Biden to Lie in State at Leg Hall [Update with Full Schedule]
Just received this confusing release from the Governor’s office:
Following an announcement by the Office of the Vice President today, Governor Markell’s office issued the following statement regarding planned services to honor the life of former Attorney General Joseph Robinette “Beau” Biden III.
“President Pro Tempore Patti Blevins, Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf, Senate Minority Leader Gary Simpson, House Minority Leader Danny Short and Governor Jack Markell earlier this week offered to Hallie Biden and the greater Biden family to have the Attorney General lie in honor at Legislative Hall on the afternoon of Thursday, June 4th. While further details will be forthcoming, the Legislative Hall ceremony will allow the General Assembly, other government officials, and the Biden family’s many friends the opportunity to pay their respects.”
The idea of a Dover ceremony was offered to Mrs. Biden, but was it accepted? I don’t see that.
[Update]: The full release from the Vice President’s office is below, and it confirms the Dover and Wilmington viewing times:
Seems confirmed. https://twitter.com/samsteinhp/status/605771640836882432/photo/1
Thanks. I was just going off the Governor’s release.
Is precedent being set here?
Well, I am not sure. IIRC, other former Governors have lain in state at Leg Hall. I am not sure about former late Attorneys General.
I am (nearly) at a loss for words… This is really outlandish. I understand that given the circumstances (his relatively young age, cancer) his death is maybe a bit more sad than some, but this is a travesty. He’s the VP’s son and he was Delaware Attorney General. Is anyone else going to speak up about how farcical this is or are we all going to pretend it’s perfectly normal?
Everything that’s ever lived is either dead or will be in a relatively short period of time. We need to get over it a little bit. We have to pretend this guy was the Delaware Lenin now. For fuck sake. Is anyone going to step up and say the Emperor (or in this case the vice Emperor’s son) has no clothes? Are we sure this isn’t some sort of sick joke?
Relax there. They aren’t renaming the state Bidenland. Yet.
^^^ You beat me to it DG
Dorian channeled his inner Donviti.
I guess Charles M. Oberly, III will get a full horse-drawn cavalcade down Route 1.
End of the month. Leftover outrage in the account. Decided to spend it on this. What is, it use it or lose it?
Dave – Great insight. That added a lot. Much appreciated. (And in the interest of accuracy it’s the 2nd of June.)
Well DD you wanted transparency. I guess lying in state is the ultimate disclosure.
.
Thus we see the true character of the Progressive mind. Beau was a devoted and popular public servant. His family deserves the show of respect for his service. As citizens of DE, we all deserve the opportunity to comfort them and bid farewell to Beau.
I guess it is only fair now that I think about it, New Castle County Police shut down I95, schools closed and business where impacted for hours when they lost one of theirs.
Biden doesn’t even get a parade with accompanying Hell’s Angels motorcade ala Chris Kyle aka American Hero.
Delaware Royalty isn’t even coming close to what the police state got when it came to pomp and circumstance
Oh please, Radef16, knock it off. And what are you, a conservative?
@Radef16 – If the nuance of the conversation escapes you then perhaps you should sit a few plays out. What does it have to do with the Progressive mind? It’s a ridiculous spectacle and way over the top. We can all respect his service without making a show of it. What about Biden in particular warranted a state funeral? Can Matt Denn expect the same?
It makes sense. If he did not have a famous father, if he had been just a regular Attorney General then his friends and coworkers could pay their respects at a traditional viewing at McCrerey’s or Chandlers or other church or service without much difficulty.
This situation is different.
Since Beau’s father is a sitting vice president and one who has a close relationship with the President of the United States, this is not fanfare, it is necessity. A VP attending an event comes with its own requirements. Adding a president giving the eulogy, the security protocols are like no other. Their security requirements make it difficult for anyone else (unfamous) to go and pay respects. A second location to receive the public freely outside of national security issues makes sense. Legislative Hall is as good a place as any. Beau’s service to this state, honored at this venue, allows friends and co-workers a chance to pay their respects.The circumstances are unique and special. Some may not feel his life doesn’t warrant a state funeral, but his regular funeral has, shall we say, become very high profile – and that is not Beau’s fault.
@Michelle,
Well said. It should have been unnecessary for you to have had to do it.
Another astonishing thing is that for three days now, until today — all negative stuff stopped. That kind of thing came out of respect for how much of a good guy he was.
And for the record, when he declined to be appointed by Gov. Minner to the senate seat to focus on taking out the worst pedophile in US history — well, whatever good funeral and send off we can give him is FINE with me! Godspeed, Beau!
I’m pretty sure it’s fanfare. Nothing is a necessity. Everything was private up until Saturday.
There are very good reasons De is 80 million in the hole…
They would fo the same for any attorney general in Delaware. You folks that are condemning this have no tact. Must be teabaggers
It actually seems like a good way to give all Delawareans an opportunity to pay their respects.
Yeah, look, to Dorian, Donviti and others criticizing the “fanfare” and expanse of this, I do agree with AQC that the two viewing opportunities, at Leg Hall in Dover for four hours on Thursday and at St. Anthony’s for six hours on Friday allows the public an opportunity to pay their respects to the Biden family. And given the history of the Biden family and the State of Delaware, there are many Delawareans who want to do that. And I actually applaud the Biden family for that. They could have treated Beau’s death the same way they treated his illness, with the utmost privacy.
Now, some of you probably think they should have just a private funeral, but as I have been told by colleagues and commenters, it’s their decision.
And the dogs fight over the bones
This is disgusting – this isn’t about anyone on this site – it’s about the deceased
If the governor is making a spectacle – fine let him …. If no one shows up for the public viewing then it falls flat
It’s about the Biden family and their wishes and maybe the people of Delaware who would like to pay respects
Wow people – let it happen- really – now people are going to quibble over the funeral ?
Have we sunk so low??
Everyone is right. It is overthetop, and it is in bad taste to point that out.
Why is it “over the top” and who decides that?
We’ll have to agree to disagree.
Oh for Christ sake. Practically every state, likely all, have public mourning ceremonies in their capitals honoring elected public servants who have passed.
This is hardly over the top. It is reasonable and quite appropriate.
I agree, Over the top would be corporate sponsorship…
this is merely the ornamentation of a deceased politician that only was AG because of his family name (Failed the bar multiple times) and was out of office for several years after his stint as AG.
Politicians are now celebrities and we must celebrate their celebrity in the fashion set for royalty.
Think about how inane you all sound. Do any of you think Charlie Oberly or Matt Denn or any other decease DE Attorney General will get laid out in Legistlative Hall? No, they won’t. Period. End of chat…
As far as it being in bad taste to point this out, that’s your hang up about death not mine. I said it was sad for his family and perhaps even more so given his age and illness, but to get all weepy and protective for a stranger who died is absolutely bizarre. A few people on this site may have “known” Beau Biden, it the sense that they meet him a few times or shook his hand or attended some event he also attended. You didn’t know him.
The public fiasco surrounding this is ridiculous and unwarranted. Lying in state inside the Capital! Death isn’t special. We all check out. People need to get a grip.
Oh, and for the record. I have no doubt Beau Biden was a very nice man, good father, &c., &c. But he isn’t a “hero”. He isn’t royalty. I didn’t think we had that here… The highest ofice he held was also held by Jane Brady and Carl Danberg. He’s a celebrity because of his father. And pretending any different is a lie.
You know, I can see how people may think this whole Beau Biden tribute thing is a little over the top, but I think it’s also sort of a tribute to Joe and the pain that he has had to endure in his life along with his success.
I think it would be fitting to find a nice playground somewhere in the state, and erect a life size statue of Beau to commemorate his commitment to child safety.
I do feel bad for Joe Biden. That’s a lot of loss to deal with in one lifetime. And I actually think a nice bronze statue in the Charles Parksian style somewhere in Wilmington would be appropriate. Perhaps name a school for him… but the hoopla around his death and laying him out in the Capital… I can’t stand for that.
The Governor and the General Assembly are performing a PUBLIC service by offering up Leg Hall as a place where people from up and down this state can come.
And people will come. Lots and lots of people. To a centralized location. You can’t just look at this with blinders on. The Bidens and Delaware are inextricably linked. Many of us were here when Joe was elected and then sworn in under tragic circumstances. And now we have a young man dying so tragically, as well. Oh, and he’s the VP of the United States.
For the life of me, I don’t even know how to communicate with someone who thinks this is not the right thing to do.
Joe Biden didn’t die though
This is all about Joe Biden, this isn’t about his son.
Don Viti and I are the only ones looking at this without blinders on actually. I was here when Biden won his Senate seat. I’ve meet Joe Biden several times. My father worked with him on a union event in the 1980s. (He turned up driving his own car to eat eggs and pancakes off paper plates and give some remarks at the opening of a new United Parcel Service facility.) I get the Joe Biden thing. He’s a great Delawarean. Arguably one of the greatest. But he still alive so far as I know.
For the life of me I don’t know how to explain to you that we don’t lay people in state in the Capital based on what their father has done. It’s weird and inappropriate… and the fact many people will come doesn’t change that.
As I’ve argued before, you guys all so tightly wrapped in the Delaware political scene that you can’t see this for the inane spectacle it is. Speaking of blinders…
I’m with Jason, both sides have a point. Is this too much? Maybe, but this isn’t a fight I want to have. It’s not the hill I’m willing to die on.
I’ll tell you this… his family isn’t focused on this. This isn’t what matters to them – except for a way to take their minds off of their new reality. They are moving through these days like zombies, just trying to breathe.
So, is this okay? Donviti and Dorian make valid points, and I see where they are coming from, but does it really matter? Maybe, maybe not. Basically, if you think this is too much, I get that. I just can’t take up this cause. This situation feels different, special – and, yes, I’ll have to own that inconsistency in myself when it comes to other AGs.
El Som is right on. This is the right thing to do, and the crowds will turn out. The naysayers will be home and posting here about the sheep who do turn out and offering critiques of the deceased.
I appreciate Pandora’s honesty. It makes no sense other than it “feels” different. Of course nobody here – yours truly included – criticized Beau Biden. Saying that his death doesn’t rise to the status of a state viewing in the Capital isn’t critical of the man. It’s critical of us. That should be absolutely clear.
It is clear, Dorian. I completely understand what you’re saying. The inconsistency is mine. I get that.. and I’m okay with it?
The death of a young person is a huge trigger for me. I’ve been through it too many times for me to be able to take a step back. Beau lying “In-State” simply isn’t an issue for me – probably because the ceremony isn’t where my thoughts center. And that doesn’t mean I’m claiming the moral high ground. I’m not.
Don Viti and I are the only ones looking at this without blinders on actually.
Well, no, actually. And making this claim is the refuge of someone trying to make a virtue out of his utter lack of grace.
Beau Biden did alot of his own work in this state — for all of the “family business” stuff, Beau did a great deal of hard work. Campaigning for his dad, campaigning for others, campaigning for himself — he met alot of people knocking on doors and working GOTV in the trenches like the rest of us. He made a lot of friends serving in the local Guard when he didn’t have to. He made even more friends quietly working on helping people deal with their problems, legal and otherwise. It is a small state, so touching alot of lives is easier, but touch them he did and he did it in the service of the public. I may not agree with everything he did, but I’m not interested in an effort to minimize Beau’s own hard won relationships with people by claiming that his father is the only person who counts here. People are going to show up at this viewing because of Beau Biden and the human being he was, AND because it is still a shock to many that this very young man is dead — not because of his Dad.
The fact is that a lot of people are moved and upset by Beau Biden’s death. Many in Sussex had contacted me about viewing and funeral arrangements. It had been obvious that it would be difficult for people in lower Delaware to attend events in the Wilmington area, especially with the enhanced security that would be needed with the Vice President and many members of Congress in attendance. That became more serious when it was announced President Obama would deliver the eulogy.
The Biden family did not request the use of Legislative Hall. That use was offered to the family and the offer was communicated to them by the leadership of both parties in both chambers. Having a viewing in Legislative Hall is a great gesture to the thousands of Kent and Sussex residents who wish to pay their respects to Beau Biden’s family. I have learned in the 13 years I have been a full-time resident of Delaware, just how intimate politics is and how elected officials develop a personal relationship with their constituents and they with then. I have heard from so many who have known Joe since before he ran for the US Senate in 1972, and have known Beau since he was a young boy. These were not just “meeting” them, but were experiences in which they felt the sincerity of both men and the lack of airs. Being able to pay respects in Legislative Hall to Beau’s family is not to honor a deceased former Attorney General or the son of a sitting Vice President. It is to honor someone who has personally connected with so many and who died far too young.
I never said he wasn’t a super guy who did a great deal for Delaware. Stipulated again and again. However, this idea that no one can comment on it out of respect or that I some lack “grace” is absurd.
Whenever somebody tells me I need to shut up and genuflect and sign the cross and get in line I am always extremely suspicious of the motive. In fact my initial reaction is to fight it.
Whenever an American public servant is given a monarch’s send off I’m uncomfortable. If mindlessly accepting it is the graceful thing to do I rather not be graceful. I’m find with it.
I also know that if Cassandra disagrees I’m really onto something.
No one is telling you to shut up and genuflect. No one asked you not to comment, either. (But once you get your imaginary victim on, we already know you’ve got nothing left to say.) People are telling you to have some generosity. Which I know isn’t exactly your style.
Funerals and memorials are always about the living and those who are grieving. If you aren’t, that is just fine. But all of these memorials are for the Delawareans who need to be able to pay their respects and manage their own grief. We get you aren’t in that group. Stop trying to tell the rest of the world that their grief doesn’t matter.
No one said to not have a funeral. I sure didn’t. Celebrate his life, as it should be celebrated. I don’t have a problem with that.
I’m sure the Chase Center could accomodate a large crowd. Maybe UD could open up their football stadium ? Maybe Dover Race Track. You can put the ceremony on a big screen and shoot hot dogs from an air cannon for all I care.
The lying in state thing is the over the top celebratory nonsense only being granted to him because he is the son of a guy that was a lifelong fencesitter that somehow, god knows how, has become the VP of the our country. That’s where the issue with me.
Great, he campaigned and raised money…You get to lie in state for that?
He won AG because he was his dad’s son. Not because he was qualified.
I’m not sorry I’m an asshole I just have a spine and am will to call it like it is. It reeks like that of a Monarchy. Privileges reserved for the most dedicated public servants are now granted to children of wonderful people…it’s nauseating and the weak excuse a lot of people will come to see him is not the argument to make for having it there
Yeah, you have the spine, unlike everyone else. Whatever.
When someone can tell me this is happening based on the merits of his public service, I can be shouted down. Until then, it’s all nonsense that reeks of what occurs under a Kind and Queen. Something this nation supposedly opposes
I’m not sorry I’m an asshole I just have a spine and am will to call it like it is.
It isn’t *spine* that is going on here. Just because you don’t know about the public service also doesn’t mean it did not happen. He is lying in state because that is what you call it when you are in a government building. That government building is likely the most easily secured building south of the canal. And there are people south of the canal who won’t be able to come to St. Anthony’s. As has been pointed out.
I guess the Delaware Democratic Party is trying to raise money off of tragedy. I almost felt guilty about some of my posts. But then, I just read an email from Travis Williams which at the bottom asks me to donate.
Always raising money…
Perhaps sponsorship isn’t too far off
Calling it like you see it is not calling it like it is. This whole thing is about perception so it’s a wasted argument.
In somewhat recent history (my lifetime) there have been at least two memorial services in legislative hall. One was the director of legislative council and one a senate staffer. Neither of them elected officials or bidens. While they didn’t lay in state, the idea of paying respects in the Capitol building is not unheard of. Funerals are for the living. This is respect paid to a man who has most of his adult life making Delaware a better place for all of us, a man who happens to be Vice President.
In somewhat recent history (my lifetime) there have been at least two memorial services in legislative hall. One was the director of legislative council and one a senate staffer. Neither of them elected officials or bidens. While they didn’t lay in state, the idea of paying respects in the Capitol building is not unheard of. Funerals are for the living. This is respect paid to a man who has spent most of his adult life making Delaware a better place for all of us, a man who happens to be Vice President.
Just remember, while you all are arguing over dumb shit, the Republicans are probably getting away with something. Just sayin’. 🙂
Good point.
Well said, Mitch Crane!
I was wrong. It isn’t over the top. Watching the live feed changed my mind. I was wrong about everything about this, and I’ve been wrong for a long time.
Thanks Pandora, and everyone.
I think Mitch put it very eloquently.
Also, USA Today is streaming the Biden family live on their online service:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/04/beau-biden-services/28467153/
If you choose to watch, could everyone reframe from any negative comments of the proceedings and if you should observe anything you may deem unpleasant, please keep it to yourself for now.