Intro

He built a career, and a presidential campaign, on a belief in bipartisanship. Now, critics of the candidate ask: Is political consensus a dangerous compromise?

In Part 4 of our series on pivotal moments in the lives of the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, we examine the long Senate career, and legislative legacy, of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Guest: Astead W. Herndon, who covers national politics for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• Mr. Biden now plays down his role overhauling crime laws with segregationist senators in the 1980s and ’90s. In an investigation, our reporter found that the portrayal is at odds with his actions and rhetoric back then.
• The former vice president and current Democratic front-runner wants to unite the country in a divisive time. Here’s more on what Mr. Biden stands for.
• This Supreme Court battle explains why Mr. Biden firmly believes in bipartisanship.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.