Santorum Attacks Biden's Comments

Updated: August 19, 2012 | 12:29 p.m.
August 19, 2012 | 12:13 p.m.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum added his name to the growing number of Republicans attacking Vice President Joe Biden for his "back in chains” comment last week.

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.

Santorum, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, said, "I saw the vice president play the race card in Virginia."

Santorum took issue with Biden's use of the word "y'all," saying the vice president was trying to develop an affinity with his audience and that he, "did it in a horrendous way and he should apologize for it.” Santorum also called President Obama’ campaign rhetoric “class warfare at its worst.”

The Obama campaign has said that Biden will not apologize, that his comments were not offensive and that the focus on his wording is simply a distraction from his larger point about financial regulations.

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