PHILADELPHIA—It was the most rollicking speech since Michelle Obama's. Period. Vice President Joe Biden even acknowledged early on in his turn at the mic that no one would touch the First Lady's Monday night barn burner (not even her husband, who is headlining the Wednesday night festivities).
Biden spoke of his late son, Beau, of American grit, of how, despite what you may think, Hillary Clinton absolutely gives a shit. It was a memorable speech from start to finish, and Biden left the stage with his arm around his wife, Jill. They were both beaming from ear to ear.
Read the entirety of Biden's prepared remarks below.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you.
Ladies and gentleman, eight years ago, I stood on the stage in Denver, and I accepted your nomination to be vice president of the United States. And every single day since then, it's been the honor of our lives for Jill and me. Every day, we've been grateful to Barack and Michelle for asking us to join them in that incredible journey — a journey that can only happen in America.
But we not only have worked together — as it becomes pretty obvious, we've become friends. We're now family. We're family. Folks, we've all seen over the last eight years what President Obama means to this country. He's the embodiment of honor, resolve, and character. One of the finest presidents we have ever had. That's right! This is a man of character. And he's become a brother to Jill and me.
And Michelle? I dunno where you are kid, but you're incredible. You are incredible. When I was talking to Barack today, it's no longer who's going to give the best speech — we already know who did that. You were incredible Monday night. The Delaware delegation, as they say in southern Delaware, Barack and I married way up. Way up.
Folks, as I stand here tonight, I see so many friends and colleagues like my buddy Chris Dodd in the Connecticut delegation. So many people here. I see the faces of those who have placed their belief in Barack and me. So many faces — but one. This is kind of a bittersweet moment for Jill and me and our family. In 2008, when he was about to deploy in Iraq, and again in 2012, our son Beau introduced me to the country and placed my name in nomination. You got a glimpse — I know I sound like a dad but you got a glimpse of what an incredible fine man Beau was. Thank you. Thank you. His wife Hallie and his two kids are here tonight. But as Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "the world breaks everyone and afterwards, many are strong at the broken places."
I've been made strong at the broken places by my love Jill, by my heart, my son Hunter, and the love of my life, my Ashley — and by all of you, and I mean this sincerely. Those of you who've been through this, you know I mean what I say by all of you, your love, your prayers, your support. But you know what, we talk about, we think about the countless thousands of other people who suffered so much more than we have, with so much less support, so much less reason to go on. But they get up, every morning, every day. They put one foot in front of the other, they keep going. That's the unbreakable spirit of the spirit of America. That's who we are.
That's who we are. Don't forget it. Like the people in the neighborhood that Jill and I grew up in, she in Willowgrove and me down in Wilmington and Claymont. The kid in Claymont with the most courage always jumped in when you were double-teamed or your back was against the wall, who became a cop because he always wanted to help people. The middle daughter of three daughters, who always made her mother smile, who was a hero to her sisters, now a major in the United States Marine Corps, because "Mr. Vice President, I wanted to serve my country!"
The teachers who Jill knows and so many of you know, who take money out of their own pockets to buy pencils and notebooks for their students who can't afford them. Why? Why? Because being a teacher is not what they do — it's who they are! You know what I know. For real! These are the people who are the heart and soul of this country. It's the America that I know, the America that Hillary knows and Tim Kaine knows. You know, I've known Hillary for well over 30 years, before she was First Lady of the United States, when she became First Lady. We served together in the United States Senate, and during her years as Secretary of State, once a week we had breakfast in my home, the vice president's residence.
Everybody knows she's smart. Everybody knows she's tough. But I know what she's passionate about. I know Hillary. Hillary understands, Hillary gets it, Hillary understands that a college loan is about a lot more than getting a qualified student an education. It's about saving the mom and the dad from the indignity of looking at their talented child and saying "sonny, honey, I'm so sorry. The bank wouldn't lend me the money. I can't help you to get to school." I know that about Hillary. Hillary understand that for years, millions of people went to bed staring at the ceiling thinking "oh my god, what if I get breast cancer or he has a heart attack, I will lose everything, what will we do then?"
I know about Hillary Clinton. Ladies and gentlemen, we all understand what it'll mean for our daughters and granddaughters when Hillary Clinton walks into the Oval Office as president of the United States of America.
