Joe Biden is so old and was in Congress for so long that Promises to Keep serves as a history of the US Senate. Before the current political divide, Senate luminaries (and failed presidential candidates) Barry Goldwater (R) and Hubert Humphrey (D) would treat each other respectfully. Biden's 2008 Presidential run was likely motivated by the Bush Administrations recklessness in the 2003 Iraq War while he was Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Promises to Keep is largely biographical and begins with stories about Biden's education and family. He candidly describes his stutter and how he managed it as well as his failure to correctly cite in law school (which journalists would discover after a similar incident in his 1988 Presidential run). He admits his academic shortcomings but refences his recommendations from people who believed in his motivation and character.
Family is clearly important to Joe Biden. His political development began by listening to his grandparents political discussions. Though his first wife tragically died just six years into their marriage, he does dedicate a portion of the book's contents to her (including her family who are Republicans). Joe also received substantial help in both taking care of his half orphaned children and running his political campaign from his siblings.
Why aren't there many politicians in the middle of the road?
Because that's where the roadkill is
Biden was blessed with some luck towards the beginning of his political career. After winning a county council seat in the Republican New Castle County (in Delaware) he challenged long term Republican incumbent Senator J. Caleb Boggs and pulled an upset victory. As somebody barely of legal age to be a Senator, Biden received mentorship from older Senators. Furthermore he began his career immediately after the death of his wife which earned him sympathy (except from the media).
During the 1988 Presidential Election Biden was the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and responsible for conducting hearings for Ronald Reagan's nomination of the notorious Robert Bork. Biden outlines why he disagrees with Bork's judicial philosophy and how he was able to convey this to other Senators.
Additionally, Biden chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. At various points Biden was a key intermediary between strong personalities like Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev. He took a proactive stance in an attempt to prevent the widespread violence in the former Yugoslavia starting at the end of the George H.W. Bush administration but wasn't able to convince the executive branch to take necessary action until the end of the Clinton administration. Biden also visited Afghanistan despite limited support from the George W Bush administration. He candidly describes the squalor of the country despite the success of the US invasion. That contributed to his criticism of the Iraq War, where Bush was inadequately prepared for the aftermath of another successful invasion.
In an era of 30-second political ads and two minute debate answers it is refreshing to explore political perspective with the nuance of a 365 page book. Biden has faced significant criticism for his 1994 crime bill but this book reveals that he needed a larger bill to attach his VAWA (violence against women act) to. Given the nature of politics and promises it's difficult to use this book to make predictions about what a Biden presidency would look like. But when contrast with The Art of the Deal it's clear that Biden's attitude is dramatically different from Trump's. Biden is nuanced, determined but willing to compromise to achieve his vision.
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