'I'm Joe Bidenopoulos': Gaffe-prone Vice President introduces himself to Greek men during campaign stop
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While on a campaign stop in Warren, Ohio on Friday, Vice President Joe Biden found a new way to appeal to the Greek Americans in attendance.
'I'm Joe Bidenopoulos,' he said as he approached a table of men 'he knew to be Greek', according to the pool reporter.
With the men no doubt dumfounded, President Barack Obama's second-in-command, who is of Irish descent, went on: 'Ask George who's the most Greek Irishman he's ever known.'
What did I say? Vice President Joe Biden introduced himself as Joe Bidenopoulos to a group of Greek men during a campaign stop in Warren, Ohio on Friday
The pool reporter added she was not sure 'who George was, maybe someone at the table', but said it 'sounded like Biden was suggesting he is'.
Biden is not of Greek ancestry; when he decided to run with Obama in 2008, he hired a genealogist to look into his heritage and found his Irish ancestors moved to America in the early 18th century.
Biden then reportedly continued his way through the restaurant in a somewhat eyebrow-raising manner as he greeted customers and chatted about his love of rice pudding.
'Can I get some rice pudding to go?' Biden asked restaurant staff.
He posed for photographs, kissed one woman on the top of the head, met supporters - and had a chuckle when one introduced himself as Paul Newman.
His Greek introduction is just the latest in a string of questionable comments. During a campaign stop earlier this month, the vice president declared that Mitt Romney wanted to 'put ya'll back in chains'.
Having a laugh: Biden, with Obama in July, is known for his often outlandish remarks on the campaign trail
Hours after the comments hit the airwaves, Republicans came out in force to suggest that they highlighted it might be time for the president to put the 69-year-old Biden out to pasture.
Among them was former Alaska Gov Sarah Palin, who went so far as to propose that Biden should be replaced with Hillary Clinton if Obama wants to be re-elected.
Despite his troublesome introduction with the Greek men, lawmakers embracing other cultures is nothing new.
During his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, former Senator Rick Santorum told voters in Puerto Rico that Pennsylvanians called him Senadore Puertoriqueno due to his unwavering support for the island.
Despite this attempt to connect with voters in March, Mitt Romney won the Puerto Rico primary there.
NOT THE FIRST TIME... JOE BIDEN'S GAFFES
August 2012: During a campaign rally in Danville, Virgina, Biden attempted to talk about the House GOP budget and suggested their plans are 'going to put y’all back in chains', in a poorly-judged comment branded racist by some commentators and Republicans.
January 2012: During a speech at a manufacturing plant in New Hampshire the vice president spoke about outsourcing to India and put on a bad Indian accent while asking 'How many times do you get the call, 'I like to talk to you about your credit card.'
December 2010: During the swearing in of a Republican Senator Mark Kirk in Congress, Biden told the Capitol Hill newcomer to put that hand on the Bible and raise his left. According to the congressional rulebook, it should have been the other way round.
March 2010: He dropped the F-bomb during the signing of the administration’s historic health reforms, apparently unaware that the microphones would catch him out when he whispered into the President’s ear immediately before the announcement, declaring: 'This is a big f****** deal!'
March 2010: Mr Biden said 'God rest her soul' in reference to the mother of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen. Mr Cowen's mother is alive; his father had died. Realising his misstep, he corrected with: 'God bless her soul'.
October 2008: Speaking in Athens, Ohio about John McCain's economic strategy, he said: 'Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number-one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S, jobs.'
September 2008: During a political rally in Missouri, he urged wheelchair-bound state senator Chuck Graham to rise and be recognised, saying: 'Stand up, Chuck, let 'em see ya.' Realizing his mistake, he said: ‘Oh, God love you… what am I talking about?’
September 2008: After he was named the vice presidential nominee, he addressed a crowd in Nashua, New Hampshire, questioning how he beat out Hillary Clinton: 'Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America,' he said in New Hampshire. 'Quite frankly it might have been a better pick than me.'
August 2008: He also mixed up Barack Obama’s name at his first campaign rally with the president, introducing him as: 'A man I'm proud to call my friend. A man who will be the next President of the United States - Barack America!'
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