WE'RE BACK WITH VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN.
NOW, SIR, YOU HAVE A NEW BOOK, IT'S CALLED "PROMISE ME, DAD."
IT GOES ON SALE TOMORROW, AND IT IS ABOUT YOUR SON, BO, AND YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, WHAT HE MEANT TO YOUR FAMILY, WHAT HE
MEANT TO OUR COUNTRY.
WHAT DOES THE TITLE MEAN?
WHAT WAS THE PROMISE YOU MADE HIM?
>> THE PROMISE I MADE HIM -- BO WAS A -- THE REASON I WROTE THE
BOOK, I WANTED YOU ALL TO KNOW WHAT AN INCREDIBLE -- I SOUND
LIKE A FATHER, WHICH I AM -- AN INCREDIBLE MAN MY SON WAS.
SECONDLY, I WANTED TO GIVE PEOPLE HOPE THAT THERE IS,
THROUGH PURPOSE, YOU CAN FIND YOUR WAY THROUGH GRIEF, AND
THAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK.
SO WHEN HE SAID -- WE WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION, AND BO
WAS VERY EMPHATIC.
HE DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY TO KNOW HOW DESPERATE HIS CIRCUMSTANCE
WAS.
SO HE WOULD SAY, DAD, LOOK, WHEN THEY MENTION ME, SMILE, DAD.
SMILE.
TELL THEM EVERYTHING IS OKAY.
THEN HE'D SAY TO ME, AFTER DINNER ONE NIGHT AT HIS HOME, HE
SAID, DAD, I'VE GOT TO TALK TO YOU.
AND WE SAT WITH HIS WIFE.
AND HE SAID, DAD, I KNOW NO ONE LOVES ME MORE THAN YOU.
HE SAID, DAD, I'M GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT NO MATTER WHAT
HAPPENS, BUT YOU'VE GOT TO PROMISE ME YOU'RE GOING TO BE
OKAY.
WHAT HE MEANT BY THAT WAS HE KNOWS MY WHOLE LIFE THAT
SATISFIED ME, LIKE HIM, HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO TRY TO DEAL WITH THE
THINGS THAT I THINK CAN MAKE THE COUNTRY AND WORLD BETTER.
HE WAS WORRIED THAT, OUT OF GRIEF, I WOULD TURN INWARD, THAT
I COULD TAKE CARE OF THE FAMILY BUT I WOULD STEP BACK FROM ALL
THE THINGS I DEVOTED MY LIFE TO.
AND, SO, THAT WAS THE PROMISE.
PROMISE ME, DAD, YOU'RE GOING TO STAY ENGAGED.
IT WASN'T PROMISE ME, DAD, YOU'RE GOING TO RUN FOR
PRESIDENT, WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRYING -- NO, HE REALLY
WANTED ME TO RUN, BUT THAT WASN'T THE PROMISE.
THE PRESIDENT ASKED ME AT LUNCH ONE DAY WHEN BO WAS SICK, HE
SAID, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?
I SAID, I WANT TO DO WHAT I'VE DONE, THE SAME ANSWER I'D GIVEN
YOU WHEN I WAS 29, 39 AND RIGHT NOW, I WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
AND I THINK I CAN.
( APPLAUSE ) SO BO -- WE TALKED ABOUT THIS,
STEPHEN, YOU UNDERSTAND THIS BETTER THAN MOST ANYBODY -- HE
WANTED ME TO STAY ENGAGED.
IT WASN'T ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, IT WAS ABOUT STAYING
ENGAGED.
I HAD A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
WHEN I GOT OUT OF OFFICE, ALL THE PEOPLE I WOULD HAVE HAD RUN
IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AND NATIONAL
SECURITY APPARATUS ARE WITH ME AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
PENNSYLVANIA.
THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA HAS GIVEN ME A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF MONEY TO HIRE STAFF, UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE HAS DONE
SAME THING, AND I HAVE FIRST-RATE STAFF PEOPLE AND A
GROUP OF NOBEL LAUREATES, ALONG WITH HEADS OF MAJOR HOSPITALS
LIKE SLOAN KETTERING AND SAID WOULD YOU KEEP THE BIDEN CANCER
INITIATIVE GOING BECAUSE THERE IS NOT THATCH HAPPENING NOW.
SO IT'S ALL ABOUT PURPOSE.
I FIND THAT FOR ME AND JILL AND HUNTER AND MY DAUGHTER ASHLEY,
LOOK, WHEN YOU AND I HAD ONE OF THE MOST -- PRESUMPTION OF ME TO
SAY THIS BUT I FEEL LIKE I KNOW YOU BECAUSE THE LAST SHOW WE HAD
I THINK IT WENT IN A DIRECTION NEITHER OF US EXPECTED IT TO GO.
WHEN I GOT HOME, HUNTER SAID, YOU AND MR. COLBERT WAS GREAT
BUT HERE'S THE DEAL, DAD, LET'S FOCUS NOT ON BO'S LOSS, LET'S
FOCUS ON BO'S PROMISE, WHAT IT IS BO WOULD BE DOING WERE HE
HERE NOW.
THAT'S THE PROMISE.
I WANT BO TO BE PROUD OF ME AND THAT I'M DOING WHAT I'VE ALWAYS
DONE AND PROMISED HIM I WOULD TRY TO DO.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: TALKING TO YOU IS
ALWAYS ENJOYABLE BECAUSE YOU ARE WILLING TO SHARE IN YOUR
HUMANITY WARTS AND ALL BECAUSE GRIEF IS SOMETHING NOBODY WANTS
TO FACE, NOBODY WANTS TO INVITE IT BUT IT EVENTUALLY COMES FOR
EVERYONE.
IT'S THE ONE SHARED THING NO MATTER YOUR BELIEFS, RELIGION,
POLITICAL POSITION, IT DOESN'T MATTER, AND I THINK ONE OF THE
REASONS WHY PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN WE HAD YOU
ON THE SHOW WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HAPPY IF YOU RAN FOR PRESIDENT
IS THEY WANT SOMEONE WHO SHARES THEIR HUMANITY AND CAN UNIT
PEOPLE ABOUT COMMON VALUES.
( APPLAUSE ) NOW, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU IF
YOU CAN RUN FOR PRESIDENT BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE NOT GOING
TO GIVE ME AN ANSWER.
ARE YOU GOING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT?
( LAUGHTER ) YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GIVE ME AN
ANSWER.
>> NO, I HONEST TO GOD DON'T -- LOOK, HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE LOST
SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU?
RAISE YOUR HAND.
WERE YOU READY TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT A FUNDAMENTAL
CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT OR SHORTLY AFTER?
IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS.
I'M JUST NOT -- I WANT TO FOCUS ON BO AND MY GRANDKIDS AND, YOU
KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHERE IT GOES, BUT I --
>> Stephen: WELL, THE COUNTRY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE DIVIDED.
WE NEED A UNIFIER.
WHO DO YOU LIKE IN THE DEMOCRATIC OR THE REPUBLICAN
FIELD?
WHO TUNING IN 2020 YOU GO, THAT PERSON HAS A CHANCE AT UNITING
PEOPLE?
>> I'M NOT GOING TO START NAMING THEM, I'LL LEAVE SOMEBODY OUT,
BUT WE HAVE SOME REALLY TALENTED, RELATIVELY NEW PEOPLE.
JUST REMEMBER, NO ONE KNEW WHO BILL CLINTON WAS TILL ABOUT 15
MONTHS BEFORE HE RAN, BEFORE THE GENERAL ELECTION.
NO ONE KNEW WHO BARACK -- THEY KNEW THE SPEECH BUT DIDN'T HAVE
ANY IDEA OF HIS PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS TILL ABOUT A YEAR
AND A HALF OUT, SO THIS IS REALLIERLILY IN THE GAME.
YOU'RE ALREADY SEEING -- WHAT'S HAPPENED NOW IN MY PARTY IS
YOU'RE SEEING THE SURGE OF A LOT OF YOUNGER WOMEN, PARTICULARLY,
AND MEN WHO ARE GET ENGAGED AND SAID I'VE HAD ENOUGH.
THIS LAST ELECTION I THINK IS A WAVE ELECTION ALL THE WAY FROM
WASHINGTON STATE TO MAINE TO THE UPPER PENINSULA TO FLORIDA, ALL
SENDING THE SAME MESSAGE THAT WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS
GOD-AWFUL DIVISION.
AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE -- I THINK IT'S GOTTEN BAD ENOUGH
THAT PEOPLE ARE NOW GETTING ENGAGED AGAIN, KIND OF LIKE MY
GENERATION.
WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND EARLY DAYS OF COLLEGE, THE WAR
IN VIETNAM, IT WAS, LIKE, DROP OUT, DON'T TRUST 'EM OVER 30,
BUT IT GOT TO THE POINT IN LATE '70s WHEN IT WAS, LIKE, HEY,
MAN, THIS IS ENOUGH, WE'VE GOT TO CHANGE THIS, AND OUR
GENERATION CHANGED IT.
I WALKED ACROSS THE STAGE IN '68 AFTER BOBBY KENNEDY MY ONLY
HERO WAS KILLED THAT SAME DAY AND SAID I CAN BE PART OF
FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGING THE COUNTRY.
THAT'S HAPPENING NOW.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SO MANY NEW CHANGES OUT THERE.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen:
MR. VICE PRESIDENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
"PROMISE ME, DAD" IS ON SALE TOMORROW.
JOE BIDEN, EVERYBODY!