VP Biden on Daily Show: Joking Bows, Wrong URLs

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by Steve Krakauer | 10:50 am, November 18th, 2009

» 8 comments

Vice President Joe Biden appeared for the first time in his new role on The Daily Show last night, in a two-part interview focused mostly on policy.

Although Jon Stewart joked about needing to “watch the entire interview on the web, if you know what I mean,” it appears the exchange was unedited, and featured just a couple minor gaffes that Biden is known for.

The interview began with a joking bow between Biden and Stewart – mocking Pres. Barack Obama‘s actual bow in Japan that became a media story earlier this week. It sounded like the bow was pre-planned (Biden first bowed as he was introduced by Stewart before they did it again on set), but it still was a somewhat bold choice by the VP to joke about the issue.

The first observation from Stewart was how much Biden’s life has changed since the last time they spoke. “I’ve never driven in New York without the traffic,” joked Biden.

In the context of an accident as police were clearing the way for his motorcade earlier in the day, it seems a bit cringe-worthy. But reports are he only found out about the crash after his Daily Show appearance, and immediately called one of the injured police officers (no one was seriously injured) after he heard.

Stewart described the path a different way:

You won the election with Barack Obama. Your counterpart in the election, Sarah Palin, quits her job, starts Twittering and Facebooking. She writes a book, she then goes off to Oprah and Barbara Walters and you end up…here.

Much of the first part of the interview was about Recovery.gov and the transparency of the stimulus money. Although Biden got the URL right on first reference, the second time he discussed it he called the site Recovery.com. That site redirects to Recovery.org, which was started by the company Onvia “to bring unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability to recovery spending.”

Although there’s a helpful link to the correct site on the homepage, it isn’t the government-run site Biden was looking for. This isn’t his first run-in with URL problems when it comes to Recovery.gov – he forgot the URL in a February interview as well.

The majority of the interview was very policy-heavy – about jobs, bailouts, health care – and the VP came across very knowledgeable and comfortable. Also discussed: what Biden’s grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, used to tell him.

>>>NEXT PAGE: The videos of the full interview.

Pages: 1 2

Biden gaffes, Bow-Gate II, Jon Stewart, The Daily Show, Vice President Joe Biden

ImNotBlue

Did Jon ask why there so many mistakes on Recovery.org?

I though “nobody messes with Joe.” Perhaps it was meant to be ironic.
Pat Doherty

I know you media types have convinced yourselves that Jon Stewart is some glorious combination of Mark Twain, Jonathan Swift, and Jesus Christ, but doesn’t the fact that he licks the boots of one the most mockable politicians of our lifetime kinda sorta poke holes in that whole “indispensable, truth-to-power satirist” handle you’ve hoisted upon him?
Fidoohki

It is rare that he ‘goes after’ guests so while it would have been nice to have seen him hit some tougher questions it was not unexpected…
Pat Doherty

Well Stewart usually has people on with whom he agrees, but if he doesn’t, he wastes no time going after them (cf. Betsy McCaughey, Bill Kristol, Bill O’Reilly, etc.).
http://mediaite.com Steve Krakauer

Wait ImNotBlue, it’s Recovery.gov not Recovery.org! The after effects of Biden’s gaffe…

Actually though, they did talk about the mistakes on the site.
ImNotBlue

Okay, good… not the .gov part, but that they talked about it.

That seems to be a really big story, and I’m not sure how much coverage it’s getting out in the MSM.

I only caught the end of the interview last night, and heard Biden say some really silly things. When he said that the Democrats had a “big tent party” and that’s why they were having trouble passing things, but that the Republicans were only “far right,” I had to ask the television, “Really?” When the Democrats spend a whole bunch of time courting the likes of Olympia Snowe, who the Democrats and the President go on to praise (when she votes their way), and then to say folks like that “don’t exist”… you have to wonder what’s going on in Biden’s mind. What planet does that guy live on?
tjl

ImNot: it’s because guys like Pawlenty and even Michael Steele showed their true colors and said that Snowe needs to shape up or ship out. Just after Snowe voted for the stimulus Steele said that she and Collins would face primary challenges.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/02/24/1806825.aspx

The Pawlenty took on Snowe for CONSIDERING a vote on Healthcare…

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/66079-pawlenty-takes-on-snowe

And they are Republican party leaders.

I think that’s the point here. The problem is that when a republican becomes an “independent” it quickly turns into “kick them out!” Same with Scozzafava… If you believe in small government, fiscal responsibility and gay rights — thanks but no thanks. Not pure enough.

Democrats on the far-left act the same way… obviously. I won’t argue with you there. But who is standing up for Scozzafava, Snowe, Collins, etc. in the Republican party? It continues to be — kick them out, they’re not pure enough. I’d love to be proven wrong here because I think there needs to be a place for moderates in both parties, but who is standing up for the center-right?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Cornellier/1571558401 Bob Cornellier

I lost some respect for Stewart. Was this interview written by Biden? A year in office and still blaming the previous regime for the countries problems. Joe Biden is this decades Dan Quale. How about the failed cash for clunkers? How about spending money for health care that the country doesn’t have? You know who laughed the most at this interview? Hillary, she will be laughing all the way to 2012.