Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams Campaign Event for Georgia Senate Runoff Election Transcript December 15

Stacey Abrams: (00:00)
… values. And we have a perfect partner for him. Someone who seems to forget her values when opportunity is on the line and that’s Kelly Loeffler. But with John Ossoff and Rafael, we’re not, when they get to the US Senate, we get the better deal that we need. We get the change that we need. We get the progress that we need. Let’s put it into context.

You see while 161,000 Georgians face eviction this year if we don’t get relief, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are writing strongly worded letters to a baseball team. While 160,000 people worry. If they will be able to sleep inside at night, they’re worried about the name of a baseball team. While we know that one in four small businesses in Georgia that were around last year have disappeared in 2020, Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue are suing to overturn an election in the State of Georgia. And while we know that 4.1 million Georgians have filed for job loss claims 4.1 million job loss claims, including 30,000, just last Thursday. The response from Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue is to make money off of their stock trades. We deserve better, Georgia. We deserve Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. But we won’t get them unless we do our part. You see, we’ve got to remember why we’re doing this. We’ve got to remember that we just elected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to go to the White House, but they need help.

If we do this right, we’ll get Daniel Blackman in the PSC, so our rates will go down and our opportunities will go up. But it’s going to take all of us. It’s going to take all of us to address an economic crisis that has imperiled our state. It is going to take all of us to address a healthcare crisis, where nine of our counties don’t have doctors. Where 76 of them don’t have OB GYNs, where 60 counties don’t have a pediatrician for sick children. And we’re nine of our hospitals have shut down since 2010.

And instead of standing up for Georgia, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue have done nothing but fight to end healthcare and to take it away from Georgians, but we need Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff because they know that healthcare access isn’t a slogan, it’s a requirement. It is a right. And we will have it when we send them to Washington, DC. At a time, when our economy is imperative. When we need investment in our small businesses, when people who proclaim to be capitalists seem to only believe in capitalism for themselves. When we need money to our families and businesses to help our communities, while Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue, watch Mitch McConnell burn our economy down and they stand behind them holding the matches. We need to send our firefighters, our first responders. We are sending John Ossoff and Rafael Warnock to DC to save America. That’s what [inaudible 00:03:21].

And in a moment where racial justice, where economic justice, where environmental justice are on the line, Kelly Loeffler poses accidentally for the second time with a KKK leader. And unfortunately, David Perdue has a hard time pronouncing the letter, K. Doesn’t seem to understand that the diversity that built america is the diversity will save America. But we don’t have to wait for them to learn, to do their jobs. We’ve got Rafael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and they will get the job done.

So I’m here to ask you for a little help one more time. You see, last time I talked to you, I said we needed to make a plan to vote. Well, we need to do it again. The last time we talked, I said, we need to send in our mail in ballots, return them in your drop boxes or in your mailboxes, but we need to do it again. Last time we talked, I said, we need to early vote like we haven’t before.

You did it before, let’s do it again. And on last call on January 6th, on last call, when we can finally cast our ballot and cast behind us, the worst four years that we have had in a long time and lay out for all of us, the best four years that are yet to come, I need you to show up. I need you to show out. I need you to bring your friends and your families, but I need you to bring your prayers and your spirit. Because we have a chance to save America, Georgia. And this isn’t hyperbole, this is fact. Because as John likes to say, when Bonnie and Clyde go back to DC, they’re going back for themselves. We need to get rid of Kelly and David. We need to lift up John and Raphael. And more importantly, we need to lift up the people of Georgia because we’ve waited too long. We have fought too hard, but we know how to do it because on November 3rd, we showed America with Georgia’s got. So come on you all, let’s do it again. Let’s get it done. Thank you so much.

(Music)

Speaker 2: (06:13)
Please welcome, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

Speaker 2: (06:38)
(Music)

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms: (06:42)
All good afternoon to the great blue state of Georgia. It always seems impossible until it’s done. Those words may have been spoken by Nelson Mandela many years ago, but today they capture the mood of more than 81 million voters across this country. It always seems impossible until it’s done. When Joe Biden entered the presidential race for the third time, many thought it would be impossible that he would receive the Democratic nomination, until it was done. Just last month, when you showed up to the polls across Georgia in record numbers, people thought it would be impossible to turn Georgia blue, until it was done. As we face an historic opportunity in this state toy, like Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Two men who with their presence will change the balance of the United States Senate, it may seem impossible, Georgia. But when you show up to vote, we will get it done.

Voters like you, of every race, creed and sexual orientation, took the words of Congressman John Lewis to heart when he said, “Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society.” You made a difference simply by showing up to vote in November. And because you dare to use the power of your vote, the moral arc of this country now bends towards a more just America. I was recently asked what makes me optimistic. Without hesitation, I responded, “My children.” You see, when I look at them, I can’t help, but hope for a better tomorrow. A tomorrow in which the color of their skin does not equate to a subtraction of the years that they will spend on this earth. A tomorrow in which I can have hopes for my children beyond them simply surviving, but dreams of them thriving and having the freedom to be all God created them to be.

When I look at my children, I am optimistic, because I know their future will not be left up to fate. Because in just a few short weeks, there will be a president and a vice president in the White House who will make decisions with my children and millions of children across this country, on their hearts and on their minds. It always seems impossible until it’s done. We’re no strangers to close races here in Georgia. In case you’ve forgotten, the Atlanta mayor’s race just a few years ago, the week of the election, the polls showed that I was six points down that people across the country started calling their aunties and they were texting their cousins and they were posting on social media asking, “What are you all doing in Atlanta?” The energy created from that groundswell helped fuel our victory. People who had not voted in years, came out to vote. And with just 832 votes, I was elected the 60th mayor of Atlanta.

That campaign I’ve reminded people all across Atlanta, that Atlanta was a place where impossible dreams were still able to take form. Well, that’s still true today. The impossible dream of turning Georgia blue and keeping Georgia blue can and will take form, if you show up to vote on January 5th.

Georgia, it was close, but we got it done for president-elect Joe Biden and vice president elect Kamala Harris. But even with our record turnout in November, nearly 1 million registered African American voters in this state stayed home. That’s 1 million too many. It always seems impossible until it’s done. And so that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be able to the work that they need to get done for the people of Georgia, who are wondering where their next meal will come from, who are grieving the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. For the people who are out of work across this country, we must get it done for Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock on January 5th.

In the words of Audrey Lorde, “Revolution is not a one-time event.” In the words of Frederick Douglass, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” In the words of John Lewis, “We may not have chosen the time, but the time has chosen us.” In the words of Andre 3000, “The South got something to say, and that’s all I’m going to say.” It may seem impossible, Georgia, but we can, we must and we will get it done. Thank you. And may God bless and keep each of you.

(Music).

Speaker 2: (13:57)
Please welcome, John Ossoff, candidate for US Senate.

Jon Ossoff: (14:23)
Good afternoon, Atlanta. Thank you so much for being here. Give it up one more time for the mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you all so much for being here. The message today is simple, Georgia. The polls are open and it is time to vote. It is time to vote like we have never before, Georgia. See for the first time in four years, we’re feeling hope in our hearts. He may not know it yet, but Donald Trump is leaving. Georgia sent Donald Trump packing. And now we’re feeling hope in our hearts because for the first time in four years, we have the opportunity to define the next chapter in American history. And it’s Georgia that has the power. It’s Georgia voters who have the power to write the next chapter in American history. And Georgia voters are standing up for health, jobs and justice for the people. Health, jobs, and justice for the people. Think about how far we’ve come, Georgia. Think about how far the American South has come. Our great state is the most competitive battleground state in this great-

Jon Ossoff: (16:03)
… is the most competitive battleground state in this great country. We did that. All of you did that. Stacey Abrams did that. All of the activists and volunteers who have registered voters and organized and mobilized people did that. Georgia is the most competitive battleground state in this country. And with these two Senate runoff elections to determine control of the United States Senate, you’ve got the young Jewish son of an immigrant mentored by John Lewis, running alongside a black preacher who holds Dr. King’s pulpit at Ebeneezer Baptist Church who pastored John Lewis, helping to lead this movement for health, jobs, and justice for the people.

Jon Ossoff: (16:46)
Health, jobs, and justice. Let’s talk about health. We’ve lost more than 300,000 Americans to this virus, a virus our Senator David Perdue told us was no deadlier than the common flu while he was buying up shares in manufacturers of vaccines and medical equipment. Our lives have been torn apart. Millions have lost jobs and homes and livelihoods and business. We need to empower Georgia Centers for Disease Control and doctors and scientists across this country to beat this virus, get our daily lives back, and save lives. And Georgia has the power to do that. Georgia has the power to do that.

Jon Ossoff: (17:44)
Let’s talk about health. Even before this virus, 2 million Georgians lacked health insurance. Half of our counties have no OBGYN doctor. Maternal mortality for black women in Georgia is as high as it is for women in Iraq. We’ve lost nine rural hospitals in 10 years. People are suffering in this state unnecessarily, dying in this state unnecessarily. We’re going to get out and vote Georgia because we believe that healthcare is a human right, and not just a privilege for those who can afford it. We believe that every single family in this state deserves the best healthcare in the world. We believe that a lack of wealth should never prevent us from getting the care that we need. Georgia is standing up for the health of the people.

Jon Ossoff: (18:44)
Health, jobs, and justice. Let’s talk about jobs. How is it that right now, in the midst of this crisis, our senators are not at work passing direct economic relief for the American people and support for small businesses? David and Kelly should be in Washington delivering $1,200 checks for every single Georgian and $500 for every child in this state because people are hurting and we need help now. And once we get this direct economic relief to the people, Georgia, we can pass the most ambitious infrastructure jobs and clean energy program in American history. We can create tens of thousands of jobs across the state. We can make America the number one producer of clean energy in the world and Georgia the number one producer of clean energy in the American South. We can do these things to create good paying jobs for the people. We can raise the minimum wage to $15. We can put small businesses first and not just corporate lobbyists in Washington. We can deliver health and jobs for the people.

Jon Ossoff: (20:02)
Now let’s talk about justice. Let’s talk about justice, Georgia. When a young black man named Ahmaud Arbery in Glenn County, Georgia is shot to death in broad daylight in the street on camera and local authorities look the other way, that makes a mockery of equal protection under the law. And so Georgia, we have the power to pass a new Civil Rights Act that will guarantee equal justice for all, no matter our race and no matter our class, that will end brutality and racial profiling. And we have the power, Georgia, to pass a new Voting Rights Act that will end the voter suppression and secure the [inaudible 00:20:56] for all people in this country.

Jon Ossoff: (20:57)
We have the power, Georgia, to stand up for health and jobs and justice for the people, for all the people. We have the power. So Georgia, not for my sake, not for the glory of any political party, but for our community, for our state, for our country, I’m asking you to work. I’m asking you to mobilize. I’m asking you to knock on doors and make phone calls. I’m asking you to get everybody you know out to the polls these next few weeks, because so much is riding on this.

Jon Ossoff: (21:35)
We are joined today by the President Elect of the United States. We are welcoming Joe Biden to Georgia, but Georgia, we need to do right by Joe Biden. We need to make sure Joe Biden can pass his agenda. Because if Mitch McConnell controls the Senate, they’re going to try to do to Joe and Kamala, just like they tried to do to President Obama. They will block the COVID relief that we need. They will block the $15 minimum wage. They will block the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act that we need. They will block affordable health care. We can’t let that happen, Georgia. We have too much good work to do.

Jon Ossoff: (22:19)
So thank you for everything that you’re doing to get out the vote. Let’s put in the work these next few weeks to win these two elections. Let’s send two new United States senators to Washington. I’m honored to run alongside Reverend Raphael Warnock. Thank you so much, Georgia, for everything. I love you. I appreciate you. Let’s get out the vote. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Speaker 3: (23:27)
Please welcome Reverend Warnock, candidate for US Senate.

Reverand Warnock: (23:53)
Well, hello, Georgia. You all sound like you’re ready to win an election. Let’s hear it again for a man I’ve come to call my brother from another mother, Jon Ossoff. Let’s hear it for our amazing mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and for a woman who saw the vision and believed that we could do this when others said we couldn’t, Stacey Abrams.

I cannot tell you how honored I am to be with you in this defining moment in American history. And I’m grateful just to be here with you as welcome back to Georgia, a man who won Georgia. And yesterday, in spite of all of the shenanigans, we awarded him the 16 electoral seats from the great state of Georgia, President Elect Joe Biden. We congratulate him and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris. Georgia, you did it.

We say to America, welcome to the new Georgia. Welcome to the blue Georgia. But our work is not done. We’re just getting started. We say all the time that elections have consequences. But I have to tell you that after going through what all of us have witnessed these last several months, some 300,000 American souls that have now perished, to say that elections have consequences feels like a gross understatement. Elections, as we have learned tragically this year, are a matter of life and death. And so vote, Georgia, like your life depends on it because it actually does. Are you ready to win this election? The most powerful words ever heard in a democracy are the people have spoken. And when we stand up and speak, when we make sure no one silences our voices or diminishes our vote, we give honor to that great American covenant, that we are one people knit together, not by race or ethnicity or national origin or religion, but knit together by an idea. E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. And I’m so proud to stand with you this afternoon because I am an example and an iteration of the American story. I stand here this afternoon, but I can never forget that I’m a kid who grew up in public housing down in Savannah, Georgia, one of 12 children in my family. I’m number 11. Clearly my folks read the scripture that says be fruitful and multiply. They took it rather seriously. I’m one of 12 children. And my dad used to wake me up early every morning. He was a veteran, a pastor, and a small businessman, and he believed that you should just get up early and get moving. He used to wake me up at dawn seven days a week during the school year, during the summer. And he would say, “Son, get up. Get dressed. Get ready. Put your shoes on.” Well, it was summertime and I was seven years old. And I said to my dad, “Get ready for what?” And I think I stumped him. He said, “I don’t know. I’ll figure that out later. Whatever it is, just be ready.”

Now that was a bit irritating when I was seven and 10 and 12 and 14 years old. But now I’m so glad that my dad poured into me that kind of work ethic because in this defining moment in American history, I want you to know that I’m ready. I’m ready to be one of your next two United States senators from the great state of Georgia.

So with that work ethic that my folks poured into me, I went to Morehouse College. I often say that I went to Morehouse on a full faith scholarship. That means I didn’t have enough money for the first semester, but I just wanted to be in that place where Martin Luther King Jr attended. And I got there through prayer and hard work. But I also got there because somebody gave me some Pell Grants and some low-interest student loans. In other words, somebody provided for me a path to the American promise. Only in America is my story even possible. The kid who grew up in public housing goes on to receive four degrees, including a PhD degree. And now I’m running for the United States Senate against the wealthiest member of Congress. That’s the American promise.

My mother, now 82 years old, who grew up in the 1950s in Waycross, Georgia. You know where that is? Way across Georgia. Picking cotton and somebody else’s tobacco. Well, the other day, the hands that picked tobacco and cotton, now because we have entered this period of voting, gets to pick her youngest son to be the next United States Senator from the great state of Georgia. We got to stand up, Georgia, in this defining moment because that promise is slipping away from too many of our children. College debt has now surpassed student loans and auto loans. Our children should not have a mortgage before they get a mortgage. That is a burden on them and it is a-

… that is a burden on them and it is a burden on the American economy. And so we’ve got to rise now up in this defining moment, we can not go to sleep. We’ve got to get this virus under control. We’ve got to distribute this vaccine safely and efficiently. We’ve got to strengthen the Affordable Care Act over against those who want to destroy the Affordable Care Act. We’ve got to make sure that people with pre-existing conditions are never denied coverage because healthcare is a human right and it is certainly something the richest nation on the planet can, and ought to, provide to all of its citizens. We’ve got to pass criminal justice reform.

Omar Jimenez, a member of my congregation, was arrested on live television while reporting for CNN. The badge he was wearing as not as significant as the skin he was wearing. And so anybody who’s looking at this fairly knows that we have to have criminal justice reform, we have to stand by law enforcement, and we also have to hold people accountable because the covenant we have with one another is equal protection under the law. That’s what it means to be America.

We’ve got to do this. And we’ve got to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. And so I’m ready. I’m ready, are you ready? We can do this! We’ve got big problems and big issues, and that’s why we have to stand together. And we can’t allow anybody, or anything, to divide us. Folks who have no vision traffic in division. And so my opponent, Kelly Loeffler, is busy trying to distract the people of Georgia because she can’t account for her 10 months. She was appointed, the people of Georgia are disappointed. She’s done a good job enriching herself, profiting from the pandemic, but when it came time to give ordinary folks $600 in unemployment insurance she said that she saw no need, she said it was counterproductive. Georgia deserves two United States senators who will not be thinking about themselves but thinking about the people that we were sent there to represent. And if you send Jon Ossoff there, if you send me there, I promise you we’ll be thinking about Georgia every day. I got Georgia on my mind.

And we’re ready to get this done. I’ve been moving all across this state talking to folk who’ve lost livelihoods and loved ones to this pandemic. Now more than ever we must stand together. And I hear the ancestors ushering us on.

I told you my father used to wake me up every morning and say, “Get up, get dressed, put your shoes on.” He’d wake me up at dawn. The thing about dawn is that it’s morning but it’s still dark. It’s dark but morning is on the way. Hold on, joy comes in the morning, the light shines in the darkness. The darkness overcometh at night. We can’t control what happens in morning but we have to get up and get ready, get dressed, put your moral clothes on, put your shoes on. I want to ask you one last time, are you ready? I’m ready! I’m ready to stand up for affordable healthcare, stand up for a livable wage, stand up for voting rights and equal rights, stand up in this defining moment in American history. Let’s win the future for all of our children! Put your shoes on, let’s get it done!

Announcer: (40:37)
(singing)

Announcer: (40:40)
Please welcome Imani Bennett.

(singing)

Good afternoon everyone. My name is Imani Bennett, I’m currently a sophomore at Spelman College and I’m a true Atlanta native. Now both of my parents are educators and through their experience in the classroom, and my personal lived experiences, I’ve been so inspired and motivated to be a social justice activist.

Now today I’m so honored to get to help you all elect Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the US Senate. This election was my first time voting and I was so excited to cast my ballot for Biden and Harris. In addition, I voted for two senators who have my interests at heart but also two men of integrity. I’m voting this January to make sure my rights are protect. Warnock and Ossoff will work with President-Elect Biden to put our country back, ensure Georgians have access to more affordable healthcare, and slow the spread of COVID. And as someone who’s family and friends has been affected by this pandemic that’s very important to me. Ossoff and Warnock will also fight to invest more in HBCUs like mine.

I’m here today because I’m voting like my life depends on it. I’m here to ask you all to do everything you possibly can to get Mr. Warnock and Ossoff in office in November. I don’t want to wake up January 5th thinking, “What if I called someone else? What if I put up more signs?” I want to wake up January 5th knowing I put it all on the table. I’m asking you all to do it again. We did it in November and we can do it again in January.

And now it’s my honor and privilege to introduce the next president of the United States President-Elect Joe Biden.

Joe Biden: (42:47)
(singing)

Joe Biden: (43:47)
Hello Atlanta. Hello Keisha Bottoms, mayor of Atlanta. Great mayor of Atlanta. Hello Georgia, it’s great to be back. It really is. Let’s here it for Keisha Lance Bottoms, the best in the business. Had my back through this whole deal. And give it up for Congresswoman-Elect Nikema Williams. Where is she? She here? Anyway, she … Look, I have no doubt John Lewis is proud as can be.

Joe Biden: (44:23)
And what about the one and only Stacey Abrams? Stacey if we had 10 of you we could rule the whole world. God love you. You’re doing an incredible job. And here is there anyone in America who has done more to protect the right to vote in this election, is there anyone who’s done more to make sure the voice of every Georgian is heard? I don’t think so! Stacey Abrams you’re a hero. You’re the one that got this going. And we all thank you.

Joe Biden: (45:02)
And, of course, honk for your next United States senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock! Georgia let me start with two simple words, thank you. Thank you for turning out in record numbers in the November election. Thank you for the faith you put in me and Vice President- Elect Harris. And thank you for standing strong to make sure your voices were heard, your votes were counted, and counted, and counted again. I’m starting to feel like I won Georgia three times. I have to say it feels pretty good.

Joe Biden: (45:55)
I think all of you just taught Donald Trump a lesson. In this election Georgia wasn’t going to be bullied; Georgia wasn’t going to be silenced; Georgia certainly wasn’t going to stand by and let Donald Trump, or the state of Texas, or anyone else come in here and toss out your votes. But you know who did stand by? You know did nothing while Trump, Texas, and others were trying to wipe out every single one of the almost five million votes you had cast here in Georgia in November? Your two Republican senators. They stood by. In fact, your two Republican senators fully embraced what Texas was telling the Supreme Court. They fully embraced nullifying nearly five million Georgia votes. You might want to remember that come January 5th.

Joe Biden: (46:53)
Now I’ll try to be generous here, in the spirit of the season, maybe your senators were just confused. Maybe they think they represent Texas. Well if you want to do the bidding of Texas you should be running in Texas, not in Georgia. Because you know what? You got a couple of folks running for the United States Senate in this state who aren’t confused at all. Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, they’re running to represent Georgia. Georgia. They’ll actually fight for you, represent you, stand up for you. They won’t put Texas first. They won’t put Donald Trump first. They won’t put themselves first either. They’ll put you first, the people of Georgia. There’s no doubt in my mind, none, none, that if Texas, or Trump, or anyone else in the United States Senate tries doing anything else except respect the will of the people of Georgia they’ll move Heaven and Earth to stop them. Folks …

Joe Biden: (48:03)
… heaven and earth to stop them. Folks, you all did something extraordinary in November, you voted in record numbers. You voted to improve the lives of every Georgian, and you voted as if your life depended on it. Well, guess what? Now you’re going to have to do it again come January 5th. You’ve got to vote in record numbers again because yes, the lives of every Georgian still depend on what you’re doing. Yes, you still need to vote as if your life depends on it because it does. And guess what? You don’t have to wait until January 5th to vote. You can vote starting now, early vote has begun. There’s no one, that’s not one reason here why you should wait to vote, so don’t wait. Let me hear how many of you folks have already voted? How many of you are you going to vote today? And how many of you have a plan to vote, get your family members to vote, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker? Let me hear it, we got to vote.

Joe Biden: (49:25)
Is Georgia going to break the record for voting in these little state Senate elections? I think so. Now let me tell you something, there are a lot of folks betting you won’t. There are a lot of folks thinking maybe Georgia broke the record for votes for presidential election, but there’s no way they’d do it again in this special election for two seats in the United States Senate, are you ready to prove them wrong? I think you are. I think Georgia’s going to shock the nation with the number of people who vote on January the fifth. Am I right, Georgia? Am I right?

Joe Biden: (50:04)
But we’ve got a lot of work to do, and I plan to get to work right away doing it. I need two senators from this state, I want to get something done. Not two senators who are just going to get in the way, because look, getting nothing done just hurts Georgia. Look at what’s happening right now in the Congress, the United States Senate should have passed the coronavirus and [inaudible 00:50:31] relief package months ago. People are hurting, millions out of work, small businesses closing. People are struggling to pay their rent, worried that after Christmas they’ll be thrown out before New Year’s. Concerned about paying their mortgage, over 10 million. Putting food on the table has become a Herculean task for so many. And what’s the United States Senate doing? Nothing. People need help and they need it right now. States like Georgia need help to keep firefighters, cops, first responders, educators on the job. We needed immediate funding for testing and vaccine distribution, we need to get money to people’s pockets right away.

Joe Biden: (51:22)
Look, don’t get me wrong, I hope Congress passes a package right away, but it should support firefighters, it should, educators, first responders. It should also support the testing and vaccinations we need. It should deliver direct cash payments to people right away when they badly needed to stay on top. The two Republican senators are not supporting that kind of package. Both Jon and Raphael do. There’s so much more we can get done, on COVID, on revitalizing our economy, on healthcare, on voting rights, on criminal justice, racial justice, on climate change, we can get so much done. So much that can make the lives of people of Georgia and the whole country so much better. And we need senators who are willing to do it for God’s sake.

Joe Biden: (52:17)
So let me hear you, are you ready to vote for the two senators that are doers and not roadblocks? Are we ready to vote for two senators who will fight for progress, and not just in the way of progress? Are you ready to vote for two senators who know how to say yes, not just the word, no?

Joe Biden: (52:38)
Look, let’s me about Jon and Raphael for just a minute. Jon was born and raised in Atlanta, cut his teeth in politics and justice, equality under our dear friend, John Lewis. An immigrant’s son who traveled all across this state sharing his belief in delivering the promise of America to all Georgians. Beating this pandemic, rebuilding our economy, healthcare, education, jobs and justice. A husband’s wife is a doctor at Emory, seeing this pandemic on the front lines, a fresh voice who will only do the work of the people, who will always put their interests first. And the only person’s interest, in fact, to the people of Georgia, that’s what he does, that’s his heart. Jon will always be there for you, and I promise you, and he’ll be there for the rest of the country as well. Jon, I’m looking forward to work with you, man. I really am.

Joe Biden: (53:44)
And Reverend Warnock, with how hard you’re working, I don’t know how the heck you stay in such great shape, man. You [inaudible 00:53:51] get up and do it, man, I tell you. I reached up and grabbed his arm, it’s as big as my thigh. You’re a good man, Rev. His story is your story of never giving up on the dream of America. 11th of 12 siblings, grew up in public housing and Savannah. The first in his family to go to college, got there on Pell Grants, work study. Another Morehouse man, I spoke down to Morehouse…. A lot of men of Morehouse.

Joe Biden: (54:29)
I tell you what, a man of God, of Ebenezer, literally standing in the righteous footsteps of Dr. King. As he says, “For him public service didn’t stop at the church door, after preaching on Sunday sermons.” It’s advocating for better healthcare, a living wage for working people, a fair and more equal justice system and a fighting chance for all Georgians. He’ll bring his soul to his work because that’s who he is. And he is you, he’ll always be your voice in Washington. Have no doubt about that. And I can hardly wait to work with you as well Senator.

Joe Biden: (55:13)
Look, I said when I announced one of the three reasons I was running to restore the soul of America, well, electing people of character is how you restore the soul of America, people like Jon and Raphael. And it matters, they know public service. Isn’t about them, it’s about you. They know public service isn’t about enriching themselves, it’s about making people’s lives better. They know the Lord leaves it to me or anyone else, it’s to the people of Georgia.

Joe Biden: (55:51)
This is a tough moment for the country, we just passed 300,000 deaths due to COVID. Like many of you, I know what it feels like to lose someone who’s part of your heart. I know what that black hole that seems to open up and your chest feels like, it seems like you’re being sucked into it. I know how especially hard it is this time of year when you look across the table and you see that empty chair at Christmas or New Year’s. My heart really goes out to all of you who’ve lost a loved one, who’ve gotten sick or are suffering from the disease. Yet in this darkness, we finally got some good news with the vaccine approval. Still, it’s going to take time and money to scale up the manufacturing, distribution and the element of injections, the element of injections of the vaccine.

Joe Biden: (56:58)
Meanwhile, the economic crisis has left millions of Americans out of work through no fault of their own. They need to get immediate help, their family is struggling right now. We need to get moving on, rebuilding our economy, building back better than it was before. As tough as this moment is in this country, as dark as these days of winter seem, I’m still more optimistic about the future of this country than I’ve been my whole career. I know what we can do. I know what this country is capable of. I know the future we can build together, and I’m hoping you’ll send Jon and Raphael to Washington to help me get that done.

Joe Biden: (57:42)
Folks, it really it’s time to leave the anger and bitter politics of division behind us. It’s time for us to come together as a country and start delivering on what we have to get done for the people of America. This is the United States of America, and it’s ready to act. So send Jon and Raphael to Washington, and that’s what will happen. I ran on the commitment to be president for all Americans, Jon and Raphael are running out of the commitment to be senators for all Georgians. I’m asking you, which you’re already doing to support them. Because if you do the doors of promise and progress are going to open in Washington. We’re going to start to get done what we have to do. More than anything will make the lives of every Georgian, the lives of every American better. That’s not hyperbole, that’s a fact and it all begins with your vote.

Joe Biden: (58:50)
It’s starting today, as I said, you can vote early. Go to iwillvote.com/ga to find your polling location. Tell your friends, your family, just like you did in November. Turn out the vote, so it’s not even close. Don’t give them an excuse, don’t let them take away your power. Vote for both Jon and Raphael and remember the final words left to us by Congressman, my dear friend, an American hero, John Lewis, remember what John said? He said, “The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change you have in a democratic society and you must use it because it’s not guaranteed, you can lose it.” So use it.

Joe Biden: (59:40)
You have the power to win this election again, let your voices be heard, so the voice of Georgia can be heard. There’s nothing beyond our capacity, there’s no limit to America’s future. The only thing that can tear America apart is America itself. So let’s choose hope over fear, unity over division, science over fiction and yes, truth over lies. It’s time to stand up and take back our democracy. Send me these two men and we will control the Senate and we will change the lives of people in Georgia. God bless you, and may God protect our troops. Go out and vote. Vote, vote.

Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams Campaign Event for Georgia Senate Runoff Election Transcript December 15

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