underway. the theme is leadership matters and like last night it is virtual and delegates are casting their vote through video officially choosing joe biden as the democratic nominee for president. former president bill clinton already spoken we are expecting to hear from doctor joe biden who will address the convention from the high school in delaware where she taught english in the 1990s. >> this is a live look from the feed, the virtual world all is happening as we speak. let's bring in our political order. what are we expecting tonight? >> if you ever wanted a clear indication of how different this is and how an orthodox because it is virtual, this is normally the most rousing part of the convention as they are doing the roll call and people are cheering and announcing their delegates and their votes and instead we get these prepackaged videos that we see in missouri right now.

that is unique and in this last hour, last night was about hearing normal people's stories and tonight was heavy on previously elected reviews. we expect to hear about national security from colin powell in the second hour and likely very emotional speech from doctor joe biden speaking about her husband. we will wrap up all of this and we want to get you right to that virtual rollcall. >> workers are dying from covid- 19 and a lot of us don't have paid sick leave work quality protective equipment. we are human beings and not disposable. we want to keep helping and we need a president who will have our back. nebraska cast 33 votes for joe biden. >> working people are the backbone of our economy and the key to our recovery. joe biden knows it is not enough to praise, we need to

reward them so let's raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, empower workers to negotiate for more pay and better workplaces and make it easier to pay for healthcare and higher education. i am proud to cast 24 votes for bernie sanders and 25 for joe biden. >> we trust joe biden. joe will provide the leadership to bring us back from this awful pandemic. he has a plan to attack global climate change and joe will restore honesty and decency to the white house. reunite all americans and build a better future. the great state of new hampshire awards nine delegates to our friend and neighbor bernie sanders and 24 to the next president of the united states, joe biden. >> we have been hit hard by brick, but we are coming back and we have to be smart.

we have to listen to the experts and have a president who has a plan. that is why in memory of all those we have lost, in solidarity with those who are sick or struggling and eternal gratitude for the front-line workers, new jersey casts five votes for bernie sanders and 139 for the next president of the united states, joe biden. >> greetings and good evening. i am state representative coming from you to you from the homeland of my ancestors. new mexico insight a diverse state home to 23 indigenous sovereign nations. we are united by the love of this beautiful place that we call home and we owe it to the next generation to protect resources that are their inheritance and to that and also respect travel sovereignty. new mexico probably cast four votes for bernie sanders and 42

for the next president of the united states of america >> as an immigrant and- -registered nurse i am proud to be part of america's fight against covid-19 19. many healthcare workers don't get paid sick leave or have enough protective equipment i have two children with asthma and a mother who is high risk. i worry every day about bringing this virus home to them. joe biden's plan will help us take better care of your loved ones as well as our own. along with lieutenant governor, i cast new york office votes, 44 votes for bernie sanders and 277 for our next president, joe

biden. >> north carolina. >> i have been doing this for a long time. black people especially black women are the backbone of this party and if we don't show up, democrats don't get elected. we are going to every quarter in north carolina to help organize because we need to make sure everyone shows up for joe biden. he will show up for us. north carolina cast 39 votes for bernie sanders and 83 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden. >> north dakota. >> welcome to the homeland--. i graduated from a class of 44 students and i had to drive three hours to the sat. growing up i knew college was a letter that could take you anywhere. joe biden knows that everyone needs a chance to climb that ladder. as a tribal member and mexican-

american and harvard graduate i am proud to cast 10 for bernie sanders and 8 for joe biden. >> hello from paradise. we may be far away, but we are american citizens and this year for the first time in decades we finally have a democratic slate because democrats organize everywhere. we don't get to vote for president so don't waste yours. the islands is proud to cast two votes for bernie sanders and 9 for our next president joe biden. >> ohio. >> it seems like every time working people believe in idolatry promise they ended up getting screwed. joe biden has more than a promise, he has a plan to bring jobs back to america.

>> electric vehicles are a national network of infrastructure that will create good paying jobs for skilled workers in the future will be made in america. ohio casts 20 votes for bernie sanders and 124 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden. >> oklahoma. >> 99 years ago racial violence ruined a community. today, hatred still lives in our nation. oklahoma will not be defined by division they are and we must turn back the tide of violence now. oklahoma casts 13 votes for bernie sanders and 24 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden . >> we proudly represent oregon. the viruses covid-19 and racism-

-. >> democrats are working to bridge divides and make sure everyone has access to quality care and today oregon has 16 votes for bernie sanders. >> and 57 votes for joe biden. >> pennsylvania. >> when joe biden was he came to this house in scranton, sat down on joe's bed and told him he lost his job. is a moment that stayed with joe his entire life. right now all across america working families are experiencing that same fear and uncertainty, but joe biden has a plan to help and help our country build back better creating millions of good paying jobs so more parents can tell their kids what joe's dad said to him all those years ago. it's going to be okay.

pennsylvania casts 34 for bernie sanders in 175 for the next president of the united states, scranton's own, joe biden. >> [ speaking spanish ] >> rhode island, where our restaurant and fishing industry have been decimated by this pandemic. we are lucky to have a governor whose program lets out fishermen sell their catches directly to the public and--the

call amari come back state of rhode island cast one vote is bernie sanders and 34 votes for the next president of the united states, joe biden. >> mr. chairman, i am candidate for the united states senate speaking from the campus of south carolina state university, this proud--has contributed 22 general officers to our armed services and, tonight, i probably cast the 64 votes as follows. 15 for bernie sanders and 49 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden. >> as a first american and

citizen of the standing rock sioux tribe i welcome you to the lack hills the sight of my creation story. we often say we are all related. our next president must lead by this philosophy for the betterment of our next seven generations. we cast three votes for bernie sanders and 17 for our next president, joe biden. >> 100 years ago tonight suffragist base here in knoxville cheered as tennessee became the 36 and deciding state to ratify the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote. this year i am casting my very first presidential vote for joe biden. women will decide this election and replace donald trump with a president who respects us. tennessee cast 23 for bernie sanders and 50 for our next president of the united states,

joe biden. >> year ago my community of el paso was targeted by domestic terrorists. his motive was racism and xenophobia in the face of hate, we choose love. [ speaking spanish ] in the face of continued gun violence in america we demand a change. the time has come to act with one abstention the great state of texas cast 90 for bernie sanders in 160 for our next president, joe biden. >> here in utah we have had mail-in voting for years. if you are registered you automatically get sent a ballot. is fast, reliable and easy for everyone to participate. in 2016 we had turn out well over 80% and this year we are

expecting higher. that is why democrats and republicans here agree, mail in vote in strengthening our democracy. you talk casts 17 for bernie sanders and 16 for our next president, joe biden. >> the state of vermont believing in economic justice, social justice, racial justice and environmental justice proudly supporting democracy and the constitution and vehemently opposed the authoritarianism and racism of the trump administration is proud to cast 15 votes for bernie sanders and nine for the next president of the united states, joe biden. >> in recognition of our governor, i am a delegate to congress we bring you greetings from the virgin islands.--we

cast our 13 votes for joseph biden. >> three years ago my beloved city charlottesville was attacked by white supremacy and a young woman was killed. we were attacked again when donald trump praised those racists turning his back on a community that just wanted peace. that was the day joe biden decided to join this battle for the soul of america. all the time my wife and i have come to know his soul. is a decent, compassionate man and will bring this nation together. 32 votes for bernie sanders and 91 for our next president, joe biden. >> as a 15-year-old refugee

from vietnam, i knew that education was the key to finding opportunities in my new home. when having children of my own i became an advocate to improve the public education system. democrats invest in education because we are committed to fighting for all kids. washington cast 43 votes to senator bernie sanders and 66 to our next president, joe biden. >> west virginians have change the narrative about public education. parents, teachers and service personnel have worked together to fight for safe and welcoming schools. sufficient undies for equipment and fair wages for teachers and school personnel. elections matter and so does activism. let's keep fighting to guarantee a quality education for all our children and let's elect a president that will fight alongside us. 34 votes for our next

president, joe biden. >> after our son matthew's death in wyoming joe biden helped pass legislation to protect lgbtq americans from hate crimes. he understands more than most our grief and we see in joe so much about what made matthews life special. >> with three abstentions we have four votes for bernie sanders and 11 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden. >> welcome back to milwaukee, a great city on a great lake and the place i was born and raised . this is a community that has been faced with significant challenges due to historical injustice, but many don't see the joy and opportunity that is in this community and so many

others just like it. we are hard-working people fighting to provide for their families and provide for a better future. we know we do that by channeling wisconsin legacy as the birthplace of the labor and progressive movement and uniting around an agenda that uplifts every community. in pursuit of a more just future one that recognizes healthcare and tackles climate and takes on racial and economic injustice. 30 votes for bernie sanders and 67 for the next president of the united states of american, joe biden. >> long before this train station had his name you would see joe biden on the platform with the rest of the crowd on his way to work or going home to his family. that has always been his north star delivering for families like his own, working people that struggle and sacrifice. nobody has ever had to wonder who joe is in it or.

>> our nation faces daunting challenges, but i have known joe for for years and no one i trust more to lead. what is more, he is humble, he tells the truth and treats everyone with respect and builds bridges, not walls. he is the leader for this moment. >> delaware is proud to cast its 32 votes for joe biden. >> [ music ] [ music ] thank

you to all our delegations and i am pleased to announce that vice president joe biden has officially been nominated by the democratic party asr presid united states. vice president biden is hereby invited to deliver and acceptance speech >> thank you very much from the bottom of my heart, thank you

all. it means the world to me and my family and i will see you on thursday. thank you, thank you, thank you. [ music ] >> come on, that was so sweet with the grandkids. now, we have an official nominee. on to the next step, electing joe biden and kamala harris november.

make sure you have a plan to vote. text vote to 30330. we will talk about a topic that touches all of our lives. the affordable care act was game changing and this endemic has revealed how important it is to protect and improve it. increasing access to healthcare and bringing down costs has always been a priority for joe biden because for joe and all of us, healthcare is personal. >> it is the toughest battles that call for the steadiest leadership. again and again they were told to give up on affordable healthcare. they knew it would cause them politically. >> the republicans say this is unpopular. >> not nearly as much as it would cost the american people if they did nothing.

>> we are not going to slow up on providing affordable healthcare. healthcare is a natural american right. >> giving up would've meant leaving 20 million without coverage out in the cold. joe biden wasn't about to give up because he knew what it was like to stand in there shoes. he was sworn into the senate next to a hospital bed, his wife and daughter had been killed in a car crash and line in that bed were his two sons. 40 years later one of those little boys, his son bo was diagnosed with cancer and given only months to live. it is hard to imagine a greater grief than losing your child, joe always knew that his family was one of the lucky ones. after that accident his son got 40 more years of life all because he had healthcare. now

it is unthinkable that donald trump is trying to take that healthcare away. in the middle of a pandemic is trying to get rid of the affordable care act this fight is personal for joe it is as personal as it gets when he says he has a plan to strengthen the affordable healthcare act and protect those with pre-existing conditions and expand access, he is thinking about how healthcare saved his boys. when the plan talks about lowering drug prices and making it more affordable he is thinking about his son whose vent his final days in comfort because he was insured. joe biden knows what affordable healthcare means to american

families because of what it has meant to his. >> this is my promise to you, when i am president i will take care of your health care coverage and your family the same way i would my own. and how are you, you handsome boy. >> was born in 2015 with a heart condition and ended up requiring a transplant and thankfully the affordable care act had taken place and now that is something we think about all the time especially with the max and his initial

health was $3 million bill back to the insurance. >> i remember as he lay dying and thinking to myself, what in gods name what i do if the doctor walked in and said i'm sorry, you run your insurance and restore and suffered the last few months on your own. and rural missouri where basically everybody was a republican and i was a republican and i lost my voice and we put off going to the doctor because we didn't have health insurance. when we finally got into someone that could take a look at my throat, they said, you have cancer it was stage iv the worst kind you can have and my wife applied for insurance through the affordable care act

and my coverage began on april 1, 2012 and that same day they started my chemo and radiation and it saved my life. i am here today. >> generally speaking as a church you are concerned about people spiritually and also about other areas of life and that includes their physical or physiological well-being. the bible talks about all of us. there are people in our country and in my church that can't take advantage of it because they don't have good healthcare, that is discouraging to me and discouraging to them. >> because of--and the fact that it is a rare disease, a lot of our medications we have to fight for and before the aca we worried about investigation and the pre-existing conditions for our children and worried

about age and the because having that cost of the medications, we would have reached that million-dollar in no time, but once the aca past, we no longer have that of $1 million. >> the fear that you all live in understandably is somehow tomorrow they said no insurance, you are not covered is just devastating. laura, how are you doing? you beat hodgkin's lymphoma, god love you. during it all trump was trying to rip away your coverage. the day you got your first chemo the republicans voted to cut the aca. i can't imagine what it was like. >> ever since i was diagnosed, as i go to bed concerned about what news i would get in the

morning and even still, even today they are trying to take away our healthcare even during a pandemic. >> we will make sure we don't lose the aca. we will provide a etiquette or like options and any state where there is if you mollify for medicaid in the state hasn't provided it you will automatically enroll. i will protect you like i protect my own family and i promise you that. >> i met joe last year and i thank you for being so involved . the inthe empathy and the human love has kept me going. >> i made an appointment for my wellness checkup provided for by the affordable care act. i was told that i had ovarian cancer. i finish my course of treatment

and since then i have been cancer free and i am very grateful for that. >> i chose to become a joe biden delegate as i watched with our nation as president trump sought to dismantle the affordable care act. >> my purpose is to devote my energy to getting joe elected. >> i jumped at the chance to become a joe biden delegate. >> he will continue to strengthen the affordable care act. >> by the time you are watching this, you will have grown up to be strong and courageous, but i

don't know how much longer i will be around for you. i was diagnosed with als today which is a deadly, debilitating disease. after i was diagnosed, the president asked the tax bill that put my healthcare at risk so i went to washington. >> my next guest made headlines. >> i wanted to help create a better country for you to live in. all that matters to me is to make you proud because i am already so proud of you. >> hello, america i am speaking to you through this computer

voice because i have been paralyzed by a mysterious illness called als. like so many of you i have experience the ways our healthcare system is fundamentally broken. enormous cost, denied claims, dehumanizing treatment. since my shocking diagnosis, i have traveled the country meeting countless patients like me demanding more of our representatives and our democracy. today, we are witnessing the tragic consequences of our failing healthcare system. in the midst of a pandemic, nearly 100 million americans do not have sufficient health insurance and even good insurance does not cover essential needs like long-term- care. our loved ones are dying in unsafe nursing homes. our nurses are overwhelmed and unprotected and essential workers are treated as dispensable. we live in the richest country in history and we don't guarantee this most human

right. everyone living in america should get the healthcare they need regardless of their employment status or ability to pay. even during this terrible crisis donald trump and republican politicians are trying to take away millions of people health insurance with the existential threat of another four years of this president we all have a profound obligation to act, not only to vote, but make sure our friends, families and neighbors vote as well. we must elect joe biden. each of us must be a hero for our community, for our country and then with a compassionate and intelligent president we must act together and put on his desk a bill that guarantees us all the healthcare we deserve. text vote to 30330 to learn how to vote safely because our lives depend on it. >> politics and elections can seem like be is far away things

that one person doesn't have the power to change. what is happening right now in our country makes it clear how personal politics are. i discovered that when i get informed and participate, my fear gets smaller. voting is a big part of that. knowing the change you want, vote for the leaders that you think will make it happen and if you are able, if you can, help fund this campaign. go to joe biden.com and then whatever you can. with leaders like joe biden and kamala harris we can build back better here at home and once again strengthen our nation office security and standing in the world. >> i am 34 and i live in los angeles. i 2009 graduate of the naval academy and i served in active duty in the marine corps as an officer for 6 years.

i took an oath to support, uphold and defend the constitution of the united states and i know that joe biden and his years of public service took a similar oath and he understands the sacrifice of the men and women in uniform who are overseas right now fighting for the ideals of this nation that liberty and justice can be extended to all people. i know that joe biden understands that at his core. i trust him to lead us on day one into a greater future. there is nothing more important than making sure that we restore the soul of our nation and i think that joe biden is the best person to do that.

>> hi, i am john kerry. for the eight years of the obama biden administration, we lead by example and eliminated a threat of and i ran with a nuclear weapon and will take coalition to destroy isis and forge an agreement to attack climate change, we stopped at bola before it became a pandemic. donald trump inherited a growing economy and a peaceful world and like everything else he inherited he bankrupted. when this president goes overseas it is a blooper reel. he writes love letters to allies to dictators and breaks up with allies. donald trump pretends russia didn't attack our elections and now he does nothing about russia putting a bounty on our troops so he will defend our country, doesn't know how to defend our troop. the only person he is interested in defending his

himself. this is the bottom line. our interests, our ideals and our brief and and women in uniform can't afford four more years of donald trump. our troops can't get out of harms way by hiding in a white house bunker. they need a president who will stand up and president biden will. his moral compass is always pointed in the right direction. joe understands that none of the issues of this world, not nuclear weapons, not the challenge of building back after covid-19, not terrorism and certainly not the climate crisis, none can be resolved without bringing nations together with strength and humility. joe understands our values don't live in our power, they magnify it. he knows you can't spread democracy around the world if

you don't practice it at home and he knows that even the united states of america as friends on this planet. before donald trump we used to talk about american exceptionalism. the only thing exceptional about the incoherent trump foreign policy is that it has made our nation more isolated than ever before. joe biden knows, we aren't exceptional because we bluster that we are, we are exceptional because we do exceptional things. on june 6, 1944 young americans gave their lives on the beaches of normandy to liberate the world from tyranny. out of the ashes of that war we made peace and built the world. that was and remains exceptional. it is the opposite of everything donald trump stands for. this moment is a fight for the security of america and the world. only joe biden can make america lead like america again. if you agree, text to

30330. thank you. >> in the situation room presidents make decisions of war and peace so when he walks into the situation room first and foremost in his mind is how does my decision impact the lives of the american people. >> he is experienced and has made the tough calls. >> he has courage, character and judgment and he can be tough. >> joe biden is decisive and well-prepared for any issue. >> there is no one more qualified than joe biden. >> having send his son to war, i don't think anyone can be more ready and vice president biden. >> he knows exactly what is at stake. >> biden understands how important it is to have allies

standing together with us. they are force multipliers. >> he can connect with people and he has dealt with them for years. >> they trust his judgment. >> to build these relationships and to tear them down all it takes is a tweet. >> thanks to donald trump our adversaries are stronger. >> he has had a lovefest with them he hasn't been standing up with them at all. >> i love nuclear missile squadrons and i never thought i would have a president who was a danger to national security. >> president trump has degraded the presidency. >> the russians offered bounties on u.s. soldiers and the president didn't ask vladimir putin about it.

>> there is something wrong with that. you are failing the troops and this country. >> the first thing a president needs to do is find out what the facts are. this president doesn't care what the facts are. >> he cares about the safety of the military. >> president trump told us to abandon them. >> joe biden will be strong against dictators. >> i have heard him on the phone with some tough characters. is empathy and decency and he is tough as nails and everybody knows it. >> he will do the right thing no matter the cost. >> i have served and i have seen the trump administration make decisions without any thought, without any preparation that had massive consequences. >> at one of the most defining

times in history of the world, joe biden is uniquely all five to be president of the united states. >> if you want a strong america, if you want joe biden. >> hi, i am former secretary of state: powell. a young immigrant left jamaica for america. three years later a ship pulled into new york harbor and a young jamaican woman gazed up at the statue of liberty for the first time. they became my parents and they inspired me to finish college and join the army. this began a journey of service that took me from basic training, combat up the ranks to serve as chairman of the joint chief and secretary of state. the values i learned growing up in the south bronx and serving in uniform were the same values that joe biden's parents instilled in him. i support joe biden from the presidency of the united states because those values still define him and we need to restore those values to the

white house. our country needs a commander and chief who takes care of our troops like you would his own family. that doesn't mean teaching, it comes from the experience he shares with millions of military families sending his beloved son off to war and praying to god he would come home safe. joe biden will be a president we can all salute. with joe biden in the white house you will never doubt that he will stand with our friends and stand up to adversaries. he will trust our diplomats and intelligence not flattering dictators. he will make it his job to know that if anyone dares to threaten us he will stand up to our adversaries with strength and experience and we will know, he means business. i support joe biden because beginning on day one he will restore leadership and our moral compass. he will know america is strong as he has said we lead by the

powe he will restore america's leadership and the alliances we need to address the dangers that threaten our nation. today, we are a country divided and we have a president doing everything in his power to make it that way and keep us that way. what a difference it will make to have a president who unites us and restores our strength and soul. i still believe, that in our hearts we are the same america that brought my parents to the shore and in america that inspires freedom around the world. that is the america joe biden will lead us our next president. >> it was a friendship that shouldn't have worked. john, a former navy pilot release from a north vietnamese prison, joe, a young senator

from delaware. in the 1970s joe was assigned a military aid for a trip overseas. >> i was a navy senate liaison and used to share your status on overseas trip. >> he never carried my back. he was supposed to carry my bags, but he never did. >> john and joe travel thousands of miles together. the families got to know each other gathering for picnics. >> they would sit and joke it was like a comedy show sometimes. >> when john was elected to the senate as a republican from arizona, they found themselves on opposing sides. >> we are in different parties and hold different views. stuff they would be going at it and you would think they really

disliked each other and they may have dinner that night together. >> senator biden had great respect for the institution of the senate. he built relationships that were cordial and personal. >> we have always been willing we thought the other guy was right across the aisle and lock arms. it is good for the country. >> it takes trust to get things done in a divided government and i think with joe biden is calling his new your points are valid to him. >> even if a deal was out of reach it was always joe that tried to cross the aisle. >> he was like a natural. never give up your principles. >> for 3 decades he could move his colleagues and find a way forward. on violence against women, banning chemical weapons, assault weapons and controlling

nuclear arms. >> it was a style of legislating and leadership that you don't find much anymore. >> when millions of americans were faced with losing their health insurance it was his friend who saved obamacare by crossing the aisle. >> sean and i have been given several words and we don't understand why you should get an award for bipartisanship. >> thank you for your example and how to remain the same good guy when you first got here and most of all for your friendship, my life and the lives of many have been enriched by it. >> i have a rule that i never

think of anything negative when i am running. when i set my mind to something, i find a way to get it done. >> she is so tough and loyal. when i met jill i knew, my brother said there is this woman in you will really like her so i gave her a call and she had a date that night. >> you said, do you think you could break your date. >> and what did you do? >> i called and told the guy that i had a friend in from out of town and went out with joe. >> i was 30 and a senator and a widower. seven years earlier a tractor- trailer broadsided my wife and three children. my wife and daughter were killed. i wasn't big on the dating scene, but when i met jill, i

fell in love with her when i saw her. psychic he said, i would really like to see you again so he is looking at his calendar and i'm really busy, no, friday, how about tomorrow and i thought, betty, you just blew your cover. >> she has owned me since then. the boys fell in love with her. i am brushing my teeth run morning and they came running in and said, dad, we think it is time we married jill. swear to god. i asked her to marry me five times. >> it wasn't just my heart that was on the line. i loved the boys so much, i had to be sure it had to be forever. >> and i said i will ask you one more time and she goes like

this--okay. she put us back together. she gave me back my life. she gave us back a family. we were raised with the same values. >> i grew up in pennsylvania right outside of philadelphia. my mom was english scottish and my dad was italian. my grandmother made the homemade noodles that would hang and she would be drying her noodles. >> they were a very close family. >> she is kind of like the godmother of all of us. >> we have all seen the feistiness in her. >> there was a bully in my school and she marched up the street and knocked on his door and punched him right in the face. my father fought in world war

ii. he was a signalman in the navy and he was very patriotic. he would take us to watch the blue angels and he was so proud. we worshiped our mother. i can picture her so well reading for hours. she loved to read and that had a great influence on me. i went to college at the university of delaware and i taught in high schools. i got up every day so excited to go teach. when i married joe i took off time to establish myself as the boys mom. we don't use the term stepmother. >> they said we have a mom and a mommy. mommy died, this is our mom. and along came ashley. >> our family was complete. >> when i was growing up mom

was fun, the headbutting started when i was a teenager. there were some conflicts, she dealt with it by taking up running. she started to basically run marathons. >> i never doubted anything she set her mind to. i got to hand her her doctorate degree in education at the university of delaware. >> let's tarnish positive so you will pass. >> she is not your average grandmother. she is the grandmother who wakes you up at what was it, 5:00 a.m. to go to soul cycle. >> we have a lot of stories. >> she is a prankster and mischievous. when she goes on a run she will find a dead snake and pick it

up and put it in a bag and use it to scare someone. >> that is classic. she wasn't really a washington person and i don't think ever imagined herself being a part of that. >> when joe was elected to vice president, i thought, i have to step it up because there are things that i really care about. having had a father in the military and a son deployed in iraq, i saw the need to support military families. >> she can draw anyone in and they felt like they were talking to an old friend. that is one of her superpowers. >> when she was second lady she told me she would like to continue teaching at community college and i said, that is insane, you cannot possibly do that. >> i said i know i can do both jobs. >> i never saw her on any day

when she wasn't carrying a huge stack of papers to grade. >> as second lady she was teaching full-time 15 credits a semester. >> these were students who wanted to be in your classroom and i saw their tenacity and they were taking care of children just like i had done. >> she is a great teacher. >> teaching is not what she does, it is who she is. she simply cares. she cares about other people. >> when beau was diagnosed with brain cancer, nobody knew what we were going through. the secret service, they are not supposed to react to your life or what you are doing and they would whisper i am praying for you. >> mom, with your strength to hold his family together.

and, i know that you will make us whole again. >> you never stop grieving, ever, but you do have to find purpose. running or copresident is to talk to not be together. >> if dr. biden is our first lady the country will be getting one of the best humans that we have . >> she has been sued through some really tough things in her own life and she knows how hard it can be. >> the american people in their heart know she will fight like for them. >> we all need community. we need to depend on others for our strength. all-american families, we all need each other.

>> please welcome, dr. jill biden. >> i have always loved the sounds of a classroom, the quiet that sparks with possibility just before students shuffle in. the murmur of ideas bouncing back and forth as we explore the world together. the laughter and tiny moments of surprise you find in materials you have taught 1 million times. when i taught english here at brandywine high school, i would spend my summer preparing for the school year about to start, filled with anticipation, but this quiet is heavy.

you can hear the anxiety that echoes down empty hallways. there is no scent of new notebooks or freshly waxed floors. the rooms are dark as the bright young faces that should fill them are now confined to boxes on a computer screen. i hear it from so many of you, the frustration of parents juggling work while they support their children's learning are afraid that their kids might get sick from school. the concern of every person working without enough protection. the despair in the lines that stretch out before food banks. the indescribable sorrow that follows every lonely last breath when the ventilators turn off. as a mother and a am

heartbroken by the magnitude of this loss, by the failure to protect our communities, by every precious and irreplaceable life gone, like so many of you i am left asking how do i keep my family safe? you know, motherhood came to me in a way i never expected. i fell in love with a man and two little boys standing in the wreckage of unthinkable loss morning a wife and mother, a daughter and sister. i never imagined at the age of 26 i would be asking myself how do you make a broken family whole? still, joe always told the boys mommy sent jill to us and how could i argue with her? we figured it out together in

those big moments that would go by too fast, thanksgivings and state championships, birthdays and weddings in the mundane ones that we didn't even know were shaping our lives, reading stories on the couch, rowdy sunday dinners and silly arguments. listening to the faint sounds of laughter that would float downstairs as joe put the kids to bed every night while i studied for grad school or graded papers under the pale yellow kitchen lamp. the dinner dishes waiting in the sink. we found that love holds a family together. love makes us flexible and resilient. it allows us to become more than ourselves together and though it can't protect us from the sorrows of life, it gives

us refuge how do you make a broken family whole? the same way you make a nation whole with love and understanding and with small acts of kindness, with bravery, with unwavering faith. you show up for each other in big ways and small ones again and again. it is what so many of you are doing right now for your loved ones for complete strangers and your communities. there are those who want to tell us that our country is hopelessly divided, that our differences are irreconcilable and that is not what i have seen over these last few months. we are coming together and holding on together and finding mercy and grace in the moments we might have once taken for

granted. we see that our differences are precious and our similarities infinite. we have shown that the heart of this nation still beats with kindness and courage. that is the soul of america joe biden is fighting for now. after our son beau died of cancer, i wondered if i would ever smile or away again.