Biden’s closing argument converts eleventh-hour caucus-goers

Joe Biden may be polling in single digits nationally, but somebody forgot to tell him this, and the 300 people who greeted him at a campaign stop in Coralville on the eve of the caucuses didn’t seem to concerned about it, either. With his family members and wife Jill at his side, the Delaware senator was quick to remind the audience that his campaign was alive and picking up momentum across Iowa.

“I want to tell the press here that reports of our death are premature,” Biden said. “I promise you that if you stand up for Joe Biden tomorrow night, there are going to be scores of people standing up with you.”

Biden was introduced by Atul Nakhasi, a 20-year-old Univeristy of Iowa junior, president of the UI Democrats and the recipient of the Press-Citizen’s person-of-the-year award. “Over the last year, I’ve had the great honor of introducing Sen. Clinton, Sen. Obama, and Sen. Edwards,” Nakhaski said. “And now I am here to do one more introduction at one last event, saving the best for last. Sen. Biden and his campaign may not have the most money and celebrities, but he doesn’t need it. Our votes cannot be bought by money or celebrity; that’s not how Iowa works.”Biden was also quick to remind caucusgoers that the election is not just about experience. “If that was the case, then I win. It’s over,” Biden asserted. “And it’s not really about change, it’s about action.” Biden discussed some of his accomplishments as a senator, including the recent passing of his Iran exit strategy and the Violence Against Women Act that he authored and fought for until it passed after an eight-year battle.

But it was Biden’s closing argument as to why voters should caucus for him on Thursday that sealed the deal for a number of caucus-goers in the room, prompting some of them to switch their allegiance to Biden at the eleventh hour. Iowa City resident Tim Taffe was one such convert. He had been going back and fourth between Edwards and Obama for a while, but now plans on caucusing for Biden, and Edwards will be his second choice if he’s not viable. “It was Biden’s closing argument that sold me,” Taffe said. “I mean, who else that is running right now could we entrust to take over tomorrow?”

Biden set the audience by telling them how he had been asked by the national press the day before Christmas what his closing argument was going to be, and he took the audience back to 1968, when he took a job as a public defender in Delaware. He compared the Iowa caucuses to standing in front of the jury, wherein Iowans, like a presiding jury, would have to deliberate about who they thought would be the best candidate to serve as president of the United States.

“I want you to close your eyes and think of the person you’ve decided to support and ask yourself the following questions,” Biden said. “Assume that person was president right now. What degree of confidence do you have, as good as that person may be, that he or she has the confidence to end the war in Iraq tomorrow? Has the confidence to deal with the spiraling crisis in Pakistan? Who do you think, tomorrow, is fundamentally prepared to make these decisions?”

“Secondly, is your candidate capable of standing in the political ring of the general election with John McCain and capable to debate foreign policy, national security and dealing with our troops?” Biden continued. “Who will the press give equal standing to? Who will walk into that contest and be ready?”

“Who will be able to stand in front of Rudy Giuliani and debate terrorism with him? I’ve forgotten more about it than he knows,” Biden quipped.

“Then there’s Huckabee. Is your choice prepared to go toe-to-toe and strip away the phony assertions of the religious and moralizing right as to why they possess the values of America?” Biden asked. “Ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly wait for that debate.”

“Tell me where in the gospel that it says the Lord condones waterboarding. Tell me where in the gospel that it says it’s a higher value to provide $85 billion in tax cuts to people who earn an average income of $1.4 million, and not insure our children.”

Biden concluded: “Ladies and gentlemen, these are the moral values that I can’t wait to debate. Thank you very much.”

Biden’s closing argument made instant converts out of Iowa City residents Jenifer Angerer and Meg Corbin, both of whom had been leaning toward Sen. Chris Dodd before the night had begun. “Coming into the night I was a Dodd supporter, namely because my husband is a firefighter,” said Corbin, a junior high teacher in Coralville. Dodd was endorsed by the International Association of Fire Fighters. “But after tonight, I’m leaning toward Biden. He has such an impressive foreign policy record, and we need somebody in the office like him to deal with all of the global crises.”

“I was leaning towards Dodd and possibly Edwards before tonight, but I hadn’t heard Joe Biden speak yet,” Angerer said. “He definitely sold me, namely because of all the damage that’s been done internationally over the past seven years. It needs to be mended immediately, and I think Joe Biden is the candidate that can do that starting tomorrow.”

Then there is Shawn Noble, who told the Iowa Independent at an Obama event in Coralville earlier in the day that he was planning on caucusing for Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and would go to Obama if he wasn’t viable. Noble changed his mind after hearing Biden speak. “He was very impressive. I think I’m going to caucus for Biden now instead of Kucinich,” Noble said. “But I’m still sticking to Obama as my backup plan.”