Earlier today, Vice President Joe Biden announced that he will not being running for president in 2016. Biden made the announcement on the White House Rose Garden with his wife, Jill, and President Obama by his side.
“Unfortunately, I believe we are out of time, the time necessary to mount a winning campaign for the nomination,” said Biden.
The Vice President stated that he and his family have been working through the grieving process for his son, Beau, who died of brain cancer in May.
During his speech, the Vice President emphasized the policy issues the country should be currently focusing on. He outlined a “Middle Class Joe,” approach for subsidizing 16 years of public education with a higher tax for the wealthy.
“There are many equitable ways to pay for this. We can pay for all of this with one simples step, with limiting the deduction in the tax code to 28% of income. wealthy folks will end up paying a little bit more but it is my guess, and I mean this sincerely, it is my guess they will be happy to build a stronger economy and a more educated America.”
Biden made a personal and emotional appeal to further cancer research, and hinted at what his presidential legacy could have been. “If I could be anything, I would have wanted to be the president who ended cancer, because it is possible, “said Biden.
At the end of his speech the Vice President reminisced about the times his mother consoled him saying, “everything is going to be okay,” and actually believing it. For Biden, this moment between a child and a parent exemplifies what this country should strive for.
“That will be the true measure of our success, and we will not have met it until every parent out there can look at their kid in tough times and say ‘honey it’s gonna be okay,’ and mean it.”
National security expert Juliette Kayyem provided some post announcement analysis on Boston Public Radio Wednesday.
“It takes a lot of effort to get the signatures to get on these ballots, to get the campaign organized, and he just does not have the time,” she said.
“I think a lot of money will start to flow to Hillary now that has been waiting out Biden.”
