The right is trying to invent a controversy in Vice President Joe Biden's recent bantering with a custard shop manager in Wisconsin. During a recent trip to Greenfield, WI, Biden visited Kopp's Frozen Custard, where he scooped some custard, enjoyed a cone, and chatted with employees. According to video shot by a local news outlets, Channel 12 WISN, Biden asked the shop's manager, Scott Borkin, how much they owed for their custard. The manager replied, “Don't worry it's on us.” He then joked, “Lower our taxes. We'll call it even.” Biden didn't reply and walked away. WISN reported that the two continued chatting later, and showed video of Biden saying, “Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smart ass all the time. Say something nice.” Sounds terrible, right? Except for the fact that Biden was kidding.
The Channel 12 news report goes on to immediately say that Borkin “enjoyed his banter with the vice President” and aired a video clip of Borkin saying, “It was very nice, he's got a great personality.” Borkin said that he didn't think Biden “liked” his “lower our taxes” comment, but that “later on he whispered and he goes, 'I'm just kidding.'”
Of course the right--thinking they've found their new Joe the Plumber--is outraged.
Drudge lead the charge, linking to the story throughout the weekend and suggesting that Biden called Borkin a “smartass” in direct response to Borkin's taxes quip. Hoft quickly followed suit in Big Government post, titled, “Eat up...Joe Biden Gets Custard in Face When Business Owner Tells Him: 'Lower our Taxes.'” Proving once again that he can get nothing right, Hoft also has the special distinction of completely misquoting Borkin, claiming Borkin said in response to Biden's question about “how much he owed him,” “Nothing, just lower our taxes.” He also falsely identified Borkin as the “owner” of the “popular custard stand,” when in fact, Borkin is the store's manager. The owner of the store is Karl Kopp, whose mother founded the shop in 1950. Not to be outdone, The Fox Nation also got into the act, linking to WISN's news report on the visit, and Hot Air made the video it s June 26 “Quote of the Day.” Red State summed it up best for us, by noting “some have already said the Kopps manager is to Joe Biden what Joe 'The Plumber' Wurzelbacher is to President Barack Obama.”
And if something is on Drudge, Hoft, Hot Air, Red State, and Fox Nation, well, you know that the story will be coming to the curvy couch very soon. Indeed, Fox & Friends, doing what they do best, actually hunted down the store manager and hosted him on the show. The hosts repeatedly declared the Biden “got feisty” with Borkin, and “yelled at” him for “just ask[ing] a simple question about taxes.” In a classic Fox & Friends move, they refused to give potty mouthed Joe Biden the pleasure of defiling their airwaves by saying the word, “ass,” instead, they would only go so far as to say that Biden called the custard shop manager a “smart bleep.” Seriously. Watch:
Yes, once again, with custard-gate the right proves they can't take a joke.