By . Toby Harnden In Charlotte, North Carolina . PUBLISHED: . 20:58 EST, 6 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:48 EST, 6 September 2012 . Vice President Joe Biden has declared that ‘America is coming back’ and delivered a powerful personal appeal for he and President Barack Obama to be re-elected to continue ‘a mission we will complete’. Biden, known for his verbal miscues, stuck closely to a script in which the White House had helped draw up with the aim of his offering personal testimony about Obama’s character, determination and dedication. ‘Folks, tonight, I want to tell you about Barack Obama,’ he said. ‘The Barack Obama I’ve come to know. I want to show you the character of a leader - who had what it took, when the American people stood at the brink of a new Depression. A leader who has what it takes to lead us over the next four years - to a future as great as our people.’ Speech: Vice President Joe Biden delivered a fiery speech to the Democratic National Convention . Congratulations: Second Lady Jill Biden joined her husband on stage at the end of his speech . Hug: The couple have been married for 25 years and have raised three children . Obama, he said, had rescued America from a depression. ‘Day after day, night after night, I sat beside him, as he made one gutsy decision after another - to stop the slide and reverse it.  I watched him stand up to intense pressure and stare down choices of enormous consequence. Most of all, I saw what drove him: His profound concern for the American people.’ He continued: ‘Folks, I’ve watched him. He never wavers. He steps up. He asks the same thing over and over again: How is this going to work for ordinary families? Will it help them? ‘And because of the decisions he’s made, and the strength the American people have demonstrated every day, America has turned the corner.  After the worst job loss since the Great Depression, we’ve created 4.5 million private sector jobs in the past 29 months.’ Biden, who served in the United States Senate for 36 years before becoming vice-president in 2008, also drew a sharp contrast between Obama and his rival Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee. Fierce: Mr Biden delivered an aggressive speech in defence of the Obama administration's record . Arena: The speech was moved from a nearby stadium, apparently due to concerns about the weather . Tribute: Mr Biden devoted a large part of his speech to standing up for his boss, President Obama . Talking about Obama’s successful bailout of the car industry, Biden took the opportunity to castigate Romney for opposing for it and for his work heading up the venture capital firm Bain. ‘When I look back now on the President’s decision, I also think of another son of an automobile man - Mitt Romney,’ he said. ‘Mitt Romney grew up in Detroit. His father ran American Motors. ‘Yet he was willing to let Detroit go bankrupt. It’s not that he’s a bad guy. I’m sure he grew up loving cars as much as I did.  I just don’t think he understood - I just don’t think he understood what saving the automobile industry meant to all of America. I think he saw it the Bain way. Balance sheets. Write-offs.’ Biden also spoke extensively about the mission to kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011. He said: ‘In 2008, Barack Obama made a promise to the American people. He said, “If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights, we will take him out. That has to be our biggest national security priority.” Supporters: Michelle Obama joined her mother Marian and Jill Biden to watch the Vice President's speech . Earlier: Mrs Biden told the convention about her ongoing career as a teacher in Virginia . Nomination: Mr Biden's son Beau gave the speech officially nominating the Vice President for re-election . ‘Barack understood that the search for bin Laden was about a lot more than taking a monstrous leader off the battlefield.  It was about righting an unspeakable wrong, healing a nearly unbearable wound in America’s heart. ‘He also knew the message we had to send to terrorists around the world—if you attack innocent Americans, we will follow you to the ends of the earth. Most of all, the President had faith in our special forces--the finest warriors the world has ever known. ‘We sat for days in the Situation Room.  He listened to the risks and reservations about the raid. And he asked the tough questions. But when Admiral McRaven looked him in the eye and said, “Sir, we can get this done”, I knew at that moment Barack had made his decision. His response was decisive. He said do it. And justice was done. ‘But Governor Romney didn’t see things that way.  When he was asked about bin Laden in 2007, he said, and I quote, “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth, and spending billions of dollars, just trying to catch one person”. ‘He was wrong. If you understood that America’s heart had to be healed, you would have done exactly what the President did. And you too would have moved heaven and earth--to hunt down bin Laden, and bring him to justice.’ Summing up the Obama-Biden campaign message in bumper-sticker style, he said to resounding cheers: ‘Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.’
Vice President plays 'attack dog' role as he tears into Republican plans .
Returns to favourite slogan: 'Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive'
By . Toby Harnden In Charlotte, North Carolina . PUBLISHED: . 20:58 EST, 6 September 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 22:48 EST, 6 September 2012 . Vice President Joe Biden has declared that ‘America is coming back’ and delivered a powerful personal appeal for he and President Barack Obama to be re-elected to continue ‘a mission we will complete’. Biden, known for his verbal miscues, stuck closely to a script in which the White House had helped draw up with the aim of his offering personal testimony about Obama’s character, determination and dedication. ‘Folks, tonight, I want to tell you about Barack Obama,’ he said. ‘The Barack Obama I’ve come to know. I want to show you the character of a leader - who had what it took, when the American people stood at the brink of a new Depression. A leader who has what it takes to lead us over the next four years - to a future as great as our people.’ Speech: Vice President Joe Biden delivered a fiery speech to the Democratic National Convention . Congratulations: Second Lady Jill Biden joined her husband on stage at the end of his speech . Hug: The couple have been married for 25 years and have raised three children . Obama, he said, had rescued America from a depression. ‘Day after day, night after night, I sat beside him, as he made one gutsy decision after another - to stop the slide and reverse it.  I watched him stand up to intense pressure and stare down choices of enormous consequence. Most of all, I saw what drove him: His profound concern for the American people.’ He continued: ‘Folks, I’ve watched him. He never wavers. He steps up. He asks the same thing over and over again: How is this going to work for ordinary families? Will it help them? ‘And because of the decisions he’s made, and the strength the American people have demonstrated every day, America has turned the corner.  After the worst job loss since the Great Depression, we’ve created 4.5 million private sector jobs in the past 29 months.’ Biden, who served in the United States Senate for 36 years before becoming vice-president in 2008, also drew a sharp contrast between Obama and his rival Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee. Fierce: Mr Biden delivered an aggressive speech in defence of the Obama administration's record . Arena: The speech was moved from a nearby stadium, apparently due to concerns about the weather . Tribute: Mr Biden devoted a large part of his speech to standing up for his boss, President Obama . Talking about Obama’s successful bailout of the car industry, Biden took the opportunity to castigate Romney for opposing for it and for his work heading up the venture capital firm Bain. ‘When I look back now on the President’s decision, I also think of another son of an automobile man - Mitt Romney,’ he said. ‘Mitt Romney grew up in Detroit. His father ran American Motors. ‘Yet he was willing to let Detroit go bankrupt. It’s not that he’s a bad guy. I’m sure he grew up loving cars as much as I did.  I just don’t think he understood - I just don’t think he understood what saving the automobile industry meant to all of America. I think he saw it the Bain way. Balance sheets. Write-offs.’ Biden also spoke extensively about the mission to kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011. He said: ‘In 2008, Barack Obama made a promise to the American people. He said, “If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights, we will take him out. That has to be our biggest national security priority.” Supporters: Michelle Obama joined her mother Marian and Jill Biden to watch the Vice President's speech . Earlier: Mrs Biden told the convention about her ongoing career as a teacher in Virginia . Nomination: Mr Biden's son Beau gave the speech officially nominating the Vice President for re-election . ‘Barack understood that the search for bin Laden was about a lot more than taking a monstrous leader off the battlefield.  It was about righting an unspeakable wrong, healing a nearly unbearable wound in America’s heart. ‘He also knew the message we had to send to terrorists around the world—if you attack innocent Americans, we will follow you to the ends of the earth. Most of all, the President had faith in our special forces--the finest warriors the world has ever known. ‘We sat for days in the Situation Room. He listened to the risks and reservations about the raid. And he asked the tough questions. But when Admiral McRaven looked him in the eye and said, “Sir, we can get this done”, I knew at that moment Barack had made his decision. His response was decisive. He said do it. And justice was done. ‘But Governor Romney didn’t see things that way.  When he was asked about bin Laden in 2007, he said, and I quote, “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth, and spending billions of dollars, just trying to catch one person”. ‘He was wrong. If you understood that America’s heart had to be healed, you would have done exactly what the President did. And you too would have moved heaven and earth--to hunt down bin Laden, and bring him to justice.’ Summing up the Obama-Biden campaign message in bumper-sticker style, he said to resounding cheers: ‘Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.’
style, he said to resounding cheers: ‘Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.’