Former Vice President Joe Biden delivered a message on Tuesday night to supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), following his wins in the Florida and Illinois Democratic presidential primaries.
Biden spoke from his home in Delaware, with the address streamed online. He first discussed the coronavirus pandemic, and said tackling it is "a national emergency akin to fighting a war. It's going to require leadership and cooperation from every level of government and it's going to require us to move thoughtfully and decisively to quickly address both the public health crisis as well as the economic crisis. It's going to require us to pay attention to the medical and scientific and health experts. It's going to require each of us to do our part."
Americans, he said, are "up to this challenge" and are "moving quickly to adapt our routines to meet this challenge." Coronavirus is forcing the country to "put politics aside and work as Americans. The coronavirus doesn't care if you're a Democrat or Republican. It will not discriminate based on national origin, race, gender, or your ZIP code."
Switching his attention to Tuesday's primaries, he thanked poll workers and said his wins show he's "building a broad coalition we need to win in November." He may not agree with Sanders on "tactics, but we share a common vision: for the need to provide affordable health care for all Americans, reducing income inequality that has risen so drastically, to tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change." He praised Sanders and his supporters for their "remarkable passion and tenacity" on these issues, and said they "shifted the fundamental conversation in this country." Catherine Garcia
History has its eyes on Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) — in more ways than one.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, announced Harris as his pick to hold the position he once held under former president Barack Obama on Tuesday.
The former California attorney general is rightly being recognized as the first Black woman to sit on a major political party's national ticket, but the historic nature of Harris' position contains multitudes.
To start, Harris is the first person with Indian heritage to run on a national presidential ticket. Her late mother was born in India, and Harris has credited her maternal grandfather, a former Indian diplomat, with helping her to appreciate the "importance of democracy and a government that represents the people — all the people,” Politico reports.
Harris's nomination also marks the first time a major nominee has graduated from an HBCU, a.k.a Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Harris graduated from Howard University in 1986, receiving her B.A. after studying political science and economics.
Howard University president Wayne A.I. Frederick released a statement saying the senator's nomination "represents a milestone opportunity for our democracy to acknowledge the leadership Black women have always exhibited, but has too often been ignored.”
Harris went on to attend the University of California, Hastings where she received her J.D., making her the first person to sit on the Democratic ticket in over 35 years who did not attend an Ivy League school.
If Harris and Biden succeed in ousting President Trump from office, Harris will also hold the honor of being the first female and the first Asian American to be elected to national office, but we'll save that conversation for another day. Marianne Dodson
Joe Biden just announced his running mate choice: Sen. Kamala Harris of California. That means Harris, if she can govern well, could be the leader of both the Democratic Party and the country through 2030. If she can't, she might well be the last democratically-elected vice president in American history.
Biden is the heavy favorite against Trump this year. Given his age and his track record of working closely with President Obama when he was vice president, Harris will presumably play a significant role in major governing decisions. It's unpopular for the media to talk about, but there's a decent chance she would need to step in before Biden's term is up. What's more, there is a reasonable chance that Biden would choose not to run for re-election in 2024. If so, Harris would be the overwhelming favorite to run in his place.
The stakes could hardly be higher. Donald Trump is blatantly trying to steal the 2020 election, and the next Republican candidate will very likely try the same trick. A Biden administration would have four years, and perhaps another four or eight under a Harris administration, to address the pandemic, rebuild the shattered economy and federal government, root out Trump's gangrenous corruption, and fortify America's democratic institutions. If Biden and Harris instead muddle through letting everything fester, as happened under the Obama administration, the next would-be authoritarian probably won't be as incompetent as Trump. Let's hope they seize the moment. Ryan Cooper