Biden: Democrats will ‘shock the heck out of everybody’ in November midterms

Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday said Democrats would defy predictions of major losses in the midterm elections, instead declaring that “we’re going to be in great shape” and predicting continued control of the House and Senate.

“I don’t think the losses are going to be bad at all. I think we’re going to shock the heck out of everybody,” Biden said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Biden pointed to a new Las Vegas Review-Journal poll that showed Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), who is viewed as highly vulnerable, up seven points on GOP foe Sharron Angle.

“The reports of our demise are premature,” Biden said.

He said that Democrats must make the case for measures like the Wall Street overhaul that Obama will sign shortly, the new healthcare reform law and the economic stimulus package.

“It’s just going to take time. This is July. The election is not until November. And I think we’re going to have to firmly make our case,” Biden said. “Compared to the alternative, I think we’re going to get a fair amount of credit by November, and I think we’re going to do fine.”

Biden said the public needs time to digest the measures, especially in light of GOP attacks on the policies. For instance, on the Wall Street overhaul, he said, “All it is, is rational control and the turning around of what the Republicans did, which is let Wall Street run wild.”

“They don’t know what it means yet, understandably. And so I think it takes time,” he said.

“Look, these are gigantic packages to deal with a gigantic problem we inherited. And the vast majority of the American people and a lot of people really involved don’t even know what’s inside the packages,” Biden said at another point on the show.