Biden, Vilsack visit N.C. to tout help for rural areas

"Vice President Joe Biden is visiting Eastern North Carolina today to announce $1.76 billion in stimulus funding to help an estimated 15,000 rural families buy homes across the country," reports The News & Observer of Raleigh. "The visit comes as economies of rural communities are plummeting -- and much faster than the rest of the country," according to data reported here.

Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Faison, N.C., to highlight $635,000 in economic stimulus money being used to expand a rural health clinic, one of many such examples around the nation, and Pikeville, where a volunteer fire department got a $50,000 grant and $1 million loan for a larger station that can house ladder trucks. For the story, photos and videos, click here. UPDATE, April 2: The firehouse grant was approved during the Bush administration, Mark Johnson of The Charlotte Observer reports. (Photo by Corey Lowenstein)

"We're here to try to make rural America stronger, and this is just one of many examples across this great nation," Biden said. "We understand that the health of small towns like yours is essential for our nation's well-being, as well as it is to help big cities like Charlotte and other cities. It's essential -- it's essential -- that small towns, rural towns be healthy, and are growing, and have access to everything that is needed for the well-being of their citizens."

The trip was the latest in which Biden or President Obama have visited states that turned Democratic in last year's election and are key to their re-election prospects in 2012. In fact, as Chuck Todd of NBC News notes, the president and first lasy beat Biden to the Tar Heel State. Biden's remarks included a political aside, according to a White House transcript: "As I was getting out of the car, the President called me from Europe, from the G20 meeting, to discuss another matter. . . . He said, 'Joe, where are you? Where did I get you?' 'Well,' I said, 'I'm in eastern North Carolina.' He said, 'We won there, didn't we?' (Laughter.) No, actually, that's not what he said. He said, 'Tell everybody I said hello.'" For the White House press release, click here.