Biden to Wake Forest graduates: “You can affect the change”
EmailABC News’ Karen Travers reports: Vice President Biden told the graduates of Wake Forest University that while they may not be leaving college for a “nation of ease and luxury,” they are entering the real world at a time where they can play a tremendous role in changing the nation for the better. “Doing nothing, or taking history into our own hands and bending it, bending it in service of a better day. So embrace the moment. Don’t shy away from it,” he said. Biden told the graduates that the nation is at a crossroads on the economy, education reform, energy policy and climate change and they can play a role in putting the nation on the right path on these key issues. “Your generation’s opportunities are greater than any generation in modern history — not because you’re about to graduate into a nation of ease and luxury, but because you’re about to graduate into a point in history where everything is going to change no matter what you do, but you can affect the change,” the vice president said. Biden echoed the message of change in recent commencement addresses. “Folks, we’re either going to fundamentally change the course of history, or fail the generations that come after us, because change will occur,” he said. Biden joked to the graduates and their parents about how he told his three children that he would help them pay for their education for any school they could get into. “Well, undergraduate and graduate schools later, for three of them, you know understand why I was listed as the second poorest man in the Congress, literally,” he said. The vice president paid tribute to the late Tim Russert of NBC News, who was slated to be the speaker at today’s commencement address and was awarded a posthumous honorary degree. Biden noted his long friendship with the late newsman and said they shared a similar blue collar upbringing and an early crisis of confidence when they arrived in Washington at a young age, in big positions – Biden as a 30 year old senator, Russert as an aide to Democratic Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan of New York. Biden retold a story that Russert wrote about in his book, how the young Senate aide felt overwhelmed at the people surrounding him in his new job – “Rhodes scholars, Marshall scholars, professors, people with Ivy League degrees, people with significant backgrounds,” Biden said. One day Russert went into the senator’s office and told him that he didn’t feel that he belonged and was considering leaving, the vice president said. “And you know what the senator said to him, according to Tim? And it sounds like Pat. He said, ‘Tim, what they know, you can learn. What you know they can never learn. So he stayed,” Biden said. “He changed the nature of the way major events and major figures were covered. His integrity, his toughness, his fairness was legendary.” –Karen Travers
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Biden is AN EMBARRASSMENT. If he were republican we would hear this night and day.
He can’t keep his mouth shut.
No matter how he really feels he has uttered racially offensive statements. If he were not a dem this would be the overriding offensive against this guy.
He cannot manage his own personal finances we now know.
HE LIES AT WILL
He inserts foot in mouth non-stop
He gives up national security secrets as dinnertime conversation.
And you idiot dems gave Sarah Palin a hard time.
This guy is only the first of many judgement (read stupid) errors and decisions made by Obama but foretold what would come from these clowns.
Posted by: MNM | May 18, 2009, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm
Did VP Biden happen to reveal any state secrets to the grads?
Posted by: Plumber | May 18, 2009, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
Great Job Vice President Biden what a Great way to Speak to our Youth our New generation!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | May 18, 2009, 1:53 pm 1:53 pm
Why was Wake Forest being punished?
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 18, 2009, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm
Isn’t it “effect” change, and “affect” the outcome?
Posted by: Wade | May 18, 2009, 2:07 pm 2:07 pm
Biden always seems affected, in effect.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 18, 2009, 2:13 pm 2:13 pm
Wade: You’re right, it should have been transcribed as ‘effect’. This is one Bidenism that wasn’t deserved.
Posted by: thetrvth | May 18, 2009, 2:16 pm 2:16 pm
Isn’t it ‘undisclosed location’ rather than ‘bunker under my house’?
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 18, 2009, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
Taking advice from people who have never did anything of substance in their entire life, is not actually what you want to do after graduating from college.
Well, maybe if you can find out how Michelle got her “no show up” $300000 a year job — Oh wait, her hubby supplied the money. So unless you have a kickback scheme …
What a bunch of rattled headed dumb charlatans Americans have been saddled with. But at least, the VP targeting options are now better refined.
Why did they go to college? To give back? And how do you do that when you have nothing. It’s not like public service is some sort of paying business. I don’t guess they can figure that out.
Posted by: tarpon | May 18, 2009, 2:24 pm 2:24 pm
Hate On the VP All you want Right wingers but atleast hes not a Criminally Constitution Shredding Nut case!
Posted by: Angie in Pa | May 18, 2009, 2:25 pm 2:25 pm
Biden told a Tim Russert/Pat Moynihan story… from Russert’s book. Mmk.
Rahm, David, James and Barack are all about punishment and revenge. So… what did Wake Forest do to deserve this?
Posted by: Mondo | May 18, 2009, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Palin and Cheney are so dumb, that they always get more attention than Biden.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 18, 2009, 2:37 pm 2:37 pm
Palin and Cheney are so dumb, that they always get more deranged and maniacal hatred directed at them than Biden, too.
Posted by: Skittles | May 18, 2009, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
Can someone grab that mic and teleprompter please?
Posted by: Canwegetsomecommonsenseplease | May 18, 2009, 2:49 pm 2:49 pm
Wow, didn’t know Neal Kinnock wrote commencement speeches too.
Did he include stuff about coal mining families in this one? How well did dopey joe plagiarize it?
Posted by: 2Brixshy | May 18, 2009, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
What a joke. The only change this country is experencing is becoming more destabilzed because nobody wants to take a stand against runaway immigration, fraudulant use of tax dollars, greedy corporations, and a pathetic judical system.
And no, these college students cannot and are not going to fix this.
Why? One reason is that there are too many stupid people in the system already. A critical mass, if you will. Impossible to undue.
The other reason is that most of these ocllege students have the same mindset of the people who are currently causing these problems. They went to college not to become educated, but to gain a bigger paycheck. They also think that holding a degree instantly makes them qualified to do things they actually aren’t qualified for.
In America, it’s all about “me, me, me”. Not “us, us, us”.
Posted by: George | May 18, 2009, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
Beautiful job, Joe. I love Joe Biden and certainly look forward to reading or hearing his words. His speech was well received, and his honoring of Mr. Russert poignant. I remember seeing Joe on Russert’s show many many times and understand their close relationship. It was nice to know Mrs. Russert was in the audience, and if Tim couldn’t be there, graduates and their guests were impressed with having a sitting Vice President speak at their commencement.
I’m sorry and saddened to see the usual negative and nasty comments on this blog.
Posted by: Principia | May 18, 2009, 4:38 pm 4:38 pm
Hey, lighten up on Biden! He’s the most amusing guy since Dan Quayle, and he has an amazing ability to make it all up as he goes, without any formal script! By the way, there’s absolutely no truth to the rumor that when he had all his hair transplants, he also had a brain transplant; not true at all.
Posted by: corruptfedgovt | May 18, 2009, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
Thank you for a nice article on VP Biden’s speech at Wake Forest’s commencement ceremony, Ms. Travers. I found his complete speech elsewhere, and enjoyed hearing the numerous occasions of applause and laughter. I understand that Mr. Biden is on his way to the Balkans now as part of his duties in foreign relations for the administration, so I was impressed to learn he was able to give a relaxed and inspiring message to the new graduates of Wake Forest before taking off. I and many others like me, have followed Mr. Biden’s career for many years, through ups and downs, and he has never ceased to fascinate us. Thank you again, Ms. Travers; we truly enjoyed reading your story.
Posted by: Nora Olson | May 18, 2009, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
Sorry, but except for a couple of posts, is this blog only for jokesters and sophomoric slights? There is no humor of course. Please let the rest of us know so that we would not need to return to Political Punch.
Posted by: StewartB | May 18, 2009, 4:54 pm 4:54 pm
I am a Wake grad and a conversative Republican, and I walked today at commencement. That being said, I went into the speech not expecting much from Biden, but left impressed. He gave a great speech, and was memorable and inspiring (as far as commencement speeches go).
Posted by: Matt | May 18, 2009, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
Joe Biden: Dan Quayle 2.0
Posted by: Rob | May 18, 2009, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm
Where is the story about Biden disclosing the (former)top secret location the vice president is taken in an emergency? Could it be that news that makes the current administration look bad is off limits on abc.
Posted by: heirloomfurniture | May 18, 2009, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
I very proud to say scrappy kid from Scranton PA is doing all right as VP!
Posted by: Biden Fan | May 18, 2009, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
Some people will never get it. Dan Quayle, George W Bush, Mitt Romney – all rich kids who have had everything handed to them. Obama, Clinton, Biden – lower middle class, and have made it on their own. Sorry they are not polished enough for some of you elitist wannabes, but guess what, you’re not going to be invited to the Bush’s next cocktail party at their summer estate anyway.
Posted by: Bob | May 18, 2009, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
Bob, the careful editing of your list cracks me up. Let’s see– raised themselves up from the middle class-ers not found on your list: Ronald Reagan, John McCain (military aristocracy to be sure, but not an Ivy-League rich kid), Dwight Eisenhower. Spoiled rich kids not on your list: John Kennedy, Edward Kennedy, Al Gore, John D. Rockefeller, John Kerry… Neither party has a monopoly on a particular lifestyle.
Not to mention that there are plenty of spoiled rotten, clueless, venal politicians who clawed their way to the top and were born with nothing and plenty of fabulous, selfless, caring politicians who were raised in privilege. Let’s not be lumping people into piles and creating stereotypes that really have no substance based on those piles.
Posted by: moderate | May 19, 2009, 8:13 am 8:13 am