7:16 on a perfect evening on the Ped Mall. Joe Biden will be campaigning al fresco outside Givanni's at an event targeted to the LGBT community. Things are running late, a hazard of the last event of the day.
7:36 and Biden's here. Works his way through shaking every hand in the crowd of 40 or 50. Former congressman and eminence grise Dave Nagle is here in a thoroughly uncommitted capacity. Carlton Blackburn is introducing. "On human rights issues, I just support this guy. Joe Biden's great on these issues whether it's Darfur, civil rights, human rights."
7:40. Biden says we have never been more isolated than we are now, and there has never been a time when the middle class has been more uncertain about the future. And we have mortgaged our values -- ideals that were not always acted on but which mattered. "We led the world not by force but by the standard we articulated." We have literally engaged in the Orwellian undertaking of redefining torture.
7:44. So what is our obligation? 4 things. 1) Begin to restore our place in the world. Prevent war, not preemption. "We have produced more terrorists than we've destroyed." And Iraq is a boulder in the road, preventing us from dealing with domestic needs. He's speaking without amplification but loud and clear.
"The next president will be left with no margin of error." And we need to free up the money we're wasting on the war.
I'm the only candidate in either party who's laid out a political solution on Iraq. It's impossible to see a central Baghdad gov't that will hold confidence and produce a democracy. There is no political solution in a unified country. We can't occupy, be a dictator or pick a side.
My plan is a federal system with a limited central government. (Sounds like a very very very loose federation.) Iraqi Constitution even calls for this. I've been there 7 times and met with all the leaders. No way a central gov't can work, but a loose federation can work. But only way that can get done is the international community -- because we have no credibility.
This is not about anyone doing us a favor. Diplomacy is about finding the things you agree on as a fulcrum for a larger agreement. "The only way we can leave without trading a dictator for chaos."
"The very law Bush vetoed is the Biden language." It's time to begin transition in order to get a political solution in place.
"But as long as there is a single troop in Iraq I will protect them." The conditions for our troops are a disgrace. We have the capacity to get our troops mine-safe vehicles. The requests were buried in March of `05. "If you begin to pull every troop out tomorrow, it'll take 11 months." "I'm not going to question anyone else's judgement but I'm going to vote to fund those troops as long as they're there."
7:57. Supreme Court. "I wasn't too tough on Roberts--we weren't tough enough. The combination of Roberts and Alito puts our civil rights in jeopardy. This is about undoing civil rights and environmental protection" and about corporate power. He's actually going behind the front row and speaking from the second row. "Democrats voted for Roberts because he was smart, he was articulate -- oh, I'm not allowed to use that word." A few people catch the reference. he quiets down to emphasize the importance of the Court.
"Poetry you can say in a sentence what it takes a stanza in prose." Interesting line. So he quotes Seamus Hayden:
“History teaches us not to hope on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime that long tidal-wave of justice rises up and hope and history rhyme.”
8:03 questions begin. Will any president give up the power Bush has taken, or will Congress try to take it back? Biden: five times in our history power has swung; it will swing back because the abuse has been so great. I believe the House could find impeachment grounds against Cheney (applause). The more this administration's abuse is exposed, the more abusive they get. Cite the Scooter Libby commutation. "This is an administration beyond redemption. I've been there for seven presidents and this guy is worse than Nixon."
8:07 AIDS in the developing world and foreign debt. Biden: I've passed legislation trading off debt for items like education and rain forest protection. Some countries, when you forgive debt, here's corruption. So there needs to be transparency.
Crowd is growing with passers by.
Linda Levey (IC atty., ex-school board) asks about health care: "If you came out for universal health care without ties to the employer, you'd break into the top tier." Biden: "I have a universal plan. We haven't put it out yet because it'll be on page 15 of the Washington Post. The press thinks the games being played where the money is. I haven't heard any press person say I'm not qualified to be president. My problem is they can't see me raising $100 million, and I find it obscene" (applause). "The folks with the money want to marginalize the early states." I'm going to lay out my health care plan in September. "All foreign policy is is a logical extension of personal relationships -- health care is complicated." We have to take the burden off the back of employers -- because your jobs are leaving the country. Because we have no national health care, we can't compete overseas. The same car made in Canada costs 14% less because of health care costs.
"This could be a seminar -- it would take that long to explain." Linda Levey jumps in: "I think a single payer plan can be done -- if you have the will." Biden: "Absolutely, but we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Campaign finance needs to come before single payer die to special interests.
In 1st year I'll insure all kids and catastrophic. Will greatly reduce costs. "I'm willing to bet you anything that the next president will get a one vote single plan unadulterated -- it will not happen. I watch what's happened. If plans were the answer we'd have had a national system 20 years ago. It's about having a president smart enough to get something past the special interests."
8:23. How can a confederated system work in Iraq when the articles of Confederation didn't work here in the 1780s? "Can you imagine if 6 months after Cornwallis surrendered to Washington, the Americans had to vote on a constitution? It took us 13 years to get to Philadelphia." Cites Bosnia and compares his plan to the Dayton accords.
He leans in very, very close to city council member Amy Correia to explain the point. (He's constantly dropping in first names from name tags.)
8:28 Followup on Kurdistan. "You guys are smart." I know these world leaders because "they were just starting out in their parliaments while I was just starting off in ours, and I've just been around a long time." Says Kurdistan is already autonomous, and Turks fear semi-autonomous Kurdistan. The only thing worse is an INDEPENDENT Kurdistan, because Kurds in Iran and Turkey will want to join. Only semi-autonomous will work.
8:30 Domestic partnership laws in DC and Bush veto. First LGBT question. Biden: "This is a homophobic administration. Their appeal is crass." He is trying to maintain the small base he has. "This is a different America than it was even 10 years ago. Is it the right America? Not yet." The government has an obligation to break down every form of discrimination. "This is a dying dinosaur minority that's left. They don't represent any sizable part of the American public" and the LGBT community has done a great service to America. "When I am your president things will change drastically.' (applause) "This is about saying out loud, embracing diversity. I really mean it, I'm not playing a game with you." The responsibility of leadership is to educate the public, and the only time I've gotten in trouble and I couldn't explain it. Transitions to labor. "Don't say 'working men and women', say Union. UN-ION. Say it with me. UN-ION."
I had no intention of running again, but if I mean what I say, then the likelihood of me being able to change things through legislation is small. And I'm proud of my record as a Senator. But every time I succeeded across the aisle, I had support from 8 or so moderate republicans, and that won't happen soon. "I want to be involved in forming the important decisions that are served up like a fastball." Look me over, but if you support me, but what you see is what you get. But if I lose, I'm losing on my own terms. Certain things are worth losing over.
8:41 and the sky getting darker. he advises young politicians "know what you're willing to lose over. And every important decision requires consensus." He's willing to hang around: "the last plane left so I'm here."
8:54 and he's true to his word, sitting down on the small stage and taking questions from all comers; Scooter Libby, bipartisanship and the mutual interests all Americans have in taking care of each other, outrage at the Bush administration.
Postscript. I'd heard the guy was a talker, but Biden kept taking questions for over an hour, longer than my laptop battery could hold out. It was an ur-caucus moment; a 34-year senator seeking the highest office in the land sitting in the town square of my town taking questions from all comers. Three dozen bitter-enders stayed for the whole thing.
On the ostensible subject of the night, he said he didn't expect gay marriage in the very short term future but he did expect civil unions everywhere: "We need to eliminate all legal distinctions between a gay and straight couple." Then there's an interesting extended discussion:
Most people who resist equality are people who... (pause) are generationally isolated. They simply don't understand. There were always gays and lesbians but it was treated as though it didn't exist.
One of the good things about popular culture is that when the mainstream media makes something mainstream, it humanizes it. Will And Grace did more to change the environment than anything.
Just before leavings he talks of meeting with generals and noting their opposition to torture.
This is a John Deeth Blog only exclusive, the I.I. story will be later and different.
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