Biden uses Dayton stop to pay tribute to Americans killed in Libya

9/12/2012

DAYTON — Vice President Joe Biden paid tribute to the four “dedicated, courageous” Americans killed by a mob in Libya before launching into his stump speech today here on the campus of Wright State University.

“We are resolved to bring to justice their killers. There is no place in the civilized world for senseless murder like occurred last night. They are not only mourned by Americans but also mourned by the vast majority of Libyan people whom they fought for,” Mr. Biden said.

Mr. Biden addressed an audience reported by the Obama Ohio campaign to be about 1,000 in the Student Union.

Later in the day, his Republican rival, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, was scheduled to address a rally in Clermont County, near Cincinnati. Republican nominee Mitt Romney will appear at a fund-raising event in Cuyahoga County Friday, while President Obama is to campaign for his re-election on Monday in Columbus and Cincinnati.

Mr. Biden said he and the President were committed to creating jobs in the U.S., and he highlighted Toledo.

“Folks, we’ve set a goal — creating 1 million new manufacturing jobs by 2016. And we want to keep that going by ending the tax loopholes that encourage companies, whether in my home state or the state of Ohio, or wherever they are, from getting a tax break for unbolting machinery on the floor in Toledo and taking it to China,” Mr. Biden said.

He said Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan are proposing what he called a “territorial” tax, that would allow a company that makes money overseas to avoid paying taxes in America on profits from those businesses.

“The President and I believe our job is to strengthen the economy, broaden opportunity, and, unlike our friends, we think what we should be doing is promoting the private sector, not the privileged sector,” Mr. Biden said.

He referred by mistake to Detroit’s “Wayne State” University but was quickly corrected by the audience. The vice president didn’t miss a beat, and found an opportunity to insert “Wright State University” before he finished his sentence.

He disputed those who would say America is in decline.

“America is better positioned today than any time in the recent past to be the most dominant economy in the 21st century,” Mr. Biden said.

The vice president lambasted Republicans in Congress for allegedly obstructing every responsible effort to balance the budget, including the Simpson-Bowles commission to reduce the deficit. Several commentators have pointed out that President Obama also failed to get behind the recommendations of Simpson-Bowles.

Chris Maloney, spokesman for the Romney campaign in Ohio, said Mr. Biden is misrepresenting Mr. Romney’s positions.

“After last week’s devastating jobs report, the last thing we need is more taxes. Mitt Romney has a plan to lower rates across the board, spur investment, and create 12 million new jobs,” Mr. Maloney said. “Ohioans know better than to fall for these debunked falsehoods and petty distractions from the President’s allies.”

It was Mr. Biden’s fifth campaign speech in Ohio in less than a week, as he made four speeches during a Saturday-Sunday trip through south-central Ohio.

Contact Tom Troy at tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.