Thread by @mikememoli

Penn faculty member @JoeBiden gets a big ovation as he takes stage in Philly. “You can tell I’ve not graded any papers yet.”

@JoeBiden First Q to Biden from UPenn president: Who do you have in the Oscars. "Cooper and Gaga," Biden says.

(There's a backstory -- rollingstone.com/culture/cultur…)

Biden, reflecting on Munich, says an administration rooting for the breakdown of the European Union "is the dumbest thing in the world."

Biden: Angela Merkel, "now freed from the leadership of her party," gave an incredible "refutation of American foreign policy as it relates to NATO."

And meanwhile Pence -- "I know him. I like him" -- but he was received with a "deafening silence," Biden says, as he spoke on behalf of Trump and "lectured NATO about their obligations."

Biden: "Name me one consequential problem from global warming to a nuclear arms race that can be solved by us alone. Name me one. So this is an inflection point."

Biden says he (unlike Pence) "got a standing ovation" in Munich, "led by the American delegation" both Democrats and Republicans in Congress

Biden addresses the "hysteria" around the southern border and talks about efforts he led in Obama admin to support Northern Triangle countries

Biden: Those efforts were bipartisan and were working. But "this president came along and essentially let it all blow up."

Biden compares Obama admin Northern Triangle initiative to rebuilding Europe after WWII. "It was overwhelmingly in our self interest to do that."

Biden said Obama admin had worked to allow Central American nation citizens to seek asylum at embassies in their own countries, rather than come to the U.S. to do so. Trump reversed because he wanted to demagogue on issue

Biden is giving familiar answers to some basic questions about the state of America now but with a bit more edge in his voice.

"It's time to restore America’s soul. Remind ourselves of who we are," he says

"We've go to respond" to anxiety among middle class. "There’s a lot of people justifiably worried. We have answers but we’re not speaking to these people, this middle class that’s scared to death about what’s coming."

Biden asked his takeaways from campaigning for Democrats in 2018. "People were looking for people of character. Just simply people of character. It was higher on the agenda than any other issue."

Biden notes he was leading advocate in Obama admin for auto bailout. But after they repaid taxpayers and returned to profits, "they didn't invest in new plants and equipment. … They bought back their own stock."

Then came "godawful" Trump tax plan, shifting money overseas. GM "not investing here after we bailed their rear-ends out."

Biden: "I don't begrudge anybody making millions or hundreds of millions of dollars. But I do think there's some shared responsibility and it's not being shared fairly for hard-working, middle class and working class people."

Biden asked about his new dog. He first jokes that his older German Shepherd, Champ, was his reward because he didn't want to run for vice president.

Says he got a second dog after being told it would add years to Champ's life to be around a pup. "Major's doing well, taking care of Champ."

Biden bluntly says there were "a bunch of racists" in the Senate when he first joined, including Dems. "I ran against [them] during the civil rights movement."

Last month Biden said he was actually once recruited to run for office in Delaware as a Republican, because at the time "that was the progressive party" in Delaware. But he was anti-Nixon because of abuse of power

Biden ends by turning a question about what will happen to Dreamers into his standard closing riff. "Remember the hell who we are. It’s because we’re so diverse, it’s because we have such an ethic ... it’s because we’re not afraid to try anything. … We can do anything."