Biden: Election Will Be ‘a Lot Closer’ Than People Think
By Perry Bacon Jr.
LIMA, Ohio — The surest sign of confidence from the Barack Obama campaign? Maybe allowing Sen. Joe Biden to take a dozen questions from reporters at a diner stop that turned into an impromptu press conference in which the senator from Delaware laid out his thoughts on the state of the race and how a Democratic administration would govern.
After greeting some employees and people eating at Kewpee, a burger joint here, Biden last night approached a group of reporters. When one asked Biden if he had been “muzzled” by the Obama campaign following a recent controversial remark, the Delaware senator said, “If I’m muzzled … no one said anything to me about it.” He then proved his point, speaking on a wide range of subjects for more than ten minutes.
But the most distinct sound was the silence of his traveling advisers, who usually shout, “Thanks guys,” when Biden starts making unplanned remarks to reporters, hoping both to discourage reporters from continuing to ask questions and as a hint to Biden he should stop.
The Democratic vice-presidential nominee told reporters here that even if Democrats gained control of the White House, the Senate and the House in the election, they would seek to govern in a bipartisan way. He said one of his roles in an Obama administration would be serving as a liaison to both parties in Congress. Biden predicted he and McCain would work on things together, saying, “John and I are likely to be around, in one form or another, in one job or another. My hope is we can work together.”
