All that being said, the remark is as stupid politically as it is substantively.
Keep in mind that comments this incendiary spread far beyond their intended audience, especially in this age of the internet. Whatever perceived benefit they may confer upon Obama-Biden among African-Americans, I'd bet, is more than offset by the disgust they elicit from other voters (including African-Americans who are tired of being played for chumps by the Democrats). And among the most offended, I suspect, are the independent, "moderate" voters who value civil discourse highly -- along with all the other Americans tired of spurious claims of racism. If Obama-Biden (the erstwhile "purple America" and "hope and change" ticket) try to divide Americans along racial lines, chances are it will do more to hurt them than to injure Romney-Ryan.
Now to the substance of these remarks. There's some irony, wouldn't you agree, in arguing that Romney-Ryan want to enslave anyone, when the Obama administration (with 1 in 7 Americans dependent on food stamps already) has launched an advertising campaign targeting the elderly, the working poor, the unemployed and Hispanics for government aid?
Isn't it an exercise in projection to suggest that anyone else is "enslaving" African-Americans when under Obama, black unemployment is almost twice as high as it is for whites? And who is creating a culture of dependency when 7 in 10 teens remained jobless this summer -- and blacks, Hispanics, and teens from lower-income families were least likely to be employed, thereby depriving them of a first crucial step to ultimate success in the job market?
Look, no one expects racial sensitivity from Joe Biden. But these remarks are a strategic and substantive disaster for the Obama campaign, and a more honest MSM would be describing them as such.