Let me tell you about a speech that floored me.
My plan is - and it may not be the surest way to win - but my plan is to campaign in a lot of red states ... I may not be able to win a general election in South Carolina here and maybe no Democrat can, it's a tough road right now as you rebuild this party. But guess what - if we only get 30 percent of the vote, you can't govern. I gotta be able to get 45 47 48 49 percent of the vote in this state as the Democratic nominee so that you can begin to rebuild the Democratic Party. You gotta be able to do that in Nebraska. You gotta be able to do that in Kansas. You gotta be able to do that across the country. - Senator Joe Biden
I couldn't have said it better. Here's my video of that speech (sorry, it's long):
Some of you might remember my trip to Bishopville, SC last month. I was not supporting a candidate at the time; the last presidential event I had attended was an Obama event, and before that I met up with a few of my friends volunteering at an Edwards event. I thought my former favorite candidate was out of the race ... and then I heard this speech, a speech that reminded me of Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy, in front of 50-or-so South Carolinians in the state's Cotton Museum.
If the next democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States cannot compete in at least a dozen red states, then he or she will not be able to govern. Because there's no 51% solution to the energy crisis. There's no 51% solution to the education crisis. There's no 51% solution to the health care crisis. It requires us building a consensus - a consensus - as a nation.
Now, while I may not be convinced that we're only going to have two candidates coming in to South Carolina - I think Hillary will do anything to make it to Feb. 5, and I think Edwards may be banking on a win in South Carolina - I agree with everything else Senator Biden said. Our presidential candidate must be able to compete everywhere. They must be a boon to down ballot races. They must be popular enough so that moderate senators, liberal senators, and some senators from what will still be the minority party can come together and legislate on national solutions. They must be a force that is hard to oppose. They must be able to reunite our country after all of the damage that Bush has done.
So this idea that all of a sudden we're so divided? I just reject it.
I'll give credit where credit is due - John Edwards may be starting to build this sort of movement with One Corps, and he'd probably be very good for the down-ticket races in states like my home state of North Carolina, where we desperately need to get rid of Elizabeth Dole. I think Senator Biden or my former senator could do an excellent job building our party from Charleston to Anchorage. They're taking the lead on building not just a candidate-centered movement, but a movement that will win us seats from the courthouse to the Congress.
"Why would you want to be president?" I can think of no greater opportunity that exists for the next president of the United States ... The next president of the United States has an opportunity literally to change the direction of the world.
Sure, there are other things that go into being president. I'm certainly a fan of Biden's foreign policy experience ("As the neocons would prefer to forget, it was Biden who led the charge to rid Bosnia of accused genocidalist Milosevic. 'I’m not gonna shake your hand—you’re a goddamned war criminal,' Biden said to the dictator when they met in 1993"). Joe had the forsight to think of the "Use of Force Act" long before Bush came around. And though I disagreed with his Iraq vote, he was the Democractic Senator who tried to put together an alternative while "democrats" like Joe Lieberman were conspiring with the White House behind our backs to allow George W. Bush to engage in unlimited war in the Middle East. Senator Biden is a candidate who is willing to build a strong Democratic Party and a strong Democratic Congress, and who has a record of introducing legislation that gives Congress more authority over what has become a unitary executive. That's my kind of guy, and that's why, almost two months ago, I came back to thinking that Joe Biden is the guy I want to be the next president of these United States.
You may disagree with me on Joe (at least until we have a few more "Ask Joe Biden" segments, I hope). But you can't disagree with what he says - we have to be able to compete in as many states as possible. Anything less and we can look forward to another Gingrich Revolution.