Saw Biden Tonight - Video for you

[CornField]

Returned home not too long ago from a long event with Sen. Joe Biden and I posted three videos of his remarks. The range between 8-10 minutes each and are only the first half of the speech... then he did a good half hour of Q&A. The man can definitely talk!

In any event, was going to share with the DU Biden group, but didn't see one... so now it's out here for whomever is interested.

[illinoisprogressive]

1. No Biden group? Talk to skinner! So, you have a good time???

You really need to post something about the event. Your take on it. I did it when I attended Barack Obama's announcement in Springfield. People like to know your take on events.
Was he fun to listen to? tell us.

[CornField]

2. LOL -- aren't all such events a good time?

Sure, it was a good time -- standing room only, snack food & cash bar

It was billed as an Iraq Town Hall meeting and the main speech stayed mostly true to topic. To be honest, Biden has so much knowledge of the Middle East, the various factions and the players involved that I often get lost trying to listen. It would be incredible to sit down with him one-on-one over a pot of coffee so that you could interrupt with questions once he gets going.

Two things that stick out in my mind:
1 -- He says one of the reasons you don't see Democratic candidates putting up full plans on this or that is because "they saw how Rove spun them for Kerry"

2 -- He doesn't seem to be in favor of a complete pull-out, because he fears that will further destablize the region; although he is adamant that U.S. troops no longer take part in the Iraqi Civil War. When talking about Iraq all the candidates (from either side) he said need to answer this two word question: "Then What?" You support a surge? Then what? You want to pull everyone out? Then what?

He most have spoke for an hour... then took 30+ minutes of questions from the audience. The speech was nearly all foreign policy; the audience questions (except one) were domestic. He kept stressing, however, that the domestic and international were related. "For us to even begin to think about how to do this or that domestically," he told me afterwards, "we need the billions of dollars we are spending in Iraq."

Impressions: While many Iowans have not decided who they support 100% yet (don't believe what you read in the paper or hear from the talking heads -- most all the traditional caucus goers I know have yet to commit to a candidate); Biden did well tonight. I heard several people say he was now in their top three. By-and-Large, Iowans are becoming increasingly disenchanted with the so-called "top tier" candidates and the "second tier" candidates are starting to gain ground.

[CornField]

5. My write-up

Since so many covered the event from a general angle, I focused on the women's issues:



Delaware Sen. Joe Biden is proud of the fact that he hasn't changed much since 1994.

"If I could wave a magic wand," he told the standing room only crowd in Cedar Rapids Sunday night, "the one thing in world politics I would do would be the empowerment of women."

Biden was responding to an audience member who questioned what could be done about the declining status of women in Iraq.

"I don't want to empower women because they are sweet and nice," he added. "It needs to be done because that's 51 percent of the world's population and because it would better us all."

Although the primary topic for Sunday's stump speech was the Iraq War, the U.S. Senator and author of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act often answers audience questions or follows a train of thought which leads him to discuss women and/or women's issues. On his campaign site he states that writing the VAWA was the most proud moment of his entire career. The legislation helped set up shelters and a national hotline where women who are abused can get help. In addition, the courts were empowered to protect women being stalked.

Following his public remarks, Biden spoke privately about the recent Supreme Court ruling. Pointing to his opposition of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts (not to mention Robert Bork), he said, "As president I would be prepared to nominate individuals who would respect a woman's right to privacy."

Biden, during his speech, said the one thing that needs to happen in the coming months was the "pricking of the consciousness of the nation."

He walked into the audience and placed a coffee cup in the middle of a round table. "That's what we have to do," he explained. "A leader has to be able to listen to all of these people at this table, each of them with their own opinions and find that one common thread they all agree on."

He pointed to the coffee cup and added, "Once you have the thing they can agree upon, you start building around that to bring them together."

He agreed to expand on this thinking as well after the event.

"We need to stop saying 'red' and 'blue' and thinking in those terms," he said. "We also need to stop buying into the false divisions which have been put out there. We have to reach out to one another and work together."

[KingofNewOrleans]

3. By and large I probably agree the most

with Biden's ideas for exiting Iraq--tripartioning of Iraq, something along the lines of Dayton Peace Accords/Bosnia, etc.. Unfortunately, it would have been best if it had been started 6 months ago (or 2 years ago) Bush can't be forced to do this and whether the ideas will still be viable when a Dem takes office in Jan 2009, who knows.

On Domestic issues, Biden doesn't interest me as much and while most people consider Iraq to be our biggest problem right now, it shouldn't dominate the next Presidency.

[mmonk]

7. If the empire project proceeds forth even after this election,

it will affect domestic policy and money.

[MaineProgressive]

4. My take on Joe

I was listening to him last week on MTP. He's got some really great ideas, but I think once you've been in the Senate for, say, more than a couple terms you get so entrenched in the BS that you become unelectable. Too many voting records to haunt your campaign (ie John Kerry).

[mmonk]

6. Thanks CornField

I think it is important for people to hear what the candidates are saying in the campaign for the early states in order to make an informed opinion independent of media direction and spin.