Watch tonight beginning at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3. Ahead of South Carolinas democratic president ial primary, former Vice President joe biden received the endorsement of congressman jim clyburn, the third highest ranking democrat in the house of representatives. There are 54 delegates at stake in South Carolina. A recent poll from Clemson University shows the former Vice President with a double digit lead over his closest opponent. Let me thank all of you for joining us here this morning. I particularly would like to thank my colleague, congresswoman Bernice Johnson of texas who is my classmate in the congress where she and i first met at the Democratic National convention in 1972, and weve maintained a friendship ever since. We had no idea that we would end up getting elected to congress the same year. And i owe a great deal too h hei never would have become chair of the black caucus without her tutelage and i thank her for being here today. Several of our colleagues wanted to join us today but when we decided to make this announcement on this day, they had already booked flights back home and back to washington and could not change them, or they could have but they would have not been able to get out in time to make votes this afternoon, so theyre not here. I have joining with me today several members of the state legislature. Two state senators. Jerry malloy. Jerry malloy and i spend as much time together as i would spend maybe as i spend with some of my brothers, mostly on the phone, talking about the state that we love so much and the future of this state, i thank him for being here. Of course marlon kempson. Oh, we have three here. Marjorie bright matthews, i finally got it right. I told her earlier, i keep forgetting her addon name. I know bright, thats your political name. So i thank her so much for being here. And from the state legislature, from the house, marvin penn darvis is here with me today. I want to say a couple of things about why were here. I was next door at the breakfast, they have established an award in my wifes name, late wife, and they decided i should be the first recipient of that award. There is the town of monks corner. We met on the campus march 15th, 60 years ago. Ill always remember that day because that was the first day that i was arrested. And i met her in jail on that day. About 18 months later, we were married. We stayed married for 58 years. We talked about this day that we love so much. I remember her telling about her experiences walking 2 1 2 miles to school every morning, 2 1 2 miles back home every afternoon. Little 22acre farm. She learned how to drive in a pickup truck. She came to South Carolina state in that pickup truck with her luggage on the bed. How her father would walk from monks corner to somerville to work in the north season. We talked about what our parents sacrificed for us and what we hold to our children and our other children similarly situated. We often talked about the leadership of this country. And theres nobody who emily loved as a leader in this country more than she loved joe biden. And we talked about joe all the time. And so as i was trying to make up my mind what i should do and when i should do it, i was informed that my accountant who passed away, and his funeral was last friday, in a rural part of richland county, i went to the funeral. I got there about 30 minutes early. And i was Walking Around speaking to people, many of whom i had not seen in a long time. I spoke to them and there was an elderly lady in her upper 80s, sitting on the front pew of the church, just a few seats away from the coffin. And she looked at me and she beckoned to me. Didnt say a word, just beckoned. I went over to her. She says, lean down, i need to ask you a question. And i leaned down. And she said, you dont have to say it out loud. Would you just whisper in my ear, who are you going to vote for next saturday . Ive been waiting to hear from you, i need to hear from you. I decided then and there that i would not stay silent. Martin luther king jr. In his letter from Birmingham City jail wrote that he was coming to the conclusion that the people of ill will in our society was making a much better use of time than the people of goodwill. And he feared that we would regret not just for the vitriolic words and deeds of bad people but for the appalling silence of good people, the appalling silence of good people. I decided after that experience last friday with that elderly constituent, and my Background Experience of my studies of Martin Luther king jr. , that i would break my silence today. And ive been saying to the media, ive known for a long time who i would vote for, but i had not decided, not to share with the public. But i want the public to know that im voting for joe biden. South carolinians should be voting for joe biden. And heres why. Theres billboards around this county. On that billboard is my pledge. A lot of people ask me why do you do billboards. Because my late wife said to me, i dont care how many tv ads you run, i dont care how many radio ads you run, when you run for office, i want to see billboards. Thats why i do billboards. One of my colleagues came and says, this is the first time ive seen a political billboard with no picture on it. Why isnt your picture on the billboard . Thats cause it aint about me. Its about the message on that billboard. And the message is simply this. Making the greatness of this country accessible and affordable for all. You dont need to make this country great again. This country is great. Thats not what our challenge is. Our challenge is making the greatness of this country accessible and affordable for all. If its health care, is it accessible, is it affordable . Education, is it accessible, is it affordable . Housing, energy, making it accessible and affordable. And nobody with whom ive ever worked in public life is any more committed to that motto, that pledge that i have to my constituents, than joe biden. Joe biden and i used to spend a lot of time doing tv stuff together. We got to know each other. I know joe. We know joe. But most importantly, joe knows us. Everybody think about brown v. Board of education. Brown v. Board of education, five cases. One was from South Carolina, one was from virginia, one was from district of columbia, one was from kansas. But the fifth case was from delaware. We have discussed thoroughly deer park, the deer park case from delaware and the briggs case from South Carolina. I know its hahis heart. I know who he is. I know what he is. I know where this country is. We are at an inflection point. On that day that i met him, i went to jail around 10 00 in the morning and i was discharged from jail, bailed out around 5 30 in the evening. When i sat in jail that day, i wondered whether or not we were doing the right thing. But i was never fear fful of th future. As i stand before you today, i am fearful for the future of this country. Im fearful for my daughters and their future and their children and their childrens future. This country is at an inflection point. It is time for us to restore this countrys dignity, this countrys respect. That is what is at stake this year. And i can think of no one better suited, better prepared. I can think of no one with the integri integrity, no one more committed to the fundamental principles that make this country what it is, than my good friend, my late wifes great friend, joe biden. [ applause ] its hard to know what to say, for real. You know, jim, as you were talking about those billboards, when i ran for the first time for the United States senate, my deceased wife wanted us to have billboards, for real. And the billboard that she came up with had one saying on it. For all our families. For all our families. Jim, you and ms. Emily have been great friends and also great leaders, because its never about you. Its always about someone else. Its always about you, your families, and community. Theyre intertwined. My dad used to say the family is the beginning, the middle, and the end. Were all part of it. I know everyone in South Carolina understands what an extraordinary leader jim clyburn is. But i dont know whether sometimes youre, you know, not the hero in your own town. I dont know if you know how respected jim is throughout this country and how many people, i would add in both political parties, look to jim, because jim has a voice of powerful, powerful moral clarity thats heard loud and clear in the nations capital. And he always reminds us, reminds everyone on both sides of the aisle that its about you, family, and community. Its about whether or not we can make a difference in peoples lives. Its pretty simple. But all too often, all too often, people get to Public Office and begin to think its about them. And today, we have this debates are my friends, and thank you all, every single one of you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Today, people are talking about a revolution. What the country is looking for are results. What theyre looking for is security. What theyre looking for is being able to sustain and maintain their dignity. My dad would say, how can you have any dignity when you are looking at a child or a spouse or a neighbor, and they dont have access to Health Insurance . How can you maintain your dignity when you are the circumstance, you look at your child, you see enormous potential and or concern, and you know theres nothing you can do about either one because you cant afford it because youre cut out, because you dont have the wherewithal to provide what they need. You know, if you take a look at security, thats why im determined. In this state, health care is a gigantic issue. And we can deliver it quickly and extensively, in my view, by building on what jim and Eddie Bernice got passed. Obamacare wouldnt have happened without their leadership. We had to get every democrat out there, some of whom were worried because we had never done anything that, quote, radical. We were worried. But this time were going to be able to do what barack, what president obama and i wanted to do in the first place, add a public option, a medicarelike public option. Its the fastest way, the fastest way to get coverage for everybody. You know, talk about medicare for all, even the supporters of medicare for all talk about, well, this could take three to four years to pass it, then its going to take another three to five, depending on who youre talking to who supports it, to get it in place. What people want, what theyre looking for is some hope, some reassurance, some notion that i can take care of my family, i can take care of my son or my daughter. I cant fathom what it would have been like burying two kids, but while it was going on, not knowing whether or not they could get the best care available. You know, we dont have to start from scratch. Right here in South Carolina, your former governor didnt have the guts nor the common sense to take advantage of the medicare expansion provided by obamacare. But theyll all be covered, over 200,000 folks would automatically be covered with what were working on, what were going to get passed, obamacare with a public option. And thats why as well, you talk about safety and security. How many of you sent your children to school in september, your grandkids, and they learned to cower under their desks, run zigzag down a hallway, learn to duck and cover . We dont know yet, but i predict this is the generation thats going to be scarred by fear. Its affecting how they think about themselves. You know, with jims help and edie bernices help, we beat the nra before. We beat them twice. We got rid of assault weapons and those big magazine clips that you can put a hundred rounds in. Who in gods name needs 100 or 50 or 20 rounds other than to do something to kill somebody . No other rationale for it. We also find ourselves in the position where we think about it, you saw what happened, mother emanuel. Charleston loophole, meaning that in the background check, your background check cant be back to you in one persons view in 24 hours but in three days, then automatically you get the weapon. These background checks have taken guns out of the hands of several Million People who dont deserve to have one because theyre a threat to themselves and the community. Along comes jim to fix the charleston loophole. Were going to get it done, jim, i promise you. I promise you. And folks, you know, we continue to protect gun manufacturers. Since 2007, when that bill was passed, 150,000 americans have been murdered, not counting suicide, 150,000. Thats three times as much killed in every war from vietnam on. Theres war on our streets. Imagine if we all stood up here and said, we want to make an exception, you cant sue drug companies, you cant sue the tobacco companies. They all think were nuts. Were crazy, allowing gun manufacturers to glamorize, entice, lie about the effects of what theyre producing has on the community. Folks, the carnage has been devastating. Like i said, until youve buried a child, you have no idea what its like, what its like to be able to look and see your child go off to school and get a phone call saying theyre gone. But every single day in this country, theres a mass shooting on our streets and neighborhoods, of color and noncolor. Every single day. But i promise you, as president i will take on the nra, to the gun manufacturers, im coming for you. Im coming for you. Its got to stop. Jim always talks about opportunity. Well, the great opportunity for jim, the great opportunity for ms. Emily, great opportunity for me, first in my family, was to get a good education. That was the opportunity. Thats the great equalizer. And every child deserves an education thats good and capable of moving on to whatever they want to do and it shouldnt be based on their zip code. Jims been in the forefront of this fight his entire career because at his heart, and youre still a teacher, jim, at your heart youre still a teacher. A long time ago i proposed what everybody now seems to embrace, which is wonderful, trimmiplinge money for title i schools that have low tax bases and are unable to pay teachers. It will make it possible for 3, 4, and 5yearolds to go to school, not to daycare. Every Great University in this school pounts ouints out, you d you increase by 50 the potential of that child to do well in school and beyond. We propose making Community College free, also getting technical degrees free. And what we have to do as well, we have to invest in not just Community College but hbcus. Everybody forgets why they occurred, why they existed, because they couldnt go to school anywhere else. The consequence has been significant. They would be unable to build a foundational base on which they have money to invest. Look what every other school is doing. Theyre competing for federal grants to do research in areas. When i was Vice President , the president had me go down, down to the tidewater, investing in a program to teach in an hbcu cybersecurity. The program is booming. People want to be treated fairly. I was with marvin, his neighborhood, his district. The highest eviction rate in the United States of america, his district, north charleston. He took me through, to see the response he gets. Whats happening . The fact is too many communities are being treated unfairly. So thats why i proposed a bill of rights to protect those who are being evicted and help them get a fighting shot to get home. I remember, as i said then, excuse the point of personal privilege, i remember the day my sister was with me, my dad worked up a short flight of stairs, which i called the longest walk a parent has to make, to say honey, dad doesnt have a job anymore, were going to have to move, youre going to have to go home and live with your grandpa, but it will all work out. When he said it, he believed it because he thought, if you got a fighting chance, you can do anything. And he believed he would have a fighting chance. Took three years to get a home in a different state, but he got it. Go back to your old neighborhoods, ask your old friends whether they they think thats still available, thats still likely. And look, in terms of making everything, the corridors of power, reflect what america looks like, that includes the white house, that includes the staff there, that includes the cabinet, and that includes the Supreme Court and the congress. Our administration was able to appoint the first latina to the Supreme Court, the woman i asked to swear me in privately before the public swearin, justice sotomayor. As president , i would be honored, honored, to appoint the first africanamerican woman to the court because it should look like the country. Its long past time. You know, ill end by saying, what jim has said and many of you have told me as well, South Carolina, South Carolina chooses president s. It decided to launch bill clinton to the white house. And up to that time it didnt look like he was going very far. But you did. You launched my buddy barack obama to the white house. And i firmly believe, once again on saturday, you vohold in your hands in South Carolina the power to choose the next president of the United States. And i am here, heart and soul, with everything ive got, to earn the support of the people of South Carolina. Nothing is expected or guaranteed. I hope ive earned it. And ill continue until the last vote is cast to convince you all that i want to earn it. I promise you this, if you send me out of South Carolina with a victory, there will be no stopping us. Well win the nomination, well win the presidency, and most importantly, eliminate the fear so many have in this country of a second term of donald trump, because at the end of the day, and its not hyperbole when i said it, when i announced, we have to restore the soul of america and he does not represent it. God love you all. Thank you. [ applause ] the South Carolina primary is saturday. Join us to hear the candidates reaction to the results. Live coverage saturday evening starting at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan, on demand at cspan. Org, or listen live on the free cspan radio app. Centers for Disease Control and prevention director dr. Robert redfield and other federal officials will testify on the Coronavirus Response before a house subcommittee. Watch that live at 2 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan3, online at csp cspan. Org or listen live with the free cspan radio app. We want to welcome back to our table jan schakowsky, democrat of illinois. The headline from
vimarsana.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.