'I Want To Restore The Soul Of This Country': In N.H., Biden Pitches Unity

[brooklynite]

WBUR

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed several hundred enthusiastic supporters in Hampton, New Hampshire, on Monday, marking his first visit since launching his 2020 campaign to the state that hold's the nation's first primary.

At a restaurant in Hampton, Biden praised his former boss Barack Obama, and says he wants to return the country to what he argues were better times — before the election of President Trump.

"I want to restore the soul of this country," he said. "And secondly, I really want to, quite frankly, rebuild the backbone of this country — this time bringing everyone along, the middle class. And thirdly, I want to unite this country."

Though he uses different words, you could say that Biden’s message isn't far from “Make America Great Again” — or at least sane again.

[zipplewrath]

1. I don't know what this means

It sounds very vague. I don't even know what Biden thinks the "soul" of the country was to which he would like to "restore" it.

[loyalsister]

3. It creeps me out

"Restore" has a maga -esque nostalgia ring that bugs me. It's not like we have been tremendously successful in stopping or even slowing the train that Reagan put us on.
We need to rethink what to do because we have failed repeatedly. We have candidates who seem to be putting forth fresh and creative ideas and solutions. I hope that in the end more Democrats will listen to them.

[LongtimeAZDem]

9. The people who do are the reason that he's polling higher than every other candidate combined

[zipplewrath]

11. 3 at random

I'd bet ya that if ya picked 3 at random, you couldn't get the same explanation from any of them.

[Demsrule86]

12. Which is the sign of a great campaign message.

[zipplewrath]

14. Probably

Not exactly great policy statement however.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. He was kind of all over the place in that appearance, it seems to me.

But what’s happened is, between gerrymandering and unlimited campaign spending, we found ourselves in a position where an awful lot of Republicans have come intimidated — intimidated by the president. If you notice, most Republicans — leaders, don’t lose from the left. They lose on the right. And so, for example, when we — anyway. So, I think there is not a middle ground. I wish I had known as a moderate, middle guy when I was running in Delaware all those times. And you know, anyway — but I just think, there is a way — and the thing that will fundamentally change things is with Donald Trump out of the White House. Not a joke. You will see an epiphany occur among many of my Republican friends. And it’s already beginning — in the House now, you’ve seen people that in fact were not willing to vote for any Democratic initiative, even if they agreed with it, because they didn’t want to be the odd person out if it wasn’t going to pass. There’s no sense in getting politically beaten for something that’s not going to happen. but you are seeing the talk, even the dialogue is changing. So look , let me put it another way. If we can’t change, we’re in trouble. This nation cannot function without generating consensus. You can’t do it. Because what happens is, if you can’t generate consensus under our system of separated powers, all the power moves to the executive — because then it gives excuses for them to say, I’m going to act by executive order to do something, because nothing is getting done. That is the president and his team’s whole rationale for what they are doing.

Republicans will suddenly be open to bipartisanship once Trump is gone? That's...not how it's going to work.

[Cha]

4. Yeah, I know exactly what Biden means..

Thank You

[R B Garr]

5. +1, Yes, it's not confusing to me, either.

Hi Cha.

[Cha]

6. Or "creepy".. these

people going out of their way to insult Biden are too funny.

Aloha, RB!

[LongtimeAZDem]

7. It's truly sad that some people don't

[Cha]

10. Not only that.. they

try to turn it into something "creepy" and smear it with "maga".

[dalton99a]

8. Generic harmless stuff

[Autumn]

13. I get it. Make American Great Again, only in a kinder, gentler way.

Yeah that will work.

[peggysue2]

15. Judging by the polls numbers, I'd say an . . .

adequate number of voters know exactly what Joe Biden means when he says 'restoring the soul of the country' or 'rebuilding the middle class', etc. after watching Trump and his acolytes destroy our institutions and spit on the Rule of Law. There's nothing vague about that; we're witnessing the destruction in real time.

Joe Biden = the AntiTrump.

[LanternWaste]

16. Well, you claimed Biden flubbed his candidacy announcement as well.

So I'm guessing your narrative changes dependent on the polling data.