by Jeff Wilser
Remember home base.
Beau lost his fight against cancer on May 30, 2015.
Delaware lowered its flags to half-mast. “Beau measured himself as a husband, father, son, and brother. His absolute honor made him a role model for our family,” Joe said when his son passed. “Beau embodied my father’s saying that a parent knows success when his child turns out better than he did. In the words of the Biden family: Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.”
Obama gave the eulogy at Beau’s funeral. “From his dad, he learned how to get back up when life knocked him down,” Obama said. “He learned that he was no higher than anybody else, and no lower than anybody else—something Joe got from his mom, by the way. And he learned how to make everybody else feel like we matter, because his dad taught him that everybody matters.”
We can’t pretend to understand the grief that flooded through Joe Biden, but we can admire the way that he carried himself with strength, dignity, and grace. He allowed us just a glimpse of the pain on an unforgettable appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The segment started much like any late-night segment. With the 2016 election looming in the background—and with Joe yet to declare—Colbert gently asked him, “Do you have anything you’d like to tell us?”
“Yes,” Biden said, not missing a beat. “I think you should run for president again, and I’ll be your vice president.”
In hindsight, a 2016 matchup of Trump versus Biden is now one of the most enthralling what-ifs in American history. The conventional wisdom is that Democrats did not “connect with the working class”; Biden always has. Biden is authentic. And in this world where the U.S. president has bragged about sexual assault, suddenly Biden’s gaffes, by comparison, seem as harmless as using the wrong salad fork. “That’s the biggest tragedy in the last election,” says his old foreign policy guy, Mike Haltzel, adding that Biden would have “trounced Trump.”
Yet it was not to be. Even putting aside the issue of whether Biden could have edged out Clinton in the primary, he explained to Colbert why he couldn’t do it. Not then. Not so soon after Beau. “I don’t think any man or woman should run for president unless, number one, they know exactly why they would want to be president, and two, they can look at folks out there and say, ‘I promise you have my whole heart, my whole soul, my energy, and my passion,’ ” Biden said. “And, I’d be lying if I said that I knew I was there. I’m being completely honest.”
And in one of the realest moments ever broadcast on television, Joe opened up about his grief. “Sometimes it just sort of overwhelms you,” he said, and then showed just one more reason why we love him. He deflects the attention, he doesn’t make it about him, and instead he thinks about the grief of others. “[There are] so many people who have losses as severe, or maybe worse, than mine, and don’t have the support I have,” he said.
These aren’t just words. Joe decided to back up that sentiment with action. Every year, roughly fifteen thousand men and women die from brain cancer. Enough, Biden said.
Flash forward to Obama’s final State of the Union. “Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer,” Obama said. “Tonight, I’m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he’s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past forty years, I’m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.”
The Cancer Moonshot would be more than symbolic. And Biden would do more than just lend his name and prestige. He put himself to work. In June 2016, he unveiled the federal Genomic Data Commons—a database for consolidating all the key clinical trials, stats, and treatments. He gave a speech to the world’s largest cancer conference, about thirty thousand medical professionals. “Imagine if you all worked together,” he said. And as the crowd laughed he added, “I’m not joking.”
He’s not joking and he’s not quitting. Joe Biden doesn’t give up easily. He didn’t give up on conquering his stutter. He didn’t give up on the Violence Against Women Act. He didn’t give up on Bosnia.
Biden keeps fighting, and he remembers the words and the values of his son. Those values sustain him. In 2011, Beau gave a commencement address at his old alma mater, Syracuse Law School. “You’ll find peace when there are certain rules that are not malleable,” Beau said. “Your conscience, your conscience should not be malleable. Your values…These are the things that will guide you. They’ll also be the things to save you.”
WISDOM OF BEAU
Your values guide you. Your values save you.
10
Get Back Up! (2016–Forever)
“Millions of Americans have been knocked down,
and this is the time [when] we get back up,
get back up together.”
In the fading twilight of the Obama administration, just days before the inauguration of you-know-who, Biden was summoned to a meeting with the president. Turns out it was something of a news conference—and Joe was the surprise star.
“I don’t want to embarrass the guy,” Obama began, as the room started to laugh.
And then he embarrassed the guy. Biden stood there, trying to keep a poker face—a tall order for Biden, even in the best of circumstances—as Obama sang his praises, called him “my brother,” and deemed him “the best vice president America’s ever had.” And in a self-aware nod to the thousands of memes, Obama also noted that “this also gives the Internet one last chance to talk about our bromance.”
When Obama announced the true purpose of this surprise ceremony—the awarding of the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction—Biden spun from the cameras, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears that gushed down his cheeks.
As Obama explained, the last three presidents had bestowed this honor on only three other individuals: Colin Powell, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II. A mix of honorable, hopeful, and Catholic—very Biden.
You’ve seen clips of the footage, but it’s worth revisiting the moment in a bit of slow motion, as it does encapsulate, in a sense, Biden’s remarkable journey. Obama said that in the eight years since he’d first tapped Biden as VP, “There has not been a single moment since that time that I have doubted the wisdom of that decision….This is an extraordinary man, with an extraordinary career in public service.”
Some quick highlights from the citation:
In a career of public service spanning nearly half a century, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has left his mark on almost every part of our nation….
Let those words sink in—nearly half a century. When Biden first hopped on this roller coaster, the number one issue was the war in Vietnam.
Fighting for a stronger middle class, a fairer judicial system, and a smarter foreign policy, providing unyielding support for our troops, combating crime and violence against women, leading our quest to cure cancer, and safeguarding the landmark American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from corruption.
True, true, true, true, and true.
With his charm, candor, unabashed optimism, and deep and abiding patriotism, Joe Biden has garnered the respect and esteem of colleagues of both parties.
Who else is so beloved on both sides of the aisle? As Biden once said, “Let’s get something straight right off the bat. I don’t like John Boehner. I love him.”
After the reading of the citation, Joe leaned in to kiss Jill, then Hunter, then Ashley. Obama stepped behind Biden, gave him a pat on the shoulders, and tenderly placed the ribbon around his neck, as tears poured down Biden’s cheeks. The two men hugged.
The moment was touching, genuine, and spawned a billion tweets and gifs. A quick sampling:
JOE: “I am the watcher on the wall.”
BARACK: “No, it’s not that.”
JOE: “I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch.”
BARACK: “Ok
ay, ‘winter is coming.’ ”
JOE: “I’ve…haaaaad the time of my lifffe.”
BARACK: Joe, chill.
JOE: C’mon, 8 years.
BARACK: Fine.
JOE: “And I’ve never felt this way before….”
JOE: In the brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall—
BARACK: This doesn’t make you Green Lantern, Joe.
There’s one more thing Obama said in that Medal of Freedom ceremony, a bit that got lost in the tsunami of tweets and jokes:
“The best part is, he’s nowhere close to finished,” Obama said. “In the years ahead as a citizen, he will continue to build on that legacy internationally and domestically. He’s got a voice of vision and reason and optimism and love for people, and we’re gonna need that—that spirit and that vision, as we continue to try to make our world safer, and to make sure that everybody’s got a fair shot in this country.”
And that’s exactly what Joe has been doing. He did not let the election of Donald Trump cripple his spirit. He did not stop fighting for his values. And he has not remained silent. How could he? He’s Joe Biden.
For starters, as counterintuitive as this sounds, he is actively pulling for Trump, because he sees that as pulling for America. “I give you my word as a Biden. I’ve been rooting for his success,” he said in June 2017. “It’s desperately in all of our interest to do that. And if you notice, Barack and I have not gone after him personally. We’ve not gone into that mosh pit.” (Let’s quickly pause to savor the visual of Joe and Barack, body-slamming each other in a mosh pit.) “We have taken issue with him when we think he’s wrong,” he quickly clarified, “which is, to be very blunt about it, most of the time.”
Remember how in 1972, Joe Biden refused to run any negative ads against Caleb Boggs, no matter how gentle? Those values have stood the test of politics, setbacks, and heartache.
Yet that doesn’t mean he’s shy about sticking up for the values that he cherishes about our country, especially when he sees them under siege. In reaction to the Muslim ban and the Mexico border wall, Biden spoke out against what he called “hate speech” and “fringe ideologies.” He has defended the Affordable Care Act, calling John McCain before a crucial repeal vote, urging him to vote against the repeal. (McCain listened.) He advised Trump to “Stop tweeting.”
Respect and #resist—not mutually exclusive.
Biden’s post-2016 priorities also serve as a useful reminder that life—and even activism—is about more than just presidential politics. He reminds us that no matter who’s in the White House, no matter who controls Congress, and no matter who wears the robes on the Supreme Court, there are things that all of us can do, in our own lives, to support the values we believe in. Fight for the little guy. It takes a small man to hit a small child. These principles have shaped his career, and they continue to guide him as he steps up his efforts to stop sexual assault on campus, building on the work that he began in the early ’90s, with the Violence Against Women Act.
He’s visiting campuses. Giving speeches. And he has a blunt message for the men out there, the ones who might dismiss sexual assault as a “women’s issue.” Malarkey. Everybody can do something. “But it’s up to all of you to have the gumption to stand up and speak out,” he says. “Don’t look left and right. Look in the mirror.”
Biden is a good reminder that no matter what we’re doing, it’s important to focus on the people, the personalities. “A good life at its core is about being personal,” he once said. “It’s about being engaged. It’s about being there for a friend or a colleague when they’re injured or in an accident, remembering the birthdays, congratulating them on their marriage, celebrating the birth of their child….It’s about loving someone more than yourself.…It all seems to get down to being personal.”
Joe has the whole “loving someone more than yourself” thing covered. Just look at him and his wife. Still in love, still gooey, still holding hands more than forty years after he saw that poster of her in the airport. At the 2017 Tonys, Joe tagged along as Jill’s plus-one. (Hi, I’m Joe, Jill’s husband.) As she gave a speech to introduce a performance, Joe, smitten, turned to the producer and said, his voice thick with emotion, “That’s my wife.” (At the same show, incidentally, his chair broke, and he tried to fix the chair himself, as a Secret Service agent shined a flashlight.)
The Joe Biden story does not yet have a tidy ending. There are many unknowns. This book went to press in the autumn of 2017, so any speculation will soon be outdated…but what the hell, here’s a thought: People might think of Biden as too old to run for president. (On inauguration day of 2021, Biden would be 78 years old, or nine years older than Reagan in 1981.) And yet. Back in 1972, people thought he was too young, at twenty-nine, to run for the Senate. Joe Biden has that Irish blood, that rebel spirit that made him run under dump trucks as a kid, throw water balloons, and sneak into a private hotel in the Bahamas. You have to wonder…since Biden launched his career with a campaign where “age is an issue,” maybe he’d bookend that career with another campaign where age is an issue, and once again defy the odds?
Only one thing is certain. No matter what happens next, and no matter how bruising the challenge or heartbreaking the tragedy, Joe Biden will do what Joe Biden has always done: He will get back up. And now he’s imploring all of us to raise our chins, to step forward, to come back from our own setbacks and tragedies, big and small, just as he has.
“Millions of Americans have been knocked down,” Biden has said. “And this is the time [when] we get back up, back up together.” Get back up from the political mat. Get back up from the loss of a job. Get back up from the crushing burden of student loans. Get back up from a romantic breakup. Get back up after the smaller setbacks in life, like missing your bus or the Amtrak. Another one will come. Wait for it. Smile. Hug a friend. Buy some ice cream. Take heart in the little things, the tiny moments, like when you’re headed to the airport, and even though you’re tired as a dog, you happen to see a group of Cub Scouts, so you give them a tour of your plane.
Just get back up.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It should not come as a surprise to hear that I’ve always been fond of Vice President Joe Biden. (The secret’s out—I’m biased!) And as I dug in to research this book, and as I learned more details, context, and nuance about the way that he has lived his life with integrity, my appreciation only deepened.
So thank you, Vice President Biden, for (1) offering your service to the country, (2) living your life with such class and grace, and (3) enduring this silly book with good humor. (Vice President Biden did not ask for this book. He’s a humble guy. I can imagine him rolling his eyes and saying, “That’s a bunch of malarkey.”) So thank you, sir, for taking this all in stride. And thank you to Dr. Jill Biden, the entire Biden clan, and all of Team Biden (such as Senator Ted Kaufman, Ron Klain, Tony Blinken, Tom Donilon, Jake Sullivan, and so many others) for all that you have done to support the Biden journey.
Thank you to my extraordinary agent, Rob Weisbach—Rob, I’m as crazy about you as Delaware is about Biden. (One day Rob asked me, “Hey, what do you think about Joe Biden?” Goose bumps. Thank you for the inspiration, Rob.) Huge thanks to my editor, Matt Inman, who is literally the only person on the planet I could imagine editing this book. Thanks, Matt, for asking all the tough questions, for the sharp eye, for saving me from myself, for the 3 a.m. editing sessions, and for the Star Trek joke.
Thanks to the incredible team at Three Rivers Press, including marketing aces Kathleen Quinlan and Julie Cepler, publicist extraordinaire Kathryn Santora, production manager Kevin Garcia, cover designer Alane Gianetti, interior designer Andrea Lau, production editor Craig Adams, and to everyone else behind the scenes for all their hard work.
It was a delight to speak with the folks in the Biden universe. Thank you to Arun Chaudhary, Herbie Ziskend, Victoria Nourse, John Marttila, and Mike Haltzel. Professor Laurence Tribe, thank you for sharing your sto
ries about the Bork nomination. Thanks to former president of the National Organization of Women Patricia Ireland for the crucial context, and thanks, Branden Brooks, for sharing your story (and photos) with me. Thanks also to those who spoke with me on background.
Thanks to the brave souls who volunteered to read early drafts of the manuscript and provide valuable feedback. Huge thanks to Lisa Schiller for the hot-off-the-press reads, and for the many enthusiastic texts of encouragement. Thanks to Caitlin Moscatello (life-saver), Dolly Chugh (for the sharp notes and the unflagging support), Laura Brounstein (for the feedback and good vibes), Cody Dolan (the streak lives!), Rochelle Bilow (traditions), Terry Selucky, Shawn Regruto, Ben Bowman, Joe Hall, Josh Wilbur, Jen Doll, Catherine Perez, Tania Hoff, Trevor Hoff, and Sarah Murray (thanks, Sis!). Thank you, all of you.
Thanks to my parents, stepparents, sisters and brother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Thanks to the Wednesday Night Writer’s Group. To the Paragraph writer’s space. To the lifelong Texas/FFL gang (and spouses and kids!) of Eric Pedersen, Chris Shaver, Todd Rinaldo, Dan Abbruscato, Walker Robinson, James Mangano, Trevor Hoff, Tania Hoff, Charlie Applegate, and Joe Hall.
Thanks, as always, to Keith Meatto, Jamie Davis, Evan Aronowitz, Curtis Sparrer, Leo Lopez, Paul Jarrett, Laura Demoreuille, Lee Bob Black, Adam Smith, Matt Smith, Kabir Merchant, Erik Brown, Teddy Vuong, Omer Mohammed, Dave Spinks, Stephane Conte, and Wes Hollomon. To my old coauthor and good friend Andrea Syrtash, to Amy Braunschweiger, Brian Sack, Stephanie Meyers, Elizabeth Meggs (sorry there’s not more about Biden pets!), Erica Ho, Katherine Conaway, Meghan Miller, Christine, and to Allison Joy of Comstock’s. To Megan Lynch (Alles Gute, immer).