Borrowing a page out of President Clinton’s folksy playbook, Vice President Joe Biden tried to paint a personal picture of his boss while striking multiple populist points as he accepted his party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
“Recovery is not yet complete, but we are on our way. The journey of hope is not yet finished, but we are on our way. And the cause of change is not fully accomplished, but we are on the our way,” he said after getting choked up about the “truly great honor” of his term as No. 2 in the White House.
“You know, Barack and I, we have been through a lot together these four years. And we learned about one another. A lot about one another. One of the things I learned is the enormity of his heart and I think he learned about me, the depth of my loyalty to him,”
He said the Democratic ticket is bonded by how Obama and Biden both went through struggles growing up.
“When Barack and I were growing up, there was an implicit understanding in America. That if you took responsibility, you would get a fair shot at a better life. And the values behind that bargain, were the values that have shaped both of us and many of you. And today those same values are Barack’s guiding star,” Biden said.
“Folks, I’ve watched him. He has never wavered, he never, never backs down. He always steps up and he always asks in every one of those critical meetings the same fundamental question, ‘How is this going to affect the average American? How is this going to affect people’s lives?’ That’s what is inside this man. That’s what makes him tick.”
The VP focused heavily on the bailout of the auto industry and said he thought Mitt Romney viewed the auto crisis “the Bain way.”
“I think he saw it in terms of balance sheets and write offs. Folks, the Bain way may bring your firm the highest profits, but it is not the way to lead our country from the highest office,” Biden said.
Bringing his campaign-trail refrain — “Bin Laden is dead, GM is alive” — full circle, the veep then steered toward the assassination of the al-Qaeda leader.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m here to tell you what I think you already know. I watch it up close. Bravery resides in the heart of Barack Obama. And time and time again, I witnessed him some and its. This man has courage in his soul, compassion in his heart, and a spine of steel.”
He needled at the jobs tour Romney said he would embark on after taking office. “With his support for outsourcing, it would have to be a foreign trip,” he said.
“One more thing that our Republican opponents are just dead wrong about. America is not in decline. America is not in decline. I’ve got news for Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan. …My fellow Americans, America is coming back, and we’re not going back. And we have no intention of downsizing the American dream.”
Biden told the audience that “we now find ourselves at the hinge of history, and the direction we turn is not figuratively, is literally in your hands.”
“I say to you tonight, with absolute confidence, America’s best days are ahead and, yes, we are on our way.”
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