Politics & Government

Biden Blasts Romney on Swiss Bank Account [VIDEO]

The vice president campaigned in Exeter today.

Vice President Joe Biden in Exeter today attacked presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as an "out of touch" millionaire with a Swiss bank account who wants to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy.

Biden visited to promote the – President Obama's populist plan to make millionaires pay more taxes. A crowd of about 400 was energized by a campaign film called "The Road We've Traveled" about Obama's first term narrated by actor Tom Hanks before Biden showed up.

"It's fundamentally unfair to ask middle-class families to pay more ... so a millionaire can pay less," Biden argued, appearing to speak some of the same language as the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. "I don't know any reasonable person, regardless of their political background, who disagrees with that proposition."

Find out what's happening in Exeterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Outside Town Hall, Romney's campaign made its presence felt. A huge tour bus made laps around the building before Biden arrived. There were about 30 Romney supporters – including former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu – gathered outside while Biden spoke.

In a morning press call with reporters, Sununu called the Buffett Rule an arrogant "class warfare" initiative that does nothing to reduce the nation's deficit. He added Obama and Biden should donate more to charity, noting Romney donated 15 percent of his income to charity last year.

Find out what's happening in Exeterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Biden blasted Romney's tax plan, which includes an extenstion of the Bush-era tax cuts scheduled to expire in December.

"That's another trillion dollars in tax cuts over the next 10 years going to the top 1 percent of American tax payers," Biden said, as a baby started crying in the audience.

"I don't blame her for crying ... that's one smart baby!" Biden responded.

Biden hit at Romney's wealth on multiple occassions.

"Who's got a Swiss bank account?" he asked the crowd. "And how many have somewhere between $20 and $100 million in your IRA?

"'Out of touch?' (Romney) calls the president 'out of touch'?"

Check out our for a recap of Biden's speech.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here