(White House Photo)
Vice President Joe Biden, writing in the
Des Moines Register:
The president and I firmly believe, like my father, that every man and woman is entitled to basic dignity. And we believe deeply in opportunity — that if you work hard and play by the rules, no opportunity should be out of reach. That is a fundamentally different vision than what the other side has proposed. [...]
We believe in reducing the deficit in a fair, balanced and responsible way. They refuse to raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires to reduce the deficit, even if they are given $10 dollars in spending cuts for every $1 in tax increases. [...]
Quite simply, the president and I believe this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules. That is how we define opportunity. It’s an America where everyone has a fair chance to go as far as their talents and drive will take them, and where the middle class is growing, not shrinking.
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's response:
Romney said Biden and President Barack Obama don't "understand from fantasyland what it's like in real America."
Well ... what Biden wrote was explicitly aspirational. But basic dignity, fairness and opportunity are a fantasy Mitt Romney wants to mock?