Biden is one of only 26 Americans awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom With Distinction

[highplainsdem]

Approximately 600 Americans have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom since it was established by JFK in 1963.

But only 26 have received the award "with distinction."

Of those 26, half (13) were during LBJ's administration, and a few of those would have received the award from JFK if he had not been assassinated.

Nixon gave this award to 4 people.

Ford, to 4.

Reagan, George HW Bush, Clinton and George W Bush each awarded only one person with the medal with distinction.

Like his immediate predecessors, Obama presented the award only once.



https://www.usnews.com/news/slideshows/these-are-the-known-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom-with-distinction?onepage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidential_Medal_of_Freedom_recipients

[zackymilly]

1. So what? Tulsi has a Good Conduct medal. n/t

[Cha]

7. That's what you got out of the OP.. Gabbard?

[George II]

2. I'll take this as an endorsement.

[Thekaspervote]

3. If you haven't watched the video, might consider it. Yes it's about Biden but oh so wonderful to

Once again have that comfortable feeling of someone’s in charge that’s smart, considerate, soft spoken. I miss that guy so so much

[highplainsdem]

5. Agree. That was only 2-1/2 years ago, but it seems as if we've had an eternity of hell

since then with the Trump admin.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. You said that perfectly.

I too miss them terribly. It’s a dystopian nightmare we’re living in now. It would be appropriate for a comic book. But dear gods, we’re living it.

[NNadir]

4. I like Joe Biden, but in this distinction he joins Casper Weinberger, Donald Rumsfeld, Ronald...

Reagan, and the co-originator of the American Big Lie, Colin Powell.

I believe that the greatest President of my lifetime, Barack Obama, valued Joe Biden highly, and that speaks well of Biden, but the award itself includes some dubious political awardees.

[Cha]

8. Yeah, I know the difference between

resident Obama awarding it to Vice President Biden and whomever awarded it those you're mentioning.

[lapucelle]

11. The whataboutism fails when you learn when Rumsfeld, Weinberger, & Powell received their medals.

Rumsfeld in 1977

Weinberger in 1987

Powell was awarded two: one in 1991 and the other in 1993.

[onetexan]

13. i watched the whole thing and my heart just ached and hope against hope that come next November

we will have a President Biden. He is incredibly humble, down to earth, witty, incredibly talented and accomplished, and such an empathetic, kindhearted person. That is what a real president looks like. With his presidency we will have instant restoration of relations with our allies, and an instant sense of normalcy.

Aloha Cha!

[bluewater]

9. Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense 1991 by George H.W. Bush

[highplainsdem]

15. Doesn't change the fact that Biden was given the highest award Obama gave anyone during his 8 years

in office.

[highplainsdem]

16. In this distinction, Biden was given the very highest award Obama gave anyone in 8 years in

office.

[NNadir]

17. Understood. I am very sure that Obama valued Biden highly, and, again, this speaks well of Biden.

If these were normal times, that probably would be enough.

These are not normal times however.

I personally believe we need a President from a different world that the gentle one so finely crafted by the great Presidency of Barack Obama. This is not, in any way, a criticism of Obama, because Obama was right for his time.

We have a terrorist living in the White House however now, a celebrant of ignorance, viciousness, and predatory criminality.

We cannot go back to a gentler time simply by recalling those who participated, however nobly, in it. The Senate in which Biden matured is gone, destroyed by a bomb throwing corrupt and traitorous turtle.

If VP Biden is the nominee, I will vote for him of course, but I do think we need another direction for these very different times. For these times, I want someone else, at least in this primary season.

James Buchanan was followed by Abraham Lincoln, and in his time, Lincoln proved to be radical.

Herbert Hoover was followed by Franklin Roosevelt, and in his time Roosevelt was radical.

George W. Bush was followed by Barack Obama, whose unique personality was not all that radical, but nevertheless provoked radicals, evil radicals to do their worst.

Trump is the first President who has been able to blow away James Buchanan by defining a new standard of "worst." He is the case where Aaron Burr defeated Thomas Jefferson for the Presidency. Trump is a man who has worked to destroy what was a stable country. At least we can say of Buchanan is that at least in case, the country of which he was President was already unstable. He was unable to manage that instability, and in fact made it worse, but he didn't create that instability as Trump has.

We need a Lincoln, a Roosevelt type person. We have been fortunate that the worst Presidents have been followed by the best. Of the many fine candidates we have before us, I feel that Ms Warren may have that capability to seize the moment and rise to greatness.

At this time I'm behind someone other than Biden. He's a fine man who I admire greatly, but in my opinion, an award subjectively determined by a President, even a President as great as Obama, doesn't mean all that much. It's almost trivial in these times.

[lapucelle]

6. Wow...what an honor this was. Obama's recounting of Joe Biden the poblic servant and the man

is astounding.

[brer cat]

10. That was a well-deserved honor.

Joe has served this country well and he will continue to do so if elected President.

[TryLogic]

12. That's nice, but...

It seems like those who want to vote for Biden think he deserves it. Kind of like an honor.

I plan to vote for the person I think will do the best job at this point in time. People like Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. (Obviously it will not be a Republican.) The next president will have a really big job.

[pazzyanne]

18. Let's just say "experience counts"!

[LakeArenal]

19. Yes it should and it does.

[BannonsLiver]

20. Why would anyone vote for a candidate they don't believe should be president?

“I’m going to vote for so and so, but I don’t believe they deserve to be president.”

It must be silly season.