By Luke Seiner

Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has an interesting way of describing Joe Biden.

“[We’ve seen] his good humor, his mastery of the issues, and his lifelong love affair with words, especially his own,” said McConnell, in his introduction of the United States vice president, who spoke at the University of Louisville on Feb. 11. 

Biden was invited to speak by McConnell as a part of the U of L McConnell Center’s spring lecture series.

In his speech, the vice president addressed certain key points pertaining to the nation’s future.  He briefly commented on the issue in Egypt, but refrained from going into too much detail that might over-step President Barack Obama’s statements that were going to be delivered on the subject later that day. 

“The future of Egypt will be determined by the Egyptian people,” said Biden. 

However, he did note that the U.S. government has taken a stance against the violent actions that took place during the protests.

 “Violence and intimidation against peaceful demonstrators is totally, thoroughly unacceptable,” said Biden. “The transition that is taking place must be in an irreversible change and a negotiated path toward democracy.”

While the vice president did note the importance of the recent events in Egypt, the majority of his speech was directed toward the future of the United States.

Primarily, Biden focused on indentifying four specific myths that he believes have permeated the American psyche. He set out to disprove them.

The first of these is that the American political system is broken, dysfunctional and incapable of progress.

 In rebuttal to this idea, Biden argued that our government is not dysfunctional and that it is possible for members of different parties to compromise over issues. 

“If you’re open-minded, it’s impossible not to see the other man’s perspective,” said Biden.

In response to the second myth, that America has fallen behind its global economic competitors, Biden argued that even though the U.S. is at an economic down-note, so is much of the rest of the world. He also noted that the U.S. is still very much ahead.

“We are still the strongest economy in the world, by a factor of almost three,” said Biden.

According to bloomberg.com, the U.S. Dow Jones has risen around 650 points in 2011 alone and is steadily increasing. Biden’s suggestion to ensure U.S. economic dominance is to invest in the future – specifically in education, innovation and infrastructure.

  As to the third myth, that the U.S. will be mired in war for many years to come, the vice president informed the audience that many American troops will return home by the end of 2011. According to Biden, the remaining 50,000 troops still in Iraq will return home and the Afghan government will be in complete control of its own security by the year 2014. 

The last of Biden’s myths is all encompassing:

“Those other myths are inevitable and that we don’t have the power to change them,” said Biden.

In response to the last myth, Biden asserted that he had every confidence in America’s ability to mold its future for a more favorable outcome.

“I am absolutely confident that these myths I have referenced will not become reality,” said Biden. “We’re not passengers of history, we’re drivers…If you already think you’ve lost, there’s clearly no way you can win.”

After the speech, 38 University of Louisville McConnell Scholars were able to meet and share a private group dialogue with the vice president. Among them was Max Morley.

 “He was a surprisingly engaging and charismatic individual,” said Morley, a sophomore McConnell Scholar and a political science major. “He was very knowledgeable about the subjects. When he spoke you could tell he knew exactly what he was talking about. He wasn’t just reciting points developed by speech-writers.”

Billy Garland, chief of staff for the U of L Student Government Association, also attended the speech. 

“It was good to hear an optimistic speech, especially in the times that we are in now,” said Garland, a senior communication major. “Also, it’s wonderful to see what the university’s partnership with Mitch McConnell has done. The vice president’s visit puts U of L on a national stage.”