Politics
Critics Say Biden Is Out of Touch, But His Unity Message Works on Voters
Fans see his long history of friendships with Republicans as an asset, not a liability.
Joe Biden delivers a speech at his kickoff rally in Philadelphia on May 18.
Photographer: Kareem Black for Bloomberg BusinessweekThis article is for subscribers only.
Democrats have called him naive, out of touch, or worse. But at his May 18 kickoff rally in Philadelphia, Joe Biden stood by his insistence that working with Republicans isn’t just possible, it’s the only way to “stop fighting and start fixing” the country.
“I know some of the really smart folks say Democrats don’t want to hear about unity. They say Democrats are so angry that the angrier a candidate can be, the better chance he or she has to win the Democratic nomination,” he said, warming up the crowd. “Well, I don’t believe it. I really don’t.”