About
Joe Biden is the 47th Vice President of the United States who was elected with President Barack Obama during the 2008 and 2012 Presidential elections.
Online History
“Indian Accent” Gaffe
In July 2006, Biden was filmed making controversial remarks about Delaware’s Indian-American population (shown below). A video of the incident was widely distributed in mainstream news media and online. On July 7th, CBS News reported that a spokesperson for Biden claimed the statement was not meant to be interpreted as derogatory.
“I’ve had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I’m not joking.”
2007-2008 Democratic Presidential Primary
On January 31st, 2007, Biden declared his candidacy for President of the United States and subsequently ran a campaign emphasizing his foreign policy experience and how he would handle the war in Iraq. During a presidential primary debate in October, Biden mocked Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani for often mentioning the 2001 World Trade Center attack on the campaign trail (shown below).
2008 United States Vice-Presidential Debate
On August 22nd, 2008, Obama announced that he had selected Biden as his running mate in the upcoming presidential election. On October 2nd, 2008, Biden participated in a televised debate against Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Watched by nearly 70 million U.S. television and livestream viewers, the debate inspired a number of parodies online.
The Onion Spoofs
On May 5th, 2009, The Onion[3] published an article titled “Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am in White House Driveway,” which featured a photoshopped image of Biden standing topless in front of a Pontiac Trans Am automobile (shown below).
Over the next year, the satirical news site published several additional articles mocking the vice president, reporting that he had written a bounced check to a liquor store (shown below, left), infested the White House with bed bugs and received a lifetime ban from the restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s (shown below, right).[4][5][6][7][8]
“Big Fucking Deal” Gaffe
On March 23rd, 2010, Vice President Joe Biden introduced President Barack Obama before a live television audience at the White House ceremony to sign the the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 into law. During the applause, Biden whispered to Obama that the legislation was “"a big fucking deal":http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/big-fucking-deal-joe-biden. This statement was picked up by the microphones and broadcast live over radio and television.
Joe Biden Eats Ice Cream
On September 5th, 2012, the Tumblr[1] blog “Joe Biden Eats Ice Cream” was launched, which highlights candid photos of Biden consuming various types of ice cream (shown below). On October 9th, 2014, The Washington Post[2] published an article highlighting several photos from the blog.
Laughing Joe Biden
On October 12th, 2012, the vice presidential debate between the Democrat incumbent Joe Biden and Republican nominee Paul Ryan took place at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Throughout the 90-minute session, Biden was repeatedly seen wearing a smirk on his face when it was Ryan’s turn to speak, which quickly spawned the “laughing Joe Biden” trending topic on Twitter.
Who is Joe Biden?
On October 7th, 2014, the late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live aired a segment in which several random pedestrians were unable to correctly identify who Joe Biden was. In the first two weeks, a YouTube upload of the segment gained over 600,00 views and 1,000 comments (shown below).
Reputation
Biden has earned a reputation for his many political gaffes. On August 23rd, 2008, Time[9] published an article titled “Biden Pros and Cons,” which claimed the politician has “a persistent tendency to say silly, offensive, and off-putting things.”
Personal Life
Biden was born on November 20th, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania in a Catholic family of Irish, English and French descent. At the age of 10, the family moved to Delaware where Biden attended the Archmere Academy. After graduating from the University of Delaware in Newark, Biden attending Syracuse University College of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1968.
Search Interest
External References
[1]Tumblr – Joe Biden Eats Ice Cream
[2]The Washington Post – Here is a photo of Joe Biden eating ice cream in his aviators while flashing cash
[3]The Onion – Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am in White House Driveway
[4]The Onion – Biden Invokes Freedom Of Information Act To Find Out When Woman Gets Off Work
[5]The Onion – Bounced Joe Biden Check Still Taped Up In Delaware Liquor Store
[6]The Onion – Biden Pardons Single Yam In Vice Presidential Thanksgiving Ritual
[7]The Onion – White House Infested With Bedbugs After Biden Brings In Recliner Off The Curb
[8]The Onion – Biden Receives Lifetime Ban From Dave & Busters
[9]Time – Biden Pros and Cons