American politician (1942- )
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know that the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.
JOE BIDEN
Inaugural Address, January 20, 2021
My father had an expression he repeated a thousand times growing up: Every man and woman is entitled to be treated with dignity. Everyone. That's what your new revolution was about: dignity.
JOE BIDEN
remarks to the Ukrainian Rada, December 9, 2015
My message to everyone who's been knocked down, counted out, left behind, this is your campaign. We need you. We want you and there's a place for you in our campaign.
JOE BIDEN
speech at Houston rally, March 2, 2020
The system wasn't working, and I thought it was time to err on the side of a new model. What might work, I thought, was a system that promoted personal accountability, consistency, and certainty. Congress could say people who committed the same federal crime, under the same circumstances, were going to jail for the same amount of time. We could give judges a narrower set of sentencing guidelines to work with, and felons would be required to pay the same price. We'd be judging the crime, not the person.
JOE BIDEN
Promises to Keep
We are a decent, brave, resilient people. We can believe again, but we are better than this moment. We are better than this President [Trump].
JOE BIDEN
speech on Super Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Al Qaeda must be destroyed. Its ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction must be stopped. But to compare terrorism with an all encompassing ideology like Communism and Fascism is evidence of profound confusion. Terrorism is a means, not an end, and very different groups and countries are using it toward very different goals. President Bush and Senator McCain lump together, as a single threat, extremist groups and states as at odds with each other as they are with us: Sunnis and Shiites, Persian and Arabs, Iraq and Iran, Al Qaeda and Shiite militia. If they can't identify the enemy or describe the war we're fighting, it's difficult to see how we will win.
JOE BIDEN
speech, Jul. 15, 2008
Folks, talk is cheap. False promises are deceptive and talk and revolution isn't changing anyone's life.
JOE BIDEN
speech at Houston rally, March 2, 2020
No one should be forced to stay with their abuser because they don't have the resources to leave.
JOE BIDEN
virtual town hall meeting, April 28, 2020
The Corona virus is shining a bright light on the inequities in our country and there's so much work to do but I have no doubt we can meet these challenges brought on by this virus if we work together. The American people have never, not a joke, I know you're tired of hearing me say this, have never, ever, ever, ever let the country down given half a chance. They're tough, there's no quit in America. They're prepared but we've got to do it together.
JOE BIDEN
virtual town hall meeting, April 28, 2020
A little thing we've begun to do is replace all the traditional light bulbs in our house with fluorescent light bulbs. I introduced a bill to promote compact fluorescent light bulbs. If every family in America changed just one bulb, we could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 7 million tons per year. There are a lot of little things we can do to make a gigantic change.
JOE BIDEN
interview, Grist
No matter what, I'm still in this for the same reason, we have to restore the soul of this country, bring back the middle class and make sure we bring people together.
JOE BIDEN
New Hampshire Democratic Debate, February 7, 2020
Our military might and economic resources are necessary but not sufficient to lead us into this new century. It is our ideas and ideals that will allow us to exert the kind of leadership that persuades others to follow and to deal effectively with these forces of change.
JOE BIDEN
speech, Apr. 15, 2008
So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.
JOE BIDEN
Inaugural Address, January 20, 2021
We can and we must build a more perfect union. Because the American people have seen the alternative.
JOE BIDEN
speech at Houston rally, March 2, 2020
When seagull droppings landed on my head at a campaign event at Bowers Beach two days before Election Day, I chose to read it as a sign of a coming success.
JOE BIDEN
Promises to Keep
You can learn an awful lot about a man campaigning with him, debating him and seeing how he reacts under pressure. You learn about the strength of his mind, but even more importantly, you learn about the quality of his heart.
JOE BIDEN
acceptance speech, Aug. 27, 2008
Ordinary people given an opportunity are capable of accomplishing extraordinary things.
JOE BIDEN
speech to AFL-CIO union members, April 7, 2020
For too long in this society, we have celebrated unrestrained individualism over common community. For too long as a nation, we have been lulled by the anthem of self-interest. For a decade, led by Ronald Reagan, self-aggrandizement has been the full-throated cry of this society: 'I've got mine, so why don't you get yours' and 'What's in it for me?'
JOE BIDEN
speech in Wilmington, Delaware, June 10, 1987
The idea that we can wipe out every vestige of Iran's influence in Iraq is a fantasy. Even with 160,000 American troops in Iraq, Prime Minister Maliki, our ally in Baghdad greets Iran's leader with kisses. Like it or not, Iran is a major regional power and it shares a long border – and a long history – with Iraq.
JOE BIDEN
speech, May 20, 2008
Well, there are a number of lessons to this war. One of the lessons of the war is that when you go into a country that is under a dictatorship, no matter what the underlying makeup of the country is, that it takes an awful long time to be able to help re-establish a circumstance where there's a possibility of a democratic country emerging. And so that's one of the lessons I think everyone has learned.
JOE BIDEN
interview, NPR, Dec. 13, 2011