Joe Biden Mobilization Campaign Event Miramar, Florida Transcript October 13

Speaker 1: (01:06)
Please welcome, Damian Ferguson.

Damian Ferguson: (01:37)
Hello, Broward County. My name is Damian DeQuan Ferguson and I am 19 years old. I lived in Broward County for pretty much the majority of my life. I have two younger sisters, Destiny and Jayda and my mom’s name is Harmon and she’s a healthcare navigator. She’s also a single mom. To me, she’s the most hardest working, most determined person that I know. I go to school at Broward College, where I major in computer and information science and I work part-time with Student Life. I hope to be the first person in my family to have a college degree. I’m a regular guy. I like to play video games, have fun with my friends and spend time with my family. I also like to volunteer and help people when I can too.

Damian Ferguson: (03:10)
This is not what I expected for my second year of college to look like at all. All my classes are virtual and I can’t do a lot of the same things that I used to enjoy with my friends and family. This election will be my first time voting. I got registered because I wanted to see change in my community and things aren’t headed in the right direction under the leadership of Donald Trump. I listened to this president and I can’t believe he doesn’t believe in climate change. It’s real and it’s happening in front of us. Whether it’s the fires in California or the flooding here in South Florida, this is not made up. My generation can’t wait to address the climate crisis.

Damian Ferguson: (04:20)
Joe Biden believes in science. He has a real plan for us to fight climate change while building a better future for all of us. I know that Joe cares about leaving a better future for me and all of the young people in this country. My mom, my sister and I, all have our vote by mail ballots at home. This week, we’ll be mailing them back to vote early, for Joe. Broward County, it is my honor to introduce the man who I’ll be casting my first ever vote for, our next president, Joe Biden.

Joe Biden: (05:32)
Hello, Florida. Hello, hello, hello, hello, Florida. Miramar. It’s great to be back with you. Thank you so much and thank you, Mr. Mayor for the passport into your city and I want to say thank you to all the speakers you heard earlier. The Mayor, Dale, thank you. County Commissioner, Barbara and Senator Oscar. Look, Senator, you’re looking like you’re still in shape. And I also want to thank Damian for sharing your story and for exercising your power as a young voter, a first time voter.

Joe Biden: (06:27)
Look, you’re an inspiration, man. I really mean that. You’re making your family proud. You’re a role model for an awful lot of young people all across Florida and across the country. Folks, as my old football coach used to say, “It’s go time.” It is go time. It is. No matter whether it’s your first vote or many, but beyond that, this is the most important election in our lifetimes and you can make all the difference here in Florida. You can determine the outcome of this election.

Joe Biden: (07:14)
We win Florida and it’s all over. Look, choice is clear and the stakes have never been higher. The stakes in this election remind me of something that my dad used to say. He said, “Joey, job’s about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about your place in your community. It’s about you being able to look to your kid in the eye and say, ‘Honey, everything’s going to be okay,’ and mean it.”

Joe Biden: (07:43)
How many people can look their kids in the eye and say that today, “It’s going to be okay,” and mean it? That’s the lesson I’ve never forgotten. That’s why I grew up surrounded by hardworking folks in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware but folks-

Joe Biden: (08:01)
Folks, these times are hard. These times are hard. Unemployment is way up due to the pandemic. The economic outlook for the next year remains uncertain, and across Florida and the country, folks are worried about being able to pay their rent or their next mortgage payment, whether or not they can purchase the prescription or put food on the table, worried about school and their kids. They see the people at the top doing better and better during this crisis, and wondering, “Who’s looking out for me?”

Joe Biden: (08:39)
Folks, that’s Donald Trump’s presidency: 115,000 dead from COVID-19. And experts say, unless we change rapidly, and he has shown no indication he’s willing to change or do the proper thing, we could lose another 200,000 lives the next few months, all because this president is only worried about the stock market, didn’t want to scare anybody. He refused to follow science. It’s established, it’s estimated that if, in fact, we all wore masks between now and January, we could save 100,000 lives over the next few months.

Joe Biden: (09:29)
Folks, what bothers me the most about this guy, in his own words, the president knew back in January, when he was briefed in detail, after lying about it, saying he never read the intelligence community’s warnings about how dangerous this was, what did he do? He learned in January, the end of January, and in fact, that in fact this was a virulent virus, that it was passed on easily, that it was airborne. But he didn’t tell anybody. He went on and tape an interview with Bob Woodward, a journalist, trying to ingratiate himself to him, telling him he knew how dangerous the disease was back in January. But he did nothing, not a single thing. Didn’t say a word to anybody. Ask yourself, why didn’t he tell the country? He said nothing. When he told Woodward, when Woodward asked him why he didn’t say anything, he said, “I didn’t want to panic the American people.” The American people do not panic; Donald Trump panicked! We don’t scare!

Joe Biden: (10:47)
Americans have faced every problem that has ever confronted us, and his reckless personal conduct since the diagnosis has been unconscionable. The longer Donald Trump remains president, the more reckless he becomes. Three more weeks before we end this madness.

Joe Biden: (11:10)
Folks, the most respected doctor in the country on this issue is Dr. Fauci. He referred to the president’s announcement of the Supreme Court with a political event in the Rose Garden, or in the backyard of the White House, he called it a superspreading event. Look at all the people who became contagious and got ill. And how is he responding now? He, Trump, is running a national ad on television, you may have seen it, taking a quote of Dr. Fauci out of context. He said Dr. Fauci said way back in March, referring to the public health officials, he said, “I can’t imagine that anybody could be doing more,” referring to the public health officials across America. Yet, the Trump campaign deliberately lied, making it as sound as if Fauci was talking about Trump. Fauci went public after the ad came out, saying, “I did not give permission for that quote, and it wasn’t referring to the president.”

Joe Biden: (12:23)
Folks, here’s the real point about the lack of ethics: even after Fauci said he didn’t say that about Trump, the Trump campaign said they’ll continue to use the ad knowing it was a lie. Folks, I don’t recall any administration, any presidential candidate in either major party doing anything like that.

Joe Biden: (12:51)
That behavior’s no surprise, though. After all, this is the same man who looks at Americans who put their lives on the line for our nation and calls them losers and suckers. Folks, I carry with me a card, my schedule card, that lays out on the back my schedule. The last back page, in a black box I carried every day for the past 13 years, it says, “Daily troop updates. U.S. troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6,924.” Not around 6,900, 924, because every one of these fallen angels left behind an entire community. They deserve our respect.

Joe Biden: (13:39)
“Troops wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq: 53,194,” not 53,000 about. Folks, my son was one of those who volunteered to go to Iraq for a year, came home and he passed away. He was not a loser. He was an American hero. He won the Bronze Star, the [inaudible 00:14:05] Service Medal. And all his comrades left behind, they were patriots. Who the heck does this guy think he is?

Joe Biden: (14:17)
And now, as a consequence of this overwhelming line and misleading and irresponsible action on the part of Donald Trump, how many empty chairs are there around dinner tables tonight because of his negligence? How many husbands or wives at night lean over to touch and say good night to their wife or husband and they’re not there? How many people have holes in their heart and lost part of their soul? Debbie Ross and I talk about this. How can we have a guy like this?

Joe Biden: (14:51)
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re so much better than this. Despite the crisis we face, we have an enormous opportunity to build this country back better. We’re the only nation in the world, with every crisis we’ve run into, we’ve ended up better off coming out of it than we were before we went in. That’s because America, there’s no quit in America. None! None!

Joe Biden: (15:29)
It’s about time we start rewarding work, not wealth. To get everyone a fair return on their work, an equal chance to get ahead. For example, for communities of color in South Florida and all across this country, the question is how do we break the cycle where in good times you lag behind, and in bad times you get hit first and the hardest, and when recovery comes, you’re the last ones to bounce back? The answer is simple: justice.

Joe Biden: (16:02)
… back. The answer is simple, justice, criminal justice, police reform. I know the nation is strong enough to both honestly face systemic racism and strong enough to provide safe streets for our families and our businesses that too often bear the brunt of looting and burning. We have no need for armed militias roaming American streets, and we should have no tolerance for extremist, white supremacist groups marching on our communities.

Joe Biden: (16:32)
Folks, enough, I say we should trust American law enforcement authorities to do their job, as I do. Let them do their job without extremists and vigilantes. And if you say we have no need to face racial injustice in this country, you haven’t opened your eyes in America. There have been powerful voices for justice in recent weeks and months, I spent time with George Floyd’s family, his six year old daughter, Gianna, when I met with her, I knelt down to say hi to her and she looked at me and said, “Daddy changed the world. Daddy changed the world.” Also, Jacob Blake’s mother, who I got to know when she said, “The violence didn’t reflect her son and the nation needed healing,” and she prayed for the police.

Joe Biden: (17:38)
Or Doc Rivers, a basketball coach, choking back tears when he said, “We’re the ones getting killed. We’re the ones getting shot. We’ve been hung.” Went on to say, “It’s amazing why we keep loving this country, when this country does not love us back.” Think about that. Think about what it takes for a black person to love America. That’s a deep love for this country. That for far too long, has gone never fully recognized.

Joe Biden: (18:13)
We need American leadership to seek out, to deescalate tensions, to open the lines of communication, to bring us together. Look, ladies and gentlemen, we have time… President to heal, heal to hope, as President I’ll do precisely what I will do.

Joe Biden: (18:36)
But it’s also about jobs, good paying jobs, financial stability, families of color building wealth and passing it down. That’s how we deliver equality and equity. For example, more and more women are dropping out of the workforce in this recession, whether in a city or out in the suburbs. We have a plan to deal with this pandemic responsibly, tracing, testing, masking, not politicizing race for vaccines. Look, we have to get vaccines, not politicize it. And we have to plan for a safe and equitable distribution. We have to provide what as of today is not happening, funding for protective equipment, PPE, and other resources for hospital and frontline workers, so the schools can reopen safely. We got to ease the caregiving crisis that so many families experience, a squeeze of raising your kids and caring for an aged loved one. You got to protect your health care.

Joe Biden: (19:45)
In the middle of this pandemic, why do the Republicans have time to hold a hearing to pack the court instead of providing significant economic relief and need for localities? I’ll tell you why. It’s about wiping out the Affordable Care Act, to wipe it off the books. Because their nominee has said in the past, that the law should be struck down. That will take away health care for 20 million Americans. It will take protections away from pre-existing conditions for over a hundred million people. And by the way, kids won’t be able to stay in their parent’s health insurance until they’re 26.

Joe Biden: (20:34)
Complications of COVID-19 like lung scarring, heart damage, will become the next pre-existing condition. We’ll toss out, toss out the coverage for so many children. It will take us backwards to when insurance companies could charge a woman, many of you won’t remember this, but charge a woman more for her healthcare than a man, just because she’s a woman for the same procedure. Folks, we can do so much better than this. Together, we’ll build on the Affordable Care Act. By adding a new health insurance option, a not-for-profit option, to give private insurers a real competitor. We’ll increase subsidies to premiums and lower cost to get more coverage, lower deductibles, lower out-of-pocket expenses. And by the way, anybody, anybody who qualifies for Medicare, but lives in a state like your governor that doesn’t allow for 800,000 people to have it, will automatically be enrolled. It’s wrong.

Joe Biden: (21:54)
But we can only do this, if we come as a country. Last week, I went to Gettysburg, the battlefield in Pennsylvania. Abraham Lincoln, to make a point, we’re in trouble. Abraham Lincoln said there, that a house divided cannot stand. Today, trust is ebbing, hope is elusive. Instead of healing, we’re being ripped apart. And I refuse to let that happen. When I announced, when I was running, I said I was running, one of the reasons was to unite America and I was made fun of. They said, “You can’t do that anymore. You used to be able to do it, Joe. You can’t do it now.” But the only way democracy can function is with consensus. Otherwise, it becomes semi-dictatorial like this guys trying to be.

Joe Biden: (23:02)
Look, we need to revive the spirit of bipartisan in the country. A spirit of being able to work with one another. When I say that I’m told that that was fine, Joe. You used to be able to do that, but you can’t do it anymore. Well, I’m here to tell you, we can, we must, and we’re going to get it done.

Joe Biden: (23:29)
Look, I’m running as a proud Democrat. But I will govern as an American President. I’ll work for Democrats and Republicans. I’ll work for those who vote against me, as hard as those who voted for me. That’s the job of a President, to heal. It’s a duty to care, to care for every…

Joe Biden: (24:03)
It’s a duty to care, to care for everyone. Look, folks, and you too have a sacred duty. As my friend, John Lewis, who recently passed away would say, “It’s a sacred obligation to vote. And it matters.” Florida matters. You elected me and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. And I’m asking for your trust and support again in 2020 for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.

Joe Biden: (24:33)
Because, folks, I promise you, I promise you, we will always have your back. I promise you. I give you my word. So, please vote, and help us get out the vote. It’s been mentioned before to go to iwillvote.com/fl. You can still request your vote by mail ballot and do it as soon as you can. If you haven’t already mailed yours and you have one, mail it, or drop it in a box today, drop box today. You can also vote in person starting October 19th here in Broward County where this election will be determined.

Joe Biden: (25:41)
Folks, the country needs you. Tell everyone you know, everyone you meet, to vote no matter what. Don’t let anyone discourage you or tell you your voice won’t count. It does. It will. You are the American people, and you will decide our future, not Trump. So, vote. Folks.

Speaker 2: (26:10)
We love you [inaudible 00:26:17].

Joe Biden: (26:16)
Thank you. As my friend, the Congresswoman, Debbie knows, I hadn’t planned on running this time. My son had passed away, and I was working as a professor, and I thought, “Enough.” But then, when I saw those people coming out of the fields in Charlottesville, my word, carrying torches, close your eyes. Remember what you saw. Their veins bulging, chanting the same anti-Semitic bile, carrying Nazi insignias that were carried and chanted in Germany, in the 30s. Accompanied by the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists, David Duke, the grand [preagle 00:27:09] saying, “This is why we elected him.”

Joe Biden: (27:14)
And then a young woman protesting was killed. They went to the president of United States and they said, “Mr. President, what do you think?” Here’s what he said. Something no president in American history has ever said, ” There were very fine people on both sides.” God almighty.

Joe Biden: (27:39)
That’s when I realized, and I said at the time, we’re literally in a battle for the soul of this country, for our decency, our honor, our compassion, who we are. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men and women are great. Folks, we’ve never fully lived up to that. We’ve never walked away from it. Every generation has opened the aperture wider. This is the first president ever that’s flat walked away from it.

Joe Biden: (28:10)
It’s time to restore America’s soul. It’s time to rebuild the backbone of America, the middle class. It’s time to bring everybody along. No matter your race, your age, your gender, your ethnicity, your sexual orientation, or your disability. It’s time to unite America. And we’ll do that by choosing hope over fear. By choosing science over fiction, truth over lies, and unity over division.

Joe Biden: (28:42)
There’s nothing beyond the capacity of this nation when we stand together. So it’s time to stand up, take back this democracy. When I was a kid and John Kennedy said, “We’re going to the moon.” Everybody remembers. We all had to learned what he said about that, the speech. There’s one line and it always used on the Senate floor when I was a Senator. My colleges would kid me.

Joe Biden: (29:08)
And he answered the unasked question, “Why are we doing this?” He said, “Because I refuse to postpone.” I refuse to postpone one more day this president’s irresponsible action. So let’s get up. Let’s take back this country. Show the world who we are. May God bless you and may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you.