Vice President Biden has regularly delivered impromptu comments of dubious logic and questionable relevance since assuming the second highest office in the land. His remarks are usually harmless, though calling Obamacare “a big f…ing deal” was both crass and embarrassing. Now Biden has made a statement that exposes an apparent ignorance of American history that is genuinely disturbing coming from the man who is one heartbeat away from the presidency.
Speaking on a campaign swing in New York on Wednesday, Biden offered this gem about the role of government: “Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive. In the middle of the Civil War, you had a guy named Lincoln paying people $16,000 for every 40 miles of track they laid across the continental United States. … No private enterprise would have done that for another 35 years.” Biden’s words are perfectly suitable as a liberal Democrat’s expression of blind faith in the good intentions of politicians and bureaucrats, but they also reflect a fantasy version of American history.
