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Remarks: Joe Biden Addresses a Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol - February 3, 2022
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Joe Biden Person
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Kamala Harris Person
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Note Person
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:00:00-00:00:16 (16 sec)
"[Applause] Well, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I -- I don't know who she's talking about -- [laughter] -- but thank you."
1
Joe Biden
Somewhat Positive
00:00:16-00:00:39 (23 sec)
"Folks, look, let me say -- I hadn't planned on -- I didn't know I was going to get that kind of introduction. But let me say at the outset that, you know, we've all gone through really difficult times -- every one of you out there -- one way or another. And I had an overwhelming advantage, and I mean it sincerely."
2
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:00:39-00:01:28 (49 sec)
"I had a family that was there for me every single, solitary moment. And so, I don't deserve this credit for enduring that so many people I meet -- think of all the people you know, whether they're constituents or friends or relatives, who get up every morning, don't have anybody -- don't have anybody, and they put one foot in front of the other, and they do it. They lost a child, they lost a mother, a father, a husband, someone close to them -- just plucked away -- and they get up every single day and put one foot in front of the other. And they're the people who deserve our recognition and our credit."
3
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:01:28-00:02:06 (38 sec)
"I -- I think I've talked to Bill and Grace Nelson about this: The only thing -- today is my son Beau's birthday. But the only thing that Beau said to me when he was -- we were told he was -- he was going to die within minutes or -- if an hour -- that he looked at me, and he said, "Dad, promise me -- promise me, Dad, you're going to stay involved." I said, "I'll be involved. I'll be -- I'll be good, Beau." He said, "No, dad, promise me. Give me your word as a Biden that you're going to stay engaged.""
4
Joe Biden
Leans Positive
00:02:06-00:02:20 (14 sec)
"Because he knew, like a lot of you -- what you've been through -- the first instinct is you just want to curl up in a ball and just leave, no longer do what you've done your whole life that you've --"
5
Joe Biden
Somewhat Positive
00:02:20-00:02:25 (5 sec)
"He said, "Dad -- Dad, promise me." "I give my word.""
6
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:02:25-00:02:45 (21 sec)
"And that -- that was the last conversation in Walter Reed Hospital -- laying there in the bed. And -- and then he looked at me and he said, "And, Dad... " -- and his brother Hunter was his closest friend. We were all three on the bed. And he turned to me and he said, "Dad, I want you to know I'm not afraid.""
7
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:02:45-00:03:05 (19 sec)
"So, you know, I had so much help -- so much help, starting from the time that I lost my wife and daughter in an accident. But look, everybody has got horrible things they've had to deal with."
8
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:03:05-00:03:32 (27 sec)
"And we've watched them -- I sat in the Senate for 36 years. We watched people literally die in our midst. I remember that scene where Teddy walked out. Or -- I mean, there -- so, you know, I'm flattered that you think as highly of me as you stated, Kirsten, but I had -- I had a lot of help. I had a lot of help."
9
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:03:32-00:03:42 (9 sec)
"And I want to thank you for the intr- -- the introduction. It's very gracious. But like I said, there's a lot more people who've done a lot more."
10
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:03:42-00:04:02 (21 sec)
"And to my good friend Chris Coons -- two things I tell everybody about Chris Coons you got to know: One, he's smarter than you. [Laughter] And, two, the boy can preach. He's the only guy that went to law school and got a divinity degree at the same time. I worry about "divine" lawyers. [Laughter] But -- anyway."
11
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:04:02-00:04:07 (5 sec)
"Chris, thank you. You've been a great friend."
12
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:04:07-00:04:23 (16 sec)
"And as -- Bryan, as you were speaking, Chuck sort of leaned over; he didn't say anything, but he just like, "Was that Delaware?" But it was Delaware. It's why I got involved in politics in the first place."
13
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:04:23-00:04:42 (19 sec)
"I remember sitting on -- going to a little Catholic grade school in Claymont, Delaware, which was a steel town that was dying. And the bus would go -- my mother would drive me to the school parking lot -- it was called Holy Rosary School -- from a little -- and it was called Brookview Apartments. Used to be Section 8 housing later."
14
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:04:42-00:05:19 (37 sec)
"And I get out of the bus -- I get out of the car. And this is where I-95 runs parallel to these days. And I said, "Mom, why are all those kids" -- it was then "colored." "Why are all those colored kids in that bus?" Because in Scranton there weren't any -- there were very few Blacks. She said, "They're not allowed to go to school with us here, in Delaware." So, you know -- and Milton wasn't what you might call the epicenter of desegregation."
15
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:05:19-00:05:25 (6 sec)
"And so, you've been through a lot, but you've done a lot as well. And I thank you."
16
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:05:25-00:05:43 (18 sec)
"And, Kari -- Kari Jobe, you have the voice of an angel, kid. I tell you what: You really do. And that guy sitting next to you, he's a lucky guy. [Laughter] He's a lucky guy. And besides, he's got all his hair. [Laughter]"
17
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:05:43-00:06:08 (26 sec)
"And Vice President Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, Mitch McConnell -- and, Mitch, I don't want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends. [Laughter] And that is not an epiphany we're having here at the moment. We've always -- you've always done exactly what you've said. You're a man of word -- of your word, and you're a man of honor. Thank you for being my friend."
18
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:06:08-00:06:13 (5 sec)
"And, folks, members of Congress and spouses: I'm honored to join you all today."
19
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:06:13-00:06:29 (16 sec)
"You know, we're keeping our prayers for Senator Luján, and keep him in your prayers today. I think, from what I understand, he's going to be okay and be back with us in the not-too-distant future. But we pray for a safe recovery."
20
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:06:29-00:06:39 (10 sec)
"And a special thank you to the bipartisan chairs of this breakfast: Representative Lamb and Walberg, [Senators] Gillibrand and Rounds."
21
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:06:39-00:06:55 (16 sec)
"Mike, I know it's been three months to this day that you lost Jean to cancer. So, you know -- you know of which I speak. And it's like losing a piece of your soul. And I -- you know, I -- I remember."
22
Joe Biden
Leans Negative
00:06:55-00:07:11 (16 sec)
"Today, as I said, is a day that a lot of us can remember the times when we lost -- each of us. And just like I miss my son every single day, I -- there's -- I know he's always with me, for real. He's always with me."
23
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:07:11-00:07:33 (21 sec)
"Congresswoman McBath, just like your precious son Jordan -- he's always going to be with you, for real. It becomes a piece of you. You know, how many times did you all been through this, about to make a decision and say, "What would Beau want?" Or "What would Jill want?" Or "What would... " -- you know, whatever it is. So, it's -- you know."
24
Joe Biden
Negative
00:07:33-00:07:51 (18 sec)
"And for everyone out there who has lost a piece of their soul, they're always with you. And all through the pain, I think you -- if you can find purpose, find purpose. Purpose of a life that makes you worthy in their eyes and what they expect of you."
25
Joe Biden
Neutral
00:07:51-00:07:55 (4 sec)
"This breakfast usually is held in a big Washington hotel with a big crowd."
26
Joe Biden
Positive
00:07:55-00:08:10 (15 sec)
"Today, we're here in the Visitor Center of the United States Capitol with a much smaller crowd, a more intimate setting to see each other here and listen to each other -- standing in this, which is, in governmental terms, a "sacred place.""
27
Joe Biden
Somewhat Negative
00:08:10-00:08:25 (15 sec)
"I thank our -- I think about our former colleagues and close friends we lost this year: Bob Dole; Harry Reid; Johnny Isakson, who was a hell of guy; Max Cleland; Carl Levin; Mike Enzi; John Warner; and Walter Mondale."
28
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:08:25-00:08:48 (24 sec)
"And, you know, I learned a long time ago: Never make one good eulogy. Because if you make one good eulogy, you got to do a lot of eulogies. But I've had the pleasure of knowing their families. And -- and there's a lot of good friends, both sides of the aisle, who disagreed on many, many things, who still talked and listened to one another."
29
Joe Biden
Negative
00:08:48-00:09:18 (30 sec)
"I think I've said to Mitch and some of you earlier, in the last couple of years, that, you know, one of the things I don't know for sure but I think is missing in the Congress is we don't spend as much time with one another as we used to. We used to eat lunch together. I mean, literally sit down -- not in the Senate Dining Room of the Senate or that small dining room off to the -- right across the hall from the visitors dining room, and there were those two big round tables -- big -- big dining room tables and a buffet."
30
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:09:18-00:09:36 (17 sec)
"And I remember when I first got here, after my wife and daughter were killed in an accident, my boys were still in the hospital -- and I remember Teddy would always come and say, "Come to lunch." I didn't want any part of going to lunch. And one day, he just dragged me over to lunch. He said, "You'll learn more there than at any place else.""
31
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:09:36-00:09:49 (13 sec)
"And I would go to lunch there, literally every day, and listen to the senior members. And you learn about their losses, their happiness. You learn about them. You learn about their --"
32
Joe Biden
Slightly Negative
00:09:49-00:10:23 (34 sec)
"You know, I remember one day I walked in and there was a little corner in the table -- or a corner table, when the big table was filled. And I sat down. And Jimmy said, "Come over here, Joe. Sit down here." And I wasn't about to sit in John Stennis's seat, because he sat at the head of the table. And he said, "No, come on. He's gone." So, I ordered my hamburger or whatever [inaudible] and took a couple of bites. And in walks John Stennis. And I immediately put a napkin on all my stuff and I said, "I'm finished Mr. Chairman. Come on. Right here.""
33
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:10:23-00:10:38 (16 sec)
"I later got a handwritten letter from him, about three o'clock in the afternoon: "I appreciate the honor of you recognizing my seat, but you didn't finish your meal. I promise this favor will be returned.""
34
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:10:38-00:10:47 (9 sec)
"He not only returned, he actually endorsed me when I ran for President from Mississippi. [Laughter] And I think -- that was an expensive hamburger for him. [Laughter]"
35
Joe Biden
Somewhat Negative
00:10:47-00:11:20 (33 sec)
"But I guess what I'm trying to say is: You know, when you know one another, when you know -- and no matter how badly you disagree -- and people think, Rev, that in the days as divided here, we had -- we had a lot of flat-out, old segregationists still in our caucus. But Teddy Kennedy would argue like hell with Jim Eastland, and then he'd go down to have lunch. Didn't agree with one another, but they treated each other with respect even in that day."
36
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:11:20-00:11:49 (30 sec)
"And I -- I just think that, when you learn that another man or woman -- and you're flying a codel, and someone has their husband or wife with them, and you learn that they have a kid with a problem with alcoholism, or you learn that they have a daughter who is -- has breast cancer. You learn that they have -- it's hard to dislike the person."
37
Joe Biden
Very Negative
00:11:49-00:12:05 (16 sec)
"And so, one of the things I pray for -- and I mean it -- is that we sort of get back to the place -- and it's so busy; I think things have changed so much -- but that we get to really know each other. It's hard to really dislike someone when you know what they're going through is the same thing you're going through."
38
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:12:05-00:12:24 (19 sec)
"You know, like President Eisenhower, the first president to attend this breakfast 70 years ago -- at the time, President Eisenhower said -- he said, "There's a need we all have in these days and times for some help which comes from outside ourselves." Outside ourselves."
39
Joe Biden
Slightly Negative
00:12:24-00:12:40 (16 sec)
"I've attended many of these prayer breakfasts over the years -- with our nation at war, in struggle, in strife, peace, in times of prosperity, when everybody was getting on, but a nation in prayer."
40
Joe Biden
Somewhat Positive
00:12:40-00:12:51 (11 sec)
"Jill and I have been humbled by the prayers of so many of you, and it means everything to us. We pray for our nation as we face an inflection point in our history."
41
Joe Biden
Slightly Negative
00:12:51-00:12:59 (8 sec)
"So much is going to change no matter who's sitting in my job. The world is changing. The world is changing."
42
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:12:59-00:13:23 (24 sec)
"I -- there's a -- the moment -- but there's also a moment of great progress, of lives saved in this pandemic, not just the ones lost -- new jobs created for people, new hope for rebuilding the nation, but also a moment of pain for the lost lives and the -- and the lives lost in this pandemic. And the cruel twist of fates that occur."
43
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:13:23-00:13:40 (17 sec)
"You know, at a moment of great division of our democracy is at great -- grave risk. I pray that we follow what Jesus taught us: to serve rather than be served. I don't always do it. I hope try. I don't always do it."
44
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:13:40-00:14:05 (24 sec)
"I pray to keep the faith. That very promise of America, believing that there's nothing we can't do, where every person is created equal in the image of God -- no matter who or where we come from, who we are, or what our color, or how we choose to pray, or whether or not we choose to pray -- they deserve to be treated equally throughout their lives."
45
Joe Biden
Positive
00:14:05-00:14:30 (25 sec)
"Faith in the very idea of America that can be defined, in my view, by a single word. I've been saying this for over 30 years. When I get asked to define America, one word: "Possibilities." "Possibilities.""
46
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:14:30-00:14:53 (23 sec)
"One of the reasons why other countries sometimes think we're arrogant is we believe anything is possible. Anything is possible. And faith in the American people will prove each and every day we're a great nation because we're, at our heart, a good people. We do bad things when we get frightened."
47
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:14:53-00:15:21 (28 sec)
"Saint Augustine wrote that, "A people was a multitude defined by a common object of their love." I believe the common objects of our love that define us as Americans are opportunity, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, service, truth -- things everybody recognizes both here and around the world."
48
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:15:21-00:16:00 (39 sec)
"As I stand in this citadel of democracy that was attacked one year ago, the issue is -- for us is unity. How do we unite us again? Unity is elusive, but it's really actually necessary. Unity doesn't mean we have to agree on everything. But unity is where enough of us -- enough of us believe in a core of basic things: the common good, the general welfare, a faith in the United States of America -- the United States of America."
49
Joe Biden
Positive
00:16:00-00:16:09 (10 sec)
"Nearly three weeks ago, we were reminded of that truth. A gunman entered a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. He took four worshippers hostage, including a rabbi, for 11 hours."
50
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:16:09-00:16:30 (20 sec)
"But violence and vengeance didn't pierce the goodness and grace of that scene. Heroic law enforcement officers were joined by local faith leaders, including an imam, a Baptist minister who offered their help. A nearby Catholic church opened its doors for the hostages' families."
51
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:16:30-00:16:41 (11 sec)
"At sunset, a group of Muslim women -- friends of the rabbi's wife -- walked in with one of the rabbi's favorite foods. They hugged and they wept."
52
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:16:41-00:16:51 (10 sec)
"Because of the bravery of the hostages and the law enforcement officers, the hostages were -- escaped safely, and the families were reunit- -- reunited."
53
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:16:51-00:17:33 (42 sec)
"When asked later if he would change anything, the rabbi said, quote, "We will do what we always do, which is the best we can." "Which is the best we can." I had a long conversation with the rabbi. It was interesting to hear him describe the scene and how faith mattered: Whether you're in a synagogue or a church or a mosque or a temple, whether you're religious or not, we're all imperfect human beings, trying our best -- the best we can, because we can't know the future. We can't know what's coming. But we also can't live in fear every step of the way."
54
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:17:33-00:17:38 (5 sec)
"That's America. From darkness, we found joy, hope, and light."
55
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:17:38-00:17:58 (20 sec)
"Rather than driving us apart, faith can move us together. Because all the great confessional faiths have the same fundamental basic beliefs: not just faith in a higher power, but faith to see each other as we should: not as enemies, but as neighbors; not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans."
56
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:17:58-00:18:25 (26 sec)
"And as leaders of this nation who work and pray together, there is an oath to God and country to uphold and a charge to keep: to stand in the breach and to protect our democracy, to work together to right wrongs. That's why we all came here, to make the most of our time on Earth."
57
Joe Biden
Somewhat Positive
00:18:25-00:18:31 (6 sec)
"For if a house divided cannot stand, surely a house united can do anything. And if we do that, I think we'll have done our duty."
58
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:18:31-00:18:45 (15 sec)
"With history and God watching, we will have to prove that there is nothing beyond the capacity of the United States when we're united -- the United States."
59
Joe Biden
Positive
00:18:45-00:18:59 (13 sec)
"You know, some of the senior senators who are here used to kid me because I was quoting Irish poets on the floor of the United States Senate. And there's a poem, "The Cure at Troy," written by an Irish poet who I got to know."
60
Joe Biden
Positive
00:18:59-00:19:17 (18 sec)
"It says: History teaches us not to hope "on this side of the grave. But then, once in a lifetime, [that]... tidal wave of justice [rises] up, and hope and history rhyme.""
61
Joe Biden
Slightly Positive
00:19:17-00:19:31 (14 sec)
"I honestly believe we're at one of those moments. There's so much at stake. The division has become so palpable, not just here, but around the world."
62
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:19:31-00:19:44 (13 sec)
"We have a chance. We have a chance -- a chance to make hope and history rhyme, because the rest of the world is looking to us."
63
Joe Biden
Very Positive
00:19:44-00:20:22 (37 sec)
"Every time I'd walk out of my Grandpa Finnegan's house up in Scranton -- some of you heard me say this before -- he'd yell, "Joey, keep the faith." My grandmother would yell, "No, Joey, spread it." Let's go spread the faith. [Applause]"
64
Note
Neutral
00:20:22-00:20:22 ( sec)
"[Speakers between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were edited from this transcript and from the video.]"
65
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:20:22-00:20:37 (16 sec)
"Thank you all. Please have a seat. Thank you, Mike. It was a pleasure to work with you in the United States Senate. And I want to thank you for your grace and your wisdom and your friendship. And, yes, we piled into that station wagon -- [laughs] -- going to church. So we have many things in common."
66
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:20:37-00:20:53 (15 sec)
"So good morning, everyone. Good morning. Good morning. I want to thank you, Mike, Kirsten, the whole group for organizing this breakfast. Congressman Conor Lamb. Congressman Tim Walberg, you as well."
67
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:20:53-00:21:07 (14 sec)
"And, of course, it is an honor to be here with these members of Congress, with faith leaders from across our country, and of course, with our President, who is, as we all know, a leader of unending faith."
68
Kamala Harris
Slightly Negative
00:21:07-00:21:24 (17 sec)
"So, over the past two years, so many among us have lost loved ones. So many parents have struggled. All of us have had a loss of a sense of normalcy."
69
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:21:24-00:21:56 (32 sec)
"And the spiritual weight of it all has indeed been great. Our faith has indeed been tested. But it is that same faith -- our faith in God, our faith in humanity, and our faith in what is possible -- it is that same faith that I know has seen us through, that has helped us to see the light in one another."
70
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:21:56-00:22:23 (26 sec)
"You know, last March, I paid a visit to a food bank in Nevada. And the families there were waiting for hours at a time in their cars to receive a box of groceries. And when they drive up, the volunteers there would stand there, the driver would pop open the trunk, and the volunteer would put a box of food in the car."
71
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:22:23-00:22:55 (33 sec)
"And invariably, as the volunteers explained and they described it to me, in the middle of that empty trunk, the volunteer would see a handwritten note sitting in the trunk written out to the volunteers to thank them for their labor, for their work. The volunteers would describe that sometimes that trunk would pull -- pop open that empty trunk and there'd be a five- or a ten-dollar bill."
72
Kamala Harris
Somewhat Positive
00:22:55-00:23:03 (8 sec)
"Now, let us be clear: The driver of that car was very likely just barely holding everything together or could have"
73
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:23:03-00:23:21 (17 sec)
"lost everything they have, but they still showed such remarkable kindness, such generosity when they seemingly had nothing to give. Such grace."
74
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:23:21-00:23:55 (35 sec)
"It is said a candle shines brightness and most brightly in the darkness. I believe the same is true of faith. And it is that faith that fuels me to say now and often as I do -- so many times -- that let us see, always guided by our faith -- let us be able to see what can be, unburdened by what has been."
75
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:23:55-00:24:18 (23 sec)
"And those words have deep spiritual roots for me. I grew up attending 23rd Avenue Church of God in Oakland, California. And one of the important places there is where I learned to believe in what is possible and that we each have the ability to achieve what is possible."
76
Kamala Harris
Slightly Positive
00:24:18-00:24:34 (16 sec)
"After all, as I know we have all learned and been taught, faith is not passive. Faith motivates action. It lifts us up, and it gives us purpose."
77
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:24:34-00:24:42 (8 sec)
"I am blessed to have worshipped over the years with many pastors, one of whom recently reminded me of the story of Nehemiah."
78
Kamala Harris
Neutral
00:24:42-00:25:11 (29 sec)
"Nehemiah, as we all know, was neither a priest nor a prophet; he was a city official. After Jerusalem was burned and broken, Nehemiah told the people, "Let us rise up and build." And they did. Their faith allowed them to see what was possible and to see how to make it so."
79
Kamala Harris
Positive
00:25:11-00:25:24 (13 sec)
"That, I believe, is the faith that we as a nation must and do summon today."
80
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:25:24-00:25:57 (33 sec)
"So, I will end with a simple prayer: God, grant us faith, not only in you, but in one another. Let us be kind. Let us be generous. Let us be full of grace. Let us see the light in all your people and be guided by that light for all our days."
81
Kamala Harris
Very Positive
00:25:57-00:26:01 (5 sec)
"God, may you bless us all and may you bless the United States of America."
82
Kamala Harris
Somewhat Positive
00:26:01-00:26:09 (7 sec)
"Thank you. [Applause]"
83