Biden Explains His Role
« Thread Started on Dec 21, 2008, 10:40am »
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Biden Explains His Role
Vice President-elect Joe Biden told ABC News that he is going to chair a "middle-class task force" that will determine how the Obama administration's policies are affecting America's economic midsection.
Said Biden: "My focus is going to be, I'm going to chair this group and it is designed to do the one thing we use as a yardstick of economic success of our administration, is the middle class growing? Is the middle class getting better? Is the middle class no longer being left behind? And we'll look at everything from college affordability to after-school programs. The things that affect people's daily lives. I will be the guy honchoing that policy."
However, Biden also said his broader role will be that of adviser. He said he got a commitment from Obama that he'll be "in the room" on every major economic political, and foreign policy decision.
Biden: "I don't want to be the guy that goes out and has a specific assignment -- an important assignment to reinvent government, which Al Gore did a great job of. Dealing with some specific discrete item. I said I want a commitment from you that in every important decision you'll make, every critical decision, economic and political as well as foreign policy, I'll get to be in the room."