Good evening. This is an important moment for me and the Bipartisan Policy Center. We founded this with the leadership of bob dole, george mitchell, howard baker. Saying those names gives me a and a realof pride confidence in the strength of our democracy. From the beginning the Bipartisan Policy Center has ,een animated by core ideas that americas inspiration flows from our nations on their political and cultural diversity. That our stability and rely on our differences. That politics, like all productive human interactions, is about the integrity of ideas, personal connection, and trust. 10 years later these ideas still guide our work. As proud progresses and staunch conservatives, we have a vibrance and at times in tents come affordable culture intense political culture. Nothing is checked at the door. Staff and the hundreds of people in our negotiations to bring their politics, personal commitments, economic interests all to the table. The only catch is that they will be spending the next years with 20 people that received the same invitation. We are too aware that the warmth and camaraderie in this very windy room is not widely shared in our government. Many of our fellow citizens. It is gratifying and horrifying to be in a room of about 1000 productive participants and fortifying to be in a room of about 1000 productive participants. Hubris tohave the thank by our great genius we have made meaningful impact on the National Policy debate. With the support of righteous and registered lobbyists, our partners of the Bipartisan Policy Center action employee all of the sophistication and aggression of a trade association to turn these ideas into outcomes. Butas been tough out there, as senator koontz noted, the Congress Passed significant laws last time, and were proud to have contributed to several. We are delighted to a played a role in legislation that accelerates the development of lifesaving medical treatments, removes arbitrary developments to exporting u. S. Oil, the regulation of toxic chemicals, and extended the Childrens Health insurance program. We are proud of these accomplishments, but aware that our government failed to often and achieved too little. Things have changed quite a bit in three months. The mood in washington has shifted from what i think of protectable gridlock to sprawling uncertainty. Trumps president disinterest in governing traditions is sometimes governing traditions, sometimes is sometimesoric unsettling. To others his authenticity, rejection of tired rules, and populist agenda speak to the very real alienation many feel from a process that has failed to meet their needs or validate their struggles. We come together at a moment when the passion is high. It is not an easy moment for principled dialogue and bipartisan collaboration. There is one thing for sure. Now is not the time to leave the arena, or to seek the comfort of rigidity by naming it courage, to go highbrow and paraphrase not are, doubt is pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one. To thank ournt founders, our board of directors, our project leaders, our fabulous staff, our loyal funders come everyone else in the family. I want to ask you to join us in redoubling our commitment to the heart, uncertain, uncomfortable. Ork of american democracy the Bipartisan Committee is committed to helping this country succeed, and we need your help. It is my great pleasure to introduce one of our founders, former Senate Majority leader, george mitchell, to kick off our award presentation. If there was ever an example or for a principal, pragmatic, reductive partisan it is george mitchell. Senator . [applause] jasonnk you, very much, for your kind words and outstanding leadership of the Bipartisan Policy Center over the past decade. It is a real pleasure for me to dole,e, along with bob anddaschle, who joined me, tom baker in creating this organization 10 years ago. In that regard, might i ask that we all reflect for a moment on howard baker, who is no longer with us, but was a truly great senator, great leader, and most of all one of the finest human beings i have ever known in or out of politics. Us who founded the Bipartisan Policy Center are proud of the organization. Proud of the remarkable progress that has been made over the past decade. Is a testament to how solutions to Public Policy issues can be forged through credible analysis, a reliance on facts, and a deliberate respectful process. So, this is a special moment for so as i haveore the opportunity and honor to join with bob dole in introducing Vice President joe biden. [applause] a true leader, a giant in the legislative history of the , who brought his special, personal, unique brand of candor, collaboration, and commitment to the legislative and executive branches of our government. , theson has said Bipartisan Policy Center and establish the congressional Patriot Award to recognize leaders who, while they are partisans as democrats or republicans, are wise enough to always put americans first. These are people who proudly embrace their partys principles and approach to the issues and governing, but are ready and willing to transcend political differences when they judge it to be in the best interests of the nation. These are the leaders and lawmakers who have throughout their tenure in Public Office demonstrated the capacity to guide and lead our nation towards a common purpose. They speak not only to the highest aspirations of our people, but also to the strength and endurance of the institutions that serve our democracy. Vice President Joe Biden is indisputably one of those individuals and leaders. [applause] over more than four decades he served as the United States senator and as Vice President of the United States. His political courage enables him to overcome differences and help govern a diverse nation, often during deeply partisan times. Joe biden is a negotiator. He is a dealmaker. He is, in the highest meaning of with ad, a legislator legislative record that is ,urpassed by very few, if any of the 2000 men and women who serve in the United States senate since our nations founding. This is the joe biden i have had the great privilege of knowing, of working with, and of calling a close and dear friend. I am proud to join bob dole in presenting this congressional Patriot Award to Vice President joe biden. I would like, now, to say just a , who will senator joe join me, who will say a few words before joe receives the award and responds. I want to tell 2 stories about senator dole and me. Ne serious, one not so serious on the day i was elected Senate Majority leader, the first person that i called was bob dole, who was then the republican leader. I asked if i could come to see him. He agreed. I walked a few steps down the office. Orridor to bobs i said to him that he had men in the congress for more than a quarter century. I have been there for just a few years, so he knew more about the senate in his Little Finger than i would ever know. I said i had been out long enough to know that the senate is a very difficult place to manage. If there is not trust between the leaders, in my judgment, impossible to manage effectively. I said to him that i have come here to tell you how i intend to behave towards you, and ask if you will behave in the same way towards me. Forth the most basic and fundamental principles of fair play, openness, and decency. Bob was delighted. We should cancel. Ot once we shook hands not once, ever, to this moment has a harsh word ever passed between bob dole and me, in public or in private. [applause] we disagreed often. We negotiated vigorously almost every working day. When we couldnt reach an agreement, which was frequent, we let the senate decide the issue. Senate andood in the debated strongly for opposing points of view, we never made it personal. I believe that is the proper way to conduct business in the senate and in our democracy. Im deeply grateful to bob dole for treating me in that manner during the six years that we served as leaders together. [applause] for that in many ways. I will tell you the second story. After i retired from the senate i joined the law firm. Me a not bad but fairly small office, no staff. Couple years later bob decided to join a law firm. The firm encouraged me to talk to him. He came, they gave him an entire floor of the office building. Six separate offices in addition to his palatial Corner Office overlooking the park. That bothered me. What really bothered me was that he had a separate office for his dog. Leader. The his dogs office was bigger than mine. At a firm meeting i complained about this. Bob doles response was, that dog has been a leader long before you were leader. I learned then never to challenge bob dole. Ladies and gentlemen, my dear friend, joe bidens dear friend, a Great National and congressional leader, bob dole. [applause] thank you, very much. Does this thing work . Im happy to see a few of my clients came out to see me. I know the former senators in the audience somewhere. And the former leader that had to clean up the mess after i left. , george and i, are honored to be on the same platform. Joe, how should i call you . He said call me joe. I didnt know if it was mr. Vice president or whatever, candidate for 2020 [cheers and applause] i got a call from president left and he said do not say too many good things about biden, he may run against me later on. , asbiden is a special guy senator mitchell has already pointed out. George mitchell, i, and tom daschle is out there somewhere, we are all great friends. The thing that george said that yount to underscore, once trust one another, and the people in the audience hopefully all trust one another and have a relationship, when you trust someone, i could go to george and say if i get get my guys to go this way little, could you get yours to come this way a little . He would check out, we would wee back, and many times found a compromise. The one thing we didnt do was read about it in the morning paper. E had this trust we really respected each other. We knew what we told each other was private. We got a lot done. Little of that creeping up in the congress, and i hope it continues to grow. He, tomitchell, ischle, robert byrd remember robert byrd saying im not sure i can work with you, you are too partisan. , robert, they dont elect nonpartisan leaders. 30 days later he came around and said we will get along fine. I must say working with robert byrd, george mitchell, tom whohle, three wonderful men had integrity to the bone. E understood each other like george said, when we couldnt agree we had to vote. Sometimes we had filibusters. Did have our differences. Never went out and told the press that i think george adada and he never did either. We would settle our differences, and if we couldnt settle and we had a vote. About my say that friend george mitchell. He said a lot of nice things about my book in his book about me. I still owe him one payment. [laughter]. T is a great book george and i have an honor of having our dear friend joe biden. I remember going to jail one one timeoing to joe when he was the chairman of the judiciary. He had already cut off and said no more nominations. Were not going to approve any more judges this year. I said, joe i have this wonderful lady in kansas who would be a great district judge. It,aid, let me think about but i have already given my word. Afterwe could do it hours. [laughter] most people had gone to sleep or gone home. He came back the next day and said youre my friend. Im going to do it. And we did it. That is only one example of this man. George could recite many more that i can, but i remember when , ieft the senate in 1996 cant remember anymore why i left, but when i left i left the senate and on my way out joe was at the leaders desk on the democratic side. He handed me a note. Luck, bob. D good signed joe. I knew that joe wasnt going to campaign for me, but i also knew that he wasnt going to badmouth me either. In theoud to say that eight years that joe has been Vice President of the United States, i have never uttered an unkind word about him or president obama. I figured who cared what i had to say anyway, and second they were elected and entitled to our respect. Joe certainly demonstrated how much he deserves this award tonight. He has had his ups and downs, tragedies and the family, he has suffered through it all. He is our friend. I dont know anybody who was mad at joe biden. Were you, george . No. [laughter] we might have been a little tense now and then, but nothing serious. Joe, i am proud to be a part of this team to present to you with the Patriot Award for all you have done for america. We could be democrats and republicans and independents, and protesters. Patriots. Mericans are we have had a patriot serving as Vice President for 8 years. He has made us proud, whether you are democrat or a republican. Joe biden made you proud. [applause] joe, we want to present to you, george is going to hand it to you [applause] [applause] mr. Biden i am honored to be here tonight. I dont say that lightly. Those of you who know the most meaningful complements, rewards, or nice gestures that you receive mean the most when they come from people who really know you and still are prepared i really mean it. Think about it. Measure the value of an award by how much i value the people giving the award. The men mentioned tonight, from howard baker, who i had the great honor of doing his eulogy, one of several people, to tom daschle who has been my friend since he came to the senate. George mitchell, someone ive gone to for advice often. The bob dole who was there when i got there in 1972 to extend a welcome to me. Obama always kidded me from the outset because i once said that it is presumptuous of me to try to improve on anything tip oneill has ever said when he said all politics is local. I think he was partially right. View senatorn my snowe, all politics is personal. I mean that sincerely. It is personal. It matters that you understand know thehe and other person. It matters, even with foreign leaders with which you have nothing in common, that you at least get to the point to where you understand what their needs are, their limits are, and whether or not you can trust what they say. Everyone who has worked on the hill, and many of you have, and nowt served on the hill k that the coin of the realm is your word. The coin of the realm is whether to do you can be trusted what you said you would do. When i first got to the senate for the first 2 decades, there was a lot of men and not enough women. We are changing that. Word asd give you their , and wheney would do circumstances changed, that would make it more difficult for them to do it, they would still step forward and do it anyway. Then we started to see, at least 1990s andhe thereabouts, pupil of promise but they were going to do, you would work out something, then they would say im sorry my circumstances have changed it i can no longer do that. These men and women, including snowe and our former secretary of agriculture, never did that. A second ring that they never i first got to the senate i did not want to be there. Senator mansfield, kennedy, and a fellow you may not remember ,rom the state of rhode island and later the senator from ohio, one of the funniest guys ive ever worked with, came to see me and said come and serve for six months. They meant itht that they really needed me just for six months. George used to go to the senator mansfields office every tuesday at 3 00. Assignment. An i really thought all senators got assignments. I really did. I know that is naive, but i was the first senator i ever knew. I really did. It took me until the beginning to realize he was taking my pulse to see how i was doing. One day i was walking across the floor to the well to find out when the last vote would be to get on the plane to go home to there was ad precursor for the americans with disabilities act. Talking about how we had no obligation. Although i never had a temper, thank goodness i had to meet with senator mansfield. I sat in front of him and he said whats the matter, joe. Helmswent off on jesse saying he had no social redeeming value. How could he be so heartless and so forth. He listened to me and said joe, what would you say if i told you jesse helms in 1969 were sitting in the living room in raleigh with an advertisement before christmas and a young man 14 or 15 years old in braces of to his hip and crutches saying all i want for christmas is someone to love me, take me home. What would you say, joe, if i told you that jesse helms adopted that young man . Full list. Uld feel he said i learned it is always another to the question man or woman is debate and never make an apology for that. It is never relevant to question their motives. You do not know. From that moment on, i end the im talking about, never questioned someone elses motives. You you question a motive could not get to a place for you can reach an agreement. Thisolitics, the Reason Center was set up, and jason you are doing a heckuva job, has become too negative, petty, personal, partisan. Compromise has literally become a dirty word. We dont just question other peoples judgment and disagree with them, we question their motivation. If you dont agree with me it is because you are being bought off. If you dont agree with me is because you are not a good person. We dont know each other anymore. It is hard to dislike a woman or man on the other side when you understand their problems. They may have a son or daughter with a Serious Health problem. A wife or husband with breast olon cancer, or struggles at home. It is hard not to understand them. We used to travel together. We went up to the private Senate Dining room, the tables arent there anymore. We used to eat lunch together, privately. It is god. Gone. Is no one is there anymore