Marshall Clemons: Biden Walked A Day in My Shoes

Last week, I was preparing for our first day of school.

Tonight, I’m going to watch the man who worked a day with me accept the Democratic vice-presidential nomination in Denver.

Senator Joe Biden spent a day with me on my job as a custodian at Harding Middle School in Cedar Rapids.

He didn’t just want to watch me do my job—he wanted to work.

Together we fixed a boiler that needed to be turned on for the next school year. We also prepared classrooms for the fall, swept floors, and patrolled the school grounds.

It was amazing that a Senator wanted to take time out to learn more about me.

I’ve been a custodian for 16 years—and I work hard to do my job every day so that the teachers and students can teach and study like they need to.

But we need some changes.

Our next president and vice-president need to work to fix our health care and education challenges. We need to make sure that all our children get the education they deserve and that everyone in America gets the health care they need.

That’s what I told Senator Biden last fall. And since then we’ve kept in touch. He wants to know how my family is, how the school is, and he wants to know what elected officials need to do to help working families.

I can’t believe that now Senator Biden could be our next vice-president. Next year we’ll have a president and a vice-president who experienced firsthand what it’s like to work and raise a family in America.

That’s why I’m voting for Senators Obama and Biden—and I can’t wait to hear Senator Biden’s speech tonight.