| | |  | Below is Joe Biden’s newsletter for August 4, 2020. Please submit questions and feedback here. | | Folks,
I hope you and your family are well.
Once again, I can say that the last few weeks have been intense and, at times, painful.
The United States saw the largest drop in GDP since we began recording it. We passed 150,000 deaths from the coronavirus. And we lost two civil rights heroes, C.T. Vivian and John Lewis.
It’s times like these when we are tested when it’s more important than ever that we keep the faith that things will get better.
Jill and I were blessed to speak with our dear friend John Lewis one last time in his final days. Instead of answering our concerns for him, he asked about us. He asked us to stay focused on the work left undone to heal this nation.
Throughout his life, John taught us that while the journey toward equality is not easy, we must be unafraid and never cower and never, ever give up. It's up to all of us to carry on his mission.
We’ve got to keep the faith, and we’ve got to keep marching. So that’s what I plan to do, and what I’m asking you to do with me.
In just a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating the Democratic National Convention, and my running mate and I will humbly accept your formal nomination for President and Vice President of the United States. Then, it’s full steam ahead each and every day until November!
When I say I’m honored to have you with me in this battle for the soul of the nation, I mean it. And I’m excited to share some of the things our campaign has been doing, and what we have in store. | | Campaign Updates
We had an action-packed last few weeks of July. From policy rollouts to virtual and socially distanced conversations and more, this campaign is growing like never before. That’s why, before I jump into more details, my team tells me I have to ask:
Can you make your first contribution to my campaign? Asking for your hard-earned dollars isn't my favorite part of this process, but it’s critical that we keep up the momentum as we head into the final stretch of this campaign. | | If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: | | | | Now, on to the fun part. Last week we passed a major marker for this campaign, and there are now less than 100 days until Election Day. To celebrate, my team kicked off a 100 Days, 100 Ways to Help Joe Win the White House series. Here’s one action that I hope you’ll do today, if you haven’t already: get the new Vote Joe app and talk with friends and family about why you’re supporting my campaign. |  | | I also announced the last two planks of my Build Back Better plan: building a 21st century caregiving and education workforce and advancing racial equity.
Even before the pandemic, millions of working families faced enormous financial and personal strains trying to raise their kids and care for their parents or loved ones living with a disability.
I understand. I’ve been a single parent. Even though I had more support than a lot of people going through tough times, I know how hard it is. When Jill and I got married, I saw how difficult it was for her to resume her teaching career while being a new mom. We cared for our parents to the end, my mom moved in with us, and our entire family cared for our Beau.
We know what so many of you are going through. While everything just feels different and we’re just not sure if everything will be okay, I’m here to tell you that it can -- and it will -- be okay.
That’s why the third part of my Build Back Better plan is about easing the squeeze on working families who are raising their kids and caring for aging loved ones. It is about making it easier for older Americans or people with disabilities to choose home-based or community-based care. And it’s about creating jobs with better pay and career pathways for caregivers, and showing them the dignity and respect they deserve. You can click the image below to learn more about my caregiving plan, or click here. |  | | And while each of my first three Build Back Better plans intentionally deal with systemic racism and advance racial equity in our economy, that isn’t enough. That’s why I announced the fourth plank of Build Back Better -- advancing racial economic equity across the American economy, not just as part of the other pillars of Build Back Better, but in its own right.
For generations, Americans who are Black, Brown, Asian American, Native American, or immigrants haven’t always been fully included in our democracy or our economy. My bold, practical plan will help build a stronger, more just, more sustainable economy -- where everyone is included in the deal.
I’m incredibly proud of this plan and the historic investments we’ll make if I am elected President. I hope you’ll take a moment to read the full plan here: | | | | And I couldn’t leave out mentioning a true highlight of these past few months: getting to sit down with my good friend President Barack Obama for a socially distanced conversation. It had been too long since we’ve been able to see each other and discuss the significant moment we’re in.
We talked about who we are as a nation, the crises we are going through right now, and how we can build back better. If you haven’t watched it yet, you can see the full conversation here: |  | | President Obama and I also took a few minutes to surprise some of my campaign’s supporters to thank them for everything they’re doing. We called people like Craig, a doctor who fought the Ebola outbreak and is now fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and Arianna, who’s been organizing food drives for her community during the COVID-19 crisis. |  | | Calling supporters is one of my favorite things to do -- especially since it’s one of the few ways I can speak with voters one-on-one right now. I’ll be calling even more people soon to thank them for their grassroots donations, and I’d love to see your name on the list.
If you chip in $5 or whatever you can afford today, I could be giving you a call soon! And who knows, maybe I’ll invite one of my friends, like President Obama or Elizabeth Warren, to join the call, too. | | If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: | | | | July 19 was also National Ice Cream Day -- a holiday I personally choose to celebrate every day. I can’t wait until we can get back to celebrating over a cone, or any frozen treat, in person. |  | | What I’m Reading
“John Lewis: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation” - New York Times
Even after his passing, John Lewis reminds us that the most powerful symbol of what it means to be an American is what we do with the time we have to make real the promise of our nation. May his words guide us as we march on toward November.
“Inside a Houston Hospital During a Coronavirus Surge” - The Atlantic
This moving series of more than twenty photos from just one Texas hospital shows the real human toll of this virus. But it also shows the care and compassion of the doctors and nurses on the frontlines every day. We’ve got to do more to stop this virus, and to honor everyone who’s putting themselves in danger to keep us safe.
“How Poetry Can Guide Us Through Trauma” - The Atlantic
Natasha Trethewey was appointed to be the U.S. poet laureate twice while I was Vice President -- in 2012 and again in 2013. I commend Natasha for her new, timely memoir about the death of her mother. Poetry has always been important to me. As a boy I turned to the great Irish poets when I was working on overcoming a stutter. I still turn to those poems when I need strength, and I know that poets and our poet laureates are a key part of our country’s DNA. Words like Natasha’s will be a critical part of our country’s healing in the coming years, as we work to mend the soul of the nation. | | Hey Joe!
What advice would you give to college students about getting involved in the political process in America? How does a young voter turn this into a career? - Clayton in Austin, Texas
Clayton, that’s a great question, and one I completely understand because I also felt the call for public service at a young age. Before I was Vice President, before I was a Senator -- I started my career as an elected official on the New Castle County Council at the age of 28. So first I’ll tell you this: you have to be ready to work for every vote. I won that first election by just 2,000 votes, and I’ve learned to never take a single vote for granted.
But here’s some more practical advice: get involved any way that you can right now. Campaigning in 2020 may largely be virtual, but the folks you’ll still meet volunteering on my campaign, with the Texas Democrats, or any campaign right now will go on to do big things -- and they’ll teach you skills that will be critical for any political career. I hope my campaign is the one you’ll volunteer with, and you can check out our Action Center for a lot of ways you can get involved.
In 2021 the world will be dealing with the COVID economy coupled with addressing climate change. This will be a pair of nearly overwhelming challenges. Are you getting prepared to lead in a time of global crisis? - Frank in Bremerton, Washington
Frank, you’re exactly right. In 2021, the President will have to lead this country out of the public health crisis and the economic crisis deepened by President Trump’s failure to control the virus, and meet the climate crisis head-on. That’s why, as part of my Build Back Better plan, I’ve committed to making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy to create millions of new jobs and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. We can rebuild our infrastructure and create good, high-paying jobs that provide a choice to join a union. And we can do it fast. This will be one of my top priorities as President, and you can learn more about my plan to build a modern, sustainable infrastructure and an equitable clean energy future here. | | Spread the Faith
Thirty years ago last week, we passed the Americans with Disabilities Act -- a critical source of opportunity, participation, self-sufficiency, and respect for the estimated 61 million American adults now living with a disability. To celebrate, President Barack Obama surprised disability rights activists at a virtual workshop they were holding. You can watch that video here: |  | | I will never forget the leadership and persistence of my friends Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Ted Kennedy, Congressman Major Owens, and Congressman Tony Coelho, who teamed up to create the ADA against long odds and determined opposition. Nor will I forget the moment just after it passed, when Senator Harkin delivered a speech from the Senate floor in American Sign Language as a tribute to his older brother, Frank, who was deaf. I was immensely proud to cosponsor that bill.
If I have the honor of becoming President, every policy I pursue -- from rebuilding our middle class, to fighting climate change, to achieving universal health coverage -- will be created with the full inclusion and dignity of Americans with disabilities in mind.
You can read more about my Plan for Full Participation and Equality for People with Disabilities here: | | | | What’s Coming
This month is a big one.
I’ll be announcing my running mate very soon. We’ve got an incredible, diverse pool of candidates, and I can’t wait to share my historic choice with you. In fact, if you’ve made it this far into my newsletter, I want to make sure you’re one of the first people to know who my Vice President will be. If you sign up here, my team will make sure you get the news as soon as possible: | | | | Then, we’ll hold the Democratic National Convention. I’m so glad it will still be anchored in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while making sure that everyone can both participate and stay safe. We’ll showcase the strength and unity of our party, my Vice President and I will accept your official nomination, and we’ll formally kick off the general election.
And already, my advertising team has announced we’re expanding our advertising efforts into Ohio, marking the ninth battleground state where we’ll be up on the air with ads. We’ll keep playing this ad and making sure voters understand the difference between Donald Trump -- who’s only out for himself -- and me -- who always has and always will fight for working families. This is one of my favorite ads we’ve put out, and you can watch it here: |  | | August really is, as my coach used to say, “go time.” As you can see, we’ve got big plans for the month, but it’s going to take a lot of resources to pull them off. That’s why I’m asking one more time: if it makes sense for your budget, can you make a contribution to my campaign and make sure we have the resources to do everything we need to win in November? | | If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: | | | | That’s all we’ve got for today.
Thank you so much for your support, for taking the time to read this, and for believing in this campaign.
We’ve got less than three months until Election Day, and voting in some states begins even sooner than that. So what we do today really matters.
Every time you chip in a few bucks, make some calls, or talk to your friends about what we’re fighting for, you’re helping power us to victory in November.
So thank you. I really mean it.
Take care,
Joe | | |
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