Joe Biden: Making

“To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.”

Joe Biden

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiLR4sCgvnc
Context: But now, let’s give each other a chance.
It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric.
To lower the temperature.
To see each other again.
To listen to each other again.
To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy.
We are not enemies. We are Americans.

Making love

“Make sure of two things. Be careful — microphones are always hot, and understand that in Washington, D. C., a gaffe is when you tell the truth. So, be careful.”

Joe Biden

Speech to national conference http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/06/biden-a-gaffe-is-when-you-tell-the-truth-126866.html of the National Association of Black Journalists, Washington, D.C. (June 20, 2012)
2010s

Truth , Understanding

“We all know- or at least we are told continually- that we are a divided people. And we know there's a degree of truth in it. We have too often allowed our differences to prevail among us. We have too often allowed ambitious men to play off those differences for political gain. We have too often retreated behind our differences when no one really tried to lead us beyond them. But all our differences hardly measure up to the values we all hold in common… I am running for the Senate because… I want to make the system work again, and I am convinced that is what all Americans really want.”

Joe Biden

Pages xvi-xvii
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

Men , People , Truth

“I liked to go at night when I thought there was a better chance of finding a fight. I was always looking for a fight. I had not known I was capable of such rage. I knew I had been cheated of a future, but I felt I'd been cheated of a past, too. The underpinnings of my life had been kicked out from under me… and it wasn't just the loss of Neilia and Naomi. All my life I'd been taught about our benevolent God. This is a forgiving God, a just God, a God who knows people make mistakes. This is a God who is tolerant. This is a God who gave us free will to be able to doubt. This was a loving God, a God of comfort. Well, I didn't want to hear anything about a merciful God. No words, no prayer, no sermon gave me ease. I felt God had played a horrible trick on me, and I was angry. I found no comfort in the Church. So I kept walking the dark streets to try to exhaust the rage.”

Joe Biden

Page 81
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

Love , Life , God , People

“No President of the United States could represent the United States were he not committed to human rights. If you don't understand this, you can't deal with us. President Barack Obama would not be able to stay in power if he did not speak of it. So look at it as a political imperative. It doesn't make us better or worse. It's who we are. You make your decisions. We'll make ours.”

Joe Biden

To Jinping Xi (2011-2012), as quoted in "Born Red: How Xi Jinping, an unremarkable provincial administrator, became China’s most authoritarian leader since Mao." http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/04/06/born-red (6 April 2015), by Evan Osnos, The New Yorker.
2010s

Understanding , Decision

“Full disclosure: I do not have absolute faith in the judgment and wisdom of the American people. We're all human, and we can all be misled. When leaders don't level with citizens, we can't expect them to make good judgments. But I do have absolute faith in the heart of the American people. The greatest resource in this country is the grit, the resolve, the courage, the basic decency, and the stubborn pride of its citizens.”

Joe Biden

Page xx
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

Wisdom , People , Faith , Courage

“It required a lot less energy, intelligence, and competence to run against government than to try to make government work.”

Joe Biden

Page 134
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

Intelligence

“He wanted me to understand two big things: First, that nobody, no group, is above others. Public servants are obliged to level with everybody, whether or not they'll like what he has to say. And second, that politics was a matter of personal honor. A man's word is his bond. You give your word, you keep it. For as long as I can remember, I've had a sort of romantic notion of what politics should be- and can be. If you do politics the right way, I believe, you can actually make people's lives better. And integrity is the minimum ante to get into the game. Nearly forty years after I first got involved, I remain captivated by the possibilities of politics and public service. In fact, I believe- as I know my grandpop did- that my chosen profession is a noble calling.”

Joe Biden

Pages xv-xvi
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

People , Way , Game , Understanding

“It was that hard; I still feel that way. But I believe that President Bush failed to lead. History will judge him harshly not for the mistakes he made- we all make mistakes- but for the opportunities he squandered.”

Joe Biden

Page 352
2000s, Promises to Keep (2008)

Way , Feeling , History

“The Jewish people have contributed greatly to America. No group has had such an outsized influence per capita as all of you standing before you, and all of those who went before me and all of those who went before you … You make up 11 percent of the seats in the United States Congress. You make up one-third of all Nobel laureates … I think you, as usual, underestimate the impact of Jewish heritage. I really mean that. I think you vastly underestimate the impact you’ve had on the development of this nation.”

Joe Biden

2013-05-21 Biden: 'Jewish heritage is American heritage' Jennifer Epstein Politico https://www.politico.com/blogs/politico44/2013/05/biden-jewish-heritage-is-american-heritage-164525 and * 2013-05-22 Biden Praises Jews, Goes Too Far, Accidentally Thrills Anti-Semites Jonathan Chait Intelligencer New York Magazine http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/05/biden-praises-jews-goes-too-far.html
2013

Thinking , People , Making love

“If we cannot make significant progress on racial equity, this country is doomed. It's doomed not just because of African Americans, but because by 2040, this country is going to be minority white European. You hear me? ... And you guys are going to have to starting [sic] working more with Hispanics.”

Joe Biden

2020, December

Guy , Making love , Country

“Every disagreement is a crisis. But when you take a step back and look at what’s happening, we’re actually making real progress. Maybe it doesn’t seem fast enough.”

Joe Biden

Biden Celebrates Drop in Unemployment Even as Job Growth Weakens https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/biden-celebrates-drop-in-unemployment-even-as-job-growth-weakens-1.1663842(October 2021)
2021, October 2021

“America must offer meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation to empower those who have been incarcerated to become productive, law-abiding, members of society, and reduce crime and make our communities safer.”

Joe Biden

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Expands Second Chance Opportunities for Formerly Incarcerated Persons https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/26/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-expands-second-chance-opportunities-for-formerly-incarcerated-persons/
2022, April 2022

Law , Communication

“The idea that we're going to make a judgment that is going to say that no one can make the judgment to choose to abort a child, based on a decision by the Supreme Court, I think goes way overboard”

Joe Biden

Biden reacts to leaked draft Supreme Court opinion on abortion https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-reacts-leaked-draft-supreme-court-opinion-abortion/story?id=84467397
2022, May 2022

Decision , Thinking , Way , Idea

“I intend to pass one of the biggest middle class tax cuts ever — paid for by making those at the top pay their fair share.”

Joe Biden

Democrats look to tax people earning more than $400K, no one else for $3.5 trillion bill (September 14, 2021) https://whdh.com/news/democrats-look-to-tax-people-earning-more-than-400k-no-one-else-for-3-5-trillion-bill/
2021, September 2021