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You know what? I hope he meant it exactly the way they're accusing him of doing. Because their deregulation did put the working poor in chains, and the resulting crash did hit minorities even harder than anyone else. So however Joe meant it is fine with me:

(CBS News) Vice President Joe Biden has clarified a comment he made earlier today in which he said presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney would "put you all back in chains" by unshackling Wall Street.

The comment, to a crowd that appeared to be roughly half African-American, prompted strong criticism from Republicans. The Romney campaign said the comments "are not acceptable in our political discourse" and said they marked a "new low" for the Obama campaign. The Obama campaign deemed the complaints "faux outrage."

Oh puhleeze. Republicans, the party of rich old white men, are shocked at Biden's statement? They're just ticked that he's describing what they're up to!

Speaking in Wytheville, Va., late this afternoon, Biden hit back at the Romney camp's claims that his comments were outrageous, saying, "If you want to know what's outrageous, it's their policies."

"The last time these guys unshackled the economy, to use their term, they put the middle class in shackles," he said. "That's how we got where we are. Nine million jobs lost, wage stagnation, 16 trillion dollars in wealth you all lost, in your home equity, in your 401ks, and your pension plans - you're the ones that got nailed. All of America except for the very few."

Biden continued: "And I'm told when I made that comment earlier today in Danville, Virginia, the Romney Campaign put out a Tweet, you know Tweets, and went on the air, went on the airwaves saying 'Biden's outrageous in saying that - I think I said, instead of unshackled, unchained or - anyway, outrageous to say that, that's what we meant. I'm using their own words. I got a message for them, if you want to know want to know what's outrageous, it's their policies, and the effects of their policies on middle class America, that's what's outrageous."