Biden was born in November of 1942 – thus
qualifying him as a socially compliant "Silent" rather than as a
renegade "Boomer" – to an Irish-Catholic family. These two items would
also define him deeply as he moved forward in life. His father was a
hardworking furnace cleaner in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Then, when Biden
was 13, the family moved to Delaware, where the father worked as a
successful used-car salesman. In short, Biden was raised in very
typical Middle American circumstances. It was a good start.
But he was also a quite ambitious youth, who sought greater things for
himself in life. He worked hard to the earn the money so as to be able
to attend the prestigious Archmere Academy. Here he performed well as a
student and athlete. He then went on to the University of Delaware,
ostensibly to major in political science and history … though it would
appear that his real major was sports, girls and parties.
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Joe Biden at age 10 (1953)
Biden at the University of Delaware
Biden's college yearbook picture - 1965
Biden and his sister Valerie during his 1970 run for a position on the New Castle County Council.
BIDEN ENTERS THE U.S. SENATE AMIDST HORRIBLE FAMILY TRAGEDY |
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Indeed this is what led him to meet his first
wife, Neilia Hunter … when he and some buddies decided to attend the
famous Florida spring-break beach parties, found them dull, and took a
side trip to Nassau. There in Nassau Biden ran into the first love of
his life.
This sobered Biden up, he worked hard to
bring up his grades, thus allowing him upon graduation (1965) to enter
Syracuse University Law school … where he would live close to Neilia.
Indeed, the two would marry the next year.
But he had a much harder time of it
academically in law school, ranking only 76th out of 85 of the
graduating students in 1968. He had also managed to fall into trouble
at school, having presented in a paper (without any acknowledgement)
that included a lengthy section from a law journal, not only getting
caught in the process … but leaving behind the record of an event that
would be repeatedly brought out by his political opponents in future
years.
1969 was a big year for Biden, his first
son, Beau, being born that year, Biden passing the bar exam, and then
taking up the practice as a public defender.
He and a law partner would subsequently
go on to form their own law firm … although Biden would quickly
discover that corporate law did not interest him and criminal law did
not pay well. Thus it was that in 1970 he ran as a Democratic Party
candidate … and won a position on the New Castle County Council. Here
he distinguished himself by opposing various highway projects, claiming
that they would disrupt Wilmington neighborhoods.
He would hold that position for another
couple of years … when he then decided to run for the position of U.S.
Senator! Now that's ambition, especially due to the fact that he was
only 29 years old when he took up the challenge … and lacked serious
campaign funding.
Election to the US Senate (1972)
But he and his family were willing to
work very hard to get him elected. And … he was running against veteran
Senator Caleb Boggs, who at that point had wanted to step down from the
position … but had been urged to run again by his fellow Republicans.
This difference in attitude about the election itself would make all
the difference in the world. As a largely unknown candidate, at first
Biden ran well behind Boggs. But given all the hard work that Biden and
his family put into his campaign, he quickly closed the gap in the
polls. Thus by election day he was able to gain 50.5% of the vote.
Then soul-crushing tragedy hit in the
short time between his election in November and his taking office in
Washington in January. On December 18th, on a Christmas shopping trip,
Neilia pulled out from an intersection and was hit by a passing tractor
trailer. Both Neilia and their one-year-old daughter, Naomi, were
killed, and their sons, Beau (now 3) and Hunter (2) were hurt badly.
It is easy to understand the anger Biden
was feeling against God … and his numbness when he thought of his
approaching responsibilities as U.S. Senator. He thought about simply
quitting ... even life itself.
But Senate leader Mike Mansfield worked
hard to get Biden not to quit but instead to take up his calling as
U.S. Senator. And so he did. But as it was, Biden would be
sworn into office, not in Washington but at the hospital bedside of his
son Beau.
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Biden with his wife Neilia and sons Hunter and Beau
Joe and Neilia Biden and daughter Naomi
Neilia speaking on election night (with daughter Naomi on the right) - November 1972
Biden ... upon announcement of his 1972 victory in the race as U.S. Senator (from Delaware)
Biden and his first wife, Neilia, celebrating Joe's 30th birthday with their sons Hunter and Beau
November 20, 1972
Then on December 18, Neilia and Naomi were killed in a car accident on a Christmas shopping trip.
Beau and Hunter survived but had to be hospitalized
Biden was shattered ... and considered not taking up his new office as U.S. senator
He confessed later that he even felt suicidal ... and was very angry at God
But ultimately he was sworn into office
... at the bedside of his son Beau at the Wilmington hospital
January 1973 Biden is sworn in as U.S. Senator (son Beau in the foreground)
LIFE GOES ON FOR SENATOR JOE BIDEN |
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Once in office Biden conducted himself as a
freshman senator ought … and also got reelected – repeatedly (six
times, with about 60% of the vote each time!). Thus he rose up the
Senatorial political ladder. He was also the first Senator to support
Carter's bid for the presidency. The two would go on to work closely
together in the latter part of the 1970s.
Jill … and 2nd marriage (1977)
But he would also gain invaluable support
from Jill Jacobs, whom Biden met on a blind date arranged by his
brother in 1975. She would become a major source of emotional support
for Biden. Two years later, she and the senator would marry.
His service as a US Senator. Biden's climb up the Senate's seniority
ladder was slow but steady, gained through repeated reelection to the
Senate by his Delaware voters. He took on the attitude of being a
political centrist … for instance during the 1970s strongly opposing
school bussing, ordered by the Supreme Court to force racial
integration, but supporting voting rights, job creation and housing
assistance in support of the Black community
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Joe with his sons Beau (left) and hunter ... and his wife Jill Jacobs.
He met Jill on a blind date arranged by his brother in 1975.
Joe and Jill in their early years together - 1975
They were married in 1977 and had a daugher, Ashley in 1981
Senator Biden and President Carter in 1978
(Biden had been the first Senator to support Carter in his 1976 decision to run for the presidency)
They would remain close
Joe and Jill were very much Catholic in religion
which Joe often made very clear
Jill and Joe meet Pope John Paul II at the Vatican - April 1980
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His service as a US Senator
Biden's climb up the Senate's seniority ladder was
slow but steady, gained through repeated reelection to the Senate by
his Delaware voters. He took on the attitude of being a political
centrist … for instance during the 1970s strongly opposing school
bussing, ordered by the Supreme Court to force racial integration, but
supporting voting rights, job creation and housing assistance in
support of the Black community.
By 1981 he was the ranking minority
(Democrat) member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and then in 1987
its chairman … in time to block Reagan's Supreme Court appointment of
Robert Bork in 1988 … over Bork's strongly-held judicial philosophy of
"originalism" – that is, keeping the Constitutional powers of the
Judiciary within the boundaries intended by the original 1787
Constitution. Biden himself believed that a more "progressivist"
attitude should prevail on the Supreme Court. Thus Biden helped Bork
get "Borked" … as the action of blocking a Supreme Court appointment
came to be termed!
As committee chairman, he also presided
over the hearings on Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court appointment in
1991 … tending to side with accuser Anita Hill … and not with the
numerous women who testified that Hill's allegations were false … and
inspired instead by Hill's desire to secure a "closer relationship"
with Thomas than Thomas himself was willing to offer. All of this,
heavily televised, fueled the fire of sexist controversy. Ultimately
Biden joined the majority of the Democrats in voting against Thomas …
though with eleven Democrats voting in support of Thomas, they did not
have sufficient votes to "Bork" Thomas!
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Vice President Bush leads Biden in a swearing-in ceremony - 1985
In 1987, President Reagan nominated Judge Robert Bork for the position
as U.S. Supreme Court Justice
The appointment went to the Senate for confirmation - September 1987
... and the preliminary hearing was assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee,
which Biden chaired (chairman 1987-1995).
There Bork was opposed strongly by Biden ... who was chiefly responsible for Bork's
final failure to be appointed as U.S. Supreme Court justice
Biden pointing angrily at Justice Clarence Thomas during the hearing for his nomination to
the Supreme Court.
He later claimed that he did not do enough to protect Anita HIll
from the demeaning inquiry of the other male members of his Judiciary Committee (though
in fact that was their job ... to scrutinize Hill's accusations of Thomas's "inappropriate behavior"
... especially when other women who had worked with Thomas told a very different story than Hill's.)
Ironically, sitting next to him is Ted Kennedy ... hardly the bastion of moral purity.
Biden would sponsor a major legislative piece in the form of a new crime bill - 1994
But he would also be active in the realm of foreign affairs
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By 1997 Biden had swung his primary political
interests over to the world of foreign diplomacy … when, having been
also a long-standing member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
he became its ranking minority member … and eventually its chair in the
years 2001-2003 and 2007-2009. As such, he opposed Bush Sr's decision
to send US troops to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait … but actually
took the lead in the early-to-mid 1990s, even before Clinton did, in
advocating a very strong US military hand in stopping the ethnic
cleansing going on in Bosnia. He took a similar position with respect
to the same problem occurring in Kosovo in the late 1990s
.
As chair of the Senate Committee, he would also support American
intervention in both Afghanistan and Iraq … though later – as the
situation in Iraq turned very bad for the Americans – he would confess
that stand to have been a mistake (ah, the wisdom of hindsight!). In
2006 he put forth a proposal to "federalize" Iraq … that is,
decentralize the Iraqi society into Arab Sunni, Arab Shi'ite and
Kurdish Sunni regions ... actually, a quite wise proposal. But that
idea found no support in either the American-backed Shi'ite-dominated
government in Iraq or in the US Congress itself (or certainly also the
Bush Jr. White House). The following year, he opposed strongly the
"troop surge" of 2007 … which actually turned out to be a very
successful American move in getting things settled down in Iraq.
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Here he is flying with Clinton and his staff to Yugoslavia in 1997
to take on the ethnic cleansing crisis engulfing that highly divided society
Biden would become chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committe 2001-2003 and again
2007-2009. At first he (unwisely) supported the Bush, Jr.'s decision to go to war in Iraq
... then back away from that support.
He also opposed the 2007 troop surge (which actually worked!)
Here he is in Afghanistan, meeting with Afghan women's rights leader Sima Samar - January 2002
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In early 1987, Biden announced that he was
undertaking a run as a Democratic Party candidate for the US
presidency. With the spotlight on him, some unflattering incidents in
his earlier life were brought to public attention: instances of
plagiarism in his law school days, major exaggerations about his
standing at graduation, and other false claims he had made in order to
make himself look like a stronger candidate.
The stress of all this was most likely the cause of medical issues that
hit Biden in early 1988. At that point, he suffered serious
life-threatening brain aneurysms and a pulmonary embolism,
hospitalizing him in February and in May of that year. In any case, the
medical issues forced him to drop out of the race … and even kept him
out of the Senate for seven months.
Biden would try again for the 2008
presidential race, announcing his candidacy in January of 2007. In
competition with both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, he stressed his
own lengthy experience in the realm of foreign affairs … especially in
contrast with the lack of much of any kind of serious experience by
Obama. But Biden just could not get the support to become a serious
candidate, receiving only one percent of the startup Iowa caucus vote
in January of 2008. Thus he withdrew from the race.
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1987-1988
Biden announcing his decision to run for the U.S. presidency at the end of Reagan's term in office
June 1987
Joe and Jill begin their campaign
But he would drop out of the race when reports emerged that he had plagerized a paper
back in law school.
Then in 1988 he was also discovered to have possibly two deadly aneurysms in his brain ...
and had to undergo two critical surgeries. Here he is with son Beau after the first operation.
He would return to his Senate work seven months later.
Biden decides to run again for U.S. President - 2007-2008
Here he beams after signing candidacy papers in time for the all-important New Hampshire primary
Biden, Obama and Clinton prior to the start of a Democratic presidential primary debate - 2007
And he campaigned hard for the presidential job
BIDEN AS OBAMA'S VICE PRESIDENT (2009-2017) |
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But Obama recognized in Biden the "balance" he
would bring to the Democratic Party ticket … helping to appeal to
"Middle America" – which Obama felt was rather "suspicious" of what
exactly it was that Obama represented. Actually, Biden got very little
attention … the Republican Vice President and former Alaska Governor
Sarah Palin getting all the (mostly negative) press attention.
Nonetheless the Obama-Biden ticket
defeated the McCain-Palin ticket in the November 2008 elections, and on
January 20th, 2009 Biden was sworn in as US Vice President.
As Vice President Biden was called on to
continue his foreign policy work … sort of a backup to Obama – and
sometimes in competition with Obama's Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton. But he was also charged with the task of overseeing the huge
infrastructure program that Obama had decided would pull America out of
the 2008 financial crisis – which actually did not develop … at least
certainly not for a long time. And as such, Biden was also given the
responsibility of using his Congressional contacts to help get the
federal "debt-ceiling" raised so as to be able to open the way to yet
more federal spending.
Then in 2012 Obama asked Biden to
continue as his vice-presidential running mate in Obama's reelection
campaign. Some stress between the two occurred during the campaign when
Biden announced himself in favor of same-sex marriages … well in
advance of Obama's move on the matter, forcing Obama to have to
announce himself early in this matter – an issue Obama was actually
trying to hold off from (Obama knew that it certainly would not improve
Obama's stand among Catholics … with their Church's strong opposition
to such marriage). Biden was forced to apologize and promise not to
issue any more such statements … and was then excluded from further
Obama campaign strategy sessions.
In his second term as vice president
(2013-2017) Biden found himself less useful to Obama as a line of
contact with (a Republican-controlled) Congress. Biden busied himself
in matters much less strategic than was the case in his earlier term of
service … quietly finishing out his term while setting out plans to
undertake his own presidential run the following year (2016).
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Biden and Obama campaigning together - 2008
November 4, 2008 Obama and Biden celebrating together at their election night party
Biden and Obama would work together closely.
Here Obama is congratulating Biden for his work helping get a debt-ceiling bill passed in Congress - 2011.
A grand moment ... Biden, Obama, Clinton and others watch the takedown of Bin Laden - May 1, 2011
November 7, 2012 - Another election night party, with Obama and Biden understanding
that they had defeated Republican candidate Mitt Romney (and his running mate Paul Ryan)
Tragedy strikes Biden and family again
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Then in 2015 tragedy hit the Biden family again.
This time it was the cancer and death in May of Biden's oldest,
46-year-old son Beau. Beau had conducted himself most admirably in the
field of law, military service and presently as Delaware's Attorney
General … earlier turning down the idea of running for the US Senate –
because he did not want such a gain simply because of his family
"legacy." The death of Beau came as a huge, crushing blow to everyone …
as indeed this was a huge loss, not just to the Biden family but to
many others (even the people of Kosovo) that Beau had personally
encouraged and supported.
490 America – The Covenant Nation (Volume 2)
Tired from all the stress, in October of 2015, Biden announced that he
was stepping back, although this was a decision that had come very hard
to him. Then the following June he endorsed fully Hillary's run for the
Democratic Party presidential candidacy.
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Joe and his son Beau at the 2008 Democratic Party national convention
... when his son Beau died of brain cancer (46 years old) - May 30, 2015
Beau's casket being carried into church in Wilmington - June 2015
Biden at his son's funeral
Consequently ... Biden chose not to run in the 2016 presidential race
but campaigned for Hillary Clinton instead
Biden meeting with Mike Pence, his replacement as Vice President
Biden tears up as Obama, in one of his last acts as outgoing president,
awards Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (January 2017)
Obama and Biden greeting Trump at his inauguration - January 20, 2017
(Trump would not return the favor four years later at Biden's inauguration)
Then family troubles hit when the news came out in March of 2017 that his son Hunter
was having an affair with his deceased brother's wife Hallie.
The news came out after Hunter's wife Kathleen filed for divorce ... (separated since October of 2015)
... citing a huge list of bad behavior on Hunter's part as her reason for the divorce
Hunter did not deny the relationship with Hallie.
Instead, he asked his dad to bless the relationship ... which Biden did:
"We are all lucky that Hunter and Hallie found each other
as they were putting their lives together again after such sadness.
They have mine and Jill's full and complete support and we are happy for them.
(Time, March 3, 2017/ Time, April 30, 2019)
But two years later (during Biden's run again for president) the two would separate.
BIDEN'S THIRD (AND SUCCESSFUL) PRESIDENTAL RUN (2019-2020) |
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The 2020 presidential campaign
The next couple of years Biden busied himself
teaching (University of Pennsylvania), writing a memoir (Promise Me,
Dad),210 and doing a lot of public speaking … not only keeping himself
visible before the public eye but making him quite wealthy from
speaker's fees and a writing contract.
But Biden had never taken his eye off the
presidential position, and as the 2020 election season came around, he
was ready to announce his candidacy (April 2019) … even though if
elected he would take office at the age of 78 – an unheard-of age to be
taking on such a responsibility. And he would be running against the
very aggressive Trump (himself not much younger), who had the
reputation of knocking down anything that got in his way.
But run Biden did, finally securing the Democratic Party presidential candidacy … and then going on to win the election.
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In April of 2019 Biden launched his third run for the presidency
Biden announcing his third run for the U.S. Presidency - May 18, 2019
Joe and Jill Biden kicking off their campaign together in Philadelphia
Biden at one of a huge series of Democratic Party debates - January 14, 2020
Biden announces Kamala Harris as his choice of "woman of color"
to be his vice-presidential running mate - March 2020
Biden getting his official nomination at the Democratic Party national convention August 17-20
in Milwaukee ... participants greatly reduced in number because of Corona-virus restrictions
(but notice: no masks!)
Trump and Obama at their 2nd presidential debate - October 22, 2020
But at this point 40 million Americans had already voted by mail
... and the ratings did not really change anyway ... despite of this much more civil debate
Biden speaking before a Wilmington gathering upon the announcement of his electoral victory
November 2020
 Miles
H. Hodges
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(1942 to Today)
The early making of Joe Biden
Biden enters the U.S. Senate amidst
Life goes on for Senator Joe Biden
Presidential runs
Biden as Obama's Vice President
Biden's Third (and successful)
