Religion and Politics 2008: Joe Biden
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Biden Religious Biography
Born to Irish-Catholic parents, Biden said he briefly considered becoming a priest while he was a student at Archmere Academy, a Catholic prep school in Claymont, Del. But his interest in politics was sparked as early as 10th grade by the civil rights movement and the presidency of John F. Kennedy; "I remember being so proud he was Catholic," he told The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., in 2005. In 1972, shortly after being elected to the Senate at age 29, Biden lost his wife and one-year-old daughter in a car crash in which his two sons were also injured; he later remarried and had another daughter. He was given last rites by a priest in 1988 before recovering from a life-threatening aneurysm and brain surgery; he described his recovery as "a second chance at life."
In His Own Words "I'm very proud to be Catholic. It's part of my spirituality, part of my identity. When John Kennedy ran for president, I remember being so proud that he was Catholic. But he had to prove that he wasn't ruled by his beliefs. I'm with John Kennedy on the role religion ought to play in politics." Interview, August 2005
Biden and his wife, Jill, attend St. Patrick Church, part of the Diocese of Wilmington; he nominated St. Patrick's former priest, the Rev. James Trainor, to serve as a guest chaplain in the Senate in 2001. Biden had an hour-long private audience with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 1980 on the subject of Poland's position in the former Communist bloc. Biden met Pope John Paul II three more times. He attended the pope's 2005 funeral and told The News Journal that the presence of religious leaders from other traditions made the event "much more meaningful." When the Diocese of Wilmington's bishop, Michael Saltarelli, came under pressure in 2004 and 2005 to deny communion to Biden and other Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, the bishop refused, saying through a diocesan spokesman that he "prefers prayer and active engagement" with politicians who take positions contrary to church doctrine; Biden refused to comment on the issue. Once again running for president, Biden said in April 2007 that his party must demonstrate it is "not afraid to deal with the faith issue." If nominated, Biden would be the fourth Roman Catholic to win a presidential nomination. If elected, he would be the second Catholic president, following John F. Kennedy.
Photo: Mark Hirsch/Getty Images
Biden On the Issues
Abortion Biden "strongly support[s] Roe v. Wade." He said he is "prepared to accept" the Catholic Church's teaching that life begins at conception but said Roe v. Wade "is as close to we're going to be able to get as a society" to incorporating diverging religious views on the issue. Although he voted in favor of the bill to ban late-term abortions, Biden said the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision to uphold the ban was "intellectually dishonest," saying its language undermined Roe v. Wade.
Church and State In 1994, Biden voted against a failed amendment that would have withheld federal funding from schools that deny students the right to voluntary prayer. After President Bush endorsed the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution, Biden told The News Journal in 2005 that the separation between church and state should not be "messed with."
Death Penalty The Biden-authored Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 expanded the federal death penalty to cover 60 offenses, including terrorist homicides, murder of federal law enforcement officials, large-scale drug trafficking, drive-by shootings resulting in death and car jackings resulting in death. In 1996, Biden voted against limiting appeals of those facing the death penalty.
Education If elected president, Biden said he would increase tax deductions for college tuition payments, while expanding federal grant coverage for low-income students at public colleges; in 2003, he introduced the Tuition Assistance for Families Act in the Senate, which contained similar provisions. At the primary and secondary level, he supports increased teacher pay and reduced class and school sizes.
Environment In a bipartisan resolution in 2006, Biden called on President Bush to negotiate an international agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions by the United States and other countries. As part of an effort to achieve energy independence, Biden wants the U.S. to use ethanol and biodiesel fuels, while "dramatically increasing" research into climate change technologies and alternative energy sources.
Faith-Based Initiatives Biden expressed reservations about President Bush's faith-based initiative in 2001, commenting, "They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and I'm not sure we're not going to break something that's already fixed." In 2004, Biden co-sponsored the Second Chance Act; the bill, which still hasn't passed in the Senate, would, among other things, provide $15 million in federal grants to community and faith-based groups that help former prison inmates.
Gay Marriage Biden voted for the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits same-sex marriage under federal law. In 2003, he said gay marriage is "probably" inevitable and that if marriage "brings stability" to gay couples, "I don't know why we should be frightened of that." Biden voted against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and also voted in favor of expanding the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation.
Health Care If elected president, Biden said he would immediately insure every child under 18, "move for catastrophic health coverage" and push health care providers to use electronic record keeping for better cost savings. He would give more leeway to states experimenting with full coverage: "States are the incubators for this," he said. In 2002, he sponsored a bill that would allow Delawarean small businesses and individuals to band together to purchase insurance at group discounted rates.
Immigration
If elected president, Biden has said his first step would be to "deal with Mexico," which he described as a "rich country" with a "dysfunctional distribution of opportunity" that drives illegal immigrants into the United States. He favors "earned citizenship" for illegal immigrants currently in the country, tougher employer sanctions and a guest-worker program. Biden voted yes on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, which would have increased border security and would have created a path to citizenship for long-time illegal immigrants.
Iraq War While Biden voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq in 2002, he has questioned whether it is still valid and opposes President Bush's current "troop surge." Biden, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Leslie Gelb, a foreign policy expert, have proposed a five-point plan that would create "ethno-religious" federal regions in Iraq, with a central Iraqi government distributing oil revenue. The plan also calls for withdrawal of most U.S. troops by 2008. "The only rational purpose for troops in Iraq now [is to] train Iraqis [and] prevent al Qaeda from occupying large chunks of territory, and we should begin to decentralize the government," he said.
Poverty Biden voted for the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, which raised the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour. Biden broke with his party to vote in favor of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, which makes it harder for people to erase debt by declaring bankruptcy.
Stem Cell Research Biden voted in favor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which was vetoed by President Bush. The bill would have allowed federal funding for research on stem cell lines obtained from discarded human embryos originally created for fertility treatments.