Delaware welcomes Joe Biden home

A jovial, recently dethroned Vice President Joe Biden took his beloved Amtrak Friday from Washington’s Union Station back home to Wilmington where he was greeted by rainy-day salutes, a rousing University of Delaware Fight Song and hundreds of cheering supporters at a Riverfront rally.

"It's good to be home," the elder statesman declared upon arrival back in the First State. Biden rode the rails with his wife, Jill; Delaware Gov. John Carney; Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons; and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester.

For Biden, homecoming is a bit of a misnomer. The Washington insider never strayed far from those who stood by him in victory and defeat.

"My character, my value, my view of the world — it all comes from this state and all of you," he said, batting away tears before hundreds gathered in his honor at the Chase Center on the Riverfront.

Biden is a "giant among men," Wilmington community leader and rally attendee Bernadette Winston said, echoing others. "There'll never be anybody able to replace him."

Delaware’s comeback kid, the former senior halfback at Archmere Academy, overcame a childhood stutter, two brain aneurysms and the loss of his first wife and two children to become one of the most consequential vice presidents in U.S. history, according to prominent scholars.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama awarded Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, with distinction — a designation previously given only to President Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II and Gen. Colin Powell.

A buoyant septuagenarian, Biden has occupied the spotlight longer than Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have been alive. Now, opponents of President Donald Trump are looking to call on Biden's working-class roots and trademark braggadocio to connect with the disaffected male voters who helped elect a self-described blue-collar billionaire.

In recent weeks, Biden has implored Trump to “grow up” and warned the commander-in-chief that his public frustration with the intelligence community could undermine national security.

But the former vice president adopted a softer tone after Friday's inauguration, telling reporters, "I just think we've got to give this administration a chance." After meeting with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on foreign policy matters, Biden said, diplomatically, "I know they know the subject, but they may not know the nuance."

He also expressed optimism over the changing of the guard, noting that the people won't easily relinquish hard-fought civil rights protections. There is no inherent conflict between progressive ideology and that of working people, Biden said.

"No matter how you feel right now, don't lose hope," he urged Delawareans. "It's been a lot worse a lot of other times. There's no reason why – none, none – we can't make this country sing again."

Members of Delaware's Congressional delegation were less enthusiastic.

"Pray for us," Coons pleaded at the rally.

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"I knew we were going to make history today," the senator added. "I just didn't think it would be this history."

Carper contrasted Biden's leadership with that of "the new team."

"Leaders are humble, not haughty," he said. "Leaders have the courage to stay out of step when everyone else is marching to the wrong tune ... They don't divide people, they unite people. They don't build walls, they build history."

For some Democrats, the rally, which featured hearty performances by local choirs and the University of Delaware marching band, was a welcome distraction from Trump's inauguration.

“We needed to lift our spirits up a bit," University of Delaware senior Kathryn Super said.

UD junior Natalie Criscenzo agreed, explaining that she came to “be with people in the same mindset.”

Once inside the Chase Center, joyful attendees were handed patriotic “Joe” buttons and signs decorated with glitter by Wilmington schoolchildren. Dozens of members of the Delaware National Guard and Air Guard stood proudly as a funky performance of “Celebration” pumped up the audience.

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Rochester, Delaware’s first black and first female representative in Congress, praised Biden as a “civil rights leader.”

“I am standing here on your shoulders today,” she said.

As Delaware's longest-serving senator, Biden helped Kevin Meinhaldt's grandfather access Social Security when he was forced into retirement. Meinhaldt's wife, Aniela, works with a Democratic grassroots organization called Action Together Delaware. The couple said they are grateful for Biden's steadfast service.

"He's one of the most impressive and dedicated civil servants this nation has seen," Aniela Meinhaldt said.

Another face in the crowd, Jamaican immigrant Eunice LaFate, said she received personal letters from Biden when she became a U.S. citizen and, later, to commend her on her community work with the YMCA.

"Good old Joe," she said.

'Amtrak Joe'

A darling of Amtrak, Biden has traveled more than 2 million miles (and the equivalent of four years of his life) on the train.

During that time, he used his pulpit to advocate for increased funding and improvements to America’s railways. He blamed train delays for his tardiness at Senate committee meetings, explaining that “If they fully funded Amtrak, I would not be late."

On Friday, Biden remembered standing at the edge of the Wilmington platform, nearly eight years ago to the day, waiting for the train that would carry him and then-President-elect Barack Obama to their inauguration.

Back then, with thousands of well-wishing Delawareans down below, his family by his side, Biden let his mind wander to a more restless time for Wilmington, when chunks of the city erupted in flames during the 1968 race riots.

"When people were being arrested in those tumultuous times, they'd often be taken down to the train station to be held first," Biden remembered. "I stood here 40 years ago to the day almost, the city in tatters, occupied by the National Guard, and I wondered if it would ever get better."

Arriving at the Wilmington train station Friday, hoots could be heard from Biden's rail car as the Acela conductor repeated the station's full name: Joseph R. Biden Jr. Railroad Station.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki and his wife were among the first to embrace Biden on the platform. Purzycki, who attended the University of Delaware with Biden in 1963, recalled that "Joe always looked like he was ready for a job interview."

"It's like he said, 'Opportunity is coming and, dammit, I'll be dressed right when it shows up here," the mayor said.

Cradling handmade signs and flower bouquets, supporters flooded the train station to greet Delaware's most famous resident.

Biden's compassionate nature underpins his success, according to Carney.

"Joe has talked about how, on his train rides home, he would think about the people he was riding past, the people sitting at their kitchen tables, worried about issues they face," he said.

Looking sharp and well-rested in a robin egg blue tie, Biden was penned in by Secret Service agents Friday, so he couldn't do his usual boisterous meet-and-greet on the rickety rail.

A man of the people, Biden is known for chatting up the shoeshine man, the newsstand cashier and the ticket takers. He forged a friendship with former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat, during those train rides. Taking a break from reviewing briefing materials, Biden would pick up the coffee tab for the rail car and the conductors. He organized picnics for train crews, calling them “my best friends in the world.”

In 2006, Hunter Biden, who as a child would accompany his father to work, was appointed by President George W. Bush to a five-year term on the Amtrak Reform Board.

The son of a car salesman, the elder Biden has credited Amtrak for giving him more time with his family — more time for birthday parties, bedtime stories and soccer games.

After his first wife and infant daughter died in a tragic car crash, the freshman senator made the nearly three-hour round-trip commute from Delaware to Washington to be home for dinner. Occasionally, the 7:30 a.m. Acela to Washington would experience “mechanical delays” so that Biden had time to board after dropping the kids off at school.

Amtrak even warranted a mention in a 2012 “Saturday Night Live” skit, which featured Jason Sudeikis re-creating Biden’s vice presidential debate with Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

“There’s gym strong, and there’s old-man strong,” Sudeikis puffed. “When the Amtrak breaks down during my morning commute, I strip down to my tighty-whities and push that [train] all the way to Washington!”

“Amtrak Joe’s” round trips, totaling roughly 8,000 over his 36-year Senate career, basically ended when he assumed the vice presidency.

After switching to Air Force Two, Biden was criticized for his multiple daily flights from Washington to Wilmington, costing taxpayers nearly $1 million, according to Air Force records reported by the Christian Science Monitor.

To be sure, Biden still made highly choreographed appearances at the historic station on South French Street, winking and waving before a crush of press. His rolling fortress of a motorcade didn’t stop him from engaging in spontaneous conversations about grandkids or launching into a 20-minute analysis of the Iraq War with train riders and workers. Last year, Biden announced a $2.45 billion loan to Amtrak from the Department of Transportation, the largest loan in the department’s history.

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Friday's Amtrak trip was certainly not his last; Biden plans to return to Washington Monday to take care of some post-VP business. Even though the Bidens will be based in Greenville, the couple still plans to rent a small house in Washington to remain close to the Obamas and to Jill's teaching job at a community college in northern Virginia.

As for this weekend, Joe's agenda is unclear, but it most definitely won’t involve jetting to Ukraine or Switzerland, which is how he spent his last week in office. He might take a breather over a black-and-white milkshake at the Charcoal Pit or bow his head in prayer at St. Joseph’s on the Brandywine.

But then it’s back to work, partnering with the University of Delaware on domestic and economic policy issues and the University of Pennsylvania on foreign policy matters. In between, he’ll attempt to find a cure for cancer.

“When I die, Delaware will be written on my heart," Biden told his fans Friday.

Welcome home, Joe.

Contact Margie Fishman at 302-324-2882, on Twitter @MargieTrende or mfishman@delawareonline.com.