President Joe Biden to Georgia voters: ‘Your vote changed the world’

President Joe Biden highlighted some of the biggest accomplishments of his administration’s first 100 days in office during a drive-in rally at the Infinite Energy Center on Thursday, but he had a special message for Georgia voters.

“Your vote changed the world,” he said.

That was a major theme of Biden’s 20-minute speech to supporters at the rally, which also featured remarks from First Lady Jill Biden, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, Fair Fight founder Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, U.S. Reps. Carolyn Bourdeaux, Hank Johnson, Nikema Williams, Stanford Bishop and state Rep. Michelle Au.

Biden and other speakers pointed to not only his win in Georgia in the Nov. 3 presidential election, but also the election of Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, to the U.S. Senate on Jan. 5. The assertion was that Democratic wins in Georgia allowed Biden to find success in his first 100 days.

Biden highlighted higher-than-expected COVID-19 vaccination levels, legislative successes such as passage of the American Recovery Plan and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. He also laid out some of the things left to do, such as passing a new voting rights act named for late U.S. Rep. John Lewis.

“Look folks, it’s been 100 days since I first sat at my desk in the Oval Office and went to work for you and the American people,” Biden said. “I want to thank you (and) I want to thank the American people because I think we’ve gotten a lot done.

“I promised before I was even sworn in that I would get, in my first 100 days, 100 million COVID vaccine shots in people’s arms. We’ve lost over 550,000 Americans, but we delivered over 220 million COVID shots in the first 100 days. We’ve vastly expanded access. We’ve got 100 million doses of the vaccine, enough for every single American.”

The president highlighted passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, which included $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans.

“I want to stop here and give thanks to both of your senators, Sens. Ossoff and Warnock, for making it happen because those two votes … those two votes made the difference,” Biden said. “It passed by a single vote, and that means we owe special thanks to the people of Georgia.

“Because of your two senators, the rest of America was able to get the help they need.”

Among the accomplishments the president claimed happened within his first 100 days because of the American Rescue Plan was: the creation of 1.3 million new jobs; passage of nutrition assistance for families to ensure children are feed; loans were made available to small businesses; and funding for rental assistance was available.

Biden also said the federal government made is possible for Georgia to expand Medicaid — something state leaders have shown reluctance to do — to 500,000 more Georgians.

But Biden also previewed some of the work left to be done, including the American Jobs Plan, which he said will be the biggest jobs creation plan since World War II. The plan calls for creating new jobs in the infrastructure arena, such as rebuilding roads, bridges, maritime ports and airports.

“It will provide clean drinking water for every American,” the president said. “There are 10 million homes in America, and there are 440,000 schools and daycare centers that have lead pipes where drinking water is a danger. We’re going to replace 100% of those lead pipes and service lines so every child can have a turn at the faucet and know what they’re drinking is clean water.

Biden also said infrastructure jobs will created expanding high speed internet access.

The president also touched on the American Family Plan, which includes 12 weeks of paid family medical leave, universal preschool for all 3-and 4-year-olds, two years of free community college and increasing Pell Grants and other funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Biden said he will raise taxes on corporations and the most wealthy residents to pay for these programs, but he added lower and middle class families will see a tax cut.

“As I said (Wednesday night during an address to Congress), the middle class and working people of this country are already paying enough in taxes, it’s time for the richest 1% of Americans and corporate America to start to do their part,” the president said.

He also referenced the conviction of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd to call for police reform and to eliminate systemic racism in the criminal justice system.

During his remarks on federal voting rights legislation, Biden renewed is criticisms of Georgia’s controversial new voting changes while pushing for passage of federal voting rights reforms. He asserted voting rights were under attack in the state because of the passage of state Senate Bill 202.

“More people voted for president in 2020 than anytime in American history, and they did it in the middle of a pandemic,” Biden said. “And, you’ve seen what happened here in Georgia with your state’s laws. It’s just wrong, wrong, and it’s why we have to pass the voting rights protections laws coming through the Congress.”

Biden and his wife strode onto the stage with the strains of Jackie Wilson’s “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” blaring out of the speakers in the parking lot as supporters honked their horns.

White House officials said there were about 315 cars at the rally, filling up the section of the Infinite Energy Center parking lot that had been set aside for the event.

Several people waved signs that said “Getting Back On Track,” but several attendees also painted messages, such as “Georgia Loves Biden,” “#100” and “Go Joe,” on the windows of their vehicles.

Atlanta resident David Patton showed up in his 1964 Pontiac Catalina with a “Getting Back on Track” sign in his front seat and Georgia and U.S. windows attached to the windows. He said that, after four years of Donald Trump as president, he felt a sense of relief with Biden now in the White House.

“I support the president and all they are doing to get this country back on track,” Patton said. “I’ve been saying to my friends and people in the community as well, that it’s the first time we’ve been almost able to almost check out and not worry about what’s coming, so we have this overwhelming sense of relief so that we can get businesses back to school and get our kids back to school and get vaccinated.”

There was a group of protesters who began shouting “End Detention New” and “We voted for you too” at the president. They were waving a large orange banner, but it was turned away from Biden and instead faced members of the audience.

Their demands about ending detention were heard — and recognized — by the president during his speech as he paused mid-sentence in his speech to address them.

“I’m working on it, man, give me another five days,” Biden said. “Folks, y’all know what they’re talking about. There should be no private prisons, period. None. Period. That’s what they’re talking about. Private detention centers. They should not exist. And we’re working to close all of them.”

Biden later addressed questions about the protesters during a gaggle with reporters in the White House traveling press pool at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.

“Well when they found out I agreed with them, they finally stopped,” he said. “Because I have been opposed to funding private prisons and that’s what they were talking about. And I think they were just very emotionally excited.

“That’s why I stopped and let them go on a little bit and then, when I found out they wanted me to do it immediately like I could sign a paper and make it happen.”

When asked about whether action was really coming within five days, however, Biden told reporters, “No, I was teasing them.”

The White House did confirm after the rally, however, that Biden and the First Lady did meet with a group of Georgia “Dreamers,” college students who are going through the deferred action immigration program, before departing the Infinite Energy Center.