Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), a prominent black Democrat, called out Vice President Biden for his remarks last week in Virginia in which he said Republicans will “put y’all back in chains.”
In an interview with “The Perez Notes,” which was picked up by the Observer, Rangel said:
Was he talking about slavery? You bet your ass he was. Was he using the vernacular? Yes, he was. Did he think it was cute? Yes, he did. Was it something stupid to say? You bet your life it was stupid.
Rangel added, “if a black had said it, we would have been laughing, because we would know deep down, they may be beating the hell out of us but they ain’t thinking about putting us into any chains.”
Rangel joins others — like former Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder — who have taken Biden to task for his comments, debunking the Obama administration’s spin that Biden’s comments were merely referencing the GOP’s economic policies.