Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden on Wednesday provided more details on trying to overcome his stutter and offered to give his private number to people dealing with the issue.
“I would practice and practice and practice, because I was determined — determined to overcome it. And I was led to believe I could. And I basically did,” Mr. Biden said at a CNN town hall in New Hampshire.
Mr. Biden said he didn’t have professional help, but he had a mother with a backbone like a “ramrod” who would encourage him.
He called Gloria Vanderbilt, the late mother of interviewer Anderson Cooper, an “incredible lady.”
“And the idea that Gloria Vanderbilt would be in a position where she stuttered — I want everybody to know that we can get through this,” Mr. Biden said.
He offered to provide his private number to people who stutter and those who work with young people who stutter and said he puts special marks in his speeches to try to deal with the issue.
Mr. Biden is coming off a disappointing apparent fourth-place finish in Iowa and is looking to muster some momentum ahead of the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday.
“I expected to do better,” he said. “And I expected that our organization would perform better. But the fact is, I’m happy to be here in New Hampshire.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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