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WEBVTT HOWEVER, HE TOLD THE CROWD HE ISNOT AIMING FOR THE OVAL OFFICE.JOE BIDEN SQUASHING RUMORS A2020 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN.I KNOW IT HAS CAUSED A LOT OFSPECULATION.TI THE ANNOUNCEMENT RECEIVINGSOUNDS OF DISAPPOINTMENT FROMTHE CROWD.THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT WASTHE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT THE NEWHAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S 100CLUB DINNER TONIGHT.NO ISSUE WAS OFF-TOPIC.HE DISCUSSED THE LOSS OF HISSON, A POLITICAL DIVIDE INAMERICA, AND THE FAILED ATTEMPTBY THE DEMOCRATS TO KEEP THEWHITE HOUSE.HE BLAMES THE MEDIA FOR FOCUSINGON PERSONAL ATTACKS.>> NO ONE CAN TELL YOU WHATHILLARY'S POSITION WAS ON CHILDCARE, FREE EDUCATION FORCOLLEGE, ON A WHOLE RANGE OFTHINGS.TIM: HE MADE A PROMISE TO REMAININ THE PUBLIC' I TO CONTINUEHIS SUPPORT OF CANCER RESEARCHAND RIGHTS FOR WOMEN.ALTHOUGH HE SAYS THE WHITE HOUSEIS NOT IN HIS FUTURE, HE URGESHIS COLLEAGUES TO CONTINUE THEIRFIGHT FOR IT.>> MAY GOD PROTECT OUR TROOPS.GOD BLESS YOU ALL.TI VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN WASNOT THE ONLY POLITICIAN TO COMETO NEW HAMPSHIRE.JOHN KASICH AND MART O'MALLEYWERE ALSO HERE THIS MONTH.HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT CONFIRMING

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Former Vice President Joe Biden insisted Sunday that he’s not running for president in 2020, but then held 800 first-primary state Democrats spellbound for 55 minutes by outlining his broad vision for the country in the era of Donald Trump. Biden, keynoting the state Democratic Party’s major annual fundraiser with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, at his side, quietly and emotionally thanked New Hampshire Democrats for their support following the death of his son, Beau Biden, in 2015. Biden then said he knew that visiting the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state would create speculation that he may be a candidate for president in 2020, “Guys, I’m not running,” he said, looking to the back of the Radisson Hotel convention center at the reporters and cameras covering his visit. Many in the crowd groaned, and one man shouted, "Run, Joe, run!" Yet, Biden then embarked on a long speech that focused on a need to reverse what he called the “bile” of the 2016 election and what he called a “coarse” and “bitter” public discourse. He wrapped up by urging the Democrats, “Folks, let’s go win it back!” At times during Biden's' speech, the crowd cheered enthusiastically. At other times, the huge room was silent. Biden urged Democrats to ask themselves why they are Democrats. “Diversity has always been our strength,” he said. He said that since leaving office he has established the Biden Foundation because he is “determined to continue my fight against violence against women, and I’m determined to protect the rights of the LGBTQ community.” He was optimistic that continued progress will be made on the “cancer moonshot.” But more broadly, Biden said of the nation, “Tolerance has long been our greatest attribute. And it has had a great economic impact, and it has earned us the respect of the entire world. “We’ve had our moments of shame,” he said, but, he said, the “arc” of the country continues toward the values that he said have long defined the nation. Biden said Americans need to ask themselves, “What kind of country are we becoming? What kind of country to we believe that we want to be?” “Dignity is missing in so much of today’s discussion,” he said. “How we talk to each other, how we treat each other. Dignity is built into the founding principles of this nation.” World leaders, he said, “look at us and respect us because they think we remain committed to 'all men and women are created equal.'” He said the mantra is “being run roughshod over.” Political discourse “has become so coarse, so bitter and so angry,” he said. “Scapegoating has become a national occupation.” In 2016, “bile sucked up all the oxygen.” He blamed President Trump’s focus on personal attacks and the media’s coverage of Trump's personal attacks for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss. He called for “thinking big,” and on specific issues, for free public college education and for more tolerant immigration policies. Biden received an enthusiastic standing ovation when he called for public financing of elections, saying such a move would “change the whole damn world.” “I know it seems like we’re a house divided and stuck in a political death match, and we don’t know how to get out of it. But we’re better than this,” Biden said. “We’re like a family in this country. We have to come together. When we do that, things will begin to change because the American people are ready.” While Biden told the party faithful to look forward, the state GOP chairman said the Democrats were living in the past. "It’s so sad,” said NHGOP Chair Jeanie Forrester. “New Hampshire Democrats are clinging to the past and advocating rejected liberal policies. New Hampshire Republicans are focused on the future.” Earlier, the four members of the state’s all-women, all-Democratic congressional delegation rallied the crowd. After Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Ann Kuster spoke, Sen. Maggie Hassan called Biden “a true champion for hard-working families, and it’s understatement to say we dearly miss having his voice in the White House.” She said Trump and the Republicans are pushing “politics that run counter to the values of our state.” “Resistance must persist, and that starts right here in New Hampshire, and right now,” Hassan said. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said, “Because of you we’ve been to stop Republicans from taking away health care from 20 million Americans. We stopped Donald Trump from building an expensive and inexpensive wall along the border.” She was cheered when she called for “an independent commission to look into Russia’s interference in our elections.” The Democratic Party's 100 Club Dinner has been held every year since 1959, when it was organized to promote the presidential candidacy of then-Sen. John F. Kennedy. Over the years, it has featured some of the most influential Democrats in modern history, including presidents Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as vice presidents Hubert Humphrey, Walter Mondale and Al Gore. As is traditional, the party gave awards to key activists at the dinner. The Dunfey-Kanteres Award went to state Rep. Cindy Rosenwald of Nashua. The McIntyre-Shaheen Legacy Award was presented to John Knowles and, posthumously, to the late Rep. Mary Ann Knowles, a former state representative from Nashua, who died in February. (Our earlier report follows.) Former Vice President Joe Biden wraps up a week of visits to New Hampshire by potential 2020 presidential candidates Sunday when he stops by to speak at a major state Democratic Party fundraiser. Party officials say nearly 800 people have bought tickets for the annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner in Manchester – an event that has often served as a platform for potential presidential candidates to test their messages. Biden’s visit follows visits by Democratic former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley a week ago and Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Thursday. Biden has not totally ruled out the possibility that he might take another shot at running for president, even though he would be 77-years-old when the 2020 New Hampshire primary rolls around. As Democrats began to gather at the Radisson Hotel, Democratic National Committeeman Bill Shaheen said, “He has a lot of charisma. And if you’re healthy and you want to go, you go. “He’s got a lot to offer, he’s got a lot of experience,” Shaheen said. “He was one of the greatest vice presidents I think we’ve had. And he’s a great team player.” “I think we’re going to need someone after (2016) to bring us all together again,” Shaheen said. State Rep. Dan Eaton, D-Stoddard, is a longtime friend of Biden who was state director of a Draft Biden effort in 2015, said he does not believe that Biden will run for president in 2020, although he said he would “love to see him run.” “But I’m a realist and I’m pretty sure that’s not a reality,” Eaton said. “This is Joe Biden saying, ‘I love New Hampshire. I’m here to help. I’m here to rally the troops and I’m here just a year out from the mid-term election cycle.’” Will Biden run? “I hope so,” said former state Sen. Burt Cohen, a top 2016 supporter of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “I think if he had won last time, he would have easily beaten Trump. We have a good bench with some really good people, but I think he’d be a terrific candidate." Cohen noted that Sanders is also in his mid-70s, “and mid-70s now isn’t what it used to be when I was young.” “He connects with people, and we need to connect with people,” Cohen said. “I think you’re hard-pressed to find a Democrat, or for that matter an independent or a Republican who doesn’t have a soft spot for Joe Biden,” said 2016 candidate for governor Colin Van Ostern. “We love this guy. He loves our country. It’s great to see him back in New Hampshire.” He is a familiar face in New Hampshire. He has been coming to the state for the better part of four decades. State Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said Biden's first "known trip" to the state was an April 1980 fundraiser for then-Sen. John Durkin at the former Chateau Restaurant in Manchester. He was the featured speaker at the 1986 100 Club Dinner at the Sheraton Wayfarer in Bedford, which has since been razed. He campaigned in the state in 1987 when he first ran for president. He campaigned again in the Granite State ahead of his poor showing in the 2008 presidential primary. As vice president, he has been to the state numerous times both in an official capacity and as a high-profile supporter of candidates. Last fall, just two weeks before the general election, he campaigned in the state for Hillary Clinton and Sen. Maggie Hassan. He has many friends in the state, including former state Supreme Court chief Justice John Broderick, and many supporters, including state Rep. Dan Eaton of Stoddard, who in 2015 was named the state director of a Draft Biden super PAC. Biden’s message on Sunday night is expected to be one of party unity in the wake of the divisive 2016 nomination battle between Clinton and Sanders. He is expected to praise members of the all-Democratic four-member New Hampshire congressional delegation, all of whom are expected to attend the dinner. He is expected to rally Democrats for a strong showing in next year's mid-term elections. Biden is expected to bash President Donald Trump on the chief executive’s 101st day in office. And he will likely reminisce about his ties to the state and about his eight years as vice president. Many observers will be reading between the lines, however, trying to find a hint on Biden’s plans for 2020, especially because he will be in the first-primary state. According to a Biden adviser, the former vice president had no other stops in the state planned as of Friday evening. The adviser and party officials said he was planning to arrive for the dinner, meet and greet Democrats at a VIP reception, deliver his speech to the crowd, and then depart. The question is, will he be back? And if so, when and for what purpose? Biden has kept a busy schedule since he left office in January. According to reports, his post-New Hampshire schedule includes an appearance at a fundraiser for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, another name being discussed in the context of 2020. He has a speech to the Florida Democratic Party scheduled as well as an address to investment leaders’ SALT Conference in Las Vegas in May, and commencement speeches at Harvard, Colby College and Morgan State. Biden and his wife, Jill, in February launched the Biden Foundation, which focuses on a range of issues including cancer research. He also has established institutes at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware.