Joe Biden Speaks at LBJ Library

By Aaron J. Derton
News Director

AUSTIN — Nearly 1,000 people come to the LBJ Library to see former Vice President Joseph Biden talk with former Library Director Mark Updegrove on Tuesday night.

Mr. Biden spoke at length on a range of subjects: His friendship with former President Barack Obama, crises in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and his life-long journey as a public servant.

The former vice president, who has not ruled out a 2020 presidential run, addressed uncertainty about America’s place in the world going into the 21st century. “We are better positioned than any country in the world to own the 21st Century by a long shot,” Biden said. “We’re energy independent in a defacto way, we’re the most productive workers in the world. We have more great research universities, including [the University of Texas], than all the rest of the world combined.”

After 36 years in the Senate and eight as Vice President of the United States, Mr. Biden said he “never once wondered if what [he] was doing was worthwhile.” His call to public service was clear: Today’s students need to step up to ensure the future of America. “There’s no place for your generation to hide. None. When the environment is denigrated, you can’t be safe behind your walls. When your sister is abused, you are affected. When your brother can’t marry the man he loves, you are deprived. There’s no place to hide, man.”

Featured image by Aaron Derton.