Biden Says Obama Will be Middle-class Advocate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden is telling New Hampshire Democrats that President Barack Obama will be an advocate for the middle class, casting Republican front-runner Mitt Romney as someone who will side with the wealthy.

Biden says in a video conference with party activists that a recent comment by Romney — "I like being able to fire people" — was probably taken out of context. But he says Romney thinks it's more important for investors and venture capitalists to do well than for average employees "to be part of the bargain."

Biden spoke shortly after several news organizations declared Romney the winner of the New Hampshire primary. Biden defended Obama's record, saying the administration "inherited a mess" and faced "an absolutely unified opposition dead-set against everything we tried to do."