President Joseph R. “Joe” Biden (1942- ) came to ECU only once. On the morning of October 27, 2008, then U.S. Sen. Biden (D-PA) was the featured speaker at an outdoor rally on the mall in front of the Mendenhall brickyard. He was, at that point, running mate to the Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama (1961- ). At best, Biden’s rally was modest, drawing 400-500, including notably few students despite the main-drag campus venue. By comparison, in April, Sen. Obama, then running for his party’s nomination, had attracted a packed house of 5,000 plus in Minges Coliseum. But Biden’s lackluster rally was no omen of a second-string political future, as his victory over presidential incumbent, Donald J. Trump (1946- ), in the 2020 election surely proved.
In the wake of 2020 politics, the 2008 campaign stop gained a new layer of significance, one giving ECU retroactive bragging rights about President Biden’s hour on the mall – albeit then as a senator – meeting with local supporters, politicians, campus leaders, faculty, and students. Making the 2008 rally even more auspicious, photographs document that the young Philip G. Rogers (1983- ), recently hired as chief of staff for then Chancellor Steve Ballard (1950- ), attended. Coincidentally, in 2020, the same year Biden was elected U.S. president, Rogers was elected ECU’s twelfth chancellor.
Biden’s stop capped off, one week before the election, a bus tour of North Carolina that had focused on college campuses, rallying one last time the youth vote for the Obama-Biden ticket. Gauging the broader impact of Biden’s ECU visit is difficult, but one thing is certain: North Carolina, a week later, gave the Obama-Biden ticket a victory, the first for the Democratic party in N.C. presidential elections since 1976.
Biden opened the rally waving high a purple and gold baseball cap and quipping, “I like this hat.” Biden mentioned his own days as a youth playing baseball. No doubt, a football allusion or some mention of “Pirates” would have been more effective since his rally was staged in the middle of gridiron season with a team, led by Skip Holtz, on its way to a winning, 9-5 (6-2 Conf. USA) year. Nevertheless, a purple and gold baseball hat surely had some appeal.
Biden’s 20-minute remarks focused on (1) restoring the American middle-class via tax cuts, debt relief measures, and infrastructure spending, and (2) restoring respect for America internationally by ending the Iraq war. The rally began with a prayer by Donald G. “Don” Davis (1971- ), then running for the N.C. Senate and indeed soon to be elected to his first term in office. Next, M. Cole Jones, ECU’s first black SGA president, led the rally in the Pledge of Allegiance. Congressman G. K Butterfield (1947- ) spoke briefly, heartily endorsing Biden and Obama as the candidates “to put America on the right path.” ECU student and Obama campaign field organizer Melissa Hedge thanked student volunteers for their dedicated work leading up to the event. She then introduced Biden to the crowd.
In addressing the rally, Biden defended Obama against criticisms regarding his birth and religion as akin to those that had once targeted Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and John Kennedy. Biden added, “The defenders of the status quo have always tried to tear down those who would change our nation for the better.” He added, “New ideas and new leaders are often met with negative attacks built on lies…. That’s how (Republicans have) won in the past – divide us, scare us, tell us we’re different.”
Expanding on Obama’s inclusive understanding of service as not just military service but that to communities, hospitals, and schools, Biden declared, “We’ll make a simple deal with you, just like we have with the military. You serve your country, we will get you to college.” Regarding the economy, Biden played to the local audience, quipping “If we can help Wall Street, it sure seems to me we should be able to help Evans Street and all the streets here in Greenville.” Biden also mocked Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John S. McCain (1936-2018), and his efforts to distance himself from then President George W. Bush (1946-). Biden stated, “I know Halloween’s coming, but John McCain dressed as an agent of change – that costume doesn’t fit, folks.”
ECU Librarian Rita Khazanie noted that students seemed more attentive and enthusiastic than in years past. “Everybody seems to know more about the issues. It’s not just, ‘I’m going to vote for somebody,’ It’s ‘Here’s why.’” Others explained the low student turnout by observing that many had already voted, and most likely for the Democratic ticket. Still, in the context of 2008 vice-presidential campaigns on campus, Biden’s was, compared with that of Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK, 1964- ), McCain’s running mate, held in Minges Coliseum earlier in the month before a capacity crowd, surely bland.
Even The East Carolinian gave Biden under-the-fold, front-page coverage, beneath the headline article on actor Kal Penn canvassing ECU for Obama. Whether all this influenced Biden’s later campaign choices is questionable, but in 2020, only Jill Biden campaigned in Greenville, on October 5, and then at Pitt Community College. Despite this, Biden’s ECU stop was one small step along his long journey to the White House, making it in retrospect even more significant, especially at the level of local and campus history. And when considered in relation to Chancellor Philip Roger’s professional rise in 2020, as well as that of N. C. Senator Don Davis, Biden’s rally occasioned a moment of auspicious convergence for future leaders at the campus, state, and national levels.
Sources
- Ashragik. “Biden at ECU Part 1.” YouTube. Oct. 28, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-jlbea_s7E
- Ashragik. “Biden at ECU Part 2.” YouTube. Oct. 28, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANt6RX4cIzQ
- Ashragik. “Biden at ECU Part 3.” YouTube. Oct. 29, 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgaWrsE8uiI
- “Biden compares Obama to Jefferson, JFK.” Lancaster New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania). Oct. 28, 2008. P. 6.
- “Biden pushes theme of reclaiming America.” WRAL.com. Oct. 27, 2008. https://www.wral.com/news/state/story/3824515/
- Dixon, Binta L. “Kal Penn canvasses ECU for Obama.” East Carolinian. October 28, 2008. P. 1.
- Hutson, Jeannine Manning. “V. P. candidate Joe Biden visits ECU.” ECU News Services. Oct. 27, 2008. https://news.ecu.edu/2008/10/27/v-p-candidate-joe-biden-visits-ecu/
- “Jill Biden to visit Greenville.” Daily Reflector. Oct. 5, 2020.
- Johnson, Mark. “Biden pursues youth vote at East Carolina University.” Charlotte Observer. Oct. 28, 2008. P. A9.
- Johnson, Mark. “Biden takes message to campus: Young voters like those at ECU are key to Democrat’s strategy.” News and Observer. Oct. 28, 2008. Pp. 1B, 4B.
- Katski, Greg. “Biden aims barbed wit at his rivals: Veep nominee visits ECU.” Washington Daily News. Oct. 28, 2008. https://www.thewashingtondailynews.com/2008/10/28/biden-aims/
- Mendoza, Martha. “In campaign’s dark corners, whispers entice the gullible: Biden Woos ECU.” News and Observer. Oct. 28, 2008. P. 1.
- “Palin to speak at ECU on Tuesday.” News and Observer. Oct. 2, 2008. P. 8.
- Phillips, Elise. “Biden steps on campus to talk about voting.” East Carolinian. Oct. 28, 2008. P. 1.
- Smith, Jamie. “Past Presidential Visits At ECU: ECU Has Been A Stop For Many Recent Candidates.” ECU News Services. https://spark.adobe.com/page/WuHJOo57wvwKj/
Related Material
Joseph R. "Joe" Biden's (D-PA) visit to East Carolina University's campus was highlighted in the October 28, 2008 issue of The East Carolinian. Image Source: The East Carolinian, October 28, 2008. East Carolina University Campus Newspapers. UA50-05. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
First District Congressman G. K. Butterfield speaks to the crowd of supporters. Image Source: Image donated by John A. Tucker.
East Carolina University alumni M. Cole Jones speaks before the crowd. Jones was the former president of East Carolina University's Student Government Association and was the first African American student elected to the office. At the time of the picture, Jones was enrolled in the College of Business as a graduate student. Image Source: Image donated by John A. Tucker.
Candidate Don Davis speaks to the crowd. Davis was elected to represent Pitt County in the North Carolina Senate in 2008. As of 2021, Senator Davis has served 6 terms in the North Carolina Senate. Image Source: Image donated by John A. Tucker.
Melissa Hedge prepares to introduce Joseph R. "Joe" Biden (D-PA). Image Source: Image donated by John A. Tucker.
The crowd waits to hear remarks from Joseph R. "Joe" Biden (D-PA). Dr. Philip G. Rogers is pictured on the right side of the image wearing the yellow tie. Dr. Rogers was elected the twelfth chancellor of East Carolina University in 2020. Image Source: Image donated by John A. Tucker.
Citation Information
Title: Joe Biden at ECU, 2008
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 10/19/2021