While Barack Obama tries to call John McCain a “liar” for saying Obama will raise taxes on a wide swath of Americans, Joe Biden tells America that paying higher taxes is … patriotic?  The Democratic VP told Good Morning America today that “it’s time to be patriotic” and start allowing Uncle Sam to take even more of your paycheck:

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says that paying higher taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans. …

Biden told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday that, in his words, “it’s time to be patriotic … time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut.”

America’s economic woes have nothing to do with taxes.  Biden offered a non-sequitur yesterday when asked about the need to bail out AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Bear Stearns.  He blamed the problems on tax cuts, which makes no sense at all:

We should try to correct the problems that caused this.  And what’s caused this? The profligate tax cuts to the very, very wealthy that John wants to continue.  What’s caused this is the failure to have regulation so that, in fact — John talks about these CEOs getting these big bailout packages.

That’s akin to blaming your doctor’s Mercedes for the broken arm you got playing soccer.  Tax policy had nothing to do with the credit crisis.  They are two completely separate issues.  The government did not underregulate the credit industry from a lack of necessary funding, and in any case, the tax cuts produced higher revenues for Washington, not lower revenues.  The credit crisis came from bad lending decisions pushed by government mandates, and a lack of oversight driven by lobbyist-fed laziness.

Who were two of the CEOs who got big bailout packages from the Fannie/Freddie GSEs?  Jim Johnson and Franklin Raines.  Which candidate has them as advisers to his campaign?  Barack Obama.

Now Biden wants to tell us that paying higher taxes is patriotic.  You know what would be patriotic?  Congressmen like Barack Obama and Joe Biden attacking government spending, not trying to beef up government revenues (and doing so in the most destructive way, by attacking capital needed for investment).  Biden could be patriotic by revealing his pork-barrel record, something he has consistently failed to do.  Who gets Biden’s earmarks?  Why can’t Biden be patriotic and forego earmarks?

Most Americans look at their tax bite and figure they’re patriotic enough.  They’d prefer electing people who start acting responsibly with their money, rather than demand even more from them to prove their patriotism.

Update: Here’s the video:

Note the Biden smile? That’s what he does when he thinks he’s played a trump card in a debate. It usually signals a momentous display of cluelessness, as it does here.