The audio: To conservatives' delight, Vice President Joe Biden told a South Florida radio station on Thursday that it's "totally legitimate" to see the 2012 presidential election as a referendum on President Obama's handling of the economy (listen to the interview below). "Even though fifty-some percent of the American people think that the economy tanked because of the last administration, that's not relevant," Biden said. "What's relevant is we're in charge." Biden went on to say that Obama's policies had made the economy better — but not good enough.
The reaction: Boy, Biden just "tossed his boss, and himself, under the bus," says Andrew Zarowny at Right Pundits. The White House is trying to put a better spin on this, saying that Obama prevented another Great Depression. But the damage is done. Admittedly, says Greg Sargent at The Washington Post, this helps Republicans counter the argument that Bush still deserves more blame than Obama, but all Biden's really saying is, sure, "Bush broke it" — but what matters now is who's got the best plan to fix it. Regardless, says Allahpundit at Hot Air, Biden just made life a lot easier for "the RNC ad team." Judge for yourself: