Biden rallies suburban MO Democrats
11/04/08 | BY CHRISTOPHER CLARK

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden made a last-minute pitch for swing-state Missouri on Monday, vowing that he and Barack Obama would "re-establish the middle class" by focusing on job creation and helping homeowners facing foreclosure.

"For too many families who are working hard, playing by the rules ... people can see it slipping from their grasp," Biden told a crowd of about 1,500 at the Longview Community College Recreation Center south of Kansas City. "We are on the cusp of a new brand of leadership."

On the eve of the election, Biden highlighted the nation's financial crisis and said Obama would offer a three-month moratorium for homeowners facing foreclosure. He also jabbed Republican John McCain, saying there was "literally not one fundamental economic difference between John McCain and George Bush."

He later repeated a sarcastic barb about the Republican ticket of McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"Hey, maverick. Hey, maverick," Biden said to roars of laughter. "I mean, give me a break.

"I don't think they're mavericks. I think they're sidekicks."

Biden got perhaps the loudest response when he banged his fists on the podium in declaring that Obama would end the war in Iraq.

"End it, we will," he said. "We will end it responsibly, but end it we will."

Monday's schedule across the state underscored how important Missouri and its 11 electoral votes are to both parties. Palin addressed voters Monday in Jefferson City.

Biden later touched down in Ohio, another swing state, and campaigned in Zanesville and Copley.

"Probably America's decision will be whatever Ohio decides," Biden told a cheering crowd of about 1,500 at a rally inside the Copley High School gymnasium in Summit County in northeast Ohio, a part of the state that tends to favor Democrats.

Ohio went for President Bush in 2004, and has 20 electoral votes.

Biden closed the night in Philadelphia, where he appeared at Marconi Plaza in the heart of South Philadelphia, just miles from his home state of Delaware.

"If we help Wall Street, we can help Main Street and every other street in Philadelphia," Biden said as he touched on a number of topics, including health care, the war in Iraq and the struggling economy.

Associated Press writer M.R. Kropko in Copley, Ohio, and Bob Lentz in Philadelphia contributed to this report.