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Oh No, Joe! Speaker Introduces Biden As "John McCain"

News Channel 8 photo by JOHN WINTERROWD

Jim Piccillo says he didn't look at the last page of his speech and his eyes fell upon the name "John McCain," leading to his blooper.

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By JOSH THOMAS and RAY REYES

News Channel 8 and The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

LAND O’ LAKES - Jim Piccillo had a three-step plan for introducing Sen. Joe Biden during Wednesday's rally at the University of South Florida Sun Dome.

When walking up the stairs, don't fall down.

Get through the prepared speech.

Introduce Biden as "the next vice-president of the United States."

Piccillo didn't fall. He got through 99 percent of the speech. But instead of saying "Joe Biden" at the very end, he flubbed and asked the crowd of about 4,000 people, "Please help me today in welcoming the next vice president of the United States — John McCain."

Piccillo, of Land O' Lakes, said he did not turn to the last page of the speech and his eye caught the words "John McCain."

"That was a human moment," Piccillo said. "I had a mental lapse."

Piccillo said the roar of the crowd was building up as he started Biden's introduction and it seems no one in the audience heard the flub. The acoustics in the Sun Dome were not as good as having his words picked up directly from a microphone, which had recorded his speech, he said.

"I couldn't even hear myself," he said.

Ninety minutes later, Piccillo and his girlfriend were driving home and listening to a country radio station. The DJ came on, mentioned Piccillo's flub and played a recording of the introduction.

"Originally, I thought maybe somebody spliced" the recording, Piccillo said. He pulled the car over, dug out his video camera and watched the footage.

"I screamed, 'I can't believe I did that,'" he said.

Piccillo is a registered Republican who has grown disenchanted with the McCain/Palin ticket. His decision to vote for Barack Obama was made during the Democratic National Convention, which "seemed to be a lot about hope" and "making the next four to eight years better for our children," Piccillo said.

The Republican National Convention was "more about Barack Obama than the next plan and how to get things improved," he said.

Piccillo was recently mentioned in a New York Times article about Republicans voting for Obama. Because of the mention in the story, Florida campaign officials asked Piccillo to introduce Biden on Wednesday.

"Absolutely, I would be honored," is what Piccillo said he told Obama supporters.

"The funny thing is it is a moment in my life when I was the most honored and the most embarrassed at the exact same time."

News Channel 8 reporter Josh Thomas can be reached at (813) 221-5737 or jthomas@wfla.com. Tribune reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

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