Subject: FW: Convention Clips 7.28.16
From: "Chung, Kathy S. EOP/OVP" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:49:15 +0000

Joe Biden Says Democrats Have Stopped Talking To White, Working-class Voters

By Callum Borchers

Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/27/joe-biden-says-democrats-have-stopped-talking-to-white-working-class-voters/> , July 27, 2016

Whatever the status of his up-and-down public relationship with Donald Trump, Joe Scarborough has shown a steady understanding of the Republican presidential nominee's appeal. The former Republican congressman has said many of the white, working-class people backing Trump are the same voters who supported him in the 1990s.

The same could be said of Vice President Biden, a native of Scranton, Pa. So when the two Joes got together on MSNBC Wednesday morning, ahead of Biden's prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention, Scarborough wanted to know why the veep thinks Trump is connecting with these voters so much better than Hillary Clinton.

Biden took care not to criticize Clinton directly but scolded his party for acting like a bunch of "limousine liberals" who offer solutions without taking time to listen and learn about problems. Here's the exchange:

SCARBOROUGH: We all are asking about Donald Trump. You're talking about a guy who's connecting with those workers in Scranton, Pa., who's connecting with those people in Youngstown, Ohio, who's connecting with those white, working-class voters in a way that you have your entire career - and a way that Hillary Clinton is not. You can just look at the numbers right now. Why is that?

BIDEN: That's why I'm going to be living in Pennsylvania and Ohio and Michigan -

SCARBOROUGH: - over the next six months. But why is that?

BIDEN: I think it's two reasons. One, I think the Democratic Party overall hasn't spoken enough to those voters. They've done the right thing for the voters - haven't spoken to them. ...

SCARBOROUGH: Have Democrats stopped talking to white, working-class voters?

BIDEN: I think we have, in part. And the reason is we've been consumed with crisis after crisis after crisis. And so I go in my old neighborhoods, and they go, "Joe. Hey, Joe, over here. What about me?" And I say, "Well, look, all these things that are happening."

Look, you know, what are the things that affect middle-class families? Let me define what I mean by middle-class: Being able to own your own house, not have to rent it. Being able to send your kid to a park; they can come home safe. Being able to take care of your geriatric parent after the other one dies. Being able to send your kid to a local school; they do well, they get to college, and if they get there you can get 'em there, if they get in. That's not asking too much. And so I say, "Look. Look what we're doing. Look what we're doing on college assistance and Pell grants." We have the right policies, but I don't think we spend enough time - I know we're running out of time.

Let me say it this way: I had a Senate staff, and it was pretty consistent. I mean, they knew me well, and they knew my modus operandi. Got to be vice president. New people, new staff. And anybody who would begin to say, "You're going to speak to such and such; here's an outline," and I said, "Just every speech you write, just understand one thing: In the very beginning, make sure that they know that I know what they're concerned about, that I know what their problem is. Whether I agree with them or not on the solution, let them know that I know what's worrying them and why it's not illegitimate that they're worried. And then give an answer." We instead go in and sort of - in the old days, the "limousine liberals" - we go in and say, "I got the answer for you."

This was a pretty candid reflection by Biden, prompted by some good questioning by Scarborough. It might even be more insightful than whatever the vice president says onstage Wednesday night.

For one thing, it tells us where he comes down on the question of whether Democrats ought to redouble their efforts to win white, working-class voters or simply cede this shrinking demographic to the GOP. The news media has covered extensively Republicans' self-identified need to make gains among racial minorities who tend to vote Democrat - but that is because they represent growing shares of the electorate. Some liberals have argued that Democrats shouldn't waste their time on white, working-class voters, whose influence is fading, anyway.

"The Democrats don't need them, they shouldn't want them, and they should once and for all stop coddling them," the Daily Beast's Peter Birkenhead wrote last month. Biden clearly disagrees.

In his speech, Biden will surely focus on Clinton's strengths, but here, on "Morning Joe," he acknowledged a major vulnerability and previewed his role in addressing it, saying he'll be hitting the trail on the Democratic nominee's behalf in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. We can also expect to see him hitting the air for more interviews like this one.

Joe Biden: Democrats Don't Show Enough Respect To Working Class Voters

Los Angeles Times <http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-democratic-convention-2016-live-joe-biden-democrats-don-t-show-enough-1469623575-htmlstory.html> , July 27, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden said Democrats only have themselves to blame for their struggle to appeal to white working-class voters, saying Donald Trump has taken advantage of the fact that "not enough respect" has been shown to that group.

"The Democratic Party overall hasn't spoken enough to those voters," he said during an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "They've done the right thing for those voters. They haven't spoken to them."

One reason Biden offered was that the party has been "consumed by crisis after crisis after crisis," and so not enough care was shown to explain why the policies they pursued were good for working people.

Asked about Trump's potential appeal to these voters in Rust Belt states, Biden quipped: "That's why I'm going to be living in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan."

In the interview, Biden also hammered Trump for irresponsible statements on foreign policy, particularly his assertion recently that the United States might not defend NATO allies in Eastern Europe in the event of further Russian aggression.

Biden said that Trump didn't appear to understand Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which binds signatories to come to the defense of any member nation that is attacked.

"I don't have anything personal against Donald Trump," he said. "But the truth is, Donald Trump knows nothing about foreign policy."

Biden will address the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, followed by Clinton's choice to replace him, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, and then President Obama.

Biden: Democrats Haven't 'Spoken Enough' To White, Middle-class Americans

By Louis Nelson

Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/joe-biden-democrats-middle-class-226306> , July 27, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden joked Wednesday that he is "going to be living in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan" in the coming months as the Democratic Party looks to reconnect with white, middle-class voters ahead of November's general election.

Biden told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" that Democrats have increasingly failed to connect with white, middle-class Americans, a group with which Republican nominee Donald Trump has consistently polled well. The vice president said that while Democrats have continued to advocate for policies that would benefit those voters, they have not spent enough time assuring them that Democrats understand their problems.

"I think the Democratic Party overall hasn't spoken enough to those voters. They've done the right thing for the voters. Haven't spoken to them," Biden said. "We have the right policies but I don't think we spend enough time."

Diagnosing the problem, Biden said both parties, but especially Democrats, have become too distracted by the conveyor belt of crises politicians deal with and as a result have forgotten to engage with white, middle-class voters.

"I think we have, in part, and the reason is we've been consumed with crisis after crisis after crisis," Biden said. "And so I go into my old neighborhood and they go, 'Joe, hey Joe, over here. What about me?'"

"I think there has been in both parties not enough - this is going to sound strange - enough respect shown to ordinary people busting their necks," he continued.

Biden Says Trump Has 'no Clue' About Needs Of Middle Class

By Nancy Benac

Associated Press <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-says-trump-has-no-clue-about-needs-of-middle-class/2016/07/27/44f5a858-546a-11e6-b652-315ae5d4d4dd_story.html> , July 27, 2016

PHILADELPHIA - Leveling a blistering attack on Donald Trump, Vice President Joe Biden put on his rhetorical hat as "middle-class Joe" Wednesday and told Democratic delegates and millions of television viewers that the billionaire businessman "has no clue" about the needs of working-class people or what makes the nation great.

"He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class?" Biden said at the Democratic National Convention. "Give me a break. That's a bunch of malarkey."

The delegates ate it up, chanting "not a clue, not a clue" and jumping to their feet over and over, waving signs that read simply "Joe."

It was a bittersweet moment for Biden in more ways than one. He took note of the loss of his son, Beau, to brain cancer a little more than a year ago. And left unspoken was the knowledge that Biden had long hoped for a very different kind of convention moment - one in which he claimed the nomination for himself.

Biden, 73, ran for president twice and spent months last year debating whether to challenge Hillary Clinton for the 2016 nomination before he opted out in October.

But Biden put that behind him and delivered a stirring defense of Clinton as smart, tough and passionate about helping others.

"There's only one person in this race, who will be there, who's always been there for you," he declared.

Then he quickly segued into a harsh comparison with Trump, taking note of his own nickname as "middle-class Joe."

"To state the obvious - and I'm not trying to be a wise guy here - that's not Donald Trump's story," Biden said.

"His cynicism is unbounded," Biden said, citing a lack of empathy and compassion summed up in Trump's signature catchphrase, "You're fired."

The vice president gave Trump one distinction: "No major-party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security."

"We cannot elect a man who exploits our fears of ISIS and other terrorists, has no plan whatsoever to make us safer, a man who embraces the tactics of our enemies - torture, religious intolerance," Biden said. "That's not who we are. It betrays our values."

Biden was introduced by his wife, Jill, and with a six-minute video that summed up his four-decades-plus political career as a congressman, senator and vice president.

"He was authentic long before it became a buzzword in politics," his wife told the delegates, who showed they agreed, some waving signs that read "Scranton," his working-class hometown in Pennsylvania.

"I love Joe Biden," said Tammie Lewis, a Michigan delegate. "He should have been our next president."

"He's always come across as just one of us," she added.

First lady Michelle Obama, who got a shout-out from Biden in his speech, tweeted back: "To one of my favorite men in the world. Joe, thank you & Jill for all you've done for this country."

Biden's speech to the convention is likely one of the last major addresses of his political career. He has said he expects to stay involved on issues after his tenure as vice president ends but he has no plans to run for office again.

___

Associated Press writer Kathleen Ronayne contributed to this report.

___

Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/nbenac

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Biden Gets Standing Ovation On 'Morning Joe'

By Jesse Byrnes

The Hill <http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/289407-biden-gets-standing-o-on-morning-joe> , July 27, 2016

Vice President Biden received a standing ovation on the set of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Wednesday, ahead of his speech at the Democratic National Convention later in the day.

Co-host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, took to his feet and led the applause for Biden, which lasted more than 30 seconds, before the vice president's interview.

The live audience, gathered inside an Irish pub in Philadelphia, chanted, "Joe! Joe! Joe!"

MSNBC political commentator Mike Barnicle also stood and applauded, and co-host Mika Brzezinski briefly stood as well.

"It's amazing what happens when you announce you're not running for president," Biden quipped, leaning toward Scarborough, after the warm reception.

Scarborough said it was "a great honor" having the vice president as a guest.

During the interview, Biden went after GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump on foreign policy and said Democrats haven't "spoken enough" to white working-class voters.

 

Joe Biden Would've Crushed Donald Trump In This Election

By Ezra Klein

Vox <http://www.vox.com/2016/7/27/12305956/joe-biden-democratic-convention> , July 28, 2016

So here's something I feel confident saying after watching Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic National Convention: He would've crushed Donald Trump in this election.

I know, I know, you can't predict the counterfactual. No one really knows what would've happened. Biden could have collapsed amid unexpected scandal, gaffes, or health problems. But assuming nothing crazy happened, I'm sticking with the claim: Biden would've crushed Trump. He matches up against Trump in a way that's just devastating.

Joe Biden has three main strengths as a campaigner. He seems like he loves America more than any human who has ever lived. He seems like he really, truly identifies with the middle class. And he is better at projecting bemused condescension than any politician in the game today.

This is why Obama picked him in 2008. It's easy to forget, but Democrats were running scared of Republicans - and particularly of Rudy Giuliani - on national security, which back then served as a proxy for Americanness. Well, most Democrats were running scared.

But not Biden. He's confident in his patriotism, confident in his appeal, and damn confident with his knowledge of foreign policy. Watch the casual demolition of Giuliani he delivered while walking to a car. This is why he's vice president today.

Tonight, Biden struck much the same tone against Trump - and delivered, by far, the most effective attack of the Democratic convention so far. Watch him literally shush the crowd so they don't interrupt him while he's flaying the Republican nominee.

Something we've written a bit about at Vox is how both the Democratic and Republican parties chose unusually weak, unpopular candidates this cycle. If Hillary Clinton wins, it will be because Trump is an orange catastrophe. If Trump wins, it will be because Americans prefer a candidate a majority believes to be unqualified to a candidate that a majority believes they can't trust. Both parties could've found stronger campaigners to send into this race.

For Democrats, Biden is one of those roads not taken. And tonight, they got a look at how that election might have gone. Biden's middle-class populism is an easy counter to Trump's rich man's populism; his rejoinder to "make America great again" is he obviously never stopped believing in America's greatness; his bemused condescension would've found its perfect target in Trump's brash ignorance.

Trump is good at bullying candidates like Jeb Bush. Joe Biden is good at bullying candidates like Donald Trump. I mean, watch that clip again. The way Biden delivers "no major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or been less prepared to deal with our national security" is just devastating.

I'm not saying here that Biden would've been a great president. One reason he didn't end up running is that top Democrats weren't sure he would make a great president - the support wasn't there for him in the way it would've been if key members of the Obama administration wanted to see him succeed their boss.

But while Hillary Clinton impresses those who serve alongside her, she's got a set of weaknesses that are really all that gives Trump a chance in this election. She's the favorite to win anyway, but Biden would've crushed Trump.

Column: A Bittersweet Night For Biden

By Jonathan Allen

Roll Call <http://www.rollcall.com/news/bittersweet-night-biden> , July 27, 2016

This wasn't supposed to be Joe Biden's night, at least not in the mind of the two-term vice president and former chairman of two major congressional committees.

Biden was supposed to be speaking tomorrow night, accepting the presidential nomination of a party grateful for his service to its goals and to President Barack Obama.

If anyone was in line for the Democratic presidential nomination, it was Biden. If anyone paid his or her dues, it was Biden. If anyone figured out how to roll with the evolution of the Democratic Party, from moderate to liberal to third way to progressive, it was Biden. If there's anyone still eligible for the presidency who is best suited to rally Democrats on the campaign trail and cut deals with Republicans on Capitol Hill, it's Biden. And if there's anyone to whom President Obama owes unflinching loyalty, it's Biden.

It's not hard to imagine Biden accepting the Democratic nomination for president here in Philadelphia, less than an hour's drive from his house in Delaware and not too far from his native Scranton, Pennsylvania. He would have been a returning prodigal son. What a story that would have been, from the hardscrabble upbringing to a lifetime of public service representing Delaware in Congress to a major party's presidential nomination. It would be hard avoid getting caught up in the sentimentality of a Biden nomination - especially because virtually everyone who knows him roots for him.

He's the antithesis of Hillary Clinton as a politician: Smooth, charming and oppressively likable. If he stretches the truth, no one cares. But, for a variety of reasons, he never gained traction in his presidential campaigns.

There are few things Biden wanted more than the presidency. And there can be little doubt that he still thinks he should be the one accepting the party's nomination on Thursday night. But he also knows that he had a much better chance of playing spoiler - of splintering Clinton's coalition - than of defeating both her and Bernie Sanders. The threat of that was real enough to keep Clintonworld up at night last fall and to factor into Biden's decision not to run.

By the time he sat down to take a hard look at the 2016 campaign, Clinton had already locked up so much support within the party that it would have been hard for him to build a credible operation. Part of that was the suspension of Biden's decision-making when his son Beau died, but part of it was simply Clinton's preparation and hard work in assuming command of the party machinery. (It's been reported that Beau Biden wanted him to run.)

So, Biden did what was best for Clinton, best for himself and best for the party. He didn't complain publicly that the White House, including Obama, refused to help position him for the presidency. There was no visible sulking when White House officials declined to identify him as a favorite of the president or even push back hard on the idea that Obama had twice told the nation Biden was the next-best person to be president and didn't feel that way heading into 2016.

He conducted himself with honor and redefined loyalty, even in the face of Obama's tacit betrayal. A two-term vice president has every right to feel entitled to the support of the president - however tepid - when the administration is coming to an end. Not Biden. He had been cut out by the marriage of the Obama and Clinton political worlds.

Despite all his years of service and loyalty, Biden drew the short straw this year - a Wednesday night speaking slot in which he's sure to make the case for Clinton, even though he certainly believes he'd make a better president.

Democrats will cheer him heartily, handing him the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award rather than a shot at the presidency. They will recognize his service as they put a capstone on a political rise that began the year that Richard Nixon was re-elected to the presidency.

Their applause will be bittersweet for Biden. But he should bask in it. He did what Clinton always says she wants to do: all the good he could, by all the means he could, at all the times he could and in all the places he could.

Roll Call columnist Jonathan Allen is co-author of the New York Times-bestselling Clinton biography "HRC" and has covered Congress, the White House and elections over the past 15 years.

Does Joe Biden Regret Sitting Out 2016?

By Jason Russell

Washington Examiner <http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/does-joe-biden-regret-sitting-out-2016/article/2597998?custom_click=rss> , July 28, 2016

Night three of the Democratic National Convention is in the books, featuring speeches by President Obama, Vice President Biden and the Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine. Here are a few brief thoughts:

Does Joe Biden regret sitting 2016 out?

We may never know if Biden regrets not running for president this year. But with the ovation he got as he walked on stage with "JOE" signs waving around the arena, it's easy to think there were some Democrats wishing Biden were the nominee instead of Hillary Clinton. After all, Biden has a positive 15 favorability rating nationwide. Clinton's is negative 16.

Why is Biden so popular? First of all, because he's detached from most of what people don't like about Obama. Most of the time they see Biden, he's the subject of a hilarious Internet meme or giving a speech like tonight. And his speeches are always authentic. It never seems like he's reading off a teleprompter. He has lines that grab your attention like, "Just stop for a second and listen to me without booing or cheering." Lastly, how can you not like someone that uses "malarkey" in a speech?

I've always thought Joe Biden wouldn't have won the nomination if he had run, but that he'd regret not even trying. Regardless, I'm sure he appreciated the send-off he got.

Joe Biden DNC Speech Reactions

By Michael Sebastian

Cosmopolitan <http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/news/a62000/joe-biden-dnc-speech-reactions/> , July 28, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden electrified the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night with a speech that brought the audience to tears, delivered a blistering attack on Donald Trump, and generally fired up the crowd - and it all started with Biden emerging to the music from Rocky.

The speech also set a spark to Twitter, with Joe Biden surging to the top of the trending topics list.And it was, more or less, a lovefest.

Commentary: Vice President Joe Biden Brought Down The House At Dem Convention In Philly

By Jamie Stiehm

US News & World Report <http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-07-27/vice-president-joe-biden-brought-down-the-house-at-dem-convention-in-philly> , July 27, 2016

PHILADELPHIA - On the Democratic National Convention's third night, Joe Biden, the vice president of the United States, revealed the political role he knows best: the heart of the chilly Obama presidency.

The valedictory capped one of the longest runs in American politics. Given to longwindedness, Biden was not a Senate lion with gravitas, but boy, was he a good guy. Nobody smiled more broadly in the halls. Apparently, he beguiled a rising stardust man from Illinois.

Tonight in Philadelphia, the gregarious 73-year-old was on fire as he gathered up the personal pieces of the Obama-Biden partnership. His oratory, never high-falutin', achieved a passionate eloquence that even silenced the Bernie Sanders protesters on the floor. Nobody else has achieved that this steamy week.

Cutting through cheers, Biden spoke a strong closing line regarding foreign leaders - "and I know them all" - declaring that he tells them: "Don't bet against America." This patriotic feint was the perfectly simple defense of Obama's foreign policy and an apt tough reply to Republican nominee Donald Trump's cheap shots across the bow.

Biden openly spoke of the loss of a loved one, his son Beau, who died of brain cancer in his 40s last summer. That to me is his signature talent: befriending strangers by telling his own story, over and over. We all know about Beau and we feel implicated because his father has shared him generously with us.

Like the wizard of Oz, Biden has acted as the heart and the soul of a White House that would otherwise be defined by President Obama's cool, reserved and cerebral persona. In 2008, running for office, the young Obama sensed he needed to warm up and humanize his administration with a more gregarious presence, especially in a financial crisis gripping the nation as he took the oath of office.

In small Delaware, which Biden first represented in the Senate as a young man, he's just "Joe" to the people of Wilmington and to the Amtrak train conductors he knows from his Senate years. He commuted to Washington, cementing his small-town identity. And he is just "Joe" in Washington, too. Few senators are known by their first names anymore.

Finally, Biden openly touched on the greatest tragedy of his life, losing his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash just before entering the Senate. His broken heart, eventually mended, reached a point of love and hope again, with his second wife Jill.

The vice president didn't hold anything back in his grand farewell on the big stage. His spirit of the personal touch is old-fashioned politics that is, sadly, going out of style.

Jamie Stiehm is a weekly Creators Syndicate columnist. Her op-eds on politics, culture, and history have appeared in newspapers across the nation, including The New York Times and The Washington Post. She previously worked as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun and The Hill. Jamie's first journalism job was as an assignment editor at the CBS News bureau in London. Follow her .

Maddow: 'Joe Biden Is A Force Of Nature'

MSNBC <http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-joe-biden-is-a-force-of-nature-733562947938> , July 27, 2016

Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O'Donnell react to Vice President Joe Biden's rousing address to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Television segment: transcript follows:

Rachel Maddow -- The thing about Joe Biden is that Joe Biden is a force of nature on an average Tuesday morning but you give him a stage, you give him a platform like this, and we didn't have prepared remarks. i wasn't following along on the teleprompter or anything. i will guarantee you that that bore very little resemblance to what was written down for him to say. for him to be moved enough by what he was saying that at the end, he just yells, "come on, we're america." there's just nobody else in politics in my lifetime who pulls off that kind of emotion and enthusiasm and authenticity the way that Joe Biden does and that is one of the things that he will be missed for when he's no longer vice president.

Commentary: Joe Biden's DNC Speech Shows He Should Have Run For Prez

By Mike Lupica

New York Daily News <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/lupica-joe-biden-dnc-speech-shows-run-prez-article-1.2729066> , July 28, 2016

Beau Biden, at the end of a life that ended far too soon, was right with a dying request for his father. His father should have run.

The rousing speech Joe Biden gave Wednesday night should have been given on Thursday night. He should not just have been talking to the country about what he and Barack Obama have done over the past eight years, about what they have accomplished even when the other side constantly discusses them as weaklings and fools. He should have been talking, as his party's nominee, about what he planned to do over the next four years as President. This should have been his week, not hers. He would run away with this thing in the fall.

"I made the right choice for my family," Biden has said for months and is still saying in Philadelphia. It was just not the right choice for the rest of us.

The son of Scranton, Pa., and then Claymont, Del., maybe a half-hour down I-95, and the father of Beau Biden would not just have brought his own experience to this moment in Philadelphia, as if bringing it home. Biden would also have brought his decency to this city and this arena and this convention and this campaign. At this time when politics has turned into a knife fight, it would have mattered, and mightily.

Joe Biden trashes Trump in passionate DNC speech

But this speech on Wednesday was not the real beginning of what should have been Joe Biden's fight against Donald Trump. This was a kind of ending for him, as much as he plans to stump for Hillary Clinton over the next weeks and months. Obama is not the one who looks like the last Democrat. Neither did Bill Clinton on Tuesday night. Joe Biden does, 44 years after he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Delaware at the age of 29.

This should have been Biden's time, even at his age, a last, loud roar. Maybe he wasn't ever going to excite the young, and disenfranchised the way Bernie Sanders, another 70-something, did. Certainly Biden doesn't take himself seriously enough to ever discuss himself as the leader of a movement. But he should have been out there ahead of Bernie the way Bobby Kennedy should have been out there ahead of Eugene McCarthy in 1968.

If he had gotten in early the way Bernie did, everything would look different today, starting with the polls. Trump would have had to do a lot better than suggesting in a tweet, as he did on Wednesday, that Biden isn't very bright, all because Joe got tripped up trying to remember which Republican said which amazingly dumb thing about carpet-bombing Syria.

Here is something Biden said on "Morning Joe" Wednesday morning, when asked about middle-class voters who think they have been abandoned or ignored by the Democratic Party:

Obama promises voters are in 'good hands' with Hillary Clinton

"Let me define what I mean by middle-class: Being able to own your own house, not have to rent it. Being able to send your kid to a park; they can come home safe. Being able to take care of your geriatric parent after the other one dies. Being able to send your kid to a local school; if they do well, they get to college, and they get there you can get 'em there if they get in. That's not asking too much."

Biden restated all that 13 hours later, just with the volume turned up much higher, with more feeling. It is a vision of America you can still understand, and believe in, and even cheer, at this time when the country really is discussed by the other party as if it were the "Hunger Games," or "Gotham City," as Republican strategist and commentator Mike Murphy said on television the other night.

Of course Hillary Clinton has served her country, despite the way she is constantly demonized. She has. Joe Biden has just done it longer. Biden is the populist his party so desperately wants Clinton to be, and was to the very end of his speech on Wednesday night, when he shouted "We are America!" And then, because he wasn't quite done yet, Biden punctuated that by shouting, "Come on!"

He spoke of his son Beau on this night, and being strong in the broken places; how his son had placed his name in nomination for a second term four years ago. Joe Biden spoke optimistically of his country on this night, without embarrassment, talking about how "Ordinary people like us can do extraordinary things." And he spoke of the scare tactics of the other party, heard constantly last week in Cleveland, and not just from Donald Trump.

Tim Kaine does impression of Trump with 'believe me' speech

"We do not scare easily," Joe Biden said in Philadelphia, his voice rising again and again. "We never bow, we never bend, we never break, we endure, we always, always move forward."

He left the stage finally with his wife, Jill. It will be Hillary's stage on Thursday night, and from now on. Her time. Her fight. Should have been his.

Joe Biden's Knockout Convention Speech

By Doug Heye

Wall Street Journal <http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/07/28/joe-bidens-knockout-convention-speech/> , July 28, 2016

Doug Heye is a former communications director for the Republican National Committee and deputy chief of staff to then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. He is on Twitter: @DougHeye.

The second the "Rocky" theme began, it was clear Vice President Biden would deliver a knockout.

He started out subdued, referencing a passage from "A Farewell to Arms"-"The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places."-as he acknowledged the death of his son.

That passage, however, also foreshadowed the optimistic tone his shifted to in speaking about this country. In a sentence, he displayed the grace under pressure that Hemingway called courage-as he has over and over since Beau Biden's untimely passing last year.

And then he launched into a barnburner of a broadside against Donald Trump-while still remaining optimistic.

His optimism reminded me of watching Ronald Reagan as a kid in 1980 and 1984. Vice President Biden might as well have said it was morning in America and called Washington a shining city on a hill. He-and, to an extent, Barack Obama-sounded a lot like Republicans have traditionally sounded...while Republicans this year have tended to emphasize our nation's 

 "We never bow. We never bend. We never break when confronted with crisis. No, we endure," Mr. Biden said.

By the time he was exclaiming that "We own the finish line," Mr. Biden's words and passion were inspiring the crowd to chant, "USA! USA!"-also something more typically heard at Republican events.

This sort of optimism barely existed at my party's convention last week. The nominees of both major parties have record-high unpopularity ratings. The sort of optimism and positive visions of the future that voters usually hear in presidential campaigns may be in short supply this time.

For voters skeptical of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden's speech Wednesday night showed how this election could have been a slam-dunk for Democrats if Mr. Biden were their nominee.

In the politics that we have, however, it demonstrated how much of an asset Mr. Biden will be for Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. Nowhere is this more true than in central Pennsylvania, a battleground area that Mr. Trump visited on Wednesday. Among the many signs Democrats waved Wednesday night were pro-Biden signs that simply said "Scranton," referring to the vice-president's birthplace. It's a city that is sure to remain a focus throughout the campaign.

As Clinton surrogates fan out, we can expect to see the vice president campaigning all over the country. Nowhere will he be more needed, and more of an asset, than his home town.

Joe Biden Just Delivered The Most Ferocious Takedown Of Donald Trump At The Democratic Convention

Business Insider <https://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-biden-just-delivered-most-020008087.html> , July 27, 2016

Joe Biden tore through Donald Trump in a blistering speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Wednesday that fired up the crowd of delegates.

In a fierce takedown of the Republican nominee, Biden said that Trump has "no clue" about the American middle class and lambasted him as the least prepared major-party candidate in history.

"He tries to tell us he cares about the middle class," the vice president said. "Give me a break. That's a bunch of malarkey!"

Biden used his own middle-class upbringing as the basis for explaining why he's a better expert on the subject than the Manhattan billionaire.

"I know why we're strong," he said. "I know why we're held together. I know why we're united. Because there's always been a growing middle class. This guy doesn't have a clue about the middle class. Not a clue."

"When the middle class does well, the rich do very well and the poor have hope," he continued. "They have a way forward. He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually, he has no clue, period."

He said that the world is too "complicated and uncertain" to risk an election of Trump as president.

"No major party nominee has ever known less or been less prepared to deal with our national security," he said, later adding that the real-estate magnate "has no plan whatsoever to make us safer."

Biden roiled Trump for "embracing the tactics of our enemies," such as torture and religious intolerance. The vice president continued, saying that Trump "betrays our values" and "all the Republicans know" it.

"It alienates those who we need in the fight against ISIS," he said. "Donald Trump with all his rhetoric would literally make us less safe."

He praised Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for having "always been there" to help others, calling it "her life story."

"God willing, Hillary Clinton will write the next chapter in that journey," he said, calling the 21st century America's century.

"We own the finish line," he said at the end of his fiery speech. "Don't forget it. God bless you all, and may God protect our troops. Come on, we're America!"

Here's How Leslie Knope Is Probably Reacting To Vice President Joe Biden's DNC Speech

By Lily Harrison

E! Entertainment <http://www.eonline.com/news/783337/here-s-how-leslie-knope-is-probably-reacting-to-vice-president-joe-biden-s-dnc-speech> , July 27, 2016

Joe Biden just spoke at the Democratic National Convention and we know somehow, somewhere, Leslie Knope is beaming with pride.

The Parks and Recreation star famously adored the Vice President of the United States of America, so you know tonight's passionate speech only fueled her unwavering love for him.

But instead of reminding you why Amy Poehler's beloved character was head over heels for Biden, let's look at all the ways Knope reacted to his powerful words tonight when he spoke about Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and GOP nominee Donald Trump.

On FLOTUS: "I don't know where you are kid, but you're incredible...It's no longer who is going to give the best speech, we already know who did that. You were incredible Monday night."

On Having a Better Half: "Barack [Obama] and I married way up...way up!"

On Trump's Famous Slogan: "How can there be pleasure in saying, 'You're fired'?"

On the GOP Nominee's Platform: "Give me a break that's a bunch of malarkey."

On Knowing Hillary for Over 30 Years: "Everybody knows she's smart. Everybody knows she's tough. I know what she's passionate about."

On the USA: "It's never a good bet to bet against America."

Joe Biden Just Delivered The Donald Trump Takedown Nobody Else Could

By Aaron Blake

Washington Post <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/27/joe-biden-just-delivered-the-donald-trump-takedown-nobody-else-could/> , July 27, 2016

Joe Biden started his speech Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention by hailing Michelle Obama's Monday speech as a lock to be the best of this week's Democratic National Convention.

And then he may very well have matched it.

Biden used the distinctly Biden tools at his disposal to assemble a succinct takedown of Donald Trump's vision of America. He navigated the challenge of a crowd that had been unruly at times this week by telling them to quiet down and let him make his points; they did. As he often does, he assured us that he was being serious, honest, and that this was important. He called himself "middle-class Joe." He even got "malarkey" involved.

"He is trying to tell us he cares about the middle class," Biden said of Trump. "Give me a break. That's a bunch of malarkey."

Biden started out by talking about his family and his son, Beau, who died last year. He delivered a tribute to working-class Americans who don't have the kind of support system he does to deal with hard times. He talked about how important Hillary Clinton's presidency would be to his daughters and granddaughters.

And then he turned to Trump and painted the picture of a populist fraud. Trump, he said, was no populist.

"Ladies and gentlemen, to state the obvious - and I'm not trying to be a wiseguy here, I really mean it - that's not Donald Trump's story," Biden said.

It would be the first of many asides Biden would use to get the crowd focused. As the crowd began to applaud, Biden shushed them: "Just listen to me for a sec without booing or cheering. I mean this sincerely. We should really think about this."

Political conventions are about applauding and getting riled up, and Biden was asking for the opposite. And the crowd was with him.

"His cynicism is unbounded," Biden said of Trump. "His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in a phrase I suspect he's most proud of having made famous: 'You're fired.' I'm not joking; think about that."

This isn't a particularly novel attack on Trump - that he's a rich guy who likes to fire people. A speechwriter on his or her first day could come up with that. But Biden made it work.

He used humility: "I know I'm called middle-class Joe, and in Washington that's not meant as a compliment. It means you're not sophisticated. But I know why we're strong. I know why we have held together. I know why we are united. It's because we've always had a growing middle class. This guy doesn't have a clue about the middle class - not a clue."

Biden was uniquely situated to make this case. Trump has used his populist appeal and unique political style to appeal to working-class white voters in a way Republicans haven't before. These are Biden's people, too. In fact, Biden was born and raised in the same hardscrabble Scranton, Pa., that Trump visited just hours before Biden's speech at the Democratic convention.

"He has no clue about what makes America great," Biden said referring to Trump's slogan. "Actually, he has no clue."

And then: "No major-party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security."

He said Trump has "no plan whatsoever" to defeat terrorism and "embraces the tactics of our enemies," such as torture.

These were all harsh attacks - the kind of red meat that conventions are made for. And Biden delivered the red meat better than anyone at this week's convention.

There was some talk - mostly Democratic fantasies - about Biden potentially staying on as vice president, becoming Hillary Clinton's running mate. He would have been very good at it - especially in the Year of Trump.

Joe Biden: No Candidate 'Has Ever Known Less' Than Trump

By Ben Wolfgang

Washington Times <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/27/joe-biden-no-candidate-has-ever-known-less-trump/> , July 27, 2016

PHILADELPHIA - Saying the Republicans have nominated the most clueless, unprepared presidential candidate in history, Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Wednesday night eviscerated Donald Trump, telling fellow Democrats the billionaire is a literal danger to the future of the country.

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Biden blasted Mr. Trump and cast him as a candidate of fear and division. He also told a rowdy crowd here that Mr. Trump's extreme lack of foreign policy knowledge would make the U.S. much less safe at a volatile time across the globe.

"His cynicism is unbounded. ... He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually, he has no clue, period," Mr. Biden said, riffing on Mr. Trump's campaign slogan.

"No major party nominee in the history of our nation has ever known less or has been less prepared with our national security. We cannot elect a man who exploits our fears ... who has no plan whatsoever to make us safer," Mr. Biden said.

The outgoing vice president - who became emotional at times when speaking about his late son, Beau - said Mr. Trump's embrace of torture, his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the country "betrays" American values.

"Donald Trump, with all his rhetoric, would literally make us less safe," Mr. Biden said.

On the other side of the ledger, Mr. Biden cast Hillary Clinton as uniquely qualified to be president. But rather than recite her foreign policy experience, the vice president mostly spoke of the former first lady's character, and what her administration would mean to young women across the country.

"We all understand what it will mean for our daughters and granddaughters when Hillary Clinton walks into the Oval Office as president of the United States of America," he said. "It will change their lives."

Biden Pulls No Punches, Calls Trump Claims 'Malarkey'

By Eric Garcia

Roll Call <http://www.rollcall.com/news/biden-pulls-no-punches-trumps-claims-middle-class-malarkey> , July 27, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden pulled no punches when he told delegates at the Democratic National Convention what he thought of Donald Trump's claims that he understands the middle class.

"That's a bunch of malarkey," Biden said to the boisterous cheers from the audience.

The comment drew cheers outside of the arena too, as members of the New York and Virginia Delegation at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel lobby watched on a projector screen.

"This guy doesn't have a clue about the middle class, not a clue," Biden said.

The audience took his lead.

"Not a clue!" they chanted.

Biden's speech was a goodbye of sorts, but many Democrats were hopeful he would still have a voice in the public sphere.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he looked forward to seeing Biden on the campaign trail.

"He has done a great job trying to help us take back the Senate," he said. "And I believe he'll continue to work hard on that the next several months."

Schumer said Wednesday night that he expected to see Biden continue working on the Cancer Moonshot.

Biden decided against running for president after his son, Beau, died of cancer. President Barack Obama put him in charge of efforts to cure cancer during his 2016 State of the Union Address.

Biden has been a fixture in Washington for more than 40 years.

He was elected a senator for Delaware in 1972, a bad year for Democrats. It was the year that Richard Nixon won the presidency in a landslide.

Biden alluded to his political longevity Wednesday night.

"I am more optimistic today than when I was a 29-year old kid in the senate," he said.

After a long career in the Senate, Biden was picked to be Obama's running mate in 2008. As Obama's vice president, he served critical function as a liaison between the White House and Congress.

In his speech Wednesday, Biden reminisced about when he accepted the Democratic Party's nomination to be vice president.

"And every single day since then, is been the honor of our lives for Jill and me," he said. "Every day, we've been grateful to Barack and Michelle for asking them to join us in this incredible journey."

Bob Gilligan, the former speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives, said Biden's compassion was an example.

"He was compassionate then. He is compassionate now," he said. "The only way he's changed is that he became wiser."

Gilligan called Biden "a role model for Americans, especially the way he's dealt with personal tragedy."

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said there might be a future in service for Biden.

"Probably more of a role as a special envoy, because no one is more highly regarded around the world, no American is more highly regarded around the world than Joe Biden," Rendell said.

Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, said he was sure Biden would be a great resource for Clinton in the future.

"His international network of contacts and resources from his 36 years as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, his eight years as vice president are unmatched," he said.

Bridget Bowman, Niels Lesniewski, Alex Roarty and Simone Pathe contributed to this report

Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.

Biden: Trump Has 'No Clue'

By Nolan D. McCaskill

Politico <http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/dnc-2016-joe-biden-226327> , July 28, 2016

Vice President Joe Biden electrified the capacity crowd at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night as he delivered a withering takedown of Donald Trump and offered his full-throated support of Hillary Clinton.

He assailed the Republican presidential nominee, a man he described as historically unqualified to be commander in chief, dangerous and - despite his campaign slogan - oblivious to what makes America great. With the complicated, uncertain world of today, Biden said, Americans can't risk electing Trump.

"The threats are too great, the times are too uncertain to elect Donald Trump as president of the United States," Biden warned. "Now let me finish: No major party - no major party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security."

Biden suggested that to elect Trump president would be to betray this country's values. "We cannot elect a man who exploits our fears of ISIS and other terrorists, who has no plan whatsoever to make us safer, a man who embraces the tactics of our enemies - torture, religious intolerance," he said.

"You all know, all the Republicans know, that's not who we are. It betrays our values," he continued. "It alienates those who we need in the fight against ISIS. Donald Trump, with all his rhetoric, would literally make us less safe. We cannot elect a man who belittles our closest allies while embracing dictators like Vladimir Putin - no, I mean it - a man who seeks to sow division in America for his own gain and disorder around the world, a man who confuses bluster with strength. We simply cannot let that happen as Americans. Period."

He presented Clinton's life story as a tale of a selfless woman who's always been there for others and hailed her as the only candidate who will come to the aid of families struggling to make ends meet, put students through college and take care of the elderly.

"That's not Donald Trump's story," Biden said, before launching into a takedown of the billionaire. "His cynicism is unbounded. His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed in a phrase I suspect he's most proud of having made famous: 'You're fired.' I mean, really, I'm not joking."

"Think about that," he implored the crowd. "Think about everything you learned as a child, no matter where you were raised. How can there be pleasure in saying you're fired? He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break. That's a bunch of malarkey."

The crowd erupted, but Biden kept going, insisting that Trump knows nothing about the middle class. "He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually, he has no clue period," Biden said, his voice rising, as the audience yelled back, "Not a clue! Not a clue!"

Biden began his roughly 17-minute prime-time speech recalling the moment he accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for vice president eight years ago. He thanked President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for allowing him and his wife, second lady Jill Biden, to serve alongside them in what he characterized as "the honor of our lives."

He lavished praise on the Obamas - the president for his leadership and Michelle for her rousing speech on Monday - and thanked the country for their support of his grieving family.

"We think about the countless thousands of other people who've suffered so much more than we have with so much less support, so much less reason to go on," Biden began. "But they get up, every morning, every day. They put one foot in front of the other. They keep going. That's the unbreakable spirit of the people of America. That's who we are."

But his deeply personal address also starkly contrasted the two presidential candidates. Biden vouched for Clinton as a woman he's known for decades - from before she was first lady to beyond their time together in the Senate and during her run as head of the State Department when Biden got into the White House. The two even had weekly breakfasts at his home when Clinton served in Obama's Cabinet.

"Everybody knows she's smart. Everybody knows she's tough, but I know what she's passionate about," Biden said. "I know Hillary."

Biden expressed his confidence in voters to choose Clinton over Trump at the ballot box, remarking that candidates have unsuccessfully attempted to appeal to voters' fears in the past "because we do not scare easily."

"The 21st century is going to be the American century because we lead not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example," he added. "That is the history of the journey of America. And God willing - God willing, Hillary Clinton will write the next chapter in that journey."

Biden energized the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center, speaking to a sea of Democrats, many of whom were waving Clinton campaign-style red "Joe" signs and blue "Scranton" signs. The two will campaign together for the first time at an event in Biden's hometown of Scranton on Aug. 15.

But the roles could have been reversed. Biden could have easily been addressing the convention on a different night and in a very different capacity. He was a favorite among Democrats to win the primary, had he decided to run, even against the former secretary of state. But he ultimately quashed any hopes that he would succeed Obama when he announced last October that he was "out of time" to mount a winnable campaign.

His pronouncement that day in the Rose Garden came months after his son, Beau, a former Delaware attorney general and military veteran, died of brain cancer last May.

"In 2008, when he was about to deploy to Iraq, and again in 2012, our son Beau introduced me to the country and placed my name in nomination," Biden said Wednesday. "You got a glimpse - I know I sound like a dad - but you got a glimpse of what an incredibly fine young man Beau was."

The 2016 calendar didn't work in Biden's favor, though. Had he announced his campaign that day at the White House, he'd have already missed the first of a limited Democratic debate schedule and would have had just three-and-a-half months before the Iowa caucuses.

While he and President Barack Obama were neutral in the protracted primary, Biden was both critical and complimentary of the front-runner. A month after acknowledging in April that he would like to see a woman become president - and that America was ready for it - he expressed confidence that Clinton would become the Democratic nominee and the 45th president. But not without a parting shot. "I think I would have been the best president," he told ABC's Robin Roberts, prefacing his acerbic remark by recognizing that "it's an awful thing to say."

But in his speech Wednesday, Biden highlighted the historic nature of Clinton's nomination and its impact on future generations.

"We all understand what it will mean for our daughters and granddaughters when Hillary Clinton walks into the Oval Office as president of the United States of America," he said. "It will change their lives. My daughters and granddaughters can do anything any son or grandson can do, and she will prove it."

Vice President Joe Biden Calls Out Trump's 'Malarkey' And Says He 'Has No Clue'

By Ali Rogin

ABC News <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/vice-president-joe-biden-calls-trumps-malarkey-clue/story?id=40944506> , July 27, 2016

An impassioned Vice President Joe Biden tore into Donald Trump, assailing him as the least prepared candidate for president in history, calling out his "malarkey" and saying he had "no clue" during his speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night.

"He has no clue about what makes America great. Actually he has no clue, period," Biden said, as the audience cheered.

He also took on Trump's reality TV show catchphrase, "You're fired."

"His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in the phrase I suspect he's most proud of having made famous," Biden said.

"Think about everything you learned as a child, no matter where you were raised. How can there be pleasure in saying, 'you're fired?'"

"He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break. That's a bunch of malarkey," he said, trotting out one of his catchphrases of sorts.

He also described the Hillary Clinton that he said he got to know in the Senate and over weekly breakfasts at the Naval Observatory when she served as Secretary of State.

"Everybody knows she's smart. Everybody knows she's tough. But I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary. Hillary understands," he said.

"There's only one person in this race who will be there. Who's always been there for you. And that's Hillary Clinton's life story," he added.

Biden also made a bittersweet reference to his son Beau, who placed his name into nomination at the 2012 DNC.

"You got a glimpse of what an incredibly fine man Beau was," he told the audience.

Biden Paints Trump As Deadly Choice For Nation's Future

By Sarah Ferris

The Hill <http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/289559-biden-paints-trump-as-deadly-choice-for-nations-future> , July 27, 2016

PHILADELPHIA - Vice President Biden delivered a forceful takedown of Donald Trump on Wednesday as he sought to paint the GOP presidential nominee as a deadly choice for the nation's future.

"No major-party nominee in the history of this nation has ever known less or has been less prepared to deal with our national security," Biden said in an effective speech that brought thousands of people to their feet in the packed Wells Fargo Center for the Democratic National Convention.

"Donald Trump and all his rhetoric would literally make us less safe."

Biden delivered the White House's strongest rebuke yet of Trump from the convention stage, perhaps paving the way for President Obama, who is to speak later on Wednesday night. Biden's speech came just hours after Trump made headlines for encouraging Russia to hack into Clinton's email server to obtain unreleased emails.

In one of the most stand-out speeches of the convention so far, Biden also seized on Trump's signature line from his TV show, "The Apprentice."

"His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in a phrase I suspect he's most proud of having made famous: 'You're fired,' " Biden said. "How can there be pleasure in saying 'You're fired'? He's trying to tell us he cares about the middle class? Give me a break.

"That's a bunch of malarkey!" Biden said, repeating his own oft-used line as delegates stood up and flashed bright orange signs that read "Joe" around the arena.

Describing himself as "middle-class Joe," the Scranton, Pa., native hammered Trump as a disastrous pick for American workers. Despite his long career in Washington, Biden has become a favorite of unions due to his reputation as a champion of the working class.

Biden is seen as a crucial bridge to that group of voters - which he said earlier Wednesday had been largely overlooked by "limousine liberals" in the Democratic Party. It's a demographic that's also being targeted by Trump.

"This guy doesn't have a clue about the middle class. Not a clue," Biden said.

"Actually, he has no clue, period," he said as the crowd roared with applause and then erupted in chants of "not a clue."

Biden offered an important show of unity for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has been his occasional rival throughout the years. Detailing their 30-year relationship, Biden recalled working closely with Clinton before she became first lady up through their shared time in the Senate and their weekly breakfast meetings in his home when they served in Obama's Cabinet.

Still, he did not call her a friend or offer warm anecdotes about working together, unlike previous speakers this week.

"Everybody knows she's smart. Everybody knows she's tough. But I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary. Hillary understands. Hillary gets it," Biden said.

"There is only one person in this race who will be there, who has always been there for you, and that's Hillary Clinton's life story. It's not just who she is; it's her life story. She's always there. She's always been there."

The vice president worked to ease years of friction with Clinton, including intense speculation last year over whether he would jump into the presidential race. Polls showed that Biden would have beaten Clinton in head-to-head match-ups, and Biden has in the past said himself, "I think I would have been the best president."

And while Biden's popularity has hovered around 50 percent over the last year, Clinton's has dipped to about 37 percent, according to Gallup.

Biden has not yet shared a stage with Clinton in 2016. The duo will campaign for the first time together next month in his hometown after their last event was canceled in the wake of the deadly shooting of police officers in Dallas.

Ascending the stage on Wednesday was an emotional moment for Biden. Four years ago, when he addressed the Democratic convention, he was introduced on stage by his son Beau, who died of brain cancer last year. Biden has since cited Beau's death - the latest of multiple tragedies in his life - as the reason he chose not to mount his own presidential bid this year.

In the opening minutes of his speech, Biden teared up as he offered a deeply personal tribute to his son.

"The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, many are strong at the broken places. I've been made strong at the broken places," Biden said, keeping himself from choking up.

He sought to downplay his own personal tragedies by highlighting the "thousands of other people who suffered so much more than we did, with so much less support, with so much less reason to go on."

"But they get up every morning, every day. They put one foot in front of the other. They keep going. That's the unbreakable spirit of the people of America. That's who we are. Don't forget it," Biden said, raising his voice as the entire arena stood up and cheered.

Just ahead of his speech, the crowd was revved up by a six-minute video highlighting Biden's most popular advocacy roles. It touched on his work on issues of sexual assault, gun control, LGBT rights and, most recently, cancer, drawing robust applause.

The emotional tribute included Biden's poignant open letter to a Stanford University rape survivor - a case that captivated attention, particularly among young people, nationwide.

 

Joe Biden Comes Out Swinging At DNC 2016, His Last Big Political Speech As VP

By Eleanor Clift

Daily Beast <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/28/joe-biden-comes-out-swinging-in-his-last-big-political-speech-as-vp.html> , July 28, 2016

Jill Biden says her husband was authentic before it was a buzzword, and when Joe Biden talks about "ordinary people like us who do extraordinary things," it rings true. He would have liked to be his party's nominee, and we'll never know if he could have defeated Hillary Clinton.

He called the man who named him vice president "one of the finest presidents we have ever had. This is a man of character," he said. "And Michelle, I don't know where you are kid, but you're incredible."

Hands down, he told Barack, nobody's talking about who will give the best speech.

His son Beau's death from cancer in May sapped the energy he would have needed, ending his presidential aspirations. Still, his ability to rally ordinary people to the fight that lies ahead was on full display in the Convention hall from the moment he bounded onto the stage and took a victory lap from one end to the other.

It was his valedictory from public service, and "kind of a bittersweet moment," he said. Eight years ago, his late son Beau put his name in nomination as Barack Obama's vice president. "You got a glimpse of what a fine young man Beau was," he said, commending his son's military service and noting that his widow and two children were in the arena.

Quoting Ernest Hemingway-"the world breaks everyone, and some are made strong at the broken places"-he said others have gone through much more than he has.

"That's the unbreakable spirit of the people of America," he said. "That's who we are."

Then he got down to business. He was there as yet another character witness for his party's nominee. He's known Hillary Clinton for well over thirty years, he said, and when she was Secretary of State they had breakfast once a week in his home, the vice president's residence.

"Everybody knows she's tough and smart. I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary," he said, extolling her passion for reducing college costs and expanding health care and declaring that when she is elected, she will bring change simply because of who she is.

"When Hillary Clinton walks into the Oval Office as president," it will change the lives of daughters and granddaughters, he said. If you're a caregiver, he added with a flourish, "There's only one person who can help you. That's Hillary Clinton's life story. She's always there, she's always been there.

"I'm not trying to be a wise guy here, but that's not Donald Trump's story," he said.

Anticipating that the mere mention of Trump's name would get the delegates chanting, he pleaded, "Look at me for a second without booing and cheering. Think about it. His cynicism can be summed up in the phrase he made famous: 'You're fired.'

"How can there be pleasure in saying you're fired? He's telling us he cares about the middle class. That's a bunch of malarkey," the same old-timey word Biden used four years ago to demolish then vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in their debate.

Checking the box on Clinton didn't get Biden or the delegates nearly as roused as his case against Trump. "Let me say something that has nothing to do about politics-something I am deadly serious about," he said. "This is a complicated and uncertain world we live in. The threats are too great and the times too uncertain to let Donald Trump be president."

No major party nominee in the country's history has known less about national security, Biden said. "We cannot elect a man who has no plan, who endorses torture and religious intolerance. That's not who we are," a refrain Obama uses and that has become a staple for Clinton's campaign.

"Donald Trump with all his rhetoric would literally make us less safe," Biden declared. Trump is a man "who confuses bluster with strength. ...We simply can't let that happen in America. Period."

Biden reinforced the Convention theme of an optimistic 21st American century, challenging Trump's vision of a nation tearing apart and the perceived weakness he'd professed about the country's military.

"It's never a good bet to bet against America," he said, noting we've had candidates before "who attempted to get elected by scaring people, but they never win because we don't scare easily."

He said he is more optimistic about America's chances today than he was as a 29-year-old kid more than forty years ago when he was first sworn into the Senate.

"And God willing Hillary Clinton will write the next chapter in that journey. We are second to none and we own the finish line."

It was a bittersweet moment too for many in the arena knowing that the speech marked the end of a remarkable career in elected office. But as Biden demonstrated tonight, he remains a man of boundless energy who will continue the cause inspired by his son's death to lead a moon shot for cancer, and for that he's got everybody's vote.

 

Joe Biden's DNC Speech Made Patriotism Liberal Again

By Zack Beauchamp

Vox <http://www.vox.com/2016/7/27/12305636/joe-biden-democratic-convention-dnc> , July 28, 2016

Throughout the election, Democrats have had a pretty tough time figuring out a counter to Donald Trump's nostalgic nationalism. What, exactly, is the right response to "Make America Great Again?"

At Wednesday's Democratic National Convention, Vice President Joe Biden showed them the way: Answer nationalism with patriotism.

"He has no clue about what makes America great," Biden says. "Actually, he has no clue, period."

Biden's speech was all about a positive, liberal spin on the American story. Biden's America is a land of opportunity, but only because people work together to help each other through tough times. Biden's America is a land of equality, but only because we refuse to give in to fear and hatred. It's an imperfect country, full of pain, but one that we can and should take pride in.

Trump doesn't belong in this story.

For Biden, Trump is a perversion of the American dream: a man who got rich by hurting others, a man who got famous by exploiting fear and cruelty. Trump's vulgar nationalism has no place in the America we want to believe in; saying no to it is a matter of national integrity.

For once, the liberals are the ones casting themselves as the "real Americans." Biden's middle-class patriotism versus selfish Donald (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Biden walked up with the Rocky theme playing in the background, immediately setting the tone: This is an American story about a working-class underdog making it.

This was a good chunk of Biden's speech. He called himself "working-class Joe," casting himself and Hillary Clinton as the avatars of struggling Americans.

"if you live in the neighborhoods like the ones Jill and I grew up in, if you worry about your job and getting a decent pay, if you worry about your children's education, if you are taking care of an elderly parent, then there is only one person in this election who will help you, only one person in this race who will be there, who has always been there for you," Biden says. "That is Hillary Clinton's life story."

Trump, Biden says, is coming from a different place. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's say the obvious - that is not Donald Trump's story," he says.

Here's the really crucial part, where Biden starts to define Trump against his vision for America:

His cynicism and undoubtedly his lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in that phrase he is most proud of making famous: "You're fired." I'm not joking. Think about that. Think about that. Think about everything you learned as a child. No matter where you were raised, how can there be pleasure in saying, "You're fired"?

Here Biden is setting Trump against basic American values - "everything you learned as a child." It's a subtle way of setting Trump outside of the American consensus, outside of the traditions and values that make America "America."

Later in the speech, Biden made this subtext text. Talking about Trump's attacks on Muslims and support for torture, he labeled Trump "a man who seeks to sow division in America for his own gain and disorder around the world." This, Biden says, "we simply cannot let that happen as Americans."

So how do we stop the rise of Trump? Biden has a simple message: Believe that America doesn't need to be made great again.

"Let me tell you what I literally tell everyone leader I've met with, and I met them all. It is never, never, never bet against America," Biden says. "We had candidates before attempting to get elected by appealing to our fears, but they've never succeeded because we do not scare easily. We never bow, we never break, when confronted with crisis. We endure!"

Overcoming adversity, refusing to let us be defined by our base fears rather than our ambitions - these are the things, Biden argues, that truly make America great.

"I can say, with absolute conviction that I am more optimistic about our chances today than when I was elected as a 29-year-old kid to the Senate," he says. "The 21st century is going to be the American century. Because we lead not only by example of our power but by the power of our example. That is the history of the journey of Americans." This is what liberal patriotism looks like (Tim Sloan-Pool/Getty Images)

Is this all a little corny? Yeah, sure. Does it skip over America's founding sins, like slavery and genocide? Yes, it absolutely does.

But there's a reason Biden got an audience of liberals to overcome that, and roar with applause. In survey data, the overwhelming majority of Americans say they're proud to be Americans. Most Americans want to believe the best about their nation at its core, even when things seem rough.

Tonight, Biden found a way to use that pride against Trump. He casts Trump's criticisms of the current state of American politics as criticisms of the American ideal itself.

He kind of has a point: "Make America Great Again" implies that the country has rotted, that something has gone terribly wrong, that American greatness is entirely over. Given Trump's overwhelmingly white, heavily male voting base, it's not exactly a secret as to what they believe has gone wrong in recent years.

Biden, by contrast, sees America's recent developments as evidence of the continuing strength of the country's core ideals. Equality, tolerance, diversity, kindness - these are values that America has built on in recent years, in Biden's telling. And these are the things that make America great.

It's a similar optimism to his boss's. President Obama is fond of quoting Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous line: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Obama believes that while America may struggle, and falter, it's ultimately progressing toward a more just and better society. Biden seems to share this belief.

And he's harnessed it to a kind of working-class populism, in attempt to expose Trump's own form of populism to be barren, hateful, and ultimately un-American.

It could be an effective way to dismantle Trump's slogan.