Biden tells Ohioans that they’ve been knocked down and it’s time to get up

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) was fired up Wednesday night in Youngstown, Ohio.

Biden spoke to the Mahoning Valley crowd in downtown Youngstown for 25 minutes, and talked about Republican presidential nominee John McCain's bogus "change" credentials, the economy and how it's time to "get up."

Biden said that McCain was promising the same things that President Bush did in 2000, and cited how Bush had not held up any of his promises of fiscal responsibility and bipartisanship.

"Here we are eight years later, another Republican nominee is telling us the exact same thing," Biden said. "He said, ‘This time it's going to be different.' He said this time he's going to put country before party. He's going to change the tone. He's going to reach across the aisle. He's going to change the Republican Party. ...Folks, we've seen this movie before. And everyone knows the sequel is always worse than the original."

Biden said that on all the kitchen table issues and all the most important issues, McCain was no different from Bush. Biden told the crowd to ask friends who are McCain supporters to name one major initiative of McCain's that diverges from Bush policy.

Biden called McCain "profoundly out-of-touch" with the needs of the American people, and said that he has been so on the major issues over the last couple of years.

"As my mother would say, God bless you, John, but don't you talk about change until you've proposed some change," Biden said.

Biden said that an Obama-Biden administration would invest in infrastructure, science, technology, communications, rebuilding roads, 21st century automotive technology and renewable energy.

"Why can't we be making the wind mills that are going to generate renewable power right here in Youngstown?" Biden questioned.

Biden said that McCain and Palin don't understand the problems of Youngstown.

Biden said the election was about more than change, but about dignity and respect.

"I know why I'm in this," Biden said. "I know why I'm running. I'm running for the cop and the firefighter. I'm running for line worker and the engineer who lost his job. I'm in this because I want to see to it that the small business person as well as the small farmer has a shot."

Biden said that his father told him that when he got knocked down, get up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, millions of American workers have been knocked down," Biden said. "It is time for Americans together to get back up. Our people are too good. Our debt to our parents and grandparents is too great, and our obligation to our children is too sacred. These are extraordinary times. This is an extraordinary election. The American people are ready. I am ready. Barack Obama's ready. This is the time. This is our time. This is the time for America to get up. Get up!"