Joe Biden speaking in Pittsburgh to Bernie Supporters says: 'Vote For Bernie' 'He's a good man'!

[sabrina 1]

Joe Biden says ‘vote for Bernie’ in Pittsburgh

Sanders volunteers were told to “vote for him” on Monday by Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet decided if he will going to run for president.

A group of Bernie supporters at the Pittsburgh Labor Day parade were told by Biden to vote for Sanders, saying “he’s a good man.”

Joshua Sickels, who helps run grassroots efforts in Pittsburgh said Biden gave him a thumbs up and said, “Bernie is a great guy!”

In a speech before hundreds of steelworkers, Biden proclaimed that the media liked to portray him as a populist and said, “They’ll probably say (I’m) competing with Bernie Sanders, who is doing a helluva job by the way.”

Biden has made other very revealing statements recently that while not mentioning Bernie by name, were in complete agreement with Bernie's campaign against Citizen's United.

His remarks about the corrupting effects of money in politics a few weeks ago, can be found here:

Joe Biden on Money in Politics: “A Hell of a Way to Run a Democracy”

– He said on a variety of issues, nothing is going to happen until we address the broken system. “If you could do only one single thing, only one, to increase fairness, equity, opportunity to middle class, pass rational gun control, deal with immigration, etc. What would it be? I can tell you one thing I would do. It would be get private money out of political process.”

– He specifically called out the argument that candidates can’t “disarm” because their opponents won’t. “The first place you’ve got to start is the Democratic party. No matter how much you love me or somebody else, you have to demand of us that we demonstrate we understand. We can do something about the corrosive impact of massive amounts of money.”

I think Biden has seen the awful effects of money in politics and seems to be very impressed with Bernie, subtly implying that HE, Bernie, is doing what needs to be done.

[Maedhros]

1. This would seem to indicate Biden is not going to join the fray, yes? [n/t]

[sabrina 1]

2. It's hard to say with Biden. He has often made some great statements about issues during his time in

the Senate, but then I remember being so disappointed afterwards when he voted against what he said.

So while he clearly knows the problems, if he does run, he probably will take donations from large corporations.

Not long after his speech regarding the corrosive effects of money in politics, he met with big donors, so who knows?

Maybe being VP for 8 years let him see just how corrupting that money is when it comes to decisions about war etc.

I hope he continues to speak out against it and if he runs, he refuses it. But it's hard to say.

[Maedhros]

3. If he was thinking of running, he wouldn't be talking up the competition. [n/t]

[dreamnightwind]

4. Unless he see his main competition as Hillary

which he probably does. So talking up the money issue might cost her some support. Biden's always been a little hard to figure for me, he's not really my kinda pol so I don't give it too much thought, but he doesn't always fit neatly into the boxes I tend to view things in.

[Ed Suspicious]

6. He's carving out a little space to cast himself as the "safer bet" version of Bernie I think.

[GoneFishin]

22. Probably. It makes sense. He is preaching to the choir. If he endorses Bernie to a large

audience or organization that is uncommitted I will rethink my attitude. But as of today I am just wondering what his angle is.

[retrowire]

5. meanwhile the MSM will likely ignore this or

spin it to lean towards the subject that biden just might run!

be aware when the media chooses a favorite for you people.

if this means Biden won't run then ok. it doesn't necessarily mean that he won't though, he could just be doing the polite thing like Hillary has done. then again, he directly told people to vote for Bernie, and then again he told already enthusiastic bernie supporters to carry on and do what they were planning to do.

this is still great, no matter what.

[DrBulldog]

7. Joe, just walk away, and support Bernie instead.

You're a nice guy, but we don't need another nice guy right now. We saw what happened when we elected a nice guy in 2008 and 2012. Not all that much, and the middle class continued to rot. We need a fighter, a combatant, a soldier for the middle class. And Bernie Sanders is a hundred times the warrior that you are.

[sabrina 1]

12. I think the more significant statements from Biden were his advice to the young people

in the second link. He definitely sounded like he meant it when he told them they HAVE THE POWER to change the way our system works, and that the first thing to focus on for them, is the Money that he says, is 'corrosive'. He went into quite a bit of detail about it, telling them they should not listen to Dems who say 'but we have to take it, we can't disarm' because the 'Republicans won't'.

I think if he runs and does take that money, again, he will show himself to be someone who SEES the problems, talks about them, gives us hope, but then votes for the establishment.

I'm hoping he has come to a point where he doesn't want to do that anymore, where he is admitting that he did do it, but is watching Bernie closely and hopes he will succeed where the could not.
'

[still_one]

28. and he officially was against the raid which got bin laden. Yup, that's Joe. Let's hear some more

words of wisdom from him. He has uttered quite a few throughout the years

[pnwmom]

9. These are Bernie supporters and Biden likes to schmooze. How do you know

he wouldn't have told Hillary supporters, in the same friendly way, that they should vote for Hillary?

Who is also going to be campaigning on campaign finance reform, among other things.

[sabrina 1]

13. Hillary cannot campaign on that issue so long as she continues to take the money. THAT is what Biden

told his audience, check the second link, in July. That they should NOT listen to politicians who claim they HAVE to take that money, which he called 'corrosive' because 'Republicans are doing it'. He was very specific when he said that Dems 'have to lead the way' and in essence, do what Bernie is doing, refuse it.

Now if he runs, considering his strong statements in that speech, I am assuming he will join Bernie and also refuse to take the money HE SAID causes politicians to be beholden to those donors.

[pnwmom]

17. She can't as far as you are concerned. But many others will understand

if she doesn't choose to handicap herself against the Rethugs while the current rules are still in force.

And you are making a big assumption about Biden. His record is more conservative than Hillary's, though all three candidates, and O'Malley, are progressives.

[sabrina 1]

18. How on earth would it handicap any candidate who is doing what over 80% of the people WANT THEM TO

DO?

Are you aware of what a HUGE ISSUE this is in this campaign? Why do you think Sanders is surging the way he is? BECAUSE he has put his finger on the MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE in this campaign?

If Hillary continues to be advised by people who are this out of touch with the people, then she will lose.

Why do you think Trump, the moron, gained any traction? Because he KNEW this was a #1 issue for people across the political spectrum. And although he is PART of the problem, he is saying what people want to hear 'I won't take Corporate money'.

Hillary needs to do this also, THEN MAKE IT A HUGE ISSUE against Republicans.

You CANNOT take their money, as Biden said so correctly, and pretend you don't owe them anything. It's simply not possible.

[pnwmom]

19. If our candidate only has 1/3 or so of the campaign funds the other side has, we will lose.

And that could easily happen, if our side is limited to Federal matching fund rules.

[Ed Suspicious]

23. Our candidate would have something the other candidate could only dream of - principles.

[pnwmom]

26. Principles, sadly, have lost many an election. Jimmy Carter, for one, had principles. n/t

[Ed Suspicious]

27. I think they are going to win this one.

[RobertEarl]

35. How come some of you don't get IT?

Here's Biden saying we are losing because of the private money in politics. Here's Biden saying that Bernie's way is the highway.
Here's Biden saying that if unless we have politicians who are NOT beholden to private money we will lose our democracy.

The choice is clear: Big money Hillary or non-bought Bernie.

The choice is clear. Please, yall stop trying to sell us on the "Big money is a winner" bs. Okay?

[stillwaiting]

10. I hope your interpretation is correct.

His meeting with Elizabeth Warren and this statement seems POTENTIALLY politically motivated to me (I'm not saying I absolutely believe it to be true).

This could be Biden "shoring up" his left-wing, progressive credibility before entering the race. Since he's now seeming to be supporting the two most liberal Senators he could potentially take some primary votes from Bernie. If that's his agenda behaving the way he has over the past week or two seems completely politically motivated to me.

Unfortunately, Biden is way too conservative for me, and I don't believe that he is anywhere near Sanders or Warren on the policies he truly supports. If he says these things AFTER he announces he's not running for President, my respect for him will most definitely improve. He has a lot to make up for.

[sabrina 1]

14. Well, people are not going to be fooled if he suddenly enters the race, then takes the big donations

he condemned in July, not Bernie supporters anyhow. So if he is hoping to fool people into thinking he's supportive of Bernie's campaign, which he MUST BE IF he meant what he said in July, see the second link, that isn't going to happen.

I am hoping he has learned that all those years of compromising did not do much for the people of this country, no matter how they tried to justify it.

We the PEOPLE know this, hopefully Biden knows it, as he appeared to be saying in July, at this point.

A bit late but if he is sincere, then he will do the right thing and stay out of the race, endorse the guy who is doing EXACTLY what he said NEEDS TO BE done, and that might make up for the time he spent accepting the money, and in his own words, beholden to those who give it to them.

[d_legendary1]

11. I don't know about Uncle Joe's endorsement

with his reputation with the media as a "clown" it makes me wonder if his endorsement is meant to hurt Bernie.


I might be a bit paranoid

[Skwmom]

15. I just saw the Biden clip on MSNBC Seemed like - Bernie and me, hey we are both populists.

I guess he forgot what he told the establishment people he spoke in front of.

They said he didn't mention Clinton. Of course not, he wants to be the progressive populist candidate.

[sabrina 1]

16. He says what he says. What he means, we will find out, but since he has now twice endorsed

technically speaking, Bernie's campaign, first time without mentioning him, IF he runs, he will be reminded of his words and expected to act on them.

I am hoping he is sincere. He certainly hit the nail on the head, if you read the second link, regarding the money in politics and all the excuses made by Dems for 'having to take it'. He rejected that notion.


And I agree with him. Bernie is PROVING you don't have to take it. Biden should come out and just endorse him, IF he means what he says.

Maybe he will. He has nothing to lose, and it would be a fantastic way to finally do something INDEPENDENT of the big donors and powers that he admits keep politicians from doing what is right for this country.

[Skwmom]

20. Wouldn't that be wonderful. n/t

[sabrina 1]

40. I think he said he wasn't a populist. That they are trying to paint him as such. But I didn't see

the clip, just read the report on it.

Joe's long record will be against him making any populist claims, and I think he knows that.

[JoePhilly]

21. Biden endorses Bernie!!!!!!

But wait ... Isn't Biden part of the 3rd Way, DLC, DNC, Obama evil cabal ... ???

This gets so confusing.

[Ed Suspicious]

24. Slow down and take some deep breaths. I know this is moving a little fast for you, but hang in

there. You'll figure it out. When you do, Bernie will be waiting to collect your vote.

[JoePhilly]

32. If Bernie wins the nomination ...

... I will support him just as enthusiastically as I would Hillary, or Biden, or O'Malley.

I should point out that the most confident anti-Hillary, Bernie supporters on DU, also thought they could generate a primary challenge against Obama.

They also predicted all kinds of ways in which Obama would screw us all. They were wrong over and over.

But they are still very excitable.

A simple question ... If Bernie was President, should he have accepted the ACA if he could not obtain better? Don't tell me he could have obtained better (he could not) ... but should he have made that same deal? Or, should President Sanders obtained nothing?

This is an important question.

[sabrina 1]

37. What? I think you have that backwards. As an Obama supporter and now a Bernie supporter, I remember

being told the exact same things about Obama as we are now being told about Bernie. In fact it's like deja vu 'he can't win'! We said, 'yes he can' and he did.

Now we are saying it again!

[Ed Suspicious]

38. If Bernie accepts incremental change while continuing to hammer on wholesale change, I would be OK

with that. Bernie has earned my trust as a man who will not call it a day after earning a token, but I have been a supporter of the ACA, so I might not be the guy to ask. I dislike the influence of the insurance industry on the legislation, but I do like that the legislation moved us to a place where health care coverage will be something of an expected norm. Now get to decoupling health care from our workplace, figure out how to make it more affordable, and for heck's sake, move us toward single payer.

[sabrina 1]

25. If you actually clicked both links you would not be confused at all. Yes Biden has succumbed to the

Third Way and if he means what he says, see second link, he deeply regrets doing so. Which is why I do not believe he will run or CAN run and expect to win.

He is essentially advising people NOW NOT to support those who like him, accepted those 'corrosive' donations because he tells us and he should know, they DO want something in return.

You really should read what Biden has said, it is almost like he is VERIFYING everything we Liberal Progressives have been saying for so long.

It's quite amazing actually to have him confirm how right Bernie is and his supporters, and how wrong he and others who took that money, were.

Good for him for admitting all this.

[JoePhilly]

29. Or ... Biden is a fan of all of our candidates.

And respects them all.

Naaaaa ... can't be that.

[sabrina 1]

30. Oh, it's way more than that. I take it you still didn't click the second link!

[JoePhilly]

34. I did ... and it looks like spam.

[sabrina 1]

36. Lol, Joe Biden's WORDS are spam? Really? Which words did he say that you think are spam?

[pnwmom]

39. LOL.

[randys1]

33. Bernie/Biden 2016

[sabrina 1]

41. Maybe Biden could be SOS.

Barbara Lee for VP, Elizabeth Warren as Treasury Secretary so she find all that money Geithner et al wouldn't talk about when she tried to pry it out of them. The money that was set aside for people who had lost their homes, but only a fraction of it was spent and Warren wanted to know why. Geithner got a bit angry when she kept on asking why it had not been spent on the people it was supposed to have gone to.