Vice President Joe Biden was the first sitting Vice President of the United States to express his personal support for marriage equality and helped lead the most pro-LGBTQ administration in our nation’s history. After leaving office, Vice President Biden has continued to champion the rights of LGBTQ people in the United States and globally through the Biden Foundation, which built on the Bidens’ lifelong commitment to advancing equality, including fighting for equal treatment, inclusion, acceptance, dignity, and justice for LGBTQ people.

Alexandra "Alex" Gallardo Rooker, acting chairwoman of the California Democratic Party, said at one point during the event, however, that she and Biden spoke last week and the former vice president said he had already committed to the Human Rights Campaign Dinner on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, and therefore could not make it to the convention.

Biden, Gallardo-Rooker said, assured her that he would visit California "many times."

“Specifically responding to things that you’ve said, Bernie Sanders saying you can’t go back to the past, Elizabeth Warren saying…” Saenz continued.

“Who’s going back to the past?” Biden interrupted.

"Look, I understand. I don’t blame them,” Biden continued. “They’ve got to, you know, they’re good folks but, you know, as I said, see you around.”

“Specifically responding to things that you’ve said, Bernie Sanders saying you can’t go back to the past, Elizabeth Warren saying…” Saenz continued.

“Specifically responding to things that you’ve said, Bernie Sanders saying you can’t go back to the past, Elizabeth Warren saying…” Saenz continued.

“Who’s going back to the past?” Biden interrupted.

“Look, I understand. I don’t blame them,” Biden continued. “They’ve got to, you know, they’re good folks but, you know, as I said, see you around.”


At that California convention, Warren said “Some Democrats in Washington believe the only changes we can get are tweaks and nudges. If they dream at all, they dream small. Some say if we’d all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses. But our country is in a time of crisis. The time for small ideas is over.”

Democrats, among others, would be wise to follow the advice of Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, who during an appearance on Chris Cuomo’s CNN show cautioned fellow Democrats to temper their anger and “do a little more research and see exactly how we got to where we are.”

—Democrats may not have moved as far left as widely thought. Many observers put together the very real energy among the party’s liberal base and the party’s success in the 2018 midterm elections and concluded that the first was responsible for the second. That has emboldened the liberal wing of the party to try to push the party’s agenda well to the left. This almost certainly represents a misreading of the 2018 midterm election, when the most important victories weren’t by candidates on the left, but by 21 House freshmen who won in districts President Trump carried in 2016. They were centrist candidates, and represent where many Democratic and independent voters are: on the center-left.