DENVER—Sen. Joe Biden, arriving here for the Democratic convention, put in his first Denver appearance Monday at a downtown barbecue stand where he picked up five pulled-pork sandwiches to go.
The Democrats’ vice presidential nominee-in-waiting stopped with his wife, Jill, and son Beau outside Boney’s Smoke House Hickory Smoked Pit BBQ at a downtown pedestrian mall. The Delaware senator posed for pictures, shook hands and waved to several hundred people outside before placing his order and hopping back into his motorcade with his sandwiches in a brown paper bag.
It was his second unannounced appearance of the day among grassroots voters.
Before flying to Denver, Biden, his wife and their security detail a surprise appearance in Wilmington at the Amtrak station that he has used for years to commute to his day job in the U.S. Senate. He and his wife greeted vendors and travelers.
“These guys have been my family,” said Biden, who has taken Amtrak during his 35 years in the Senate. After Senate sessions, Biden travels home almost every day to Wilmington on a train.
At the Denver barbecue house, Biden ignored questions from reporters about his past criticism of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and his praise for Republican rival John McCain.
“We’re going to get some lunch,” Biden told reporters.
Susan Rutt of Allentown, Pa., told Biden she was Pennsylvania president of the National Federation of Democratic Women—at which point he grabbed her hand, kissed it and declared, “Madame president.”
Michele Bortner of York. Pa., had her picture taken with Biden.
“We consider him our third senator in Pennsylvania. He’s been good to Pennsylvania,” Bortner said. “I think he’ll be good for the Obama ticket.”
Earlier in Wilmington, Biden deflected all but one question from reporters—one about his Wednesday night Democratic convention speech, which he said “is all ready.”
Jill Biden stopped at a newsstand in the train station and held up a Newsweek magazine with a cover photo of Obama and Biden for her husband to see.
“Obama looks good man. Obama looks good,” Biden said.
Biden left the train station to catch a flight to Denver. Later Monday, he planned watch Michelle Obama’s speech at the Pepsi Center.
