Joe Biden update: He calls some fellow Democrats 'turkeys'

(UPDATE: An update on Biden's schedule has been added to the end of this item.)

Vice President Joe Biden did not need Air Force Two Thursday night to travel across the Potomac River to McLean, Va., to the home of former Democratic Virginia Gov. and Sen. Chuck Robb.

It was, of course, a fundraiser, designed to help finance three freshman Democratic House candidates -- Glenn Nye, Gerry Connolly and Tom Perriello -- in their challenging reelection races 13 months from now in what once was a predictably GOP state.

Robb himself did not speak at the event. His wife, Lynda, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, introduced the trio of representatives.

But it looks like Joltin' Joe stepped in something again, rhetorically speaking.

About 100 supporters had paid $1,000 each to gather in the open-air pool house where Biden spoke. 

"I don’t have to tell you that you’re in a very competitive state,” the vice president said, according to the press pool notes. “You got some tough votes coming up.”

Biden called the three men “independent minded” and “damn competent,” adding, however, that they were all united on core Democratic Party themes, including energy policy and healthcare. 

“These guys are smart, "Biden asserted. "Some of the guys Chuck [Robb] and I have campaigned for are turkeys. Not all Democrats are created equal, while most Republicans are.”

The voluble Biden has a reputation for sometimes getting carried away in remarks, as refreshingly candid though they may be to some non-administration ears. Last fall at one gathering, a shirt-sleeved Biden paced the stage with a microphone and said Hillary Clinton would have been a better running-mate choice for Barack Obama to make, a gaffe that prompted the campaign to end most of Biden's media interviews then and there.

GOP candidates may also have some fun in coming months speculating to partisan crowds which Democrats the vice president had in mind as small-minded birds.

Biden became a U.S. senator way back when the 48-year-old Obama was a sixth-grader. And ran for the presidency himself twice. So he's campaigned with and for many Democratic politicians over all these years.

Perhaps understandably, on Thursday night the vice president did not proceed to list which fellow Democrats that he's campaigned who are the turkeys and which are the smart ones. And presumably Biden did not intend to imply that most Republicans are smart.

But he might be asked about all that in coming days by the media -- or even White House folks. And many fans of politics may be trying to guess which Democrats Biden had in mind when he likened them to those tasty but dim birds.

Obama was in Pittsburgh overnight as host for the G-20 summit and protests. He'll return to the White House this evening.

Biden is off to Georgia (the American one) this morning to briefly watch floodwaters. He'll return to Washington in the afternoon for what has become one of his frequent duties, swearing someone in. Before heading for Delaware, Biden will administer the oath to Paul Kirk. He's the senate replacement for the late Ted Kennedy. Kirk was just named to that spot Thursday morning by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

(UPDATE: 4:44 p.m. The vice president's weekend schedule has just been released. Here it is: "Vice President Biden will be in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday and Sunday. There are no public events scheduled.")

-- Andrew Malcolm

Democrat or Republican, click here for Twitter alerts of every new Ticket item. Or follow us   @latimestot

Photo: Getty Images

Comments

[dave]

Biden is truly the turkey. I’m sorry to insult the bird I should say he is just an inept mouth piece for the left. Keep it up Joe and all of you will be gone in 2010. This country sees through this garbage in spite of the L.A. Times and others trying to make their agenda sound credible. The best part of the left bring their regressive agendas to the surface is not only will they be gone but all of their accomplices in the press will loose what ever credibility they have.

(And yet -- oh look! -- where did you find this story?)

[Larry]

First time Joe has been correct about anything.
Just a few examples: Rangle,Polosi,Hillary,Algore......

[robert m. simon]

And people thought dan quayle was dumb?

[dawn]

The pot calling the kettle black

[Mike DeDominic]

Biden is a Moron.

[Lora]

Well, I guess one turkey knows another! Dufus Biden, you are in good company.

[dave]

I know the L.A. Times also censor comments to only your liking. Ironically someone who lives by freedom of speech would censor it. But again it is only a glaring example of the hypocrisy of your leftist agenda and their pretzel logic. To you people the world is one sided and absence of opposition is your goal.

[JohnRJ08]

Based on what is happening with some senate Democrats in this debate over health care, I would say that some of them don't even qualify as "turkeys". More like "chickens". Whatever they are, if they continue with their current behavior, they're going to end up being an endangered species.

[papabear47]

"trying to guess which Democrats Biden had in mind when he likened them to those tasty but dim birds."

It appears that Joe has never hunted wild turkeys,if he had he probably would have come home empty handed as I personally consider him to be the dim one.

[cbinflux]

Katie Couric will grill Joe until he names the turkeys!
/s

[Inthis Dimension]

Think what an improvement it'd be for Joe to step down and head to the no-sharps area of Shady Acres, for illary to replace him and then for Obama to step-down as the obvious enemy of America and the West he has become.

I think a lot of Democrats, not a few Republicans and many Independents could get behind that.

[Hedley Lamar]

Who's the real turkey here?

[Freedom Rings]

Vote all these DemoNazis out. Pull the plug on all the Morons in the Media. Let the Revolution Begin!

[sylvester]

This coming from the very presidential Mr. foot in the mouth, the vice turkey.

[Andrei Stephanovich]

I live in Delaware and have been a keen observer of Mr. Biden for over 30 years. Indeed, it is Mr. Biden who is the turkey. You could call him the Diamond State's gift to the world, although Scranton PA often makes that boast.

[Mike]

I'm sure no disrespect to the birds was intended.

[Jake]

Gobble, gobble, Joe.

[Harry R. Dingey]

All these stupid American Politicians of both parties should be be put on trail in the American Peoples Court for Treason.

They just keep borrowing and borrowing money from China and America keeps dropping more and more into a Super Major Depression.

They dumped Trillions of Borrowed Dollars into the Economy and we keep losing more JOBS. Wonder why?

Today I heard Ford is going to build another Car Plant in China. That will be three new plants in China.

I would Pull out of NAFTA and the WTO and watch all of them same International Manufactures bust their A$$ to bring back them 12 Million Jobs they moved off shore.

Toyota would be forced to build new plants here in America if they want to sell thier Cars here.

United Stated has such a large International Trade Deficit if we stop trading with the rest of the world every country in the world would be busting thier A$$ to build new plants and move jobs back to America.

America would create so many jobs we could not fill all of them.

Another Question. What is going to happen when all of this Borrowed money don't create any new jobs?

Do we borrow more money from China?

We absolutely have to increase Interest rates on everything in a few months and that one thing will cause another slow down. If we do not raise Interest Rates the Inflation will end up eating us alive.

Everything they do is totally wrong.

There was two stock analysts on CNN NEWS today projected the Dow Jones was going to drop to under 4,000 within 18 months and I totally agree because things are a lot worse than they are saying.

Maybe they can not see it but I can.

[mike f.]

This guy is a nut. With any luck the Taliban will take him off our hands.

[bosswang]

Well he's right. There are turkeys in the democratic party.

Kind of makes you doubt a person's integrity when he tells you to vote for somebody that he already knows is a turkey. I guess it's another democratic case of 'don't pay attention to the man behind the curtain'.

[Eric Spunkmeier]

How many times can they lock this guy down anyway? Remember when he spouted off about Russia and its weaknesses? They locked him down immediately then too. Before this admin is done this guy is going to spend more time in a bunker than Cheney ever did! ROFLMAO!

[P.Barman]

Remember democrats they will finesse a new democrat without election when the current senator of Delaware's term is finished and that is without election and now Kerry is asking 20 million dollars for what to do for Kennedy and when that guy was so rich and they have so much hatred for an ordinary man why is this bloke who is so filthy rich and asking for 20 million more, go ahead and screw us.

[poppapug]

Thanks Joe! Keep on running your mouth. Biden embarrasses this country over and over.

Sanity in government will return in 2010.

[Lana Hainsworth]

Wow...Is he calling the kettle black?

[Mike in FXBG]

Come Thanksgiving Day, which turkey(s) will Obama grant amnesty to?

[Christopher]

Only Banana Republics change the laws back and forth to suite themselves, usually for only the appearance of propriety. Biden is going to swear in a replacement for Kennedy that is a result of a law the Democrats put in place days ago - to overturn a previous law that the Dems enacted when Rep. Mitt Romney was in office. Shame. Shame. Shame.

[Eric Spunkmeier]

It's taking a while to put up any comments at all. My guess is the system is overwhelmed by all the cries of, "What a moron!" or, "What a fool!" or, "Looks like Obama's first decision was more of a flop than we knew," or, "What a sad day we live in when a guy like this is a leader!"

The LATimes' servers can't handle the flood of reaction, obviously.

[Dutchman]

Typical Union THUG! if you don't agree with me I'll beat you up. Hope Northeastern of him.

[robert maughman]

I want Joe Biden to step in and take control of the Presidency. Biden may be a moron, but I believe it's the only way to stop Obama. I call on Democrats and Independents to come to their senses and stop Obama now. Support a bloodless takeover of control of the government before it's too late. Stop Obama.

[gardenbuzzy]

Called them "turkeys"? Oh, the humanity! Not anything like what he and his cohorts called Bush and Republicans. (rolling eyes) Just more Dem Double Standard.

[gardenbuzzy]

I would be willing to bet (if I were a betting person) that you will not post my former comment.

[Alice B. Boston]

I take his comment to mean all Republicans are turkeys as we well know.

[Randal]

Stupidest. Vice President. Ever.

[Brian]

Connolly has a good shot at getting unseated. The problem is that the 11th district is split between county lines with Fairfax being a liberal hotbed, which favors Connolly, and Prince William containing more republicans/conservatives. It all depends on how many people show up to vote. All I know is that I will be voting anti-incumbent!!!

[John]

Coming from the biggest Turkey of all...that is pretty funny. I would call him something else, but Turkey will do for now.

[jeff]

I guess it takes one to know one.

[Thron]

Vice President Biden expresses the emotions around a failing presidency; "it's not our lack of leadership but the failure of Democrats in Congress to blindly following our led at their own peril. Damn this representative democracy stuff."

[Chris Rogers]

Do you think he could have been referring to himself?

[WelovetheUSA]

Turkey head....follower of the new communist rule. Traitor of America.

[Buck Ofama]

.

Before they made Joey "Hair Plugs" Obiden they broke the mold.

.

.

[Milan Calderon]

I find this story to be quite stupid. Americans demand honesty from their elected officials, but when they get it, they seem to cringe, like scared school girls. I find the Vice-President's comments to be quite true, refreshing and honest. If the corporate media can't live with a little honesty, maybe they should go and work for a Las Vegas casino. I say, Bravo! Vice-President Biden.

[Todd]

Hey Loooooook! It's the other lawyer!

[Marcus]

Well they dont have any chance at all in VA..the Dems are going bye bye. VA residents gave them a try at it and they failed not to mention most Virginians dont want anything to do with Comrade Obama health reform porkus package

[Iggy]

when = went

[Old_guy]

The pot calling the kettle black. tisk tisk

[Stuart Kaufman]

Biden is a total jackass! These people are in so far over their heads that none of us may see daylight again. Pray for the United States.

[Eyeball]

The Democrats that oppose Obama Socialistic Public Health Care are patriots not..... turkeys. Wow. Turkeys. VP Biden is really getting tough on his fellow Democrats by calling them the dreadful name 'turkey'. I would at least called them turkey chit or a-holes or anything other than turkeys.

[Richard LaVallee]

Well, Biden should know as it takes one to know one! He is the biggest turkey of the bunch! His boss is not a turkey, he is the enemy of all Americans.

[Cogs]

Biden,calling someone a turkey; now that's funny

[Ken A.]

One heartbeat away from the oval office.