What does it mean to be a person of great character?
The second time I met Joe Biden was in April of 2010, on the South Lawn of the White House. I was part of a group of active-duty service members sending off our wounded brothers and sisters for the White House to Lighthouse Challenge — a 60-mile, three-day ride that starts on the South Lawn of the White House and ends in Annapolis, Maryland.
Joe was definitely running late for some meeting or another, because his staff was getting increasingly persistent — “Sir, we really need to go.” Not in a way that was disrespectful. It was just clear that they needed to be on their way.
Finally, Joe turned to his aides and said:
“I’m going to stay here shaking hands until there’s nobody left to shake hands with, and taking photos with these people until they get every photo they want.”
That’s exactly what he did. And I promise you that the service men and women who were on the South Lawn that day haven’t forgotten it, either.
Character is about what you do when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Joe Biden is a man of character.
2. Character is about doing what is right because it is right, not for the attention if will give you
Ron Klain was Biden's chief of staff during his first term, and he saw how Biden changed up the job description compared with Al Gore, for whom Klain had also served as chief of staff. "From day one," Klain says, "Al Gore planned on running for president. The project was to ready him. If the president was doing a public event, he was going to stand behind the president whether he had a role or not.
"Biden didn't have any interest in that. That was not the model he wanted. He put his political capital on helping Obama succeed. He wanted projects. Beginning, middle, and end projects."
3. Character is about choosing to get good things done rather than winning every argument.
"Joe Biden doesn't have a mean bone in his body," says John McCain. "He's unique from the day he was elected before he was 30 years old. He's unique in that he's had some role in every major national-security crisis that his nation has faced in the last thirty-five years. I don't know anyone like him in the U.S. Senate. Look at the number of times he's been able to conclude agreements. I would say he's been the most impactful vice president that I've known—certainly in modern times."
4. Character is about never appealing to the lowest common denominator.
"My brother hates, hates, hates bullies," {Joe’s sister} says. "The man who pushed the girl. The guy who makes fun of you because you're fat.
"Joe never appeals to the lowest common denominator. Look what's happened in our political environment. If you don't agree with me, you're a bad person. You're immoral. You want to screw with me. You're bad, bad, bad. That's the climate. And Joe—never."
5. Character is about caring for the least powerful amongst us
On the single occasion when my family was invited to a gathering on the grounds of the Naval Observatory, the vice president crossed a patio to greet my kids, introduced them to similarly aged guests, showed them where to find towels, hauled floats out of a shed, and cajoled them into the pool. This story shows me the same thing I see any time any host stops mingling to meet the needs of his least important guests—here’s someone who cares for the meekest among us.
There are countless stories just like this one out there — about Biden taking the time to make people feel heard and cared for and giving his time to help people who are hurting.
He doesn’t do this because he gets attention for it. He does it because he has great character.
Joe Biden will be a great president.
******************************************
want to donate to help Biden win?
This is day 22 in my series 100 Days of Loving Joe Biden
Did you miss any of the 100 days? Here they are:
Day 1: Biden’s Tax Plan
Day 2: Biden and Gay Marriage
Day 3: Biden’s FDR Sized presidency
Day 4: Biden is a mensch
Day 5: Biden has a Covid-19 plan
Day 6: Biden ran the Obama economic recovery
Day 7: Biden’s Housing Plan
Day 8: Biden knows love and commitment
Day 9: Biden knows exactly who Republicans are
Day 10: Biden understands America
Day 11: Biden will bring progressive change even better than Warren/Sanders
Day 12: Biden has felt pain and found empathy
Day 13: Biden and the Violence Against Women Act
Day 14: Biden was endorsed by John Lewis
Day 15: Biden will protect teacher’s unions
Day 16: Biden will be a steady hand in the White House
Day 17: Biden cares about people in the dawn and twilight of life
Day 18 Biden has a great economic plan
Day 19: Biden would yank the Keystone XL Pipeline permit
Day 20: Biden has plans to help Americans with disabilities
Day 21: Biden sponsored the very first climate bill when in the senate
You can also find the 100 days of loving Biden on Twitter at this link. Follow and retweet! The Twitter feed is new and I could use all the support I can get ❤️