1 post tagged “biden”

I'm such a politics geek!  I went to bed last night and woke up several times wondering who Obama's VP pick would be.  I finally got my email (as promised by the campaign) at a little after 2 a.m. and was very happy to see that Joe Biden was the one.  While he may be thought of as part of Washington establishment, I like what he'll bring to the ticket - working class grit, vast knowledge of foreign policy and the ability to chew up and spit out any Republican VP candidate!

I met Senator Biden's sister, Valerie, at a house party last winter.  She was much like her brother, outspoken and very direct.  On a personal note, she was very gracious to my daughter and offered to have her brother sign Katie's copy of his autobiography and mail it back to her.  It was a nice gesture.

Several months later I received a phone call from Biden's local field organizer.  She said that Biden was planning a visit to Manchester and that he'd like to be able to meet Katie.  I told the organizer that Katie had been a big fan of Biden since she's read his book and discovered that he had struggled with a speech impediment as a child.  Katie related because she's had her own struggles with a learning disability.

On the appointed day, we drove through snow and wind to get to the meeting site.  The weather had Katie worried that the event would have to be canceled.  Once we arrived, his organizer met us at the door and showed us to a side entrance where the Senator would enter.  Soon we spotted a small caravan of black SUVs and knew it was Biden.  He emerged from his vehicle and was introduced to Katie, who blushed when she got a big hug.

Senator Biden spent just about an hour talking foreign policy and domestic issues with a group of Manchester residents.  Even though the turn-out was small, he gave 100% attention to each and every question and left me impressed not only with his intelligence, but with his sincere interest in what people had to say.

After the meeting, Katie was once again taken to meet the Senator.  While a line of people waited to shake his hand, he stood talking quietly with Katie for a few minutes.  Afterwards, while people were still waiting, he sat down to write a very personal message inside Katie's book and returned it to her.  Only then did he return to the waiting crowd to shake some hands.

As we left the restaurant I asked Katie what the Senator had said to her.  She told me that Senator Biden said he'd been told of Katie's learning disability and he related to her the story of his own childhood struggle with a stutter.  He leaned close to her ear and showed her what his stutter was like and told her that with hard work, she could also overcome her challenges.

I turned and went back into the restaurant and waited at the end of the line.  When I finally got my chance, I thanked Biden for taking the time to talk to a young person first instead of the people whose votes he sought.  I also told him that his kindness would most likely make a lasting impression on Katie and as a mother, I was grateful.

Joe Biden became more than a politician and presidential candidate that day. From that day on, whenever I watched a debate, I saw someone I knew to be a kind, sincere and  very decent man.  I'll be very glad to have him be our next Vice President.

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Biden with book