’Four more years!’: Union members celebrate Biden’s fiery speech
On Friday, President Joe Biden gave a nearly 20-minute speech to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction and Maintenance at its conference in Washington, D.C., touching on the union’s support for his campaign in 2020, his record as a pro-labor president, and the anti-labor records of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. "My predecessor and his MAGA allies have a very different view. He promised Infrastructure Week every week for four years and never built a damn thing," he said, adding that Trump wants to “repeal the climate law that would gut all those new jobs and industries created here in America.” Biden spoke about his intention to let the Republican tax breaks for the rich, which “exploded” our national deficit, expire. "My opponent learned the best way to get rich is inherit it. I can't argue much of that. But, eh?” Biden joked. ”They learned that paying taxes is for working people, not the super-wealthy. They learned that telling people ‘you're fired’ is something to be laughed about. Not where I come from. Not where I was raised." As Biden walked off the stage, the audience chanted, "Four more years." YouTube Video Look, folks, my predecessor and his MAGA allies have a very different view. He promised Infrastructure Week every week for four years and never built a damn thing. Fact. [...] Now they want to repeal the climate law that would gut all those new jobs and industries created here in America. My predecessor rolled back protection for American workers. He opposed increases in the federal minimum wage. And he was proud, very—proud—of his $2 trillion tax cut when he was president, that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and created the biggest corporations and exploded, exploded the federal debt. I cut the federal deficit. He exploded it. By the way, this is no, there's no exaggeration here. It's going to expire. And if I'm reelected is going to stay expired. Look, let me close with this. The two different ways of looking at our economy. Some folks learned very different lessons growing up than you and I did. [...] My opponent learned, the best way to get rich is inherit it. I can't argue much of that. But, eh? They learned that paying taxes is for working people, not the super-wealthy. They learned that telling people "you're fired" is something to be laughed about. Not where I come from. Not where I was raised. I guess that's how they look at the world from Park Avenue, Mar-A-Lago. But I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claremont, Delaware—working-class and middle-class towns. But many of you did as well. Nobody handed you anything. You paid your taxes, and being told you were fired wasn't entertainment. It was a devastating nightmare to a family. Folks, where we come from, it matters. That's why when I look at the economy, I don't see through the eyes of Mar-A-Lago. I literally see through the eyes of Scranton and where I grew up in my Grandpop's kitchen table. I see through the eyes of working people like you. And the basic values said you represent honesty, decency, hard work, faith. It matters. Fairness matters. And you believe like I do. Everyone in America deserves just an even shot. No guarantee, just a shot. But guaranteed to have a shot. In America we leave nobody behind. Where we come from, folks, that's the America you all are building. That's the America you're recreating. Let me ask you, are you going to keep doing it? I know we can do this because of you, the American worker. I've never been more optimistic about our future than I am today. Folks, you just have to remember who the hell we are. We're the United States of America, and there's nothing beyond our capacity. Nothing, nothing. Nothing. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you. On behalf of America. Thank you. You've really done it. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Zachary Mueller is the senior research director for America’s Voice and America’s Voice Education Fund. He brings his expertise on immigration politics to talk about how much money the GOP is using to promote its racist immigration campaigns. Embedded Content Campaign Action
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On Friday, President Joe Biden gave a nearly 20-minute speech to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction and Maintenance at its conference in Washington, D.C., touching on the union’s support for his campaign in 2020, his record as a pro-labor president, and the anti-labor records of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.
"My predecessor and his MAGA allies have a very different view. He promised Infrastructure Week every week for four years and never built a damn thing," he said, adding that Trump wants to “repeal the climate law that would gut all those new jobs and industries created here in America.”
Biden spoke about his intention to let the Republican tax breaks for the rich, which “exploded” our national deficit, expire.
"My opponent learned the best way to get rich is inherit it. I can't argue much of that. But, eh?” Biden joked. ”They learned that paying taxes is for working people, not the super-wealthy. They learned that telling people ‘you're fired’ is something to be laughed about. Not where I come from. Not where I was raised."
As Biden walked off the stage, the audience chanted, "Four more years."
Look, folks, my predecessor and his MAGA allies have a very different view. He promised Infrastructure Week every week for four years and never built a damn thing. Fact.
[...]
Now they want to repeal the climate law that would gut all those new jobs and industries created here in America. My predecessor rolled back protection for American workers. He opposed increases in the federal minimum wage. And he was proud, very—proud—of his $2 trillion tax cut when he was president, that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy and created the biggest corporations and exploded, exploded the federal debt. I cut the federal deficit. He exploded it.
By the way, this is no, there's no exaggeration here. It's going to expire. And if I'm reelected is going to stay expired.
Look, let me close with this. The two different ways of looking at our economy. Some folks learned very different lessons growing up than you and I did.
[...]
My opponent learned, the best way to get rich is inherit it. I can't argue much of that. But, eh? They learned that paying taxes is for working people, not the super-wealthy. They learned that telling people "you're fired" is something to be laughed about. Not where I come from. Not where I was raised.
I guess that's how they look at the world from Park Avenue, Mar-A-Lago. But I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania and Claremont, Delaware—working-class and middle-class towns. But many of you did as well. Nobody handed you anything. You paid your taxes, and being told you were fired wasn't entertainment. It was a devastating nightmare to a family.
Folks, where we come from, it matters. That's why when I look at the economy, I don't see through the eyes of Mar-A-Lago. I literally see through the eyes of Scranton and where I grew up in my Grandpop's kitchen table. I see through the eyes of working people like you. And the basic values said you represent honesty, decency, hard work, faith. It matters. Fairness matters.
And you believe like I do. Everyone in America deserves just an even shot. No guarantee, just a shot. But guaranteed to have a shot. In America we leave nobody behind. Where we come from, folks, that's the America you all are building. That's the America you're recreating. Let me ask you, are you going to keep doing it?
I know we can do this because of you, the American worker. I've never been more optimistic about our future than I am today. Folks, you just have to remember who the hell we are. We're the United States of America, and there's nothing beyond our capacity. Nothing, nothing. Nothing. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you. On behalf of America. Thank you.
You've really done it. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Zachary Mueller is the senior research director for America’s Voice and America’s Voice Education Fund. He brings his expertise on immigration politics to talk about how much money the GOP is using to promote its racist immigration campaigns.
