Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on May 22, 2013

Vice President Joe Biden joins President Barack Obama in the State Dining Room of the White House, May 21, 2013.

Vice President Joe Biden joked about his boss and offered Jewish Americans gushing flattery about their "immense" influence at a Tuesday evening event celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month.

The loquacious Biden opened with a joke after asking that his teleprompter be removed.

"You can't tell Barack that the teleprompter's down. The standing joke in the office is Barack's learning to speak without a teleprompter; I'm learning to speak with one," he said, gently mocking President Barack Obama at the Washington, D.C., event, according to a press pool report.

Biden then pivoted to praising the "immense" and "outsized" influence of Jewish Americans, a touchy topic that has throughout history been the subject of conspiracy theories and justification for persecution and genocide.

[READ:Joe Biden's Shotgun Advice Could Land Jill Biden in Jail]

"No group has had such an outsized influence per capita," Biden said, according to the pool report. "You make up 11 percent of the seats in the United States Congress. You make up one-third of all Nobel laureates. ... I think you vastly underestimate the impact you've had on the development of this nation."

Biden said Jewish Americans were largely responsible for civil rights movements for African-Americans, women and gay people. Most recently, he said, Jews were influential in helping increase the percentage of Americans who support extending marriage rights to same-sex couples.

"I believe what affects the movements in America, what affects our attitudes in America are as much the culture and the arts as anything else," Biden said. "I bet you 85 percent of those changes, whether it's in Hollywood or social media are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry. The influence is immense, the influence is immense. And, I might add, it is all to the good."

[POLL: Hillary ClintonWould Trounce Biden in 2016]

Link:
Biden Makes Teleprompter Joke, Offers Jews 'Uncomfortable' Flattery

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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