Trump Campaign Press Release - Biden Failed Workers in Pennsylvania and Across the Country

As the nation celebrates Labor Day, a reminder that over five decades Biden failed to deliver anything for workers other than job-killing trade deals and a historically weak "recovery"

Key Takeaways:

• Joe Biden is holding a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania today, where Biden will talk about American workers
  
• Biden's radical agenda and tax hikes would crush our economy, just as many workers are getting back on their feet
  
  • Biden has proposed a $4 trillion tax hike, which would raise taxes on 82 percent of Americans
    
  • Biden has said that he is willing to "sacrifice" "hundreds of thousands" of blue-collar jobs to transition into a green economy
    
  • Biden said that he wants to "end" fossil fuels, industries which support 370,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone
    
    • Biden said that existing coal plants need to be shut down, impacting an industry that supports more than 47,000 Pennsylvania jobs
      
  • Biden said he would "love to" ban fracking, which would kill 609,000 jobs in Pennsylvania
    
• Biden-backed trade deals decimated America's manufacturing sector and killing tens of thousands of jobs for Pennsylvania workers
  
  • Biden voted for NAFTA, a trade deal that killed 850,000 American jobs, including manufacturing jobs in every region of the Keystone state.
    
  • In 2007, Biden said he would re-negotiate NAFTA, but failed to do so as Vice President
    
  • Biden voted to normalize trade relations with China which killed 3.2 million jobs – including 136,000 in Pennsylvania – and hollowed out America's manufacturing sector
    
  • Biden was a "key surrogate" for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal which would have killed 448,000 jobs
    
• Biden led the worst economic "recovery" since the Great Depression and the middle class got left behind
  
  • 192,000 manufacturing jobs were lost, wages grew at a meager 2.2 percent, and the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 10.7 million
    
  • In 2012, Biden admitted the middle class had been "buried" under his "recovery"

BIDEN WOULD SMOTHER THE ECONOMY WITH HIGHER TAXES AND JOB-KILLING MANDATES, HURTING AMERICA'S WORKERS

Biden's $4 Trillion Tax Hike Would Raise Taxes On Workers At Every Income Level, Hiking Taxes On 82 Percent Of Americans

National Tax Limitation Committee's Peter Ferrara And Lew Uhler Call Biden Tax Plan The Largest Tax Increase In U.S History. "In 2016, Hillary Clinton ran for president proposing $1 trillion in tax increases. Would President Trump's blue-collar boom ever have gotten off the ground with such a back-breaking tax burden? But now, four years later, former vice president Joe Biden thinks he has a better idea. In his third run for the White House, Biden is proposing tax increases of nearly $4 trillion over the next 10 years. If he wins in November and these increases were to pass, they'd be the highest in American history — indeed, in world history." (Lewis K. Uhler and Peter J. Ferrara, Op-Ed, "Biden's Record-Setting Tax Increases Will Take Your Money — And Your Job," The Hill, 6/28/20)

According To The Tax Policy Center, Biden Will Raise $4 Trillion In Taxes Over The Next Decade. "Biden would increase income and payroll taxes on high-income individuals and increase income taxes on corporations. He would increase federal revenues by $4.0 trillion over the next decade. Under his plan, the highest-income households would see substantially larger tax increases than households in other income groups, both in dollar amounts and as share of their incomes." ("An Analysis of Former Vice President Biden's Tax Proposals," Tax Policy Center, 3/5/20)

• 82.6 Percent Of Americans Would See Their Taxes Increase According To An Estimate From The Penn Wharton Budget Model. ("The Updated Biden Tax Plan: Budgetary, Distributional, And Economic Effects," Penn Wharton, 3/10/20)

Biden Said He Is Willing to "Sacrifice" "Hundreds Of Thousands Of Blue-Collar" Jobs Many Of Which Are In Pennsylvania – As Part Of His Agenda

In December, Biden Said That He Is Willing To "Sacrifice" "Hundreds Of Thousands Of Blue-Collar Workers" To Transition To A Greener Economy. TIM ALBERTA: "Vice President Biden, I'd like to ask you. Three consecutive American presidents have enjoyed stints of explosive economic growth due to a boom in oil and natural gas production. As president, would you be willing to sacrifice some of that growth, even knowing potentially that it could displace thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers in the interest of transitioning to that greener economy?" JOE BIDEN: "The answer is yes." (Joe Biden, Remarks At A Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Los Angeles, CA, 12/20/19)

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In September 2019, Biden Vowed To "End Fossil Fuel." "Joe Biden is looking voters in the eye and promising to 'end fossil fuel.' The former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate made the comment Friday after a New Hampshire environmental activist challenged him for accepting donations from the co-founder of liquified natural gas firm." (Steve People, "In Intimate Moment, Biden Vows To 'End Fossil Fuel,'" The Associated Press, 9/6/19)

• Biden: "I Guarantee You We Are Going To End Fossil Fuel." JOE BIDEN: "But kiddo, I want you to just take a look, ok. You don't have to agree, but I want you to look in my eyes, I guarantee you, I guarantee you we are going to end fossil fuel and I am not going to cooperate with them, ok." (Joe Biden, Remarks At A Campaign Event, New Castle, NH, 9/6/19)

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In September 2019, Biden Said That "We Have To Shut The [Coal Power Plants] Down We Have." JOE BIDEN: "Coal burning plants, no one is going to build another coal burning, we have to shut the ones down that we have but no one is going to build a new one." (Joe Biden, Remarks At A CNN Climate Change Town Hall. New York, NY, 9/4/19)

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The Oil, Gas, And Coal Industries Support 370,000 Pennsylvania Jobs

Pennsylvania Is A "Leading East Coast Supplier Of Coal, Natural Gas, ... And Refined Petroleum Products." "Pennsylvania, endowed with extensive fossil energy resources, is a leading East Coast supplier of coal, natural gas, electricity, and refined petroleum products to its own industries and to the nation. The Appalachian Mountains hold rich coal resources and run diagonally southwest to northeast through Pennsylvania, dividing the Ohio River valley in the west from the Susquehanna and Delaware River valleys in the east. The Marcellus Shale, the largest U.S. natural gas field, follows the arc of the mountains and underlies about three-fifths of the state." ("Pennsylvania," U.S. Energy Information Agency, 6/19/18)

• In Pennsylvania, The Oil And Natural Gas Industry Supports 322,000 Jobs. ("Impacts Of The Oil And Natural Gas Industry On The US Economy In 2015," PricewaterhouseCoopers, 7/17)
  
• In Pennsylvania, The Coal Industry Supports 47,279 Jobs. ("The Economic Contributions Of U.S. Mining (2017 Update)," National Mining Association, 9/18)

Biden Has Said He Would "Love To" Ban Fracking, Killing Pennsylvania Jobs, Shrinking The State's Economy, And Reducing Tax Revenue

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Editorial Board Has Called Biden's Stance On Fracking "Confusing." "Mr. Biden only has himself to blame for being vulnerable on the issue of fracking, a drilling technique used to extract oil and natural gas from underground rock formations." (The Editorial Board, "Biden' Confusing Stand On Fracking," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/1/20)

In July 2019, Biden Said That There Would Be No Place For Fracking Under His Administration, Saying "We Would Make Sure It's Eliminated." CNN's DANA BASH: "Just to clarify, would there be any place for fossil fuels, including coal and fracking, in a Biden administration?" JOE BIDEN: "No, we would -- we would work it out. We would make sure it's eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those, either -- any fossil fuel." (Joe Biden, Remarks At A Democratic Presidential Primary Debate, Detroit, MI, 7/31/19)

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In March, Biden Reiterated He Would Block Any "New" Fracking. BERNIE SANDERS: "Joe believes, to continue fracking. Correct me if I am wrong. What we need to do right now is bring the world together, tell the fossil fuel industry that we are going to move aggressively to win solar, sustainable energies..." CNN'S JAKE TAPPER: "Thank you." SANDERS: "... and energy efficiency." TAPPER: "Thank you, Senator." JOE BIDEN: "No more, no new fracking." (Joe Biden, Remarks During Presidential Debate, Washington, DC, 3/15/20)

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In December 2019, Biden Said He Would "Love To" Ban Fracking Nationwide And "Love To Make Sure We Can't Use Any Oil Or Gas, Period." BIDEN: "Look, you're going to ban fracking all across America right now, right?" VOTER: "I would love to." BIDEN: "Yeah. I'd love to too. I'd love to make sure we can't use any oil or gas, period." (Sunrise Movement, YouTube, 12/6/19)

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Banning Fracking Would Kill Pennsylvania 609,000 Jobs And Cost The State's Economy $261 Billion By 2025. ("What If...Hydraulic Fracturing Was Banned?," Global Energy Institute, 12/18/19)

• Pennsylvania Household Incomes Would Decline by $114 Billion And Cost-of-Living Would Increase By $4,654 Per Person Under A Fracking Ban. ("What If...Hydraulic Fracturing Was Banned?," Global Energy Institute, 12/18/19)
  
• Pennsylvania's State And Local Tax Revenue Would Decline By $23.4 Billion Under A Fracking Ban. ("What If...Hydraulic Fracturing Was Banned?," Global Energy Institute, 12/18/19)

BIDEN'S TRADE DEALS HURT AMERICA'S WORKERS AND KILLED PENNSYLVANIA JOBS

Biden Voted For NAFTA, Killing 850,000 American Jobs

In November 1993, Biden Voted For H.R. 3450, The Legislation To Implement The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). (H.R. 3450, Roll Call Vote #395, Adopted 61-38; R: 34-10; D: 27-28; 11/20/93; Biden Voted Yea)

The U.S. Trade Deficit With Canada And Mexico Increased Ten-Fold Between 1993 And 2013, Resulting In The Loss Of 850,000 U.S. Jobs Over That 20-Year Period. "Between 1993 (before NAFTA took effect) and 2013, the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico and Canada increased from $17.0 billion to $177.2 billion, displacing more than 850,000 U.S. jobs. Growing trade deficits and job displacement, especially between the United States and Mexico, were the result of a surge in outsourcing of production by U.S. and other foreign investors. The rise in outsourcing was fueled, in turn, by a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) into Mexico, which increased by more than 150 percent in the post-NAFTA period." (Robert E. Scott, "Fast Track To Lost Jobs And Lower Wages," Economic Policy Institute, 4/13/15)

• Between NAFTA Taking Effect In January 1994 And November 2016, The U.S. Lost More Than 4.5 Million Manufacturing Jobs, A 27 Percent Decline. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 5/24/19)

Multiple Estimates Have Shown NAFTA Killed Tens Of Thousands Of Pennsylvania Jobs

NAFTA Killed 26,300 Pennsylvania Jobs Due To Larger Trade Deficits With Mexico According To The Economic Policy Institute. (Robert E. Scott, "Heading South: U.S.-Mexico Trade And Job Displacement After NAFTA," Economic Policy Institute, 3/3/11)

According To A Keystone Research Center Estimate, NAFTA Killed 38,325 Pennsylvania Jobs From 1994-2002, Including Manufacturing Job Losses In Every Region Of The State. ("Job Losses Due To Trade Since NAFTA Deepen Pennsylvania's Manufacturing Crisis," Keystone Research Center, 12/03)

Since NAFTA Took Effect, More Than 191,000 Pennsylvania Workers Have Lost Their Jobs Because Of Trade According To Labor Department Data. ("Pennsylvania Job Loss During The NAFTA-WTO Period," Public Citizen, Accessed 9/7/20)

Pennsylvania Lost 317,600 Manufacturing Jobs From January 1994 To November 2016. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 6/23/20)

• NAFTA Took Effect On January 1, 1994. ("North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)," United States Trade Representative, Accessed 6/23/20)

Biden Failed To Renegotiate NAFTA After Saying He Would In 2007

In August 2007, Biden Said He Wanted To Renegotiate NAFTA. MSNBC'S KEITH OLBERMANN: "To continue with this in a 30-second fashion, Senator Biden, scrap NAFTA or fix it?" SENATOR JOE BIDEN (D-DE): "I hope that red light's going to malfunction for me, too. Only kidding. Hey, look, a president's job is to create jobs, not to export jobs, and the idea that we are not willing to take the prime minister of Canada and the president of Mexico to the mat to make this agreement work is just a lack of presidential leadership. I would lead, I would do that, I would change it." (Sen. Joe Biden, Remarks At The AFL-CIO Democratic Candidates Forum, Chicago, IL, 8/7/07)

• The Obama Administration Later Said It Did Not Plan To Reopen NAFTA Talks, Despite Pledges To Do So By Obama And Biden During The 2008 Campaign. "The administration has no present plans to reopen negotiations on the North American Free Trade Agreement to add labor and environmental protections, as President Obama vowed to do during his campaign, the top trade official said on Monday. 'The president has said we will look at all of our options, but I think they can be addressed without having to reopen the agreement,' said the official, Ronald Kirk, the United States trade representative. It was perhaps the clearest indication yet of the administration's thinking on whether to reopen the core agreement to add labor and environmental rules." (Brian Knowlton, "Obama Doesn't Plan To Reopen NAFTA Talks," The New York Times, 4/20/19)

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Biden Voted To Normalize Trade With China, Killing 3.2 Million American Jobs – Including 136,000 Pennsylvania Jobs

In 2000, Biden Voted To Authorize Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China. (H.R. 4444, Roll Call Vote #251, Passed 83-15, 09/19/00, Biden Voted Yea)

Pennsylvania Lost 136,100 Jobs Due To Larger Trade Deficits With China Since 2001 According To The Economic Policy Institute. (Robert E. Scott And Zane Mokhiber, "The China Toll Deepens," Economic Policy Institute, 10/23/18)

Multiple Studies Have Found Links Between The Normalization Of Trade Relations With China And U.S. Manufacturing Job Losses. "An influential 2013 paper by economists David Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon Hanson found that exposure to Chinese trade competition was responsible for the loss of roughly 1 million U.S. manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2007, many concentrated in regional industries such as the auto sector. Those findings were echoed in a 2016 paper, 'The Surprisingly Swift Decline of U.S. Manufacturing Employment,' by Justin Pierce, a Federal Reserve economist, and Peter Schott, a professor at Yale School of Management, that linked China's WTO entry to an 18% plunge in manufacturing jobs during the same period." (Joshua Green, "Biden's NAFTA Vote Is A Liability In The Rust Belt," Bloomberg, 5/14/19)

• "An Influential 2013 Paper ... Found That Exposure To Chinese Trade Competition Was Responsible For The Loss Of Roughly 1 Million U.S. Manufacturing Jobs Between 2000 And 2007..." (Joshua Green, "Biden's NAFTA Vote Is A Liability In The Rust Belt," Bloomberg, 5/14/19)

In 2014, The Economic Policy Institute Estimated That "Growth In The U.S. Goods Trade Deficit With China" After Trade Relations Were Normalized "Eliminated Or Displaced 3.2 Million U.S. Jobs." "Growth in the U.S. goods trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2013 eliminated or displaced 3.2 million U.S. jobs, 2.4 million (three-fourths) of which were in manufacturing. These lost manufacturing jobs account for about two-thirdsof all U.S. manufacturing jobs lost or displaced between December, 2001 and December 2013." (Will Kimball and Robert E. Scott, "China Trade, Outsourcing And Jobs," Economic Policy Institute, 12/11/14)

Bloomberg Headline: "After Doubts, Economists Find China Kills U.S. Factory Jobs." (Peter Gosselin and Mike Dorning, "After Doubts, Economists Find China Kills U.S. Factory Jobs," Bloomberg, 6/18/15)

• "Between 1 Million And More Than 2 Million Of The 5 Million Americans Factory Jobs Lost" Are "Traceable To Low-Cost Imports" Associated With China. "But studies examining the impact of China's entry to the World Trade Organization in late 2001 have made the case that between 1 million and more than 2 million of the 5 million American factory jobs lost since 2000 are traceable to low-cost imports." (Peter Gosselin and Mike Dorning, "After Doubts, Economists Find China Kills U.S. Factory Jobs," Bloomberg, 6/18/15)

Biden Was A Key Surrogate For The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Deal - Which Would Have Killed 448,000 Jobs

Biden Was "A Key Surrogate For The Obama Administration In Their Effort To Build Support On Capitol Hill" For The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). "Though Clinton's taken fire for refusing to weigh in on TPP, Biden was a key surrogate for the Obama Administration in their effort to build support on Capitol Hill... His support for TPP would be particularly tough to address in a primary, as he's been one of administration's advocates for the deal on Capitol Hill." (Alexandra Jaffe, "Trade Agreement The Latest Policy Hurdle For A Biden Run," NBC News, 10/5/15)

In September 2016, Biden Said He Hoped Congress Would Pass TPP During That Year's Lame Duck Session, Saying He Hoped Congress Would See "The Wisdom Of TPP." COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS PRESIDENT RICHARD HAASS: "You recently wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine—just to choose a random publication that, that the Trans-Pacific Partnership—TPP—is as much about geopolitics as economics, and there we agree 100 percent. So my question is can there be a rebalance towards Asia without TPP, and given that both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton oppose TPP, can there be TPP?" VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: "Answer the second question first. As my grandfather would say, with the grace of God, the goodwill of the neighbors, and the crick not rising, we got a shot in this period—lame-duck period. That's our only real shot here. I'm not overpromising, but sometimes when there is no election to face and people are leaving and others who are staying they may see the wisdom of TPP, number one. Number two, but it's going to be hard. I think it's less than an even chance but there is a genuine chance. It's possible we can get it passed. The central element of your question was can you rebalance without TPP. Yes, but not nearly as well. Yes, but not nearly as well." (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At The Council On Foreign Relations, Washington, DC, 9/21/16)

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A 2016 Paper From Tufts University's Global Development And Environment Institute Estimated That TPP Would Have Killed 448,000 Jobs In The 10 Years Following Its Implementation. "TPP would lead to employment losses in all countries, with a total of 771,000 lost jobs. The United States would be the hardest hit, with a loss of 448,000 jobs. Developing economies participating in the agreement would also suffer employment losses, as higher competitive pressures force them to curtail labor incomes and increase production for export." (Jeronim Capaldo, Alex Izurieta, and Jomo Kwame Sundaram, "Trading Down: Unemployment, Inequality And Other Risks Of The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement," Global Development And Environment Institute At Tufts University, 1/16)

In January 2017, The Trump Administration Withdrew From The Trans-Pacific Partnership. "The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) today issued a letter to signatories of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement ("TPP") that the United States has formally withdrawn from the agreement per guidance from the President of the United States. The letter emphasizes the commitment of the United States to free and fair trade, and encourages future discussions on "measures designed to promote more efficient markets and higher levels of economic growth.'" (Press Release, "The United States Officially Withdraws from the Trans-Pacific Partnership," U.S. Trade Representative, 1/17)

THE BIDEN-LED ECONOMIC "RECOVERY" FAILED THE MIDDLE CLASS AND AMERICA'S WORKERS

Biden Led The "Worst" Economic Recovery Since The Great Depression

In 2009, President Obama Appointed Biden To "Oversee" The Implementation Of The Administration's Stimulus Package And Economic Recovery Efforts. "On February 17th, 2009, the President signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or Recovery Act, into law. ... The President selected Vice President Joe Biden to oversee the Administration's implementation of the Recovery Act's provisions – a choice that signifies the importance of this critical task for our country's future. Vice President Biden works closely with cabinet members, our nation's governors, and our mayors to ensure these efforts are not just swift, but efficient and effective." ("About The Recovery Act," The Obama White House, Accessed 7/8/20)

CNN Headline: "Yes, This Is The Slowest U.S. Recovery Since WWII." (Heather Long and Tami Luhby, "Yes, This Is The Slowest U.S. Recovery Since WWII," CNN, 10/5/16)

• "If You Look Solely At The Average Rate Of GDP Growth, It's True That That The Economy Recovered More Slowly After The Great Recession Than During Previous Rebounds." (Tara Subramaniam and Katie Lobosco, "Fact Check: How Trump's Economy Compares To Obama's," CNN, 2/19/20)

Economic Growth Following The 2009 Recession Grew At The Weakest Rate Of Any Post-1960 Recessions, With Growth Averaging Just 2.3 Percent Compared To An Average Of 4 Percent. "The current recovery continues to rank last among post-1960 recoveries in terms of real economic growth. Since the recession ended in the second quarter of 2009, real GDP has grown at an average annual rate of 2.3 percent. In other post-1960 recoveries, real GDP expanded at an average annual rate of 4.0 percent during the comparable five-and-one-half year period (see Figure 4)." ("The 2015 Joint Economic Report," Joint Economic Committee, 3/17/15)

The Middle Class Was Left Behind In Biden's "Recovery"

During The Biden-led Recovery, The U.S. Economy Lost 192,000 Manufacturing Jobs. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 9/7/20)

• The Unemployment Rate Was At Or Above 5 Percent For 87 Of The 96 Months Of The Obama-Biden Presidency. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed?2/7/20)?
  
• The Number?Of?Americans On Food Stamps Increased By?10.7?Million.?(U.S. Department?Of?Agriculture, Accessed?2/25/20)?
  
• Year Over Year Wage Growth Averaged Just 2.2 Percent During The Biden "Recovery." (Bureau Of Labor Statistics?, Accessed 9/7/20)

Middle Class Incomes And Net Worth Declined During Under Biden-Led Recovery. "But the Fed's Survey of Consumer Finances shows how uneven the distribution of that stimulus has been. Between 2010 and 2013, as recovery took hold and stock markets soared, the average net worth of families in the top 40 percent of income earners grew. For all others average net worth shrank, declining 19 percent for the middle fifth. Similarly, the average earnings for families in the top 10 percent grew more than 9 percent from 2010 through 2013, while those at other levels stagnated or shrank. For the middle fifth, average earnings fell 4.6 percent. Over the six years through 2013, the middle fifth's average annual family earnings fell to $47,243 from $53,008 while their average net worth dropped to $170,066 from $236,525." (Howard Schneider, "Middle Class Decline Looms Over Final Years Of Obama Presidency," Reuters, 1/18/15)

Biden Admitted That Many Americans Were Left Behind During His Recovery

In July 2019, Biden Admitted That Many Americans "Were Left Behind" During His Recovery. "He also said that despite the economic recovery under Obama, many Americans were still reeling when Trump came along. 'A lot of people were left behind,' Biden said. 'In areas where people were hard hit, I don't think we paid enough attention to their plight.'" (Michael Steinberger, "Joe Biden Wants To Take America Back To A Time Before Trump," The New York Times, 7/23/19)

In December 2016, Biden Admitted That "Some People Got Left Behind" During His Recovery, VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: "Well, first of all, I don't think, as a party, we spent -- look, I'm really proud of what Barack and I, the president and I were able to do in the economy. But if you notice, the last two years, in the president's State of the Union, there has been a shift in a focus, now that we got the car out of the ditch and on the road and running, on really focusing on the real inequities that exist and still exist for working-class, middle- class people who are left behind. And -- and what happened was, that wasn't the central part of the campaign moving forward, in my view. Now, I said at the convention, when I introduced Hillary and praised her, I said we don't show enough respect to that group that, in fact, has been left behind. And these are people who had good, decent jobs. My dad used to have an expression, for real. He would say, 'Remember, Joe, a job is a lot more than about a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about your respect.' And as much as we come back, there's still a segment of people who had good, decent jobs five, 10, 12 years ago, and they are having trouble looking their kids in the eye and saying, honey, it's going to be OK, I feel certain about where we are now. And we have got to speak to those people. And, you know, I -- you know, globalization has not been an unalloyed asset to everybody. Some people have been left behind. There's ways to deal with that. But we never got a chance to speak to it in this election. And I think we paid a price for it." (CNN's "State Of The Union," 12/11/16)

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In October 2012, Biden Said That The Middle Class Had Been "Buried" During The Past Four Years. "The nonprofit tax policy center made up of former economic experts from the Bush administration, the Clinton administration, both sides of the isle. They came out and said the Romney-Ryan tax plan will raise taxes on middle class families with a child, one or more children, by an additional two-thousand dollars a year. . . how they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that's been buried the last four years." (Joe Biden, "Remarks At 2012 Campaign Event," Associated Press, 10/2/12)

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In October 2011, Biden Acknowledged That The GOP Could Beat Him And Obama In The 2012 Election Due To Their Handling Of The Economy. QUESTION: "Is it strong enough of a Republican party for its nominee to beat this president?" VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: "Oh absolutely. absolutely its strong enough to beat both of us, its strong enough. Look, no matter what the circumstance, at the end of the day, the American people right now, are, many of them are in real trouble. An even larger percentage have stagnant wages. And a significant majority of the American people believe that the country's not moving in the right direction. That is never a good place to be going into reelection, whether it's your fault or not your fault, it's almost sometimes irrelevant. But what I'm counting on, I'm counting on what I read out there, this judgement of the American people to decide. They know the hole we're in, they know how far we've come out. They're dissatisfied how fast we're going. And they're going to have to choose whether or not the path we have set the country on is the path we should continue to go, or we should go back to liberating the economy in the terms of." (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At The Washington Ideas Forum, Washington, DC, 10/6/11)

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In September 2011, Biden Said People Are "Right To Be Mad" About The Economy And That It Doesn't Matter When The Economy Tanked Because "We're In Charge." VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: "A lot of people in Florida have good reason to be upset. Because they've lost jobs. Even though fifty some percentage of the American people think the economy tanked because of the last administration, that's not relevant. What's relevant is we're in charge. And right now, we are the ones in charge. And it's gotten better, but it hasn't gotten good enough. And in states like Florida, it's been even more stagnant because of the real estate market. And so I don't blame them for being mad. We're in charge." (Vice President Joe Biden, WLRN- Miami Herald News, 9/28/11)

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