'There's no stopping' Lamb's campaign for Congress, Biden tells crowd
Joe Biden told a packed hall inside Robert Morris University Tuesday that congressional candidate Conor Lamb would help strengthen America's values while protecting the health care and social programs he said Republicans are trying to undermine.
Biden stopped in Western Pennsylvania as part of what he described as a campaign to return Congress to Democratic control. He addressed a crowd of about 750 people at RMU's Yorktown Hall a week ahead of a March 13 special election in which Lamb, 33, a former federal prosecutor and Marine Corps veteran, faces Republican Rick Saccone, 60, a state legislator and former Air Force officer.
His visit came a few days before a planned stop by President Trump on Saturday in Moon to support Saccone.
Quieting at least one cry of “Biden 2020,” the former vice president cast the Democratic enthusiasm that has emerged in races around the country since 2016 as a reaction to Republican leadership.
“People are realizing the bill of goods they've been sold; people are angry,” he said. “People are disturbed that what their children are hearing on television from their leader is not fit ... and they're desperately looking for Democrats and Republicans who remember that there's this delicate social fabric, this moral fabric, that holds up our society.”
Biden spoke to the crowd following an address to union members earlier in the afternoon in Pittsburgh. He called for more civility in politics and for people to get involved with the campaign. He criticized outside spending by Republican political groups in the 18th District race, which is approaching $10 million.
“There's no stopping this campaign,” he told the crowd, to cheers. “You all are proving one of the oldest rules in politics. Passion and commitment rule in politics ... and will beat big money every time.”
Recent polls show the race is close in a district Trump won by 19 percentage points in 2016. Mitt Romney won the district before that, and former GOP Rep. Tim Murphy carried it for eight election cycles before resigning in October amid an extramarital scandal.
The district includes the southern portion of Allegheny County and sections of Westmoreland, Washington and Greene counties.
Lamb has taken moderate positions on hot-button issues such as gun control and abortion while vowing to protect Medicare and Medicaid. He has said he favors improvements to the Affordable Care Act over universal health care. He has said he wouldn't vote for Nancy Pelosi to lead House Democrats and that he would work with Trump on areas where he could find agreement with the president.
Several people who showed up at the rally Tuesday said that while they didn't agree with Lamb's positions on all of the issues, they thought he would push for changes they want to see.
Louis Fazio, 88, of Crafton said he would like Lamb to modify his position on gun control. Lamb has said he supports expanded background checks but doesn't believe that regulating sales of assault rifles or high-capacity magazines is a good place to start.
But, Fazio said, he wants to see more people like Lamb entering politics.
“I think he's got the vision and the youth, the kind of leadership we need today,” he said.
Eve Obaid, 61, of Mt. Lebanon said she agrees with Lamb on about 90 percent of the positions he has taken.
“I care about the environment, I care about health care, and I want change,” she said. “I care about a lot of things, and Trump doesn't.”
Emily Vith, 18, of Moon said she registered to vote on her birthday and plans to vote for Lamb in the special election.
Vith said she doesn't mind holding different views from Lamb as long as he works to represent the views of his constituents.
“Even if he's moderate, he's still moving in the right direction,” she said.
Saccone, a staunch conservative, has said his priorities match Trump's and that he would help the president carry out his agenda. He has said he would work to remove government impediments to people starting businesses and finding jobs and prioritizing their own values.
Biden, in his speech, described Social Security, education funding, Medicare and Medicaid as programs that bolster people's chances of success, relating stories about his father's inability to get a loan to help pay for a private college education and his worries about what would happen to his family if he were to have a heart attack.
He said he expects Republicans to try to cut spending on social programs to pay for the tax reform they passed, which is projected to cost an estimated $1.5 trillion.
“Republicans talk about caring for working class people, but they're not doing anything,” he said. “You can't do it without affordable health care. What they don't get — it's about more than their health. It's about peace of mind.”
Wes Venteicher is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5676, wventeicher@tribweb.com or via Twitter @wesventeicher.
