Limbaugh Speech Fact Check: Joe Biden's 'Stimulus Package' Cluelessness

By P.J. Gladnick | March 01, 2009 | 14:29

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Will the mainstream media continue to attack Rush Limbaugh's speech to CPAC yesterday on the basis of "feelings" such as Bill Schneider of CNN did? Schneider called the speech "angry," "mocking," "bullying," and "full of contempt." What Schneider conveniently left out was any sort of challenge about Limbaugh's facts. So let this humble correspondent do the fact checking that the MSM seems to be reluctant to do. One of the most amusing facts that Limbaugh cited was the absolutely cluelessness about the Barack Obama stimulus package on the part of Vice President Joe Biden:

Joe Biden, ladies and gentlemen, was watching CBS -- when did you start here? Thursday. You might have seen this. The days run together. It might have been Wednesday, but Biden was on the CBS Early Show. And he was asked -- the anchorette -- sorry. I'm trying to change my ways. I've been doing women summit programs so not to offend women. The anchor, Maggie Rodriguez, went out and got some man-on-the-street questions. And one guy, woman, I think question for Biden. What is in the stimulus package for small business? Biden was clearly stumped because there isn't anything in the stimulus package for small business. So what Biden said, honest to God, what Biden said was: Well, if there's a bridge to your small business, we're going to make sure that bridge stays open so that you can get to your small business and your customers -- honest. I kid you not. Now, of course, the media today is a bunch of hacks, they're out there as PR agents; they're starting to get a little embarrassed.

So how correct was Limbaugh in that assertion. Well, a check of the video shows that Rush, if anything, downplayed the absolute cluelessness of Biden:

MAGGIE RODRIGUEZ: Mr. Vice-President, we watched the speech last night with a cross-section of Americans and asked them if they had questions for you. And I'd like to share one of them with you from a viewer who had to lay off most of her staff last year. Take a listen.
(Video clip)
QUESTIONER: What I'm looking for are real clear details about how is the stimulus package really going to help small businesses.
(End clip)
RODRIQUEZ: Mr. Vice-President?
JOE BIDEN: Well, there's a number of ways. It depends on what your business is. I would recommend that woman call my office directly and I will be able to guide her as to what pieces of this package would be directly helpful to her. For example, it may very well be that she is in a circumstance where she is not able...her customers aren't able to get to her. There's no transit capability. The bridge going across the crick to get to her business needs repair. It may very well be that she is in a position where she is unable to access her energy costs are so high by providing smart meters by being able to bring down the cost of her work force through the cost of operating her business...

Yeah, all a small business owner has to do is call the Vice-President's office and good ol' Joe himself will painstakingly guide her through the intricacies of the stimulus package. Rush Limbaugh actually gave Biden a break by not mentioning that laughable absurdity.

Here is another claim by Limbaugh about Biden:

Maggie Rodriguez says, Senator Biden, there's a website that answers all these questions. What is the name of the website and Biden says I don't know. He looks off stage. "Does somebody have the website number?"

True or not? Was Joe Biden actually this clueless over the name of his own Recovery website address? Again, your humble correspondent performs the fact checking that the MSM neglects to do by providing this video: