U.S. economy rebounding slowly, Biden says

DETROIT, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Vice President Joe Biden visited Detroit Tuesday to raise funds for two Michigan Democrats in Congress and give a progress report on the nation's economy.

Biden raised an estimated $318,000 for freshman U.S. Reps. Gary Peters and Mark Schauerat back-to-back receptions.

Speaking to about 140 donors, Biden said addressing the nation's economic woes would take a little longer.

"It is working," Biden said. "We've got a long way to go."

The Obama administration and Congress are making investments in energy and infrastructure that will pay off in the long run, Biden said.

Michigan's unemployment rate of 15.3 percent is the nation's worst.

The measure of whether or not the administration has succeeded, Biden said, was whether middle class

Americans emerge from the recession in better shape than they were at the beginning.

It's easy to forget "just how horrible things were back in January," Biden said. "This was an economy built on a bubble. The rules were being made by the cowboys on Wall Street."