WE'RE HERE WITH JOE BIDEN, HAVING A LOVELY CONVERSATION
ABOUT ALL KIND OF STUFF.
SIR, IT'S TIME FOR LIGHTNING ROUND.
ARE YOU READY?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OKAY, ARE YOU CAPABLE OF GIVING QUICK ANSWERS?
>> NO.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: OKAY, HERE WE ARE.
WE'RE IN THE COMPETITION FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO DEMOCRATIC VOTERS WHO SAY THAT YOU ARE NOT
PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH, THAT INCREMENTAL CHANGE IS NOT WHAT
WE NEED RIGHT NOW, AND THAT BERNIE SANDERS OR ELISABETH
WARREN, WHO ARE CALLING FOR BROADER, SYSTEMIC CHANGE, ARE
WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW?
>> LOOK AT MY RECORD.
EVERYTHING I'VE DONE IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT AND I'D BE HAPPY TO
TALK ABOUT THE DETAILS.
MEDICARE FOR ALL.
WE DON'T HAVE -- >> Stephen: ARE YOU IN FAVOR
OF MEDICARE FOR ALL?
>> NO, $30 TRILLION.
I'M IN FAVOR OF TAKING OBAMACARE, RESTORING IT, ADDING
A PUBLIC OPTION.
MAKING SURE EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO IT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU THINK THE REPUBLICANS WILL PLAY ALONG WITH
YOU FOR THAT?
BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS WILL NOT DO ANYTHING WITH YOU, YOU
REALIZE?
>> THAT'S NOT TRUE.
BUT ON THIS IT IS.
WHAT HAPPENS IS WHERE THEY DISAGREE WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TO
GO OUT AND BEAT THEM, LIKE WE DID IN 2018 ON THE VERY ISSUE OF
HEALTH CARE.
>> Stephen: WHY WOULD THEY BE NICER TO YOU THAN BARACK OBAMA.
HE WAS A NICE GUY?
>> HE WAS A NICE GUY.
I GOT A LOT OF THINGS DONE.
THE RECOVERY ACT, ALMOST $90 BILLION --
>> Stephen: NOT ONE REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS VOTED FOR IT.
>> I GOT THREE REPUBLICANS -- >> Stephen: SENATORS.
NO ONE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
>> BUT THEY WERE REPUBLICANS AND I GOT IT PASSED.
THEY CHANGED THEIR VOTE, AND I GOT IT PASSED.
( APPLAUSE )
HAPPEN AGAIN.
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE STRESSED YOUR ELECTABILITY.
AFTER TRUMP WAS ELECTED, DOES ELECTABILITY MEAN ANYTHING ANY
MORE?
AND I MEAN THAT SEMISERIOUSLY?
WHEWHERE ARE THE STANDARDS?
>> THE STANDARD IS-- LOOK, I'VE BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME.
THE GOOD AND BAD NEWS IS ALL THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW ME.
THEY KNOW A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT ME.
THEY KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE REAL ABOUT ME.
THEY KNOW THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT REAL.
SO IT'S A LOT HARDER FOR PEOPLE TO GO OUT AND MAKE THE CASE FOR
THIS OR THAT AND I'VE BEEN AROUND A LOT OF YEARS.
A LOT OF ME THEY DON'T LIKE, A LOT THEY DO LIKE.
ELECTABILITY IS WHETHER THEY THINK I'M STRAIGHT FORWARD,
WHETHER I'M HONEST WITH THEM, WHETHER I'M GOING INTO A
POSITION WHERE I DO WHAT I SAY I'M GOING TO DO.
I SAY WHAT I'M GOING TO DO AND I DO IT.
THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY.
( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: SAID-- AND I KNOW I'M GETTING THE WRAP OVER HERE,
BUT I'M GOING TO BLOW A LITTLE BIT.
YOU SAID YOUR CAMPAIGN IS NOT A CONTINUATION OF BARACK OBAMA'S
ADMINISTRATION.
WHAT WOULD YOU DIFFER WITH HIM ON?
LIKE, LOOK BACK TO FOUR YEARS AGO, WHAT DID YOU GUYS SHANK.
WHAT SHOULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY?
>> LOOK, HE PULLED OUT OUT OF A GOD-AWFUL RECESSION, PREVENTED A
DEPRESSION, AND THE BIGGEST THING WAS NOT ONE SINGLE
SOLITARY PIECE OF ILLEGITIMATE ACTION TOOK PLACE IN THE UNITED
STATES PRESIDENCY.
NOT ONE.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: NO INDICTMENTS, NO--
>> BUT-- BUT THE WORLD'S CHANGED.
WE NEED HEALTH CARE FOR ALL.
WE TRIED TO GET IT DONE.
WE COULDN'T.
NOW PEOPLE HAVE FIGURED OUT.
GUESS WHAT?
WE AGREE.
WE NEED HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYBODY.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU CALLED HIM FOR ADVICE?
>> I'VE CALLED-- I TALK TO BARACK --
>> Stephen: WHEN IS LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO HIM?
>> I GUESS NOW IT'S ABOUT THREE, FOUR WEEKS AGO.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
WOULD YOU APPOINT HIM TO THE SUPREME COURT?
>> HELL...
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
I DON'T THINK HE'D DO IT, BUT -- >> Stephen: HE WAS A
CONSTITUTIONAL PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
>> NO, NO, I UNDERSTAND.
HE'S FULLY QUALIFIED, FULLY QUALIFIED.
>> Stephen: HAVE YOU ASKED MICHELLE OBAMA FOR ADVICE?
>> ONLY TO BE MY VICE PRESIDENT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) I'M ONLY JOKING!
MICHELLE, I'M JOKING.
THAT WAS A JOKE.
>> Stephen: SHE SAID-- SHE SAID FAMOUSLY, "WHEN THEY GO
LOW.
WE GO HIGH."
YOU SAID I'D LIKE TO TAKE THAT GUY BEHIND THE HIGH SCHOOL GYM
AND BEAT THE HELL OUT OF HIM.
>> WELL, THAT'S -- >> Stephen: WHICH ONE IS IT
GOING TO BE, SIR?
>> LET'S PUT IT IN CONTEXT.
I WAS ASKED, "DON'T YOU WISH YOU WERE DEBATING BARACK OBAMA--
EXCUSE ME, AFTER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, DON'T YOU WISH
YOU WERE DEBATING TRUCH NOW?" AND I SAID, "IF HE SAID WHAT HE
SAID ABOUT WOMEN IN FRONT OF MY SISTER IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WOULD
TAKE HIM BEHIND THE GYM."
AND I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE SAID THAT, BUT IT WAS ABOUT HIGH
SCHOOL.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: NO, SIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I THINK-- I THINK WE'VE GOT TO GO, UNFORTUNATELY.
PLEASE COME BACK.
>> I WILL.
>> Stephen: THE DEBATE.
WE'RE COVERING IT LIVE, NEXT THURSDAY.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SHOW AFTERWARDS.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE ON STAGE WITH ELISABETH WARREN FOR THE FIRST
TIME.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: GIVE ME A PREVIEW.
ARE WE GOING TO HAVE THE OLD JACK JOHNSONS OUT?
HOW IS IT GOING TO BE?
ROUGH AND TUMBLE.
IT'S GOING TO BE BROAD SYSTEMATIC CHANGE AND WHAT
PEOPLE SAY IS INCREMENTALISM.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A FIGHT.
>> THERE IS NO INCREMENTALISM IN WHAT I'M PROPOSING.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THE BOLDEST THING YOU WOULD CHANGE?
>> THE BOLDEST THING I WOULD CHANGE IS CLIMATE CHANGE.
I WOULD INVEST $400 BILLION, CHANGE THE WAY WE INVEST.
THINK ABOUT THIS-- IF WE TOOK THE MONEY AVAILABLE TO US AND WE
INVESTED IT IN A-- IN HEALTH CARE IN A WAY TO FIND CURES, I
HAVE FORGOTTEN MORE ABOUT THE CANCER FIGHT THAN MOST PEOPLE
KNOW.
WE COULD, IN FACT, BE CURING MAJOR PIECES OF CANCER.
WE COULD BE TAKE OUT ALZHEIMER'S.
THERE'S SO MUCH WE CAN DO THAT IS BOLD, VERY BOLD.
AND I'M ON THE ONLY ONE PROPOSING.
>> Stephen: SIR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
SEE YOU NEXT THURSDAY.
VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, EVERYBODY!