Opinion: Joe Biden apologizes to Kentucky teen for F-bomb; later says it’s helping the economy
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Listen, we’re the last blog out there that would ever beat a dead horse. Especially if it involves Joe Biden.
But when the vice president makes news, it would be irresponsible not to discuss it.
No, the veep didn’t drop the F-bomb while speaking at his daughter’s commencement Monday. But his most famous dropping of said bomb (during the president’s signing of the healthcare reform bill) has appeared to generate a moment of reflection for the vice president.
As you recall, Biden punctuated the passage of the president’s healthcare bill with: ‘This is a big effing deal.’
The historic salutation was roundly applauded by the White House, with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs concurring with Biden’s declaration over his Twitter account. ‘And yes Mr. Vice President, you’re right....’ Gibbs said.
Later, President Obama -- according to Biden -- suggested celebrating the phrase on a....
...T-shirt. ‘You know what the best thing about yesterday was? Joe’s comment,’ the president cheered.
Undoubtedly, the memorable utterance will be forever enshrined on a ceremonial plate from the Franklin Mint. Buy one now and get a free Rahm Emmanuel porcelain doll.
Shockingly, after all the merrymaking, it appears that the vice president is having second thoughts about it. It seems as though a letter from a distressed child is responsible for the turn of events.
‘Vice-President Biden, you have offended some of your fellow Americans, myself included,’ wrote Brandon Halcomb, a student at Leslie County High School in Hyden, Ky. ‘It was wrong for you to have used such vulgarity in a public place, let alone at the taxpayers expense as you celebrated such an awesome landmark with our President. However, Vice-President Biden, to me, you cheapened that occasion with such tastelessness while congratulating the President on this event.’
Biden responded to the junior-sized dressing down with a letter of his own. ‘I should have expressed my excitement in a more appropriate manner,’ he wrote.
Although Halcomb was appreciative of the letter, he doesn’t appear to be satisfied with the response.
‘It was not really an apology, but that’s as close to an apology as I will be receiving,’ Brandon told a local TV station.
Plus, the other thing is that the gaffe is helping the economy. Speaking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Biden said of his famous remark:
‘I don’t know why everybody thinks it’s so darn funny. I’m embarrassed as hell by it, but apparently we’re selling T-shirts and making hundreds of thousands of bucks.’
-- Jimmy Orr
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