Biden: Hot on the Trail in Greensburg, Pa.

[bigtree]

September 25, 2008




GREENSBURG, PA -- If you were wondering who the real bipartisan leader was in the struggle between John McCain and Barack Obama to look presidential on the financial crisis, Joe Biden can tell you.

Speaking at a high school in Greensburg, Pa. this morning, Biden said nothing about McCain's call to postpone the debate, a move that caught the Obama campaign off-guard yesterday. Instead he emphasized Obama's phone call to McCain yesterday morning to see if they could come out with a joint statement on what the bailout legislation should contain.

"In the midst of all this political blather that’s going on, all the negative ads being heaped upon him, what did he do?" Biden said. "He reached out, he picked up the phone and he called John MCCain. And he said we should …see if we can agree jointly … on the basic elements of what needs to be in this package, this rescue package, so that not only Wall Street doesn’t fail, but Main Street doesn’t get crushed in the avalanche when it falls.

"He showed leadership. He showed leadership by suggesting that we come together. But ladies and gentlemen, he also thinks it’s important that we know why we got here how we got here so it will not happen again. Ladies and gentlement, we are in a postion now where in a closely contested presidential election, Barack Obama stepped up to say, 'John, this is too important.' That’s how you change the tone in Washington. That’s really leadership."

read: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/09/the_real_bipart.html




Referring to McCain’s “epiphany” on the Wall Street meltdown last week, when he declared the economy in crisis after calling its fundamentals "sound," Biden said that no one can lead the nation with a tendency to “lurch so rapidly from one fundamental position to another.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, you can’t gain the confidence of the nation and you can’t gain the confidence of the world when in fact you are not rooted and know exactly what you think,” he said.

Biden mentioned the scheduled meeting at the White House between the two presidential nominees, and outlined the principles Obama would seek to build any compromise plan around. The most popular among the Greensburg audience was an assurance that the American people “not be required to spend one single dime to reward Wall Street CEOs.”

“Where I come from in Scranton and Wilmington, we just call that plain, simple fairness,” he said. “If we cannot agree on those simple, basic rules, then it seems to me you have to question what the reason for the bailout is. Who are we bailing out?”

read: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/25/1447750.aspx




The story about the car accident that killed Sen. Joe Biden's first wife and daughter in 1972 is well-known, but in his speech today in Greensburg, PA, an emotional Biden described a gesture by the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers that left a lasting impression on him and his two injured sons.

Last month in Pittsburgh in an impromptu run-in with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and just last week in a stop at Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee mentioned how former Steeler Rocky Bleier brought an autographed football to his two hospitalized boys, Beau and Hunter, in Wilmington, but today, an introduction by Steelers owner Dan Rooney caused the memories to once again come flooding back.

"I'm sorry to take your time, but Mr. Rooney reminded of this, Dan reminded my by just seeing him," Biden said. "They wouldn't let me bring a Christmas tree in, understandably, into the hospital, because of concern about fire, so I went to K-Mart to get a synthetic tree that would, you know, so I’d be able to bring it in and have something there at Christmas for my kids."

"I don't remember precisely, it was either the 23rd or Christmas Eve Day, I’m not sure, I think it was the 23rd, while I was, one of the few times I was away from their bed for a couple hours," the Delaware lawmaker recalled. "I came back and they, they looked like they had lighted up like Christmas trees. My one little boy was in traction and the other little boy had a seriously fractured skull and they were happy, and they each had separately, they had a football in their beds…"

read: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/09/biden-chokes-up.html




At this point, Biden looked down and paused for 15 seconds to collect himself. “Excuse me,” he said, wiping his eyes. The crowd applauded.

“Anyway, and uh, I said guys, where’d you get the ball? And they said ‘Daddy, Rocky Bleier brought it for me,’” he continued, bringing more applause from the football savvy audience. Bleier, a Steelers running back, overcame injuries suffered in Vietnam to become a star for the NFL champions.

Turning his back to the audience, Biden wiped his eyes with his fingers. “Mr Rooney Sr, Dan’s dad, had without any fanfare, without any announcement, without anything other than his incredible decency…” he said, now removing a handkerchief from his pocket. ” I really apologize, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to do this,” he said.

“But anyway… it’s a Helluva family. It’s a helluva family.”

read: http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/09/25/joe-motion-biden-tears-up-in-pennsylvania/






photos by, AP/Gene J. Puskar --

[livetohike]

1. This Steelers fan has tears in her eyes

:cry: I love you Joe.

[MoJoWorkin]

2. I saw this online this morning and I cried with him. It was truly an emotional moment

when he was talking about his boys and the footballs.

[GrizzlyMan]

7. Do you have a link?

[bigtree]

3. poot

:kick:

[bigtree]

4. kick

:kick:

[Hope And Change]

5. K & R!

[Hutzpa]

6. Good job Joe

keep up the good work and we are praying for you guys....

Peace!!!

:thumbsup: