Tag: Joe Biden

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Biden: Trump Stopped Intel Briefings Because He Doesn’t Want Voters To Know How Putin Is Helping Him

Former Vice President Joe Biden (photo via campaign)
After Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, announced in-person security briefings to Congress would be curtailed due to recent leaks, former Vice President Joe Biden issued this statement:

This is not how democracy works. But it is how American national security and sovereignty are violated.

The tools of our government are meant to defend the American people and our system of governance against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

And yet, at a moment when we know that our elections are under threat from foreign interference — and when the President of the United States has invited interference from Russia and China — the Director of National Intelligence is failing to provide full information about the danger.

For the DNI to curtail one of the most basic duties of our nonpartisan Intelligence Community — to keep the United States Congress fully informed about threats to our nation, in this case, about the real and rising threat of foreign election interference — is nothing less than a shameless partisan manipulation to protect the personal interests of President Trump. And it is a betrayal of the oath sworn to the American people and our Constitution.

Nothing is more important than the security and integrity of our elections. And we know that President Trump is unwilling to take action to protect them.

That leaves Congress as the best defender of our democracy. But now President Trump, through his hand-picked DNI — chosen for loyalty, not experience — is attempting to deprive Congress of the information they need to do their part.

There can be only one conclusion: President Trump is hoping Vladimir Putin will once more boost his candidacy and cover his horrific failures to lead our country through the multiple crises we are facing.

And he does not want the American people to know the steps Vladimir Putin is taking to help Trump get re-elected or why Putin is eager to intervene, because Donald Trump’s foreign policy has been a gift to the Kremlin.

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Guess What The Top Performing Political Facebook Posts Are?

New York Times tech journalist Kevin Roose explains how Donald Trump could very well win a second term in the White House. Every morning, Roose checks the top-performing Facebook link posts by U.S. pages and shares them via a Twitter account. If you’re a moderate, or land left of center politically, you may not be aware (or see) how Trump’s ‘silent majority’ is still out there. From the New York Times:

Most days, the leader board looks roughly the same: conservative post after conservative post, with the occasional liberal interloper.

But what sticks out, when you dig in to the data, is just how dominant the Facebook right truly is. Pro-Trump political influencers have spent years building a well-oiled media machine that swarms around every major news story, creating a torrent of viral commentary that reliably drowns out both the mainstream media and the liberal opposition.

The result is a kind of parallel media universe that left-of-center Facebook users may never encounter, but that has been stunningly effective in shaping its own version of reality.

Inside the right-wing Facebook bubble, President Trump’s response to Covid-19 has been strong and effective, Joe Biden is barely capable of forming sentences, and Black Lives Matter is a dangerous group of violent looters.

Mr. Trump and his supporters are betting that, despite being behind Mr. Biden in the polls, a “silent majority” will carry him to re-election.

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Biden Campaign To Run 2-Minute Spot During Trump Speech

Former Vice President Joe Biden (via campaign)
Joe Biden’s campaign team will counter tonight’s renomination speech by Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention by airing a two-minute, upbeat, positive ad set to run on cable and network TV at the same time as the Trumpster’s address. This is well done. It contrasts Biden from Trump as someone who “runs when other people walk” and “race up steps when others take it slow.”

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Biden Claps Back At ‘Catholic In Name Only’ Smear By Lou Holtz

Former Vice President Joe Biden (screen capture)
Lou Holtz, longtime Notre Dame football coach and Donald Trump ally, used part of his speech during the Republican National Convention last night to attack former Vice President Joe Biden as a “Catholic in name only.” Biden, who attends mass every week and has been public about how he personally embraces his faith, clapped back today during an appearance on MSNBC. From The Hill:

“I think it’s kind of preposterous to a guy who hardly ever darkens the door of a church,” Biden told MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” in a reference to President Trump.

Biden said that he distinguishes his personal beliefs from policies he sets to implement for everyone.

“My private beliefs relative to how I would deal with the church doctrine is different than my imposing that doctrine on every other person in the world — equally decent Christians and Jews and Muslims and Buddhists, etc.,” he said.

“But the point of the matter is I’m a practicing Catholic, I don’t proselytize about it, I never miss mass,” he added. “It’s part of who I am. It’s what gets me through the really difficult times in my life, and I believe it very strongly.”

Remember, Biden’s opponent has told people publicly he likes to grab women “by the p*ssy.” So, I don’t know that I’d be attacking Biden on the faith level. Back in the 2016 election, Trump couldn’t name one Bible verse as his ‘favorite.’

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New Spot Highlights Joe Biden’s Commitment To Sons ‘Joe Was There’

A young Joe Biden with his sons (screen capture)
The anti-Donald Trump group Lincoln Project hit pause on its attacks on the Trumpster for a moment to directly support former Vice President Joe Biden’s bid for the White House. The new campaign spot, titled ‘Dad,’ shares the story of how 32-year-old Biden raised his two sons, Beau and Hunter, on his own after tragically losing his first wife and one-year-old daughter to a car accident in 1972. “When the boys cried for their mother and sister, it was Joe who comforted them,” says the narration. “Parent-teacher conferences? Joe was there. When help was needed and report cards were read, Joe Biden was there. Because when Joe Biden makes a commitment, he always sees it through.” “Americans will choose between two types of men this November. Joe Biden is a man of character, compassion, and decency. It’s a choice to vote for a man with that kind of character – or a man without one.”

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Campaign Ad: Biden Calls For More Decisive Action Against COVID-19

In a new campaign ad, former Vice President Joe Biden calls out Donald Trump’s failure to lead in the COVID-19 pandemic and says he would ask governors across the nation to support mandates to wear face masks. “We’re seeing it again: the virus spreading out of control,” begins the narration of the 30-second spot. “The president once again failing to act.” The ad announces that Biden is prepared to “take action now,” which would include “expanding testing, calling for mask mandates nationwide, starting immediately, and producing more protective gear here at home.” “Fighting this virus and rebuilding our economy will take a president who’s ready to lead.” Y’all – just wear the damn mask. It costs you nothing.

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Biden/Harris Campaign Pulls In $26 Million In One Day

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (via Instagram)
The Biden/Harris campaign scored $26 million in one day following the announcement of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) joining the ticket as running mate. From Politico:

Joe Biden’s campaign raised $26 million in the 24 hours after he selected Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate — an eye-popping total that shows the campaign’s growing fundraising strength as the election draws nearer.

Biden announced the fundraising total during the ticket’s first virtual grassroots fundraiser on Wednesday evening, immediately following Biden and Harris’ first joint campaign event in Wilmington, Del.

The massive cash haul, which included 150,000 first-time donors, is a signal of Harris’ ability to generate enthusiasm for the campaign and the history-making moment of her selection, as the first woman of color named to a major party presidential ticket.

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Barack Obama On Harris For Running Mate: ‘Joe Biden Nailed This Decision’

Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden (public domain)
From former President Barack Obama: Choosing a vice president is the first important decision a president makes. When you’re in the Oval Office, weighing the toughest issues, and the choice you make will affect the lives and livelihoods of the entire country – you need someone with you who’s got the judgment and the character to make the right call. Someone whose focus goes beyond self-interest to consider the lives and prospects of others. Joe Biden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator Kamala Harris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgment and character. Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president. They’re requirements of the job. And now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead. I’ve known Senator Harris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. Her own life story is one that I and so many others can see ourselves in: a story that says that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship, or who you love, there’s a place for you here. It’s a fundamentally American perspective, one that’s led us out of the hardest times before. And it’s a perspective we can all rally behind right now. Michelle and I couldn’t be more thrilled for Kamala, Doug, Cole, and Ella. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing.

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Choosing a vice president is the first important decision a president makes. When you’re in the Oval Office, weighing the toughest issues, and the choice you make will affect the lives and livelihoods of the entire country – you need someone with you who’s got the judgment and the character to make the right call. Someone whose focus goes beyond self-interest to consider the lives and prospects of others. @JoeBiden nailed this decision. By choosing Senator @KamalaHarris as America’s next vice president, he’s underscored his own judgment and character. Reality shows us that these attributes are not optional in a president. They’re requirements of the job. And now Joe has an ideal partner to help him tackle the very real challenges America faces right now and in the years ahead. I’ve known Senator Harris for a long time. She is more than prepared for the job. She’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake. Her own life story is one that I and so many others can see ourselves in: a story that says that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you worship, or who you love, there’s a place for you here. It’s a fundamentally American perspective, one that’s led us out of the hardest times before. And it’s a perspective we can all rally behind right now. Michelle and I couldn’t be more thrilled for Kamala, Doug, Cole, and Ella. This is a good day for our country. Now let’s go win this thing.

A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) on

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Biden Announces Kamala Harris For Veep Pick

L-R Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
Former Vice President Joe Biden announced today that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) is his choice for running mate in the 2020 presidential election. From the New York Times:

Joseph R. Biden Jr. selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday, embracing a former rival who sharply criticized him in the Democratic primaries but emerged after ending her own campaign as a vocal supporter of Mr. Biden and a prominent advocate of racial-justice legislation after the death of George Floyd in late May.

Ms. Harris, 55, is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in history to be chosen for one of their presidential tickets. She brings to the race a far more vigorous campaign style than Mr. Biden’s, including a gift for capturing moments of raw political electricity on the debate stage and elsewhere, and a personal identity and family story that many find inspiring.

Susan Rice, former Ambassador to the UN, viewed by many to be a top contender announced her support for the pick. GLAAD points up Sen. Harris’ record on LGBTQ issues which includes:

  • Establishing San Francisco County’s first LGBTQ hate crimes unit, LGBTQ victim advocacy unit, and LGBTQ sexual assault awareness program, as San Francisco District Attorney

  • Refusing to defend Prop 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage as the state’s Attorney General, later performing the marriage of the couple who sued to get Prop 8 overturned

  • Creating the first-in-the-nation law to ban gay or trans “panic” defenses used to justify violence against LGBTQ people, and later, as U.S. Senator, introducing a bill to ban its use in federal trials

  • Introducing legislation to prevent the use of religious beliefs to justify LGBTQ discrimination

  • Supporting the Equality Act, which bars discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation and gender identity nationwide including in education, federal funding, housing, education and public accommodations and the jury system

  • Introducing legislation to ensure LGBTQ Americans are counted in the U.S. Census