>>> JOE BIDEN WILL BE SUCH A
PRESIDENT.
WITH OUR VOICES AND OUR VOTES,
LET US NOW RIGHTWRITE THE NEXT
CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN STORY,
ONE OF HOPE, OF LOVE, OF
JUSTICE.
IF WE DO SO, WE MIGHT JUST SAVE
OUR COUNTRY AND OUR SOULS.
>> SO THAT WAS A MOMENT FROM
TONIGHT’S TELECAST, JON MEACHAM,
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
HISTORIAN.
HE’S THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW BOOK
"HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON."
IT’S A REVEALING PORTRAIT OF
JOHN LEWIS WHICH COMES OUT NEXT
WEEK.
SO, JON, OTHER THAN TRULY LOVING
BIOGRAPHIES WHICH WERE STRAIGHT
UP COMMISSIONED BY SOME OF THE
PREDOMINANT POLITICAL FAMILIES
OF OUR LIFETIMES THAT YOU AND I
KNOW AND LOVE, I COULDN’T
REMEMBER ANOTHER HISTORIAN IN MY
LIFETIME, ESPECIALLY A PULITZER
RECIPIENT, SOMEONE OF
INDISPUTABLE HEFT ENDORSING A
POLITICAL CANDIDATE.
TALK TO ME ABOUT YOUR DECISION
TO DO SO TONIGHT AND AMID THESE
TIMES.
>> RIGHT.
WELL, AS VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN
SAID TONIGHT, DEMOCRACY IS ON
THE BALLOT.
AND TO RECORD HISTORY DOESN’T
MEAN YOU’RE REMOVED FROM IT.
I’D ARGUE THAT IT ACTUALLY
CREATES AN EVEN GREATER
OBLIGATION THAN ONE MIGHT
OTHERWISE HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE
WHERE ONE CAN.
AND VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN VERY
GENEROUSLY ASKED ME TO DO THIS
TONIGHT AND WE’VE BEEN FRIENDLY
FOR A LONG TIME.
I WAS HONORED TO DO IT.
AND I TOTALLY SPOKE FROM MY
HEART, MY SOUL, MY CORE.
IT’S -- FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH,
JUST BEHIND THE CURTAIN, I WAS
NOT ASKED TO MAKE ANY POINT.
THEY GAVE ME A TIME LIMIT AND A
SUBJECT.
THEY ASKED ME TO DEFINE THE SOUL
OF AMERICA AND THAT WAS IT.
THERE WAS NO REQUIREMENT THAT I
ENDORSE THE NOMINEE OR TALK
ABOUT THE NOMINEE.
BUT IF YOU ARE ENGAGED IN THIS
CONVERSATION THAT WE’RE HAVING
IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW WHICH IS
HOW DO WE RESTORE A BALANCE OF
POWER BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL AND
BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK AND
BETWEEN OUR BETTER ANGELS AND
OUR WORST INSTINCTS, AND THAT IS
THE CONVERSATION, THEN IT
NATURALLY LEADS YOU
INTELLECTUALLY, EMOTIONALLY,
POLITICALLY TO THE RECOGNITION
THAT WE HAVE A STARK CHOICE HERE
AND IT’S BETWEEN SOMEONE WHO HAS
MASTERED -- DIDN’T CREATE.
BUT HAS MASTERED AND EXACERBATED
THE WORST OF OUR CHARACTER, THE
INCUMBENT PRESIDENT, AND A GOOD
AND DECENT MAN, WHO IS NOT
PERFECT.
YOU KNOW, HE’LL BE THE FIRST
PERSON TO TELL YOU THAT.
BUT POLITICS IS THE ART OF THE
POSSIBLE.
AND JOE BIDEN IS CLEARLY THE
BEST PERSON TO SEND TO THE
PINNACLE OF POWER TO TRY TO
RESTORE A SENSE OF CONVERSATION. NOT THAT THE STATUS QUO WAS
NOT THAT THE STATUS QUO WAS
GREAT, THIS IS NOT AN
ESTABLISHMENT-TARIAN POINT.
BUT POLITICS IN AMERICA THROUGH
A REMARKABLY FERTILE PERIOD THAT
HELPED CREATE THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT AND THE LIBERATION
MOVEMENTS THAT -- FROM SENECA TO
SELMA TO STONEWALL, A BROADENING
SENSE OF IDENTITY, THE IMAGES OF
THAT IDENTITY WE HAVE SEEN ALL
WEEK.
THE CONVERSATION WAS BETWEEN
SORT OF FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT OVER
HERE AND RONALD REAGAN OVER HERE
AND WE DEBATED TWO THINGS IN
AMERICA WHICH WAS THE RELATIVE
ROLE OF THE MARKET IN THE STATE.
AND THE INCUMBENT PRESIDENT HAS
BLOWN UP THAT CONVERSATION.
I THINK BIDEN WILL RESTORE THAT
CONVERSATION AND OUT OF THAT
CONVERSATION WILL COME REFORM.
>> SO IT’S THE NATURAL EXTENSION
OF ALL THE TIMES ON THIS AND
OTHER BROADCASTS YOU’VE BEEN
ASKED BY THIS AND OTHER HOSTS
HOW MUCH TROUBLE WE’RE IN AND IF
OUR DEMOCRACY ITSELF IN YOUR
VIEW IS IN DANGER.
THIS AT LONG LAST ANSWERS THAT
QUESTION.
>> IT DOES.
AND TO GET PERSONAL HERE, AT
THIS LATE HOUR, YOU KNOW, I’M A
SOUTHERNER.
I’M A WHITE SOUTHERNER.
I WAS BORN AFTER THE CIVIL
RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
AND I LIKE TO THINK I WOULD HAVE
BEEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THAT.
BUT I DON’T KNOW.
I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD HAVE
BEEN.
HERE I HAVE A CHOICE.
DO I WANT TO BE ON THE RIGHT
SIDE OF WHAT SEEMS TO ME OUT OF
JUST BASIC COMMONSENSE IS A
STARK CHOICE BETWEEN A PATH --
AGAIN, OF LIGHT OR OF DARK.
OF BROADENING WHAT WE CAN BE OR
OF NARROWING IT.
IT’S RIGHT THERE.