Bidenisms

This Week’s Bidenisms

Collecting the vice president’s gaffes and head-slappers.

Joe Biden

A busy vice president produced five fresh Bidenisms this week. Please continue to send your nominations (with a link, please) to slatebidenisms@gmail.com. For more, and our stab at a definition, see “The Complete Bidenisms.”

“It’s like watching gazelles.” —Describing his favorite sport, women’s lacrosse, at an event announcing the administration’s efforts to strengthen Title IX, Washington, D.C., April 20

Click here to see video of Biden’s comments.

“It’s not just whether your mother can beat you in basketball that gets you excited about this. It’s when you have, and you’re surrounded by, women who are as competitive, smarter, as smart, tough, as tough, tougher—I mean, it’s an amazing thing.” —Describing why men should be excited about the administration’s strengthening of Title IX, Washington, D.C., April 20

Click here to see video of Biden’s comments.

“And a happy almost Earth Day to all of you.  I say that because tomorrow is actually the day that officially marks the occasion. But the truth is we’re here kicking off an entire Earth Week.  And I hope our administration has kicked off an entire earth administration.” —Announcing funding for retrofitted homes on the eve of Earth Day, Washington, D.C., April 21, 2010

Click here to see video of Biden’s comments. The Bidenism is at 9:47.

“And, today, we’re announcing another important Recovery Act program, the ‘Retrofit Ramp-Up.’ Now, I wonder what sometimes our constituents think when we come up with these names.  [Laughter.] The ‘Retrofit Ramp-Up.’ We all in this room know what it is. We may be the only ones who know exactly what it means. [Laughter.] But it’s a kind of a buzz word, retrofits.” —Riffing on the name of the Retrofit Ramp-Up program as he announced its implementation, Washington, D.C., April 21

Click here to see video of Biden’s comments. The Bidenism is at 15:55.

“I realized there was a microphone, but I had no idea that it was that sensitive.” —Explaining to the hosts of The View how he got caught calling the health care reform bill “a big fucking deal” on a live mic, New York, N.Y., April 22, 2010

Click here to see video of Biden’s comments.

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