O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
As a longtime state senator from New Hampshire, I have seen a lot of presidential candidates. I have taken them to restaurants and had them at our home. I have been a witness to the New Hampshire way of testing a candidate — the give and take question-and-answer sessions that have made the difference in many campaigns. It is clear to me that the Democrats have a great group of candidates running for president and we know that we must win this next election. From my vantage point, the person who can take back the White House is Joe Biden, the former senator from Delaware and former Vice President of the United States.
Joe Biden is a man of the people. My relationship with him goes back many years. He is a great father, and he and his sons helped me in past senate campaigns. He is the man who is there when needed. He has the experience and know-how to restore the confidence and good feeling we have lost with respect to our role in the world and the pride in our nation.
Vice President Biden is committed to ensuring that all Americans, regardless of their income, identity, or zip code, are able to access the health care they need. He stood side-by-side with President Obama to pass the Affordable Care Act, which expanded health care access to tens of millions of Americans — and tens of thousands of Granite Staters — who couldn’t previously afford care.
His health care plan protects and expands on the Affordable Care Act. It guarantees care for millions of Americans while ensuring that hard-working union members who like the private insurance plans they’ve bargained for can keep their plan. When one of my constituents needs life-saving care for his or her child, figuring out how to pay for it should be the last worry on their mind — and under Biden’s plan, it will be.
It is not just health care where the former Vice President understands the concerns of middle-class families. Joe Biden has frequently said that the middle class isn’t a number, it’s a set of values. He is committed to restoring the dignity of work, to making sure that no parent who is working a full-time job is struggling to make ends meet, and to making sure that every Granite Stater — and every American — has the same opportunity to get ahead. He has a plan to ensure that we can make education affordable and accessible for everyone. Joe Biden understands that in order to level the playing field, our students need to have the same educational opportunities. And he also knows that our educators are given far too little support in the classroom. That’s why he’s introduced an education plan to invest in our public schools and give teachers the raises they so badly deserve.
Vice President Biden has committed to making two-year community college free for students. This couldn’t be more important — particularly in New Hampshire, where our community and technical colleges are essential for training students for the jobs that high-tech businesses need to fill in our state.
Perhaps most important, Joe Biden cares about people. You see it when he looks at you. You see it when he meets people. He is genuine. I’ve seen it in every campaign event or stop I’ve done with him in Manchester. It’s a quality that’s far too rare in politics, and one that we need in our elected officials.
I know Joe Biden. He’s a family guy. And I know that he will return our country to the honor and dignity that befits a “more perfect union.” I’m honored to stand by his side as he fights for us. This is why I give my support to Joe Biden and will work to make sure that the voters of New Hampshire and the rest of the country get to know this “not so ordinary Joe.”
Sen. Lou D’Allesandro is currently serving his 11th term in the New Hampshire State Senate representing District 20, which includes Manchester Wards 3, 4, 10, and 11 and the Town of Goffstown.
