Every loser wins: Democrats Joe Biden beat on way to getting nomination come together to back him for the White House (without mentioning why they thought they were better than him)
- Former rivals to Joe Biden joined in a video touting his candidacy at the first night of the Democratic convention
- Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke of the time Biden complimented his ideas backstage at a debate
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, Andrew Yang, and Tom Steyer also joined
- Running mate Kamala Harris also took part
- Most seemed to have cut video interviews from home
- Sen. Bernie Sanders gave his own speech from Vermont
Democratic former presidential contenders who once presented subtle and not-subtle arguments for why they should carry the Democratic Party’s presidential banner instead of Joe Biden joined in a video tribute to the victorious former vice president aired at the party convention Monday.
Among them was New Jersey Sen. Corey Booker, who said Biden complemented him backstage during a debate.
‘In the commercial break he puts his arm around me and starts telling me how good my ideas are,’ said Booker, who performed well in some early debates but whose campaign fizzled.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was among s
‘And the next thing I know he’s giving me a pep talk,’ said Booker, who spoke in front of a large dresser and a carefully placed copy of a book titled The New Jim Crow.
Among Booker’s slams during the campaign was a dig over marijuana legalization. ‘When I hear him say that “I don’t think we should legalize marijuana,” I thought you might have been high when you said it,” Booker said at the Atlanta debate last November.
He also blasted Biden over other criminal justice issues during the campaign, bringing up Biden’s past statements taking credit for major anti-crime legislation.
The video is titled United We Stand and runs 4 1/2 minutes.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke went after Biden during the campaign at times, but saluted him in the new video
Running mate Kamal Harris vouched for Biden in the video
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) touted Biden in an evening speech
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York talked up former Senate colleague Biden
Hedge-funder Tom Steyer called Donald Trump a ‘failed businessman.’ He also said the ‘moment has found the person’ in Biden
A few former rivals, like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, called for policy issues like a national paid leave bill that Biden is embracing.
‘He’s had some hard times in his lie,’ said Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington.
‘Starting a presidential campaign is daunting,’ said Massachussets Rep. Seth Moulton, whose campaign lasted just five months and who spoke in front of a fireplace.
Andrew Yang said Biden called him after he dropped out and was ‘extraordinarily gracious and comforting.’
Booker spoke about ‘incredibly long days’ and evening events that ‘go on for hours’ on the campaign trail.
‘He really is his own man,’ former Rep. Beto O’Rourke says of Biden. O’Rourke, who was campaign for some of the same vote as Biden, said during the campaing the country could do ‘far better’ and called him a ‘return to the past.’
Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders clashed during the South Carolina debate in February
Biden’s former rivals endorsed him after they dropped out, with several taking part in a DNC video
It also included lesser known figures like Tom Steyer, a venture capitalist who called Trump a ‘failed businessperson.’
Running mate Sen. Kamala Harris makes a cameo, smiling at the camera and sayins she is ‘very excited’ that a domestic workers bill of rights is ‘in there’ as an agenda item.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats and was the last major opposition to give up, didn’t appear, but cut his own live speech for Biden.
He pointed out policies the two campaigns had hammered out (President Trump calls it a ‘manifesto’), while attacking the president.
‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs,’ said Sanders.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also wasn’t in it, but she is scheduled to speak Wednesday.