Oct 13, 2008 6:34 am US/Eastern
Biden Comes Out Swinging At Scranton Rally
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) ―
Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden is accusing the McCain campaign of trying to distract Americans from their economic woes by launching "unbecoming personal attacks" at Barack Obama.
Biden spoke Sunday at a boisterous rally near his childhood home of Scranton. He says John McCain's campaign is desperate to change the subject from the financial crisis that has wiped out many Americans' college and retirement savings.
The Delaware senator was joined on stage by former President Clinton and Sen. Hillary Clinton. The former Democratic presidential candidate has her own roots in Scranton, where her father grew up and is buried.
The battered economy may be helping Obama in Pennsylvania, where he has surged ahead in polls over the past few weeks. A daily tracking poll conducted by Muhlenberg College has shown Obama with a double-digit lead over McCain since Oct. 3.
Sen. Clinton predicted that if Obama and Biden win Pennsylvania, "there's no way they can lose the White House."
Clinton beat Obama in the Pennsylvania primary by 10 percentage points, in part by appealing to the socially conservative, blue-collar voters in Scranton and many other parts of the state. Biden's counterpart, Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is scheduled to campaign in the city on Tuesday.
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