President Joe Biden headlined the Firefighters Legislative Conference and the POTUS got a pretty nice gift in return. Standing next to International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) General President Edward Kelly, Biden heard Kelly call him “the greatest President firefighters have ever had in this country.”
Biden received the compliment modestly, quickly crossing himself — or making the sign of the cross — the Catholic gesture he’s prone to making. Good Catholic describes the ritual: “Each time we make the Sign of the Cross, we renew our profession of faith; express our belief in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and acknowledge the divine work of creation, salvation, and sanctification. We invoke the Holy Trinity.”
Wow, this is powerful. International Association of Fire Fighters General President Edward Kelly just called President Biden “the greatest president firefighters have ever had in this country.” pic.twitter.com/aj6Cpu1UIJ
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) March 6, 2023
Biden was showered with other praise at the conference, and assured the firefighters that he had their “back.”
“No billionaire should be paying a lower tax rate than a fire fighter,” Biden told the crowd. “You’re the only ones that run into flames; everybody runs away from them.”
“That’s why I fight so hard to protect your right to collective bargaining,” Biden added.
For all the bluster on the GOP side about being the party of law and order and fighting the working man’s fight, “Scranton Joe” — as Biden is sometimes called to emphasize his birthplace and connection to the the middle class — does maintain a connection with cops and firefighters that other recent Democrats couldn’t quite claim. Veterans, too.
