The Vice President . I am the United States navy veteran, a New Hampshire business owner, a former department of defense policy expert and someone who is tired of the division and decline of American Values we have experienced in the last three years. Willpresident biden repair, and revitalize our relationships with allies and neighbors to restore our geopolitical leadership. These relationships are vital to our nice National Security and the wellbeing of all americans. As someone working on the front lines to mitigate the suicide numbers in the veteran community, i can say that we cannot afford a start over. Uponst improve and expand the medical care act and Vice President biden has the experience, the knowledge, and an actionable plan to do that. As a veteran, i know that vice sident biden experiences appreciates the costs and sacrifices of serving our country. Both of his sons served this country and he uniquely understands the challenges. On a personal level, Vice President biden and president obama data possible for me as an lgbt servicemember to serve our nation openly and without fear. [cheers and applause] something i could not do when i first started my military career and i am forever grateful for that. Move backwards on civil liberties. It is an honor of a lifetime to introduce Vice President joe biden. [cheers and applause] frmr v. P. Biden thank you, thank you, thank you. Hello, keene. [cheering] tooknow well, i love you and i love this town. May come back to often. This is gods country. A beautiful town and i really mean it. I want to thank by that i want to start by thanking president treadwell. She needs this like another hole in her head. I also want to stay that there is a lot of things that i want to talk about today but i have a tradition that i have honored since and most people do since i have been involved in national politics. I never criticize a president s Foreign Policy when he is a broad and i mean that since eerily. I will have a lot more to say and i did yesterday about the president s Foreign Policy and what is going on at the jeez evan and what is in fact going on with russia etc. Which has me greatly concerned but i will not take the time today. It is an o mission by intention omission by intention because i do not think it appropriate to criticize the president all he is a broad as it relates to Foreign Policy. [cheering] and i want to say to erik, you are doing a great job for an awful lot of warriors that come home in real tough shape. Ashowed erik i have schedule that ive carried every day for the last 470 years. [laughter] it on the back, for i think is the last 12 years, i carry with me a Little Black Box that i have in the bottom. I have my staff everything that morning, and now i can do it online, contact the defense department. I want to know exactly, exactly the number of fallen angels that have died or been wounded. And as of today, yesterday, when i spoke it was 6883. 6885. Unately today, it is i hate it when people say we are over 5000 or 6000. Every one of these women and men , and some of them belong to you, every one of these fallen an entire Left Community behind and they deserve to be remembered. Folks, what erik is doing is working with these folks. It is not on this list. It is ok. Dont worry about it. What is not on this list is that there are roughly 300,000 soldiers as a consequence of iraq and afghanistan since we went in who in fact are coming home with posttraumatic stress. Ofe people are dying suicide, or military personnel are dying from suicide than there are being killed in action and we have to Pay Attention to it. And it relates to everything from Mental Health, straight through to drug abuse which in many cases is a Mental Health problem to Substance Abuse across the board. And folks, it also results in actions and activities that are almost beyond their control. And so, we have an obligation. Erik,want to thank you, for your commitment as a lieutenant in the United States navy to continue to fight for these women and men. [applause] , there are many things to talk about today. I am not going to trespass on too much of your time because it could keep you standing for hours. But folks, let me begin by saying what im not going to talk about. But just mentioned briefly. I think what is happening now, as of yesterday, the trump briefstration has filed a in congress, the Supreme Court of the United States to say that lgbtq people have no civil rights. Ooing] he is already challenging the right to marry, banning Transgender Service members we have to pass the equality act which some of you involved in this know what im talking about and under my administration, we will get it passed. [cheering and applause] , when i launched my campaign, and made my stop here right after my announcement, i said you would be seeing a lot of me. The bad news is that you will be seeing a lot of me. Because it is really important. You guys hold one of the two keys to get through the gate. I have to admit to you, i get in trouble with mice half when i say this but god, this is gods country appeared. You guys are lucky to be where you are. Launched i said when i that you would see a lot of me but i am here this morning to say there is something i think is truly frightening for not only our nation but for the world. This administration is actually, it seems to me, to be falling apart. When the pressure of economic, when the economy is teetering on a recession, i think we are all concerned about their ability to handle not just the economic piece of it but the emotional consequence of what happens. The trade war in china is blowing up. We just learned that the United States created 500,000 fewer jobs than we thought last year. Warning signs from an inverted bond market to collapsed manufacturing are all around us. Only going to make this Administration Act more radically. There is a lot to say about International Relations as i said but i will be that for another day and keep with my tradition but the truth is that President Trump is in trouble and he knows it. We will have to fight even theer to push back against worst instincts coming out of this administration. I predict they will increase. Not diminish. Increase. I said it many times in this campaign that we can overcome four years can you all hear me in the back . We can overcome four years of President Trumps administration. But if we give it another four years, this white house will fundamentally and forever change the culture the character of this country which brings me to the point we cannot just be a campaign about eating President Trump. He is trafficking in some of the ugliest and darkest forces that have long run through the history of this nation. A Simple Campaign is not enough to beat him. There has to be a movement. There has to be a movement, a movement grounded on the values and ideals of the finest as a nation. America is unique. Unique in all the world. No other nation was founded the way we were. We hold these truths to be selfevident that all men and women are created equal. No other nation was founded on that principle. We the people, in order to form a more Perfect Union it is unique in history. Tyrant can take as down. Only america can rip itself apart. Be a movement to stand up for who we are and what we believe and we democrats have a special responsibility. I think, an obligation to do more than just win. Folks, president wilson i believe was the one that said the party is worth no more than that for which it stands. We have to stand for the country. We have to repair the moral fabric of this country. The conservative columnist talks about he said there is an invisible moral fabric that holds up society that is being and has to be restored. We have to reach beyond our party in my view and unify the country and we have to restore the soul of the nation. Be what wee have to once were again. We never fully lived up to our obligations. But we never walked away from them before. We never abandoned them completely. Nation of values of honesty and decency and treating everyone with respect and dignity. Giving everyone a fair shot. Hate no safe harbor. Demonizing no one. And therant, the poor, other as is happening now and lending the power of our example, not just the example of our power, it lead that way. And stand as a beacon for the world remembering that we are something bigger than ourselves. We all know in our gut that this election is different. Not because i am on it. Because people will say i am talking about me. We all know this is different. We know. The words of the president says say matter. They can move markets. They can send our brave men and women to work. They can create peace. They can unleash the deepest, darkest forces of this nation. Ladies and gentlemen, we are in a battle for the soul of america. And that is why i am running for president. That is why im running. The second reason im running [cheering and applause] and by the way, can you think of any other president who when you saw what happened in charlottesville said there are good people on both sides . President has ever said anything like that. Andrew johnson. There is a second reason im running, im running because we have to restore the backbone of this country, the middle class. Wall street did not build america. You built america. My mother and father built america. It was built by hardworking, ordinary people doing extraordinary things. That is the history of this country. You know, my dad used to have an expression and he said it all the time after he lost his job in scranton and had to move when cole died. My dad was a salesperson. There was no work. He would also that she would always say, joey, a job is a lot more than a paycheck. It is about dignity, respect, your place in the community. It is about eating able to look your child in the eye and say, honey, it is going to be ok and mean it. Itbe some of you had to do in the Great Recession that we had. A lot of people out there call it the longest walk the longest walk for a peering is to go upstairs and tell their son or daughter that they cannot go back to school. Joby or daddy lost their and you will go in live with grandpa for a while. I knew my dad meant it that it would be ok. He thought it could happen and it happened. Do notay, many people believe that. They cannot do it. We have to change this. The majority of the middle class people do not plead their children will have a chance. We are no longer the wealthiest middleclass in the world. I am pretty darn sophisticated about what built the nation. And here is the deal the reason why we need a strong middle class, the middle class does well, everyone does well. The poorer move up and the wealthy do very well. And folks, the reason for andicas social, political, economic stability through difficult times has been a strong middle class. Believing anything is possible. And we are losing that now. I will be rebuilding the middle class to bring everybody along. Everybody. Way, i have a number of brilliant economists that work for me. When you ask them to define the middle class, they will give you a number. But it is not a number. It is a value set. It is about being about being able to own your own home. Being able to send your kid to a parked and other will come home safely. Being in a situation to send your kid to a local Public School and if they do well they can go beyond. And if they do qualify, you can figure how to pay for it. Home able to take your mom after your data passes away and hope your children never have to take care of you. You have a little breathing room. It is a value set. But every american, in order to be able to have that value set, it matters to every family that there be a good education and economic opportunity. Access to Affordable Health care. A climate that you can breeze, the air, and drink the water. [cheering and applause] [indiscernible] frmr v. P. Biden i dont have a middle ground. [indiscernible] no fracking. Frack. P. Biden you can with me later. We will talk later. [indiscernible] frmr v. P. Biden im happy to talk with you later. Anyway, but by the way, i agree with her. Here is the deal in order to bentain dignity, you have to able to have the ability to have a Health Care Plan that is affordable and decent. Because what happens when you have a sick child with a preexisting condition and you look at that child and there is nothing you can do about it . Not only is that child in trouble but it deprives you of your dignity. Or you are being told somewhere along the line that you know you have a husband, a wife, a son, or a daughter who has terminal cancer. And they say by the way, how many of you have lost someone to cancer . Or are dealing with it . It is the same in every single crowd i speak to. You know what im talking about. I cannot imagine what it would be like for my son beau, a decorated veteran coming home from the war in afghanistan and after being in a war in iraq for a year and two years later contracting terminal cancer. They gave him a month to live, he outlived the month but did not outlive the prognosis. He was attorney general of delaware determined to finish his job and he did. I cannot imagine looking at my daughterinlaw and my two bed andldren lying in if an insurance officer had come in and said by the way, your time is up. You have outrun your coverage. You are finished. Folks, this is about not only the health of our families, it is about what is the worst thing for a parent . With anat a Child Opportunity or a problem and no there is nothing you can do to help them. Nothing you can do to help them. That does not have to be this way. That is why we need to finish the job on health care. When we passed the Affordable Care act, i told president obama, what is the big deal . That effect. To thank god myw mom was not around. [laughter] anyway. You know he made his toward progress and extending Health Insurance to some 20 Million People who did not have a before. And maybe most important, providing protections for more than 100 Million People with preexisting conditions. We now have to finish that job. We have to make health care not a a right to and privilege. And give everyone the peace of mind that they deserve. Make that remain a public option. It is the most costeffective way to get universal coverage. Comes to education, my wife, who is a teacher and who is teaching now, back in the classroom at a Community College where she teaches in northern virginia, and she has an expression any country that out educates us will outcompete us. We have to eliminate the funding gap that exists between minority whites and majority whites and nonwhites districts, between rich and poor districts. That is why i have put a plan in to take title i funding for distressed schools in a district and triple the amount of money to 45d from 15 billion billion. We need to bring everything in our power to fund this. Investing 400 million as no one else has suggested in research and energy to accelerate innovation. Partnering with farmers and ranchers to develop the next generation of i o fuels and working with farmers to capture carbon. Building clean energy infrastructure. And have the charging stations in place for 2030. A Railroad System and you need one here in your state, by the way, in my view. Foring america on a course zero emissions and a clean energy economy. Forlly, i am running president because i believe we need to unify this nation. I know i am told that i find it fascinating, some of my 300 opponents i am only kidding. There are a lot of qualified people running around may. That i know i am being attacked for being naive about being able to pull a nation together. If we cannot pull a nation together, we are in deep trouble and will get anything done. We will just engage in the greater abuse of a power of a president. The only way we will get anything done in this country is by working together. The president has decided to be president for his base. I will be president for every american. Every american. Everyone knows who donald trump is. We have to let them know who we are. Who we are. We choose hope over fear. We choose unity over division. Truth over lies. And science over fiction. Folks, let me conclude because i know im keeping you standing too long. Here is the deal i get frustrated and the press is probably tired of hearing me say this. I get frustrated with democrats and republicans with their heads down while they walk around. Folks, folks there is not a single thing beyond this nations capacity. When i got elected when i was 29 years old to the senate and i was brought up to be sworn in they said i was a young idealist and an optimist. I am more optimistic about our chances than i have ever been in my entire life. We have to first get rid of donald trump in order to do it. So vote. Think about it. We have the largest economy in the world. We have more Great Research universities and the united all the rest of the world combined. We are in a position in the u. S. Where our workers are three times as productive as they are in asia. What are we worried about . What are we worried about . It is time to remember who we are. On the health front, why dont we set up which im going to do in the department of health, a section just like you have in the department of defense. It is called darpa. Anced Research Products projects. Why dont we do the same in health care . We should be dealing with alzheimers, diabetes, cancer.