Biden Hits Trail, Blasts Romney Over Auto Bailout

Joe Biden hit the campaign trail for the first time in the 2012 cycle today, delivering a fiery speech rife with direct shots at the GOP field at a union hall in Toledo. "Hey! I'm back! You're back! And the [auto] industry is back!" Biden began, before attacking Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich for opposing the auto bailout. Romney has argued that the private sector could have saved GM, but Biden scoffed at that. "No one, including Bain Capital, was stepping up," he said, according to Politico.

"Stated simply, we're about promoting the private sector," Biden said. "They're about protecting the privileged sector. … We're a fair shot, and a fair shake. They're about no rules, no risk, and no accountability." The Obama team is counting on Biden to be its emissary to blue collar America, and he seemed up to the task today, working the crowd with aplomb. "He kissed me twice," said one local business owner. "He's so real! He's so Irish!" (More Joe Biden stories.)