Exactly. The REAL story here is not the crassness of Biden’s reply, but that he would consider the manager’s comment an insult in the first place. Why is being a “smart-ass” to use a moment when you have the ear of a high-office holder to ask for more control of your own money?
More appropriate: "I'll see what I can do about it. Thanks for your feedback."
Interestingly enough, this fellow was asking for lower taxes (and this provoked a hostile response from VP Biden).
Haven't there been other exchanges when people have asked for "free things" (e.g. house payments) from BO, and he has jokingly said he'd take care of them?
But there's a big difference between a small business owner asking for a tax break to enable his business to grow, and some freeloader asking for a house payment. It's harder to grant the small business tax break, but the small business tax break benefits more people. Granting (or promising to grant) the second item to an individual makes the grantor look magnanimous but it does not solve the underlying structural economic problems.
Here's another take on it. The store manager was asking a grown-up request of someone he thought was another responsible grown-up. VP Biden didn't anticipate the question and was visibly irritated. I hope it gives him some food for thought.