Biden Raises Coin for Callahan

VP quotes Mark Twain, assures "reports of the death of the Democratic party are premature" at Allentown fundraiser Monday.

Pool report:

VPOTUS spoke at a fundraising reception Monday evening in downtown Allentown for Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan, who is challenging Rep. Charlie Dent in Pennsylvania’s 15th District.

VPOTUS rallied the party faithful to get them to the polls Nov. 2, saying there is no enthusiasm gap among Democrats, especially in the Lehigh Valley. Then he quoted Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).

"Reports of the death of the Democratic party are premature," he told about 300 people in the Holiday Inn's Main Ballroom.

During the nearly hour-long speech, Biden said he's traveled to campaigns around the country and noticed that people are angry.

"I know they're angry," he said. "They have a right to be angry."

Biden put blame on the Bush administration for creating failed policies that led to the recession. He said he had nothing personally against Dent, but he made wrong choices and couldn’t be trusted on issues such as deficit reduction, Social Security, Medicare and education.

"Charlie has supported every one of the policies that drove us into the ditch," Biden said.

Biden said he understands the dilemma families face now.

Biden recalled his campaign stop last week in Scranton, his hometown. Biden said he was in fourth grade when his father lost a job and had to ask his father-in-law to take care of his family while he moved to find work.

He defended the administration's stimulus program, saying it grew and saved $3.5 million jobs and chastised Republicans for saying it created too few jobs.

"They voted to do nothing. Nothing. Not one single thing," he said, raising his voice.

Biden said that the deficit and debt ballooned under President George W. Bush's administration, putting the country on the course to an $8 trillion in debt by the day he and President Barack Obama were sworn into office.

Biden said the Obama administration is getting banks back into the business of being banks instead of making money in hedge funds.

Several times, Biden repeated the phrase: "That's real change" after citing an Obama accomplishment.

He recalled his title the "poorest man in the Senate," saying he had to put his children through college and graduate school in institutions such as Georgetown, Yale, Penn, Tulane and Syracuse.

He said candidates like Callahan would help make college more affordable. He also touted renewable energy.

He said, Republicans have zero credibility and fiscal rectitude.

Biden highlighted that he had encouraged Callahan to run for Congress and Biden was going to give him all the support he could.

The menu included flavored Iced Tea or lemonade, large crudités with dipping dressing, a cheese and cracker display, chicken salad and tuna salad sandwiches in the shape of the democratic symbol, spring rolls, franks in puff pastry and pasta primavera and penne pasta with meat sauce.

Before Biden speech, Jon “Bowzer” Bauman of Sha Na Na fame performed some songs live.