Subject: Re: Its long and too much by way too much but...I ts tru.
From: "Keith Ablow" <[email-masked]>
To: "Robert Hunter" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:27:36 -0500

Chris:

The important aspect of my struggling through a complicated divorce and an equally complicated life, marked by the tragic loss of my mother, sister and brother is this:  My father has been a constant source of love and strength in my life.  Even though my struggles have been played out in the media, because I am a Biden, my father never once suggested that the family’s public profile should be my priority.  The priority has always been clear for my dad, as it is, now, for me:  Never run from a struggle.  Love people and find a way to love yourself.  And remember that the two things are very much connected.   

I believe that my father has become an ongoing symbol of what it means to keep on fighting for what is good in oneself, in others and in our country.  I can tell you that I wouldn’t be alive today, if my dad hadn’t kept fighting for me, too, through my darkest days.  So the idea that tragedy or tough times or any number of trials would dissuade a Biden from serving his fellow man—whether a friend or a fellow citizen—could not be more misguided.  My dad has proven, again and again, that he is (as Teddy Roosevelt once said of himself) “as strong as a bull moose” and that America “can use [him] to the limit.”

Pain is one of the unavoidable facts of life.  We Bidens have had our share.  We don’t pretend, otherwise.  And we don’t pretend that we are different from families all over America that have to face the loss of loved ones, have to deal with the fallout of divorces, have to keep working when they know they’ll be coming home to relationships that are usually far from perfect.  My dad always told me, “Always remember no man is better than you, and you are no better than anyone else.  Always be kind to people in pain.”

Our journey as a family—yes, including my own difficulties with substances and my marriage—have made us unbreakable.  It isn’t, of course, that we don’t suffer.  We do.  The point is that we don’t give up, no matter how much we suffer. 

 In my own life I have been a Jesuit volunteer running an emergency service shelter, living on $80 a month.  I worked as a valet parking cars for five years to help pay for my college education.  I unloaded frozen beef several summers 12 hours a day.  I was a bus boy and a waiter.  And I have also graduated Yale Law, worked at the Department of Commerce, been an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, served as Chairman of the Board of the US World Food Program, lobbied for Jesuit University and served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Amtrak.  I felt privileged in every instance, because I was part of our shared struggle, not separate from it. 

 So, Chris, you ask me, as a 49-year-old man and father of five, whether my own father might not run for President because of reports that I have gone to strip clubs, or because my brother beseeched me to quit drinking when I was 33, so that he and I could spend more quality time together, or because I relapsed to substances when Beau died or that I separated from my wife two months after he died.  What you fail to realize, in asking such a question, is that my father remains proud of me.  He loves me.  I am proud of many of the things I have done in my life.  And I am on the journey to loving myself.  And we both love the American people far too much to let any form of adversity stand in the way of serving them. 

 I hope that answers your question, Chris.  I would ask this one of you:  Are your talents best used as a tabloid journalist?  If you were willing to endure more pain to making a more powerful contribution to our shared world, what would you do?  What has stood in your way?  My father would tell you this:  Don’t let it.  Reach deep down and deliver the gifts you were meant to give to others.  And that’s the message Americans will see come to life in 2020.

Robert Hunter Biden

January 18, 2019

 

> On Jan 18, 2019, at 6:37 AM, Robert Hunter <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 
>>>> Chris I usually never respond to tabloid journalists, but I think you're a good writer and I actually know some people- friends and colleagues of your’s who say you're a good guy, So for some reason it's really important to kms right now for you to understand why the American people- Republicans Democrats, Southerners, Northerners, Farmers, Lawyers, Cops, and cab drivers love my dad and respect him as much as they do.  They dont all agree with some of his political beliefs, but I can tell you they do genuinely love him and admire and respect him because they remind them of their dad who lost a wife and child when they were just infants, but never stopped loving them.  He reminds them of the brother who always showed up just when you needed him most no matter what.  He reminds them the grandfather who held the whole family together when they center of his world fell out from beneath him again.  He reminds of the son who looked at his mom and dad and said when I grow up I want to be just as tough and smart as you mom and I want to be as courageous and generous as you dad.  He gives them hope that they can face the same adversities and tragedies and stumbles and embarrassments as all families and do it with grace and compassion and and so much strength.  
>>>> 
>>>> They know that we Biden's are different in the privileges being a US Senator can afford you but not  iota different from the agony and joy everyone will face to some degree in their lives.  The only difference for my family Chris is all the ups and downs have been played out on the television and thew tabloids.  You might think thats been hard but it actually has given all us 3 gifts that most in the midst of the scrum never see and those that live more private lives don't’ think they have to face.  This family has been made unbreakable.  None of has ever asked nor even thought to ask their blood Would you still love me if I…?”   And its made us understand that the one thing that binds us all not just my family everyone you will ever meet is what it is to feel pain and how the even the smallest gesture of genuine kindness and love can make you hope for a better day.
>>>> 
>>>> The reason people love my Dad Chris iOS because he’s the son they hope to raise he’s the parent they hope to be he’s the brother and friend we all look up to. They love him Chris because he is as real an American as they are and they all want to be. He’s not perfect’ he’s got a horrible temper, he spoils his grandkids, he loves my Mom almost too much and he still thinks he can still make me angrier than anyone on earth sometimes. There’s nobody I want to make more proud of me than my Dad and there’s no-one that I know can ever be more proud of me and my whole family.  May Dad never has asked anyone of us to be less human he’s just taught us all what it means to be a good man in hard world.He taught me what his mom and dad taught him “Always remember no man is better than you and you are no better than you.”if er to break I m certain they would all say —no one will ever know you better than your brothers and your sisters you always take their side no matter how badly they screwed up.   Every Biden kid knows there’s nothing that they could do to make anyone in this family to stop loving you. And finally always be kind to the people in pain (unless they hurt your grandmother your mom your aunt or your sister- then you're free to beat the shit out of them if your sister hasn’t beat you to it.)
>>>> 
>>>> That's a long way of answering your questions about whether my divorce which I promise isn't anything but a sad moment in 23 years of loving and being loved by someone I still love and respect or my brothers death and how the whether you think the work i've chosen two do in my career that like being a Jesuit Volunteer for a year after college running an emergency service shelter living on 80 dollars a month in wages made my dad question my judgment any more than as 38 year old Yale Law graduate who was before that a banker and after that a government employee at the department of commerce as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University masters program in the School of Foreign Service, or the five years I worked as a valet parking cars at night  to help pay for college or unloading rail cars of frozen beef every summer 12 hours a day or as waiter (who was demoted to bus boy) or how about when I was the Chairman of the Board of the US World Food Program that supports over half the budget of the largest humanitarian organization in the world or for free because the former board members like bob dole and George McGovern and current people like one of my mentors Sandy BERGER asked me to. I've liked some jobs more than others.  I like the stuff I did for free better than the stuff that’s supported me and Kathleen since we had my oldest daughter Naomi in my first year of law school.  I loved lobbying for my Jesuit University clients.  I was extremely proud of goin g to the senate as a young lawyer with Jesuit University Presidents of inner City Schools who were asking for help from the federal government to get things like mobile dental clinics in Detroit  in the 90’s at a time when Detroit proper didn’t have a single dentists office within the city limits.  I loved helping trial lawyers lobby shut down the manufacture and distribution of Oxycontin by Purdue Pharma. One of my favorites was accepting George W. Bush’s appoint meant to be Vice Chairmen of the Board of Amtrak.  I loved and still love how hard and smart the people that actually run the railroads worked.
>>>> 
>>>> And Chris seeing that you actually had the nerve to ask a 49 year old man and father of 5 if my Dad may not run for President because its been reported during my divorce that i've gone strip clubs, or whether I went to rehab and quit drinking when my brother asked me to when I 33 years old because he said it took up too much time we could be spending together, or that I relapsed when Beau died and Kathleen and I separated 2 months later— the answer I=s No and what a stupid fucking question.  You think that any American is not  going to vote for my dad because my wife and I lost our shit after 23 years of marriage when the kindest most generous most loving man either of was will ever know died at 46.  No again.   You think there’s a family in America that doesn’t have a loved one that's struggled with alcoholism or addiction- you think my dad’s less proud of me or more proud of me for never giving up on it and never feeling ashamed of things people shouldn’t be ashamed of.  Is your dad thinking of not going too work tomorrow Chris because you turned out to be taBLOID Lazy journalist.