Politics

Biden found at home, does nothing signficant

Neil Munro White House Correspondent
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Vice president Joe Biden has emerged from his August obscurity to issue a 73-second tribute to a little-known Italian immigrant.

Biden’s foray into politics comes after he spent a week secluded in his Delaware house. The low-profile stretch followed a week-long stay at a private estate in the Hamptons, a wealthy area east of New York City.

He put out a new post on his blog Aug. 15, lauding a Father Roberto Balducelli as a ”great friend of mine.”

In his Aug. 15 post, Biden didn’t mention the priest’s religious role, or even his church. Instead, he praised him as an immigrant and a community organizer.

Biden is expected to run for the Democratic nomination, and is trying to build ties with important groups in the party.

Fr. Balducelli “came to the United States in 1946… [as] a young immigrant priest who came to the United States and had a profound impact on my city and my community and we’re forever indebted to him,” Biden said in the message.

“He transformed it into one of the most coherent neighborhoods and parishes in the entire state, providing housing for the elderly [and] rejuvenating the entire neighborhood after the riots in the late 1960s,” he said.

Biden has been staying at his home since his return from a week-long vacation in the Hamptons, a popular summer retreat among the extraordinarily wealthy.

In previous trips to the tony resort, Biden usually stayed at the estate of David Bohnett, the founder of Geocities, Inc.

Bohnett sold Geocities.com for $3.6 billion to Yahoo in 1999, and has since used his take — roughly $300 million — to fund Democrats and pro-gay groups.

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Neil Munro