people people. If the question is wether or not Bidon will put his foot in his mouth,. All you have to do is watch his biography on CNN presents where he recalls his childhood and how his Father or maybe his Grand father once told him that you should Not judge a man by either honesty or integrity but judge by their ability to make good judgements. Now this must be the reason he is on Barak Hisane Obama's tickit. How sad! If Martin Luther King was still on earth I suggest that he would never endorce either one of these of these men. No, he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and words that are forever serele Judge not the color of ones skin, Judge by the content of ones character. I ask you, would lying or plagerizing or phoney birth certificates that will not be allowed to be proven true that come from someone such as Obama? Would an old dinosaur politician entreched in Washington politics presented before us as real change even come close to One of our countries greatest leaders endorsement? I don't think so, but if good judgement is attained by sitting in a congregation tha propheses the Love of Jesus but uses Gods name in vain and curses an entire race based on the color of skin I shudder to think what consequenses are ahead in the tribulation before us. Prove all things, hold fast to that which is pure and true. Vote not the color of ones skin, vote that which is a genuine war hero willing to put his or her life before God Country and their own personal ego!

[david]

It's too bad you make a vague reference to Obama's famous "bitter" quote without actually saying what he said:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate, and they have not."

"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment, as a way to explain their frustrations."

So, way to take a small bit of a quote, surgically remove it from its context, and then repeat endlessly.

Good job.

[Texas Tea Party]

Well, it's not a waste of money. Obama takes money from his contributions and spends it, in the same economy. The money isn't going anywhere. Circulation of money is a good thing.

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When OBAMA collects 500 million dollars for his campaign, HE isn't spreading the wealth - it's going straight to media buys that are owned by large corporations who eat that money.