To stand up and say enough is enough. [cheering] box to the ballot factory floor, from her living room to the er, she makes trouble, the good time the good kind. She is a mother who cries out for sensible gun laws. The daughter who believes that equal justice means justice for all. We are america. The child who knows that black lives matter. No justice, no peace. Thehe is our warrior on front line, Challenging Authority to make the world safe. Nobody is above the law. Who makesg to be told decisions about her body or anyone elses. Allhese women and men of ages, races, or backgrounds do not come to planned parenthood to get a political statement, they come to get health care. We are disadvantaging her because of her sex. And, she knows that to change the world you need to change the idea of power. My time, and i control it. We are fighting for you each and every single day. And she knows her voice is heard and amplified by the women that she elects to public office. Want families to succeed, we start by empowering women. When i first got elected i came to washington, d. C. I came to fight for the issues in our community. We making we look forward to making sure that they can get elected. The things we ran on in november, we are doing that. Women just do not fight for women, they fight for fairness, inclusion, and justice. To make our nation a more Perfect Union, especially for those people who are the most marginal. If we are going to jumpstart the middle class, we have to make sure that college is affordable. Separation of families and children are dexter mental detrimental to their health. Most importante Political Force in the United States of america. She represents her views on education. We have got to pay educators more and we have to hire more educators. We are going to raise up the profile of teachers and celebrate who they are and give them better pay. She represents her concerns about health care. Health care is a number one issue, every day. She speaks out on equal pay. It is frustrating for women to feel like they are not getting paid what they should be. And focuses on protecting our childrens. Let us give parents the peace of mind that the kids are safe and are being brought up for success. Caring for our seniors and the people who cares for them. She keeps this nation going even in challenging times. And, while running for office is nevertheless, she persists. We learned a long time ago that you do not get what you do not fight for. And, perseveres. This is our time. And prevails. Although we were not able to shatter the highest and hardest last season, it got about 18 million cracks in it. A recordbreaking number of women ran bank in the midturn ran in the midterms and won. From the fight for health the violencering against womens act, the building of society where fairness, equality, and opportunity applies to everyone. Joe biden knows a stronger america is one that works for women. So, go ahead and celebrate, you rabblerouser, rule breaker, you force of nature, our country, our world needs you. Vote. Ising, and hilary the morning after the last election i said we owe donald trump an open mind and the chance to lead, and i meant it. Every president deserves that, and trump came in with so much set up for him. Plans forconomy and managing crises including a pandemic. Yes we would have demoed disagreed on many things, but if he had put his own interests and ego aside and seen that humanity in a child ripped from her parents at the border or a protester calling for justice, or a family wiped out by natural disaster, that would have been a good thing for america and the world. I wish donald trump knew how to be a president , because America Needs a president right now. Time of throughout this crisis, americans keep going, checking out neighbors and showing up for jobs at hospitals, grocery home Grocery Stores and nursing homes. We need leaders equal to this moment of sacrifice and service. We need joe biden and Kamala Harris. Hisyone has a story about caring and empathy. I remember him calling after my mother died and we talked about being raised by strong women. The best testaments to joe is how he has cared for his family and how great is it that dr. Jill biden plans to keep teaching as first lady. And joe picked the right partner. Ncome allah, in kamala tyroner press secretary, gale was dying of cancer, she dropped everything to be with him in his final moments. I know something about the slings of arrows slings and arrows she will face, and this former District Attorney and attorney general can handle them all. Pull ourhe team, nation back from the brink. They cannot do it without us. For four years people have told me i did not realize how dangerous he was, i wish i could do it over, or worse, i should have voted. Be anothercannot would have, could have, should have election. Requestote by mail, your ballot now and send it back right away. Person, do it early. No matter what, vote. As Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders warned us. If trump is reelected things will get even worse. That is why we need unity now more than ever. Trumper back in 2016 when asked what do you have to lose . Know, health care, jobs, and loved ones. Our leadership in the world, and even our post office. Let us set our sights higher than getting one man out of the white house. Harris arend kamala going to give us so much to vote for. Thats vote for the jobs his plan will create, Clean Energy Jobs to fight Climate Change, care g of cash caregiving jobs with living region wages. Emergency relief that lift Small Businesses and saves hardworking people from foreclosures and evictions. Gots wrong that ilya ayres 400 billion billionaires got 400 billion richard when the poor got lost their 600 a week. Vote for teachers and Health Care Workers fighting covid19. Vote for paid family leave and health care for everyone. For Social Security, medicare, and planned parenthood. Vote for dreamers and their families, for Law Enforcement purged of racial bias that keeps all of our streets safe. Vote for justice, for george floyd, breonna taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery because black lives matter. For honest elections so that we, not a foreign adversary choose our president. Vote for the diverse, hopeful america that we saw in last nights roll call, and do not forget, joe and kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose, take it for me. So we need numbers overwhelming so trump cannot sneak or steal his way to victory. 30330 to get started. 100 years ago yesterday the 19th amendment was ratified. It took seven decades of suffragettes marching, picketing , and going to jail to push us closer to a more Perfect Union. Marched ago john lewis in bled in selma because that work was unfinished. Tonight i am thinking of the girls and boys who see themselves in americas future because of Kamala Harris, a black woman, the daughter of jamaican and indian immigrants and our nominee for Vice President. This is our countrys story, breaking down barriers and expanding the circle of possibility. To the young people watching, do not give up on america. Despite our problems we have come so far. We could be a more equal country with opportunities previous generations could never have imagined. There is a lot of heartbreak in america right now and the truth is that many things were broken before the pandemic. As the saying goes, the world breaks everyone, and afterwords many are strong at the broken places. That is joe biden. He knows how to keep going, unify, and lead, because he has done that for his family and country. Are stronger, if we together, we will heal together. We will redeem the soul and promise of our country led by President Joe Biden and Vice PresidentKamala Harris. Tonight is a night steeped in women who have stepped into service and advocacy, and are using their power for good, and the power of women is undeniable, whether in the office, home, or house of representatives. It is my honor to introduce the speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. Speaker pelosi i was never raised in a way that i would be running for public office, it did not interest me, when i graduated from college, got married and had five children and six years, so that was my life. When the children were grown, the opportunity to run for congress came along. She ran because another woman said run and she won. Starting on a path that would make history, the first woman speaker of the house. Speaker pelosi for our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. , so many found themselves. Speaker pelosi i felt a responsibility to other women as i stood on the shoulders of those who went before. Now, it was her term return to say ron, and run they did, winning and making her speaker once again. Speaker pelosi we did not have a speaker who would bit bring a gun bill or dreamers issue to the floor, we do now. That is good for every american. But not everyone was on board. I am a mother of five and grandmother of nine. The power of the speaker is awesome. If you want to go into the arena you have to be prepared to take a punch. You also have to be prepared to throw a punch. For the children. Punch, for the children. House tounning the speaker of the house and taking on the white house, unapologetic and unimpressed. Madame speaker. Madame speaker. And now, please welcome speaker of the United States of the house of representatives, nancy pelosi. Speaker pelosi it is my honor to bring you the house of democrats the house of our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power. This month as america marks the centennial of women finally winning the right to vote, we do so with 105 women in the house, proudly, 90 are democrats. Marchedhe vote, women and never gave in. We stand on their shoulders, charged on carrying forward the unfinished work of our heroes from seneca falls to stonewall. Four years ago when president obama and Vice President biden where in the white house they made us proud and their leadership made our country great, and that spirit we come together now, not to decry the darkness but to light a way forward. That is the guiding purpose of House Democratic fighting for the people, we have sent the senate bill for a health care costs, bigger paychecks, cleaner government, protecting john lewis voting rights. We sent the senate bill to gunect dreamers, prevent violence and preserve our planet for future generations, and even more. All of this is possible for america, who is standing in the way . Mitch mcconnell and donald trump. Our nation faces the worst health and economic catastrophe in our history. More than 5 million americans are infected by the coronavirus and 170,000 have died. The science based action of the heroes act reenacted is essential to safeguard lives, livelihood, and the life of our democracy. And he was standing in the way . Mitch mcconnell and donald trump. Instead of crushing the virus they are trying to crush the Affordable Care act and the preexisting benefit. As speaker in the house i have seen Donald Trumps disrespect for facts, working families, and women. Disrespect written into his policies towards our health and rights, not just his conduct. But we know what he does not, that when women succeed, america succeeds. We are unleashing the power of women to take our rightful place in our National Life by championing a womans right to choose and securing safe and affordable childcare, preserving Social Security and passing equal pay for equal work. Who is standing in the way . Mitch mcconnell and donald trump. Here is our answer. November,member in when we will grumble we will elect joe biden president , whose heart is full of love of america and red the country of trumps disregard for americas goodness. Joe bidens love gives him the strength to persevere. Joe biden is the president we need right now, battle tested, honest, and authentic. He has never forgotten who he is forgotten for. Kamala harris is the Vice President we need, committed to our constitution and brilliant to defend it, and a witness to the women of our nation and our voices will be heard. Our mission is to fight for a future equal to the ideals of our founders, our hopes for our children and the sacrifices of our veterans, our brave men and women in unicorn uniform and their families. We will increase our geordie in the house and win a majority in the senate. Andur majority in the house win a majority in the senate. God bless you, and god bless america. Thank you speaker pelosi. House,ses the peoples and to ensure it stays that way we need everyone to fund our work to help joe biden and democrats up and down the ballot. If you are able go to joebiden. Com and chip in whatever you can to support the campaign. Last year, the house reauthorized the violence against women act. Joe biden wrote that law nearly 30 years ago. Since then, he and other leaders have built on it. Womenr all of this work, are still not entirely safe. So, the work must continue. Is biden knows that and he committed to doing network, making sure that women are safe and making sure our voices are heard. Let us listen. My name is ruth. And992 my husband shot me left me for dead. For 13 years my son and i had been abused by him. We finally escaped, but he tracked us down. Back then there was limited help and no national hotline. Local shelters were full. I did not know the name for what was happening to me, Domestic Violence. Now working to end Domestic Violence is my lifes work. Shopam arisha, marie and when i started doing research, i was shocked to find out how may people including children experience physical or sexual abuse. Resolveistics fueled my and i committed myself to the amusement to end this to the movement to end this fire violence. Carly, and in my small hometown i did not want to think about about my experience of sexual assault. At the university i met an incredible force of people. I went from survivor to advocate. And ceo ofresident the National Coalition against Domestic Violence i have seen joe bidens passionate leadership and passing the violence against women act and now rates are rising due to this pandemic. We need congress to reauthorize and enhance the law. We need leaders who believe that a womans life is worth fighting for. Joe biden is that kind of leader. I created the Joyful Heart Foundation to help survivors heal and to change the way our society responds to sexual violence. The Vice President has worked tirelessly by our side to end the backlog of hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits, and our work will continue, because testing kits not only ites our country safer, but sends a vital message to survivors that what happened to that matters. The most important thing you can say to a survivor is you is i hear you. That is why i became a leader called it is on us. It was a program started by vice to have a newn generation of advocates, because if you are silent, you are complicit. I am voting for joe biden on behalf of all victims and survivors of Domestic Violence. I am voting for joe biden because it is on my generation to make sure we never go back. I am voting for joe biden for my daughter, my son, for all of our children. First episode was a slap to the face and he broke my eardrum. Choking,ng, kicking, threatening with a knife or a gun. He had always threatened me if i ever called the police on him that he would kill me. You did not hear voices like these in the halls of the u. S. Capitol. My husband stabbed me 13 times and broke my hip before the police were on the scene. I know he died, and i am permanently paralyzed. Senator joe biden invited them to speak. Battered women need to be taken seriously and Proper Police per Response Police response can prevent what happened to me for drum happening to someone else. Thank you. Time, the police considered Domestic Violence something that was not a crime. In the home, it is a private matter, and women were responsible for their own injuries. Know,as about to say i but i do not know, i can only guess how painful that is. Growing up our fathers said that the greatest of all sins was the abuse of power. Bully, someone a bigger or stronger takes advantage of you that is a grave sin. The expectation was for all four of us to be a person of character. Wrong, we wereng and expected to stand up, do something about it. Introduced the legislation, few believed it could pass. Our bill is an ambitious undertaking, a first attempt to address Violent Crimes against women. It was hard to get the vote that had traditionalists that did not believe there should be laws about this. Joe does not give up, he is tenacious. He persevered and he is very good at persuasion. They are doing something to help them. He brought together Law Enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, and survivors. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. In 1994 the violence against women act became law and protected millions of american women. A lot of the change in the attitudes we have about Domestic Violence were shaped by his leadership on it. Wrong,ou see something we were then expected to stand up, and do something about it. If you are just joining us, welcome. Coming up we will hear from president barack obama and senator harris who will talk about the bidenharris vision for the future. In order to get to that more Perfect Union we have to acknowledge where we are. Today in america, we are struggling. Unemployment has skyrocketed and families are fighting to keep their jobs as joe biden says, we need to build back better. To find out how you can join the to gettext join to 30330 plugged into this campaign and get more information on how to vote and volunteer. To helpn has a plan working families and Small Businesses. Workedt speaker alongside him as secretary of labor to make sure that there were Good American jobs and that americans were safe on the job. To hear more about the bidenharris economic plan, please welcome her. Hello. Day Vice President biden swore me in as secretary of labor was one of the proudest moments of my life. My parents realized they had achieved their american dream, because the daughter of two bluecollar immigrants would make history and give voice to people just like them. American workers need a fighter now more than ever, and joe biden is that person because he has done it before, and i have seen it firsthand. He and president obama made it easier for home care workers to organize and extended overtime pay to more than 4 million workers. They saved the Automobile Industry and a whole lot of Good Union Jobs with it. When millions of families lost our home, my friend from california, center Kamala Harris talk on the big banks and won. Because of Donald Trumps failures we must rick rescue a sinking economy. Millions are americans millions of americans are out of work. Millions of essential workers are putting their lives at risk and millions more are tired. That is why joe biden and Kamala Harris actually have a plan not only to recover what we lost but to improve upon it, to build back better, creating 5 million Good Union Jobs by bringing back supply chains to america. That is Building Back better. Creating millions of jobs by investing in clean energy. That is Building Back better. That workingure families can afford childcare, that is how we build back better. Let me slightly edit something joe biden said at my swearing in. When it comes to expanding the economy, we are all people. No one is going to be a stronger voice than our next president , joe biden. The conversation you are about to see proves it. Every business there is a story. Small businesses are bearing the economic brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. Behind every business is a family. A lot of people are in pain right now. For every farm there is a fight to stay whole. There is hard work and heartbreak. We will lose 20 to 30 of our Small Businesses. This is the story of kevin and mollie johnson, a familyowned business in lake county, ohio. Kevin we have 10 to 12 employees on a given day. When covid19 hit it was a lot of confusion. I remember being scared and uncertain. Kevin we shut down last week because we ran out of work and we had enough to come in for another week. If we do not get additional orders we will have to look at another shut down. You cannot plan for the future. When this is not going well, it is scary. You are kind of forgotten. The president always bragging about the stock market leaves a lot of small Manufacturing Companies behind. We could use a little help and it seems like we get one step forward and two steps back. Of a womanthe story who just started a Clothing Store and then cobit head. Covid hit. A love of minen since i was a kid. I worked hard to save money to open the store. I did my ribboncutting december 14 and it is booming and then, there is covid. It was scary. No one was buying anything, my employees were gone. I reached out to my bank who stated that they had no more money and it had gone to the bigger businesses, the milliondollar businesses who got the bailout and a Small Business like myself is left to struggle. Being an africanamerican female Business Owner under president say i feel, how can i i am alone. Of lynn andhe story her two restaurants, one closed and one open. It is hard for restaurants to dig in, it would be crowded with babies and families and crowds outside waiting to get in. It was exciting. On the day of the shutdown we were actually reviewed in the los angeles times. On that day the virus was announced as a global pandemic. If we do not turn this around soon, it will not be this year, but it will continue to go down. It was the first decision to make because 100 people are looking at you and a call was to furlough everybody. At this point i do not see myself in business next month. Spanish]ing we do not ask for much from the government, but to catch us when we are falling and it must feel like you are falling without a net. Restaurants are among the hardest businesses to succeed at, but i was good going to do it in a way that provided a successful career not only for myself but 100 employees. Dan, a is the story of fifthgeneration farmer struggling to keep his business alive. I am not so sure that the president understands when he thinks about business, he does not think about farmers as a business. He has no clue about this stuff. Tell me about the farm. Since 1864,een here and the trade tariffs have been horrible. Part of the language in the trade deal said that china does not have to buy unless the prices to their advantage, what kind of trade deal is that. That is no deal. When covid hit everything just plummeted. Getting through now, that is the problem in the daytoday battle. I believe that joe biden will be a clear voice for us, something we have not had. Joe biden has an understanding of what the average american is experiencing. I think he is with me. Enough, time to help Small Businesses. I have a lot of confidence in joe biden, he is a fighter and a real deal. We have taken a lot of knockdowns, but at the end we will endure. Downery time i get knocked , i have to keep going. Tonight, we have heard from the people who make america work, people who put their lives on the line to keep our country ,oing, and since covid19 hit they have taken one got punch after another, and what has the fallout done to our babies . I am here at the Early ChildhoodEducation Center in springfield, massachusetts, which has been closed for months. Childcare was already hard before the pandemic and now parents are stuck with no idea when schools can safely reopen and fewer childcare options. Enormous, andn is the way i see it, big problems demand big solutions. Biden a good plan and joe has good plans, plans to bring back union jobs in manufacturing and create new june new union jobs and clean energy. Plans to increase Social Security benefits and cancel billions in Student Loan Debt and make our bankruptcy laws work for families instead of the creditors who cheat them. Truth,eflect a central our Economic System has been rigged to give bailouts to billionaires and kicked dirt in the face of everyone else. A thriving build economy by investing in families and fixing what is broken. His plan to build back better includes making the wealthy pay their fair share, Holding Corporations accountable, repairing racial inequities, and fighting corruption. Let me tell you about one of his plans that is especially close to my heart, child care. As a little girl growing up in oklahoma what i wanted most in the world was to be a teacher. I loved teaching. When i had babies and was juggling my first teaching job, it was hard, but i could do hard. The thing that almost sank me, child care. One night my aunt called to check in and i thought i was fine, but then i just broke down and started to cry. I had tried holding it all together, but without reliable childcare. Working was nearly impossible. And when i told my aunt that i was going to quit, i thought my heart would break. And then, she said the words that changed my life. I cannot get there tomorrow, that i will come on thursday. And she arrived with seven suitcases and a pekingese named buddy and stayed for 16 years. I get to be here because of my ant, and i learned fundamental truth, nobody makes it on their own, and yet here we are, two generations of working parents later, and if you have the navy and do not have an aunt, you are on your own. And heres why that is wrong. Infrastructure like roads and Communication Systems so that people can work. That helps us all because it keeps our economy going. It is time to recognize that childcare is part of the basic infrastructure, infrastructure for families. Will makemala now, thats just one plan, but it gives you an idea of how we get this country working for everyone. Donald trumps ignorance and incompetence have always been a danger to our country. Covid19 was trumps biggest test. He failed miserably. Today, america has the most covid deaths in the world and an economic collapse. And both crises are falling hardest on black and brown families. Millions out of work, millions more trapped in cycles of poverty. Millions on the brink of losing their homes. Millions of restaurants and stores hanging by a thread. This crisis is bad. It did not have to be this way. This crisis is on donald trump and the republicans who enable him. On november 3, we will hold them all accountable. So, whether you are planning to vote wearing a mask or vote by mail, please take out your phone right now and text vote to 30330. We all need to be in the fight to get joe and kamala elected. And after november, we all need to stay in the fight to get big things done. We stay in this fight so that when our children and our grandchildren ask what we did during this dark chapter in our nations history, we will be able to look them squarely in the eye and say we organized, we persisted, and we changed america. Kerry former president barack obama has said that choosing joe biden to be his Vice President was one of the best decisions he ever made. And this is a man who has made a lot of good decisions. Making health care more affordable and accessible. Rescuing our economy. Protecting american jobs. Marrying Michelle Obama. And through it all, joe biden was by his side except for maybe marrying michelle. You can witness their Mutual Respect and affection in this clip. Take a look. [video clip] fmr. Pres. Obama so, joe, for your faith in your fellow americans, for your love of country, and for your lifetime of service that will endure through the generations, i would like to ask the military aid to join us on stage. For the final time as president , i am pleased to award our nations highest civilian honor, the president ial medal of freedom. [cheers and applause] and and for for the first for the first and only time in my presidency, i will bestow additionalwith an then a ration, an honor my three most recent have reserved for three others Pope John Paul ii, ronald reagan, and general colin powell. Im proud to award the president ial medal of freedom with distinction to my brother, Joseph Robinette biden, jr. Will you please read the citation . Vice president joseph r. Biden, jr. In a career of Public Service spanning nearly half a century, Vice President joseph r. Biden, jr. Has left his mark on our nation. Fighting for a stronger middle class, a fair judicial system, and a smarter foreign policy. Providing support for our troops. Combating crime against women. Meeting our quest to cure cancer and safeguarding the landmark american recovery and reinvestment act. With his charm, candor, unabashed optimism, and deep and abiding patriotism, joe biden has garnered the respect and esteem of colleagues of both parties and the friendship of people across the nation and around the world. While summoning his strength, faith, and grace to overcome great personal tragedy, the son of scranton, claymont, and wilmington has become one of the most consequential Vice President s in american history, and accolade that nonetheless rests firmly behind his legacy as husband, father, and grandfather. A grateful nation thinks Vice President joseph r. Biden, jr. For his lifetime of service on behalf of the United States of america. [cameras shuttering] [applause] fmr. Pres. Obama good evening, everybody. As you have seen by now, this is not a normal convention. Its not a normal time. So tonight, i want to talk as plainly as i can about the stakes in this election, because what we do these next 76 days will echo through generations to come. Im in philadelphia, where our constitution was drafted. And signed. It was not a perfect document. It allowed for the inhumanity of slavery and failed to guarantee women, and even men who did not own property, the right to participate in the political process. But embedded in this document was a north star that would guide future generations. A system of representative government. A democracy to which we could better realize our highest ideals. Through civil war and bitter struggles, we improved this constitution to include the voices of those who had once been left out. And gradually, we made this country more just and more equal and more free. The one Constitutional Office elected by all the people is the presidency. So at the minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us, regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have, or who we voted for. But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that, regardless of ego, ambition, or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect, and defend the freedoms and ideals that so Many Americans marched for, went to jail for, fought for and died for. Sat in the oval office with both those men who are running for president. [laughs] i never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that donald trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. That he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that has been placed in his care. But he never did. For close to four years now, he has shown no interest in putting in the work. No interest in finding common ground. No interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends. No interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves. Donald trump has not grown into the job because he cant. And the consequences of that failure are severe. 170,000 americans dead. Millions of jobs, gone. While those at the top have taken more than ever. Our worst impulses unleashed. Our proud reputation around the world badly diminished. And our Democratic Institutions threatened like never before. Now, i know in times as polarized as these, most of you have already made up your mind, but maybe you are still not sure which candidate you will vote for or whether you will vote at all. Maybe youre tired of the direction we are headed, but you cannot see a better path yet, or you just do not know enough about the person who wants to lead us there. So let me tell you about my friend, joe biden. 12 years ago, when i began my search for a Vice President , i did not know i would end up finding a brother. Joe and i come from different places, different generations, but what i quickly came to admire about joe biden is his resilience, born of too much struggle, his empathy, born of too much grief. Joe is a man who learned early on to treat every person he meets with respect and dignity, living by the words his parents taught him. No one is better than you, joe, but you are better than nobody. That empathy, that decency, the belief that everybody counts, that is who joe is. When he talks with someone who has lost their job, joe remembers the night his father sat him down to say that he had lost his. When joe listens to a parent who is trying to hold it all together right now, he does it as a single dad who took the train back to wilmington each and every night, so he could tuck his kids into bed. When he meets with military families who have lost their hero, he does it as a kindred spirit, the parent of a military soldier, someone whose heart has endured the hardest loss there is. For eight years, joe was the last one in the room whenever i faced a big decision. He made me a better president , and he has got the character and the experience to make us a better country, and in my friend, Kamala Harris, he has chosen an ideal partner, who is more than prepared for the job, someone who knows what it is like to overcome barriers and who has made a career fighting to help others live out their american dream. Along with the experience needed to get things done, joe and kamala have concrete policies that will turn their vision into of a better, fairer, stronger country into a reality. They will get this pandemic under control, like joe did when he helped me manage h1n1 and prevent an Ebola Outbreak from reaching our shores. They will expand health care to more americans, like joe and i did 10 years ago, when he helped craft the Affordable Care act and nail down the votes to make it the law. He will rescue the economy, like joe helped me do after the great recession. I asked him to manage the recovery act, which jumpstarted the longest stretch of job growth in history, and he sees this moment now not as a chance to get back to where we were but to make long, overdue changes, so that our economy actually makes life a little easier for everybody, whether it is the waitress trying to raise a kid on her own or the shift worker always on the edge of getting laid off or the student, figuring out how to pay for next semesters classes. Joe and kamala will restore our standing in the world, and as we have learned from this pandemic, that matters. Joe knows the world, and the world knows him. He knows that our true strength comes from setting an example that the world wants to follow, a nation that stands with democracy, not dictators, a nation that can inspire and mobilize others to overcome threats like Climate Change and terror and poverty and disease. But more than anything, what i know about joe, what i know about kamala, is that they actually care about every american and that they care deeply about this democracy. They believe that in a democracy, the right to vote is sacred, and we should be making it easier for people to cast their ballots, not harder. They believe that no one, including the president , is above the law and that no public official, including the president , should use their office to enrich themselves or their supporters. They understand that in this democracy, the commanderinchief does not use the men and women of our military, who are willing to risk everything to protect our nation, as political props to deploy against Peaceful Protesters on our own soil. They understand that political opponents are not unamerican just because they disagree with you. A free press is not the enemy, but the way we hold officials accountable. And our ability to Work Together to solve big problems, like a pandemic, depend on a fidelity to facts and science and logic and not just making stuff up. None of this should be controversial. These should not be republican principles or democratic principles. They are american principles. But at this moment, this president , and those who enable him, have shown they do not believe in these things. Tonight, i am asking you to believe in joe and kamalas ability to lead this country out of dark times and build it back better. But here is the thing. No single american can fix this country alone, not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional. If you give me your vote, i make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So i am also asking you to believe in your own ability, to embrace your own responsibility as citizens, to make sure that the basic tenants of our democracy endure, because that is what is at stake right now. Our democracy. Look, i understand why a lot of americans are down on government, the way the rules have been set up and abused in Congress Make it easier for special interests to stop progress than to make progress. Believe me, i know it. [laughs] i understand why a white factory worker, who has seen his wages cut or his job shipped overseas, might feel like the government no longer looks out for him, and why a black mom may feel like it never looked out for her at all. I understand why a new immigrant might look around the country and wonder whether there is still a place for him here. Why a young person might look at politics right now, the circus of it all, the meanness and the lies and the conspiracy theories and think, what is the point . Well, here is the point. This president and those in power, those who benefit from keeping things the way they are, they are counting on your they know they cannot win you over with their policies, so they are hoping to make it as hard as possible for you to vote and to convince you that your vote does not matter. That is how they win. That is how they get to keep making decisions that affect your life and the lives of the people you love. That is how the economy will keep getting skewed to the wealthy and wellconnected, how our Health Systems will let more people fall through the cracks. That is how a democracy withers, until it is no democracy at all, and we cannot let that happen. Do not let them take away your power. Do not let them take away your democracy. Make a plan right now for how you are going to get involved and vote. Do it as early as you can, and tell your family and friends how they can vote, too. Do what americans have done for over two centuries when faced with even tougher times than this, all of those quiet heroes who found the courage to keep marching, keep pushing in the face of hardship and injustice. Last month, we lost a giant of american democracy in john lewis, and some years ago, i sat down with john and a few remaining leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement. One of them told me he had never imagined he would walk into the white house and see a president who looked like his grandson. And then, he told me that he looked it up, and it turned out that on the very day that i was born, he was marching into a jail cell, trying to end jim crow segregation in the south. What we do echoes through generations. Whatever our backgrounds, we are all the children of americans who fought the good fight, great grandparents working in sweatshops, without rights or representation, farmers losing their dreams to dust, irish and italians and asians and latinos told, go back to where you come from. Jews and catholics and muslims and sikhs made to feel suspect for the way they worshiped. Black americans chained and whipped and hanged, spit on for trying to sit at lunch counters, beaten for trying to vote. If anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work and could not work, it was those americans, our ancestors. They were on the receiving end of a democracy that had fallen short all of their lives. They knew how far the daily reality of america strayed from the myth. And yet, instead of giving up, they joined together, and they said, somehow, some way, we are going to make this work. We are going to bring those words in our founding documents to life. I have seen that same spirit rising these past few years. Folks of every age and background who packed city centers and airports and rural roads, so that families would not be separated, so that another classroom would not get shot up, so that our kids will not grow up on an uninhabitable planet. Americans of all races joining together to declare, in the face of injustice and brutality, at the hands of the state, that black lives matter. No more, but no less. So that no child in this country feels the continuous sting of racism. To the young people who led us this summer, telling us we need to be better, in so many ways, you are this countrys dreams fulfilled. Earlier generations had to be persuaded that everyone had equal worth. For you, it is a given, a conviction. And what i want you to know is that for all its messiness and frustrations, your system of selfgovernment can be harnessed to help you realize those convictions for all of us. You can give our Democracy New meaning. You can take it to a better place. You are the missing ingredient, the ones who will decide whether or not america becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed. That work will continue long after this election, but any chance of success depends entirely on the outcome of this election. This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that is what it takes for them to win, so we have to get busy building it up, by pouring all our efforts into these 76 days and by voting like never before for joe and kamala and candidates up and down the ticket, so that we leave no doubt about what this country that we love stands for today and for all our days to come. Stay safe. God bless. Kerry thank you, president obama, for your thank you for your brilliant leadership. Joe biden has chosen an extraordinary woman to be his running mate. Kamala harris is a fighter and a trailblazer, using her groundbreaking ideas to protect families and keep them together by reducing recidivism. I am so thrilled for her to become the Vice President of the United States. Now, please welcome our convention chair. That the president ial candidate who obtained the majority of all pledged and automatic delegates will nominate the democratic candidate for Vice President. In accordance with our rules, Vice President biden has nominated senator Kamala Harris as his Vice President ial candidate. Our rules further provide that if only one candidate is nominated for Vice President , the chair is authorized to declare the nominee the democratic candidate for Vice President. As such, with only one nomination received and pursuant to our rules, i hereby declare that Kamala Harris is elected as the democratic candidate for Vice President. [gavel] i am pleased to report that Vice President ial candidate Kamala Harris has been invited to deliver an acceptance space. Kamala harris is my auntie. My stepmom. My big sister. And there are some things we would like to share with you. To my brother and me, you will always be momala, the worlds greatest stepmom. You are my role model, who taught me i could be whatever i wanted. My very first friend, my confidant in mischief and in justice. You are a rock. For three generations of our big, blended family, you showed me the benefits of Public Service and made sure i grew up around strong, smart, ambitious women every day. Help theg up, heaven picked on me, because my big sister would be there to have my back, and now we have yours and joes. There is no union more perfect than the one that brings us all to her Kitchen Table every sunday night for stir fry, feta chicken, or spaghetti and meatball dinners. And now that i am a mom, you are showing my daughters and so many girls around the world who look like them what is possible and what it is like to move through the world as fierce, formidable, phenomenal women in their own, unique way. I love you. I admire you. I am so proud of you. And even though mommy is not here to see her first daughter step into history, the entire nation will see in your strength, your integrity, your intelligence, and your optimism the values that she raised us with. We love you, momala. We are so proud of you, auntie. You mean the world to us, kamala. And we are so pleased to introduce the world as the next Vice President. Vice president of the United States. Joe biden has selected Kamala Harris as his running mate. The first south asian woman to be named on the democratic ticket. Someone who looks like us. On the president ial ticket. That is crazy. Kamala harris was born in oakland. The daughter of immigrants. A big sister and protector. She is an hbcu grad. She is a woman of many firsts. [speaking spanish] she is a hard worker, a really hard worker. She is brilliant, she is smart, she is tough, and she has a big future. Kamala harris. When she says for the people, it is with every ounce of who she is. She is for us. She fights for womens rights. She fights to end mass incarceration. She is a fearless advocate. Americaitmus test for is how we treat black women. Black people, brown people, undocumented people, lgbtq people, disabled people, all people, all of america. It is about all of us knowing our power to lift people up, right . And to remind them that we can we hear them and that they matter. [cheers and applause] you are going to be Vice President of the United States . [gasps] sen. Harris greetings, america. It is truly an honor to be speaking with you tonight. That i am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me, women and men who believed so fiercely in the promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all. This week marks the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, and we celebrate the women who fought for that right. Yet, so many of the black women, who helped secure that victory, were still prohibited from voting long after its ratification. But they were undeterred. Without fanfare or recognition, they organized and testified and rallied and marched and fought, not just for their vote but for a seat at the table. These women and the generations that followed worked to make democracy and opportunity real in the lives of all of us who followed. They paved the way for the trailblazing leadership of barack obama and hillary clinton, and these Women Inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on. Women like mary church terrel, sandy lou hamer, and diane nash, and the great shirley chisholm. We are not often taught their stories. But as americans, we all stand on their shoulders. And there is another woman whose name is not known, whose story is not shared, another woman whose shoulders i stand on. And that is my mother. Shyamala gopalan harris. She came at the age of 19 to pursue her dream of curing cancer. She met my father, who came from jamaica to study economics. They fell in love in that most american way, while marching together for justice in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s in the streets of oakland and berkeley. I got a strollers eye view of what the great john lewis called good trouble. When i was five, my parents split, and my mother raised us on her own. Like so many mothers, she worked aroundtheclock to make it work, packing lunches before we woke up and paying bills after we went to bed, helping us with homework at the Kitchen Table and shuttling us to church for choir practice. She made it look easy, though it never was. My mother instilled in my sister maya and me the values that would chart the course of our lives. She raised us to be proud, strong black women, and she raised us to know and be proud of our indian heritage. She taught us to put family first, the family you are born into and the family you choose. Family is my husband doug, who i met on a blind date set up by my best friend. Family is our beautiful children, cole and ella, who call me momala. Family is my sister. Family is my best friend, my nieces, and my godchildren. Family is my uncles and my aunts. Family is mrs. Shelton, my second mother who lived two doors down and helped raise me. Family is my beloved alpha kappa alpha, our divine nine, and my hbcu brothers and sisters. Family is the friends i turned to when my mother, the most important person in my life, passed away from cancer. And even as she taught our family at the center of our world, she also pushed us to see a world beyond ourselves. She taught us to be conscious and compassionate about the struggles of all people, to believe Public Service is a noble cause, and the fight for justice is a shared responsibility. That led me to become a lawyer, a District Attorney, attorney general, and a United States senator. And at every step of the way, i have been guided by the words that i spoke from the first time i stood in a courtroom. Kamala harris, for the people. I have fought for children and survivors of sexual assault. I fought against transnational criminal organizations. I took on the biggest banks and helped take down one of the biggest forprofit colleges. I know a predator when i see one. My mother taught me that service to others gives life purpose and meaning, and, oh, how i wish she were here tonight, but i know she is looking down on me from above. I keep thinking about that 25yearold indian woman, all of five feet tall, who gave birth to me at Kaiser Hospital in oakland, california. On that day, she probably could never have imagined that i would be standing before you now and speaking these words. I accept your nomination for Vice President of the United States of america. I do so committed to the values she taught me, to the word that teaches me to walk by faith and not by sight, and to a vision passed on through generations of americans, one that joe biden shares, a vision of our nation as a beloved community, where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, no matter where we come from or who we love, a country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity, and respect, a country where we look out for one another, where we rise and fall as one, where we face our challenges and celebrate our triumphs together. Today, that country feels distant. Donald trumps failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. If you are a parent struggling with your childs remote learning, or you are a teacher, struggling on the other side of that screen, you know what we are doing right now is not working. And we are a nation that is grieving. Grieving the lossoflife, the loss of jobs, the loss of opportunities, the loss of normalcy, and, yes, the loss of certainty. And while this virus touches us all, we have got to be honest. It is not an equal opportunity offender. Black, latino, and Indigenous People are suffering and dying disproportionately. And this is not a coincidence. It is the effect of structural racism, of inequities in education and technology, health care and housing, job security and transportation, the injustice in reproductive and Maternal Health care, and the excessive use of force by police, and in our broader criminal justice system. This virus, it has no eyes, and yet, it knows exactly how we see each other and how we treat each other. And lets be clear. There is no vaccine for racism. We have got to do the work. For george floyd, for breonna taylor, for the lives of too many others to name, for our children, and for all of us. We have got to do the work to fulfill that promise of equal justice under law, because heres the thing. None of us are free until all of us are free. So we are at an inflection point. The constant chaos leaves us adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone. It is a lot. And here is the thing. We can do better and deserve so much more. We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work, a president who will bring all of us together black, white, latino, asian, indigenous to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect joe biden. And i will tell you, i knew joe as Vice President. I knew joe on the campaign trail, and i first got to know joe as the father of my friend. So joes son beau and i served as attorneys general of our states, delaware and california. During the great recession, he and i spoke on the phone nearly every day, working together to win back millions of dollars for homeowners from the big banks that foreclosed on peoples homes, and beau and i, we would talk about his family, how as a single father, joe would spend four hours every day riding the train back and forth from wilmington to washington. Beau and hunter got to have breakfast everyone with their dad. They went to sleep every night with the sound of his voice reading bedtime stories. And while they endured an unspeakable loss, those two little boys always knew that they were deeply, unconditionally loved. And what also moved me about joe is the work that he did as he was going back and forth. This is the leader who wrote the violence against women act and enacted the assault weapons ban. Who, as Vice President , implemented the recovery act, which brought our country back from the great recession. He championed the Affordable Care act, protecting millions of americans with preexisting conditions, who spent decades promoting American Values and interests around the world. Joe, he believes we stand with our allies and stand up to our adversaries. Right now, we have a president who turns our tragedies into political weapons. Joe will be a president who turns our challenges into purpose. Joe will bring us together to build an economy that does not leave anyone behind, where a goodpaying job is the floor, not the ceiling. Joe will bring us together to end this pandemic and make sure that we are prepared for the next one. Joe will bring us together to squarely face and dismantle racial injustice, furthering the work of generations. Joe and i believe that we can build that beloved community, one that is strong and decent, just and kind, one in which we can all see ourselves. That is the vision that our parents and grandparents fought for, the vision that made my own life possible, the vision that makes the american promise for , for all its complexities and imperfections, a promise worth fighting for. So make no mistake, the road ahead is not easy. We may stumble. We may fall short. But i pledge to you that we will act boldly and deal with our challenges honestly. We will speak truths, and we will act with the same faith in you that we ask you to place in us. We believe that our country, all of us, will stand together for a better future, and we already are. We see it in the doctors, the nurses, the home Health Care Workers, and frontline workers, who are risking their lives to save people they have never met. We see it in the teachers and truck drivers, the factory workers and farmers, the postal workers and poll workers, all putting their own safety on the line to help us get through this pandemic. And we see it in so many of you who are working, not just to get us through our current crisis, but to somewhere better. There is something happening all across our country. It is not about joe or me. It is about you. And it is about us. People of all ages and colors and creeds who are, yes, taking to the streets and also persuading our family members, rallying our friends, organizing our neighbors, and getting out the vote. And we have shown that when we vote, we expand access to health care and expand access to the ballot box and ensure that more working families can make a decent living. And i am so inspired by a new generation. You, you are pushing us to realize the ideals of our nation, pushing us to live the values we share. Decency and fairness, justice and love. You are patriots who remind us that to love our country is to fight for the ideals of our country. In this election, we have a chance to change the course of history. We are all in this fight. You, me, and joe. Together. What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege. So lets fight with conviction. Lets fight with hope. Lets fight with confidence in ourselves and a commitment to each other, to the america we know is possible. The america we love. And years from now, this moment will have passed, and our children and our grandchildren will look in our eyes, and they are going to ask us, where were you when the stakes were so high . They will ask us, what was it like . And we will tell them. We will tell them not just how we felt. We will tell them what we did. Thank you. God bless you. And god bless the United States of america. [applause] kerry thank you, senator harris. So powerful. To close out the night, we have got some amazing music from the incomparable jennifer hudson, as well as highlights from tonight, and that tomorrow, we will hear from more americans fighting for a more Perfect Union, fighting for all of us, and finally, we will hear from mr. Biden. Thank you for tuning in and for than thank you for letting me to be a part of your night. Hudson singing a ]hange is gonna come jennifer i was born by the river in a little tent oh and just like the river ive been running evr since its been a long, a Long Time Coming but i know a change is gonna come its been too hard living, but im afraid to die cause i dont know whats up there, beyond the sky its been a long, a Long Time Coming but i know a change gonna come, oh yes it will i go to the movie and i go downtown somebody keep tellin me dont hang around its been a long, a Long Time Coming but i know a change gonna come, oh yes it will then i go to my brother and i say brother help me please but he winds up knockin me back down on my knees, oh there have been times that i thought i couldnt last for long but now i think im able to carry on its been a long, a Long Time Coming a change a change yeah will yes it ooh sen. Harris we must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work, a president who will bring all of together black, white, latino, asian, indigenous to achieve the future we collectively want. We must elect joe biden. He was there for me. He will be there for you, too. Sec. Clinton do you remember back in 2016, when trump asked, what do you have to lose . Well, now we know, even our post office. Speaker pelosi to let a way forward for our country. Sen. Warren the way i see it, big problems demand big solutions. Now, i love a good plan, and joe biden has some really big plans. Fmr. Pres. Obama here is the thing no single american can fix this country alone, not even a president. Democracy was never meant to be transactional. You give me your vote, i make everything better. It requires an active and informed citizenry. So i am also asking you to believe in your own ability, to embrace your own responsibility as citizens, to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure. Idophoros good evening. I am in archbishop elpidophoros with the Greek Orthodox archdiocese. Let us pray. Most merciful and loving god, as we gather in soberness of mind and of heart, for the sake of our nation and its future, we pray that you would shine the light of your countenance upon the delegates of this convention and on vice President Joe Biden for the highest office in the land. As we face the future as one american nation, bring us to our best selves and inspire our better angels in peace, in fairness, and in generosity that we may fight inequality, and for a common good, a greater good. In the name of the holy trinity, we pray, amen. Thompson that concludes our Convention Program for this evening. We will stand in recess until tomorrow evening. [gavel] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] you are watching cspan, your unfiltered view of government, created by Cable Companies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Coming up this morning on washington journal, we will talk about the final night of the Democratic National convention and preview joe bidens acceptance speech with Washington PostPolitical Correspondent karen tumulty. And the aflcios Richard Trumka talks about Union Members and campaign 2020. Then priorities usa chairman guy cecil talks about his super pacs role in the election. Washington journal is next. Ccept yours i a nomination for Vice President of the United States of america. That was californias democratic senator, kamala this is the washington journal for august 20. Joe biden will accept his nomination. You can see that starting at 9 00 this evening. For the next hour your comments on the event of the Democratic Convention including senator harriss acceptance speech