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As Vice President Biden nears a decision on the presidential race, Americans are reminded of his worldview on taxes: Tax increases are “patriotic.”

As reported by the Associated Press on Sept. 18, 2008 (“Biden calls paying higher taxes a patriotic act”) then-candidate Biden, pushing for an income tax increase, said:

“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.”

Samuel Johnson famously observed that appeals to false patriotism are “the last refuge of a scoundrel.”

“Times change,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. “Biden has announced that an appeal to false patriotism is the last refuge of big spending politicians. Politicians like Biden have 100 reasons to raise your taxes to pay off their special interests, and patriotism is a particularly self-serving one. Patriotism would be stopping this cycle of corruption.”

Footage of Biden’s remark can be viewed here.

If Biden enters the race, he’ll be competing with Hillary Clinton for the role of Biggest Tax Hiker. Hillary’s many calls for tax hikes are documented at HighTaxHillary.com, compiled by Americans for Tax Reform.