Vice President Biden is not a fan of being labeled “Goofy Uncle Joe.”
“No, I’m not comfortable with Goofy Uncle Joe,” he said in an interview with CNBC’s John Harwood.
{mosads}Biden said voters took him seriously when he considered running for president last summer.
“And, by the way, the so-called Goofy Uncle Joe — if you notice, I beat every Republican in every poll when they thought I was running,” he said.
“You notice that my favorability was higher than anybody that’s running for office in either party.”
The vice president has drawn attention for his off-scripted moments of candor during his seven-plus years at President Obama’s side.
At the signing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, Biden was caught on a hot mic telling Obama the legislation was a “big f—— deal.” And Biden’s slapstick alter ego in The Onion has almost become synonymous with the man himself.
But Biden insisted his “goofy uncle” reputation would not overshadow his legacy, unlike some of his predecessors.
Harwood pointed out Dan Quayle was known as “dumb,” Al Gore was known as “weak” and Dick Cheney was known as “Darth Vader.”
Biden said he only agreed to leave the Senate for the job of vice president, which carries “no inherent power,” because he was granted real responsibilities.
“When the president asked me to consider this again — and I said yes — he said, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘I want to be the last guy in the room,’ ” Biden said.
“Every assignment he’s given me, I’ve not had to check back,” he added. “I ran the Recovery Act — beginning, middle and end. I did the Iraq thing.”