Biden follows Obama into NC for fundraising visit

Biden spent about an hour in Raleigh at the North Hills area home of John and Kristin Replogle. About 60 people donated a minimum of $5,000 each to attend the breakfast.

His visit follows less than a day behind President Barack Obama's trip to the Triangle, where he visited an Apex business and pushed for his jobs package at a speech at North Carolina State University.

The vice president made his own pitch for the jobs plan over breakfast, saying millions of Americans remain out of work and are struggling.

"We have to do something to jump start this,” he said. “All the elements for the beginning of a genuine recovery are there. We are out of the recession, but that is not enough.”

The $447 billion jobs bill calls for cutting payroll taxes for individuals and businesses and using tax credits to spur hiring. Those revenue losses would be offset by raising taxes on large corporations and the wealthy.

Biden said Republicans have supported ideas like tax cuts and credits before, and he said Obama and the Democrats are prepared to negotiate with the GOP-led House.

"We are not willing to negotiate no. We are not willing to negotiate stand-pat," he said. "We have had enough of this absolute recalcitrance."

On the way to the fundraiser, Biden stopped and greeted some neighborhood children.

"It was pretty awesome," said Raiford Garrabrant, who was with his brother, Pete, when they met Biden. "He's the vice president of the United States, and we got to meet him and shake his hand."

Secret Service agents and Raleigh police officers blocked off the neighborhood until Biden left, heading to another fundraiser Thursday afternoon in Dallas.

John Replogle is the former chief executive of Durham-based Burt's Bees, which makes natural personal care products, and now heads Seventh Generation, which makes non-toxic household and personal care products.