One usually expects a Presidential campaign fundraiser to be an opportunity for those on the ticket to inspire and excite supporters while also collecting cash for the election battle.
But Vice President Joe Biden evidently failed at that first part of the assignment Friday morning at a breakfast event before more than 200 members of the Turkish and Azerbaijani communities.
Despite having shelled out for tickets starting at $2,500 the crowd was quiet, according to a pooled press report on the event.
And the never-shy Biden tackled that issue head on.
"I guess what I'm trying to say without boring you too long at breakfast - and you all look dull as hell, I might add," he said. "The dullest audience I have ever spoken to. Just sitting there, staring at me."
He added, reportedly to big laughs from the audience, "Pretend you like me!"
After going on to address the Administration's vision of foreign policy and his belief that the United States remains in the best position to lead the world economy in the coming century, Biden said he would bring his remarks to a close, "because I'm boring you as much as I'm boring myself."
While Biden calling his audience dull and his own remarks boring might not be the traditional method of firing up supporters and donors, the Obama reelection team probably breathed a small sigh of relief at such a relatively mild gaffe.
After all, his remarks come during the same week that Biden drew adolescent guffaws from around the internet with a reference to the administration following Theodore Roosevelt's advice on foreign policy - to speak softly and carry a big stick.
"I promise you, the president has a big stick," Biden told the audience at New York University Law School.
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