Joe Biden Redefined The Vice Presidency

 

     Everyone knew Joe Biden was not a man to be underestimated. The kid from Scranton who performed poorly at law school, overcame a stutter, and lost the elections of 1988 and 2008 became the Democratic presidential nominee and winner in 2020 against all odds. His career has been one of ups and downs, but throughout he has been in the forefront of issues and crises.

     Rising to the U.S. Senate before the age of 29, his wife and daughter were killed and his 2 sons wounded in a car crash before he took office. Still, he chaired the Judiciary Committee and Foreign Relations Committee and made remarkable contributions to American society.

     What to expect of him as vice president? Few would know he would redefine the office. While Trump supporters tout Mike Pence's 13 tie-breaking votes, they ignore that they are mostly of appointments that even most Republicans realized were incompetent and ill-fit to suit public office. 

     Joe Biden, on the other hand? He oversaw spending for the 2009 economic recovery, resulting in less than 1% waste. He oversaw administration policy in Iraq, which saw an end to the war there. He led the White House Task Forces on Gun Violence and Campus Sexual Assault, and he was the leading voice behind legalizing gay marriage and joining the Paris Climate Agreement. In 2016, he paid tribute to his son Beau by leading the White House Cancer Moonshot. He also asked to be the last man in the room, playing devil's advocate to ensure Barack Obama was always sure of the decisions he made.

     For his contributions, Biden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, an honor few have received. He redefined the office of vice president, and that bodes well for his terms in the White House.