Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Thursday said that he of all people would be justified in not wanting to work with Republicans after they’ve targeted him and his family, but that people still need to be able to reach consensus.
“I don’t accept the notion, as some on this stage do, that we can never, never get to a place where we have cooperation again. If that’s the case, we’re dead as a country,” Mr. Biden said at Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate in Los Angeles.
“We need to be able to reach a consensus, and if anyone has reason to the be angry with the Republicans and not want to cooperate, it’s me the way they’ve attacked me, my son, and my family,” he said to applause, referring to his son Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden’s lucrative post on the board of a Ukrainian energy company has become intertwined with the congressional impeachment process. House Democrats have accused President Trump of improperly pressuring Ukraine into opening up investigations, including into the Bidens and Hunter’s business interests overseas.
“I have no love, but the fact is we have to be able to get things done and when we can’t convince them we go out and beat them like we did in the 2018 election in red states and in purple states,” Mr. Biden said.
Some on the left have dismissed Mr. Biden’s contention that Republicans will be more open to compromise if Mr. Trump is defeated as naive.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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