An Obama campaign official said that the campaign would not apologize for Vice President Joe Biden’s “back in chains” comment, despite a call from The Boston Globe to do so.
On Tuesday, Biden spoke before a diverse audience in Virginia that included many African Americans and said that if Mitt Romney won the presidency his administration would repeal regulations on Wall Street. “They are going to put y'all back in chains,” he said.
In an editorial on Friday, The Globe wrote, “Imagine if Republican Paul Ryan uttered comments like that. Mitt Romney’s pick for vice president would be pilloried for racial insensitivity — and so would Romney. In the fight for civility and substance over pointless hyperbole, Biden may not be the worst offender. But he’s an offender nonetheless, and he should apologize.”
Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Stephanie Cutter, an Obama deputy campaign manager, said that no apology was necessary and that Biden’s choice of words were “a distraction from the larger argument” about deregulation. She said the Romney campaign has also said things about the president that are offensive, including questioning his patriotism.
“We are not going to be lectured by Mitt Romney,” she said. “That’s completely hypocritical.”
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