Compared to Past Presidents, Biden Is Not That Different
2021-01-19
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1When you consider his background, Joe Biden is not unique among past presidents.
2But perhaps that is why he won the election in November.
3It was his third try.
4Biden first ran for president in 1988, looking to become the Democratic party's nominee at the end of Ronald Reagan's two terms in office.
5He did not get the nomination.
6He then ran again in 2008, as the Democrats looked for a candidate to go up against the Republicans after George W. Bush's two terms in office.
7During the primaries, he did not get enough support.
8Barack Obama eventually became the nominee and chose Biden as his running mate in the race against John McCain.
9The Obama-Biden team won the election, and Biden became Vice President for eight years.
10He chose not to run for president at the end of Obama's term.
11Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the candidates at the end of 2016.
12In 2019, Biden announced his plans to run for the Democratic nomination for a third time.
13This time, he won, and faced off against Donald Trump in the 2020 election.
14When Biden earned enough electoral college votes, he became President-elect of the United States.
15While this officially happened on December 14, 2020, many news organizations had called the race for Biden days after the November 3 vote.
16Biden's inauguration is January 20.
17He will take the oath of office at noon.
18When Biden repeats the oath with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, he will join a very limited group of men to ever win the presidency.
19To be part of such a group is unique.
20But among presidents, Biden is only unique in a few areas.
21At 78, he will be the oldest man to take the oath of office.
22Donald Trump, at 70, had been the oldest.
23Twenty-five past presidents have been in their 50s.
24Biden will only be the second Catholic to take the office.
25John F. Kennedy was the first.
26Biden was born in Pennsylvania.
27But he started his political career in Delaware and is the first president to come from that state.
28Only 19 states can claim a president.
29New York state has the most, with seven.
30On paper, that is about all of Biden's presidential "uniqueness."
31Biden has a law degree, which means he is not unique among presidents.
32Twenty-six other American presidents were lawyers.
33At 183 centimeters, Biden is not especially tall.
34In fact, eight presidents have been that height.
35Biden was formerly a member of congress, as a senator from Delaware.
36He served for 36 years.
37Twenty-five other congressmen became president.
38Biden, however, was a young senator.
39He won his election at just 29.
40He was the sixth youngest.
41Biden was Obama's vice president. Fifteen presidents were once the VP.
42Perhaps some Americans might consider Biden "plain."
43Some political experts think that is why he won the election against the more flamboyant Trump.
44Julie Pace is the Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press.
45In a November story published when it looked like Biden would become the president, she wrote about the campaign.
46She said Trump was not easily able to attack Biden.
47She said Biden was not the most compelling speaker with the best ideas.
48But he was a good candidate because he made a favorable impression on Americans as vice president.
49In fact, she wrote, for a plain candidate, what made Biden unique and earned him the most votes ever in a presidential election was that he was not Donald Trump.
50At one point, it was not even clear that Biden wanted to run for president.
51But Pace credited Trump with helping Biden win.
52"It was Trump who pulled him back into the arena, who gave his campaign a sense of purpose. It is Trump who helped him win," she said.
53I'm Dan Friedell.
1When you consider his background, Joe Biden is not unique among past presidents. But perhaps that is why he won the election in November. It was his third try. 2Biden first ran for president in 1988, looking to become the Democratic party's nominee at the end of Ronald Reagan's two terms in office. He did not get the nomination. 3He then ran again in 2008, as the Democrats looked for a candidate to go up against the Republicans after George W. Bush's two terms in office. 4During the primaries, he did not get enough support. Barack Obama eventually became the nominee and chose Biden as his running mate in the race against John McCain. 5The Obama-Biden team won the election, and Biden became Vice President for eight years. 6He chose not to run for president at the end of Obama's term. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the candidates at the end of 2016. 7In 2019, Biden announced his plans to run for the Democratic nomination for a third time. This time, he won, and faced off against Donald Trump in the 2020 election. 8When Biden earned enough electoral college votes, he became President-elect of the United States. While this officially happened on December 14, 2020, many news organizations had called the race for Biden days after the November 3 vote. 9Biden's inauguration is January 20. He will take the oath of office at noon. 10When Biden repeats the oath with U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, he will join a very limited group of men to ever win the presidency. 11To be part of such a group is unique. But among presidents, Biden is only unique in a few areas. 12At 78, he will be the oldest man to take the oath of office. Donald Trump, at 70, had been the oldest. Twenty-five past presidents have been in their 50s. 13Biden will only be the second Catholic to take the office. John F. Kennedy was the first. 14Biden was born in Pennsylvania. But he started his political career in Delaware and is the first president to come from that state. 15Only 19 states can claim a president. New York state has the most, with seven. 16On paper, that is about all of Biden's presidential "uniqueness." 17Biden has a law degree, which means he is not unique among presidents. Twenty-six other American presidents were lawyers. 18At 183 centimeters, Biden is not especially tall. In fact, eight presidents have been that height. 19Biden was formerly a member of congress, as a senator from Delaware. He served for 36 years. Twenty-five other congressmen became president. 20Biden, however, was a young senator. He won his election at just 29. He was the sixth youngest. 21Biden was Obama's vice president. Fifteen presidents were once the VP. 22Perhaps some Americans might consider Biden "plain." Some political experts think that is why he won the election against the more flamboyant Trump. 23Julie Pace is the Washington bureau chief for the Associated Press. In a November story published when it looked like Biden would become the president, she wrote about the campaign. She said Trump was not easily able to attack Biden. 24She said Biden was not the most compelling speaker with the best ideas. But he was a good candidate because he made a favorable impression on Americans as vice president. 25In fact, she wrote, for a plain candidate, what made Biden unique and earned him the most votes ever in a presidential election was that he was not Donald Trump. 26At one point, it was not even clear that Biden wanted to run for president. But Pace credited Trump with helping Biden win. 27"It was Trump who pulled him back into the arena, who gave his campaign a sense of purpose. It is Trump who helped him win," she said. 28I'm Dan Friedell. 29Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English based on stories from the Associated Press and VOA. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 30______________________________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32unique- adj. used to say that something or someone is unlike anything or anyone else 33primary- n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in a larger and more important election 34oath- n. a formal and serious promise to tell the truth or to do something 35plain- adj. not unusual or special in any way 36flamboyant- adj. having a very noticeable quality that attracts a lot of attention 37compelling- adj. very interesting : able to capture and hold your attention 38impression- n. the effect or influence that something or someone has on a person's thoughts or feelings 39arena- n. involved in politics, government, etc.