Did Biden just say that Dick Cheney is a decent man, and he likes him?

[Honeycombe8]

Heard a clip on Morning Joe of Biden saying that he like Dick Cheney, gets along with him, and he's a decent man.

I hope I heard wrong.

Cheney, who used 9/11 to invade Iraq, which he'd planned to do, regardless of 9/11? Cheney, who outed an undercover intel operative (Valerie Plame), ending her undercover career and putting her life in danger? Because of a personal vendetta against her husband.

Cheney, who met with energy company executives, for them to devise the energy policy and programs of the country?

Cheney, who gave non-bid multi-million contracts to his company Halliburton, in Iraq, with no oversight of them? A giveaway of massive amounts of money to his cronies. That Dick Cheney is a decent man?

Cheney, who never faced a bullet in war, pushing for torture and not recognizing the international crimes commission, so we wouldn't have to answer for the torture?

A democracy only works if the different factions work together and compromise. But getting along with the other party and being able to work with them, is different from thinking a man like Dick Cheney is "decent." That sort of rubberstamps Cheney's positions, which are abhorrent to a democracy, IMO.

UPDATE: I found the clip. It's from 2015.

[rzemanfl]

1. Old video from the wayback machine. n/t

[emulatorloo]

16. At least Biden isn't staffing his campaign with Stein voters

and questionable “journalists.”

[we can do it]

28. Yes and the terrible staff choices are very much in the present.

[emulatorloo]

32. Indeed, and they are all toxic. We aren't seeing anything like that from anyone else

So far most all the candidates are very collegial

[emulatorloo]

42. It was Bush's war. Bush invaded.

We don’t protect or make excuses for Bush here.

I have no intentions of fighting over the IWR again with people who somehow seem unaware that Bush lied to Congress and Bush is responsible for those people dying.

Conversation is done. Have a great weekend

[emulatorloo]

48. Well Randi, I am not going to talk about Senator Sanders questionable votes because I am not

here to tear down Democrats in 2019-2020.

I am here to tear down Republicans and Trump and do everything in my power to bring Democrats back in power. So that Democrats can save this country.

All of our candidates share the same values are are here to help lift up America. Trump is continuing to destroy our country.

[emulatorloo]

50. ...

[pangaia]

65. Well, I SURE AS HELL knew bush was lying....

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

76. We all knew...what's important though is that Bernie sure as hell wasn't fooled by the Shrub's lies.

That alone gives Bernie the superior foreign policy chops over any Democratic contender who voted for the IWR.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[ehrnst]

84. But what about 1998?

In 1998, Bernie Sanders voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which said: “It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime,” on which 38 members of varying ideology and party affiliation voted no.

Later that same year, Sanders also backed a resolution that stated: “Congress reaffirms that it should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.”

[George II]

116. Oh, c'mon! That was 1998! How far back are you going to go to find this stuff????

[ehrnst]

117. And well, it's different because REASONS!!! (nt)

[ehrnst]

82. What about the judgement of someone who voted for military intervention in Iraq twice in one year?

In 1998, Bernie Sanders voted in favor of the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which said: “It should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime,” on which 38 members of varying ideology and party affiliation voted no.

Later that same year, Sanders also backed a resolution that stated: “Congress reaffirms that it should be the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime.”

[Amimnoch]

89. Easy to quarterback from up in the balcony section.

Ironically, that horrible Iraq vote is one reason that I'm willing to support Biden if it comes to it.

BS has always taken the easy road. No real responsibility, sitting out on the sidelines heckling those who actually have to make the hard decisions and have to face the consequences of those decisions.

See, I remember the political climate in 2002/2003 after 9/11. Even though Iraq didn't have a damn thing to do with 9/11, had actual Democratic Party LEADERSHIP refused to support that awful war, the war powers would have been given anyway, the Iraq war would have happened anyway, people would have died anyway, and the party of shrub would have trounced us even worse than they did in the 2004 elections. Even with our party working with the President we lost 4 seats in the Senate and 3 in the House. The stupid ass American public supported that stupid assed war.

So, by all means, support the balcony section heckler that made a good, ineffectual, and riskless decision. I'm in it for a real leader that made the bad, hard decision of a leadership group instead.

[Fresh_Start]

105. kudos for this

I think you captured the essence of the individual
"heckler in the balcony"

[melman]

3. Yes he did

People are going to seize on the word "just" and be all "that was four years ago!" like that really matters.


The fact is he did praise Cheney and that is a really bad look.

[George II]

5. He didn't "just" say it, and people should read/watch the entire video, not just four or five words.

Your disclaimer doesn't change that it was years ago.

[melman]

6. like clockwork

[George II]

8. What's that supposed to mean?

[MineralMan]

26. I see here in my meticulous records of what DUers write...

that you said "thus and so" seven years ago. Here is what you said, without the context in which you said it. So there!

[melman]

44. uh

No, more like this:

"here is what people are going to say about this."


minutes later someone comes a long and says exactly that thing.

[MineralMan]

52. Yah, OK, then. Real good, then.

[ehrnst]

109. Back at ya...

Denial ain't just a river.

[melman]

112. lolwut

[ehrnst]

114. lulz

[ehrnst]

97. Bernie, yesterday: "I thank my friend @JoeBiden"

Link to tweet

But I guess supporters like "Progressives for a Democratic Republic" don't really have to abide by the "no negative ads" statement Bernie, judging from the surgically edited video being promosted here.

[melman]

98. lol

@ "surgically edited"

[ehrnst]

100. Yep, that's what I wrote.

See also: the video that "proves" Planned Parenthood sells baby parts.

[melman]

107. Did this "surgical editing"

make the words "I actually like Dick Cheney... I get on with him. I think he's a decent man." come out of his mouth?

[ehrnst]

108. I see you're going to refuse to watch the whole video.

No surprise here.



And perhaps have conveniently forgotten about when Obama said, "You didn't create that?"

The RW ers said the very same thing - "Are you saying that he never said those words, "You didn't create that?" It's RIGHT THERE ON THE VIDEO! BOO-YAH!!!"

And if we're talking trash about those who say nice things about Republican criminals...

"Trump took on the Republican establishment, he took on the Democratic establishment, took on the media establishment and he ended up winning the election to become president of the United States. And that is an extraordinary accomplishment. And it talks about perseverance, it talks about very strong political instincts, it talks about a way to connect with people,” Sanders said.

[George II]

104. I like the way you put that, 14 seconds from a 50+ minute appearance is surgically edited.

[George II]

4. FOUR YEARS AGO, not "just", and it was a passing comment lifted out of a long discussion.

[R B Garr]

11. Yes, it's always like that it seems. "I like you, but..." kind of

figure of speech.

Splicing comments from 4 years ago seems so 2016.

[Demit]

58. It wasn't said in passing. When the moderator asked about Cheney, it's what Biden led off with.

The moderator asked Biden if he ever talked to his predecessor about how the Vice Presidency worked, and he paused then said, “Look. First of all, I actually like Dick Cheney. I get on with him. I think he's a decent man."

The discussion on Cheney, between Mondale and Biden, went on for 6 or 7 minutes. Biden introduced his part of the discussion with the above quote. It was not in passing.

[FakeNoose]

7. It's taken out of context from long ago, something the Repukes love to do

Dems need to do more of that, and hold the "ugly" mirror up to the Repukes.
Maybe they'll play nicer next time.

[George II]

10. Did ya hear that the United States "just" declared their independence from Britain?

[FakeNoose]

13. I think Morning Joe keeps a powdered wig in his closet

... just in case that "independence" thing doesn't work out.

[uawchild]

74. SO what Biden did/said as VICE PRESIDENTdoesn't matter?

Really? Didn't Biden say this "just" in 2015? When he was Obama's Vice President? Just a year or so before the 2016 presidential election?

Help me out here... I thought his record AS VICE PRESIDENT is one of the major reasons we democrats should support him now, right?
So are we to forget everything thing he did or said as Vice President or just things he did or said that his supporters now feel hurt Joe's chances in the primaries.

Think about the timing of Joe's kind words about Cheney, would it be fair to ask that saying that in 2015 during the run up to the 2016 presidential elections might have undercut and actually hurt our eventual candidate Hillary Clinton who was unstoppably against the rethugs and Cheney?

My view is political figures have to run on all of their record, not just cherry pick policies they think have traction with the electorate now UNLESS they explicitly denounce and apologize for bad policies/decisions they made in the past.

Oh, and a shout out to all the people I had great discussions with here on DU in the past! It's great to be back!

[George II]

77. Biden was Vice President for 2,922 days, not just 14 seconds in 2015.

[uawchild]

87. I realize you support and like Joe...

But you did him no favor making it sound like events from 2015 were old news.

Likening the discussion here of his comments made in 2015 to news of the American Revolution was, in my opinion, a failed attempt at dismissive humor.

2015, the year before the last Presidential election, is, again in my opinion, a relevant time period to review as we vet primary candidates.

[Demit]

21. It was part of a discussion about the Bush-Cheney presidency that went on for awhile.

Walter Mondale had quite a bit to say about Cheney as well. He talked about the things Cheney did, and managed to avoid any comments regarding Cheney's decency.

[BeyondGeography]

9. Biden gives me a headache

Yes, it’s an old quote but there’s always a new head scratcher just around the corner.

One of the best things about his old boss was you never had to worry about him. He played error-free baseball. It was wonderful and it made him very difficult to defeat as a candidate. Biden has his gifts, but he has a gift for the gaffe too. It’s a big reason why he has never been successful as a candidate at this level.

[BlueStater]

25. It's not that old either.

It's from 2015. Geez.

Everyone knew Cheney was an evil bastard responsible for the deaths of thousands four years ago too.

[watoos]

12. Every Democrat in the House

except one person, voted for that AUMF resolution; Barbara Lee.

No one gets bashed here more than Tulsi Gabbard, that's why I sport her pic. One of the reasons she is bashed is because she is against ousting Assad in Syria. Seems eerily similar to Iraq to me. Without a brutal dictator in Syria there would have been a vacuum created, just like Iraq. Besides, ousting Assad was all about allowing a Qatari gas pipeline to cross through Syria which Assad has prohibited.

[Honeycombe8]

14. The AUMF was not the resolution for the Iraq War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Resolution

[revmclaren]

15. Well, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) praised tRump

Not that long ago...


"Trump took on the Republican establishment, he took on the Democratic establishment, took on the media establishment and he ended up winning the election to become president of the United States. And that is an extraordinary accomplishment. And it talks about perseverance, it talks about very strong political instincts, it talks about a way to connect with people,” Sanders said.

“So I give Donald Trump his due,” he said......


https://nypost.com/2017/01/10/bernie-sanders-heaps-praise-on-donald-trump/

And here if you don't like that source...


https://www.elitedaily.com/news/politics/bernie-sanders-praises-donald-trump/1747308

Lots of negative stuff out there easy to find. Right
Honeycombe8?



ONLY! 2019 and beyond.

[emulatorloo]

18. +1

[George II]

19. Even more recently than "just" four years ago.

[revmclaren]

37. Yup...

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond

[highplainsdem]

20. Good point. People in glass houses...

[revmclaren]

35. So true.

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[MineralMan]

22. It's pretty easy to find anyone saying pretty much anything

at one point in time. It's a useless exercise, though. Still, we'll see it done again and again in opposition to one candidate or another. I find it wearisome.

[revmclaren]

33. So do I. Finding negative things to say about a political opponent

is easier than finding something positive to say about yourself or your chosen politician.

It's only going to get worse as desperation sets in.



ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[ehrnst]

86. How about that? (nt)

[Honeycombe8]

124. This is quite different.

"I give him his dues" acknowledges that there are other things about Trump that don't deserve dues. He did not say that he likes Trump and that Trump is a decent man. Because, of course, he's not.

Not meaning to split hairs. I'm just saying that continuing on pro-Cheney statements to include "he's a decent man" was the bridge too far, I think.

How important this may be to me in the end, I can't say. It just caught my attention because it was so alarming to me. I'm fairly moderate, and I like the idea of working across the aisle and even compromising and getting along. But not to recognize the horror that is within a man who pushes for torture, outs an undercover agent out of spite and endangers her life and permanently hurts her career, and other things....I'm alarmed.

[revmclaren]

133. Actually it's much, much worse.

Praising tRump will be used as a ' See, even Sanders thinks the president has done a great job' by the tRump reelection team if Sanders makes it to the general election.

I did a 10 second search and not only found the articles I linked to plus many of him praising tRump for his work on North Korea.

That along with his horrific essay on woman liking to be raped and his stating that he is a Socialist in a Vermont paper in an 1980s interview will bring on another four disastrous years of tRump. That is why tRump praises Sanders and is terrified of Biden.

There is a universe of a difference between the few seconds of Biden' diplomatic kind words taken out of context and chopped from a long interview (that must have taken quite a while to dig up to find some dirt) and easily obtained and very current mistakes of judgement by Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

I want a candidate who has consistent good judgement. Of course this is IMHO along with millions of other voters.



Edited to add... Bernie's honeymoon in the Soviet Union that is now a meme in itself.

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[Honeycombe8]

134. "Praising" is a conclusion. Not what he said.

Look at the words each said. Not someone's judgment of the words, or a conclusion about the words.

One said "he's a decent man." Sanders said, "I'll give him his dues for that." Very different.

I WOULD consider one of those as praise ("he's a decent man&quot , but the other I'd consider to be an acknowledgment that he did something right. It would be like Biden saying, "That idea that Cheney had...they did it, and it worked out. So I'll give him kudos for that." That's not what Biden said, though. He went to the essence of the man: he's decent.

In any case, he's probably going to be the nominee, so I don't suppose it matters much at this point.

[revmclaren]

137. Sorry...you don't get to redefine praise

after posting that out of context, chopped right-wing hit piece.

No sale....

Don't push the 'don't believe your lying eyes' memes here on DU. We have already been through that rodeo.




ONLY!!!! 2019 and beyond.

[Honeycombe8]

138. I worked in litigation, so I know the difference between words & a conclusion about words.

When you say what someone said, you are required to say what they said. Not your impression or conclusion about what they said. The same words can mean different things to different people, when they hear them.

Judge: What did he say to you?

Plaintiff: He verbally attacked me and yelled at me, Judge!

Judge: I asked...what did he SAY to you?

Plaintiff: He was calling me names and insulting me!

Judge: I asked...what did he SAY to you?

Plaintiff: Oh. He said I had to move out, that he didn't want to see me again, and that I'm stupid and useless.

[revmclaren]

140. ...

[highplainsdem]

17. If you'd listened a few more seconds, you'd have heard the commentary that there was nothing wrong

with what Biden said -- which, as others here have pointed out, was taken out of context in an attempt to smear him -- and, basically, that it's silly to overreact.

Biden comes out of a tradition of Senate collegiality, a tradition Chris Coons, for instance, is following.

And whether or not you like it, that will help Biden gain the votes the Democratic Party needs to win an electoral college victory in 2020, and not just anotherr popular vote victory with the electoral college going to Trump again.

[Honeycombe8]

27. Getting along & working with others is very different from declaring someone to be "decent."

That's like saying Trump is a decent man. Although a case can be made that Trump is worse than Cheney. What would a Cheney presidency have been like, though. Cheney, who believes in authoritarianism in the Presidency? Who puts someone's life in danger over a spouse's news article that was critical of the Iraq War?

I'm fairly moderate. I don't know what to think of it. But my gut reaction is not good at all. Even moderates had issues with Cheney and certainly never thought him to be a decent man.

So, I don't know. I'll have to let this sink in.

[marylandblue]

34. Doesn't bother me. That's the second time I heard him use decent for a political opponent.

A few weeks ago, he used it for Pence. "Decent" may be what he calls people he doesn't agree with but who can act normally on appropriate occasions. Unlike Trump.

[Honeycombe8]

129. Maybe he means he doesn't grab women by their privates and mock disabled people.

Maybe Biden can clarify.

[progressoid]

123. And therein lies a major problem.

"Biden comes out of a tradition of Senate collegiality"

Our side is all about being collegial, while McConnell and his band of miscreants take advantage of that attitude and lay waste to our country.

[emulatorloo]

23. No, he didn't "just say" anything of the sort.

Did Elizabeth Warren just vote for Reagan for President? No

Let’s not let the MSM lead us around by the nose with this silliness.

[Honeycombe8]

29. It was from 2015. nt

[emulatorloo]

30. I know. Not sure why it is being brought up in 2019.

My guess is because Biden’s leading in the polls and is a threat to trump.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287103997

[marylandblue]

40. Everything Biden ever did will be dragged out in public for dissection.

I sure hope he's ready for it. Alleged plagiarism he did in law school took him down in 1988. I don't want to see something like that happen to him again, but I am afraid it will.

[George II]

46. I think many of us know why it's being brought up in 2019.

[emulatorloo]

55. Dunno, this might be good background info regarding this noise.

Link to tweet

[ehrnst]

115. Definitely interesting timing for a Sanders group to release this edited video, isn't it?(nt)

[Demit]

62. He said it while he was Vice President. Isn't that the basis of his campaign, he was Obama's VP?

I don't see why some things are too long ago to be relevant if they happened during his vice presidency. It's not like he said this in a private conversation at a cocktail party. He said it onstage in front of an audience. He was very deliberate in saying it, too. It was no slip of the tongue.

[uawchild]

81. so Biden's tenure as Vice President now doesn't matter?

I agree exactly with the point you made here, Demit. I posted a similar comment up thread in reply to a poster that likened Joe's 2015 statement to being old news like the American Revolution. lol

I had no idea that we now considered events from as recently as 2015 old news... heh does that mean we can't criticize tRump for all the racist and misogynist BS he did before 2015 too? OF COURSE NOT!!!

Biden's comments about 2015 are more than recent enough to deserve examination.

[Honeycombe8]

131. It was brought up in 2019 because Biden is running for President.

All these guys who have long records will have things pulled up from the past constantly, from now until the election.

That's why Senators & reps aren't usually elected President. There's so much to attack, whether legitimately or not.

[melman]

47. Of course

Way back in 2015 when nobody knew what Dick Cheney was really like.

[George II]

24. Do you realize that discussion between Biden, Mondale, and the moderator was more than 14 seconds?

It was close to an hour, and there were things said before and after that 14 second video.

David Letterman used to do a bit on his show where he did stuff like that, very short videos of a person to give an entirely different take on what he said. But that was comedy.

[Tipperary]

57. Thank you.

Shame people are trying to find reasons to beat up on our own candidates. Smh.

[Demit]

66. I timed the full discussion about Cheney. It was around 7 minutes.

I agree, people should watch & hear the full discussion on the topic of Cheney, to get a sense of how differently Mondale and Biden perceived him.

[WeekiWater]

31. .

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287103305

[MineralMan]

38. No, he didn't JUST say it. He said it four years ago,

and in a specific context.

[Jose Garcia]

39. Being rude is not a desirable quality in a President

It seems like some people want a liberal version of Donald Trump.

[Thekaspervote]

41. Oh go away!! This was posted yesterday... besides being a very old clip... STOP!!!

[Demit]

69. If this clip is very old, then Biden's vice presidency is very old.

If what he said & did as Vice President is obsolete, or passé or out of date, what's his claim to fame for running for president?

[ehrnst]

111. Do you know who edited it and posted it?

That explains a few things about why it was edited that way, and the timing of the promotion....

[Skya Rhen]

43. Joe, Michelle and Obama like Bush, who is the one responsible for the war

I see nothing wrong with this - just some individuals grasping at straws have a problem with this.

Moving on...

[KayF]

51. this seems normal to me

my memories of the Bush years is that a lot of people criticized Bush and Cheney as bad people, in similar terms as in your OP, but that it wasn't elected Dems that were doing it. Even dems that opposed the Iraq war.

And I remember that Biden was one of the minority of dems that supported the war. And I remember him being on TV almost every Sunday morning and seeing him as being over-the-top in his "comity" with GOP Senators. There were jokes about it.

[yaesu]

53. My only question is, are there any clips of Cheney saying anything nice about a Dem?

or anything nice about anyone?

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

56. Good question... doubt it!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

54. You heard right... but, I'm guessing Joe's evolved on Dick's decency.

It's not a huge deal killer, but, it does raise questions when considered along with other statements by Joe, especially when it comes to bipartisanship... seems to only apply ONE way!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BeckyDem]

59. He's not going to win the primary race.

Dick Cheney was one of the most self corrupted evil men to hold absolute power. He is responsible for more death and destruction than anyone alive. All of this was documented before 2015.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

60. LONG before 2015... Joe COULD win, though statements like this only make it more difficult...

and why Joe is at the lower end of my list of viable Democratic candidates.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[BeckyDem]

61. But he tried long before 2015 and lost then too.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

73. True, Joe lost two previous primary elections, but one was to Obama...

one of be greatest politicians of our time, if not of ALL time. He can definitely be forgiven for that... no one could beat Obama, still today, 'cept maybe another Obama... Michelle!!


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[George II]

79. Which two primary elections did he lose, in which states? In fact he didn't lose any, not one.

[uawchild]

92. 1988 was a disaster for Biden

"Biden withdrew from the nomination race on September 23, 1987, saying his candidacy had been overrun by "the exaggerated shadow" of his past mistakes.[39] His formal campaign had lasted only three and a half months."

So I guess you are right, he never lost a "primary", he just exploded from a gaffe filled campaign and withdrew, leaving the eventual nomination to that charismatic powerhouse, cough, Michael Dukakis.

Joe's mistakes that killed his 1988 presidential bid are exactly the pattern of behavior that cause some people to feel he might not be the best person to take on tRump in 2020.

Read the whole story about 1988 here on wikipedia...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden_1988_presidential_campaign

[George II]

95. I'm very familiar with his previous candidacies, but he didn't lose a single primary.

[uawchild]

99. Biden's record on the national stage wasn't awe inspiring, was it?

He didn't lose a single primary, ok... But let's not play word games, let's look at how much support he actually garnered at the national conventions:

1984 Democratic National Convention (Presidential tally):

Walter Mondale – 2,191 (56.41%)
Gary Hart – 1,201 (30.92%)
Jesse Jackson – 466 (12.00%)
Thomas Eagleton – 18 (0.46%)
George McGovern – 4 (0.10%)
John Glenn – 2 (0.05%)
Joe Biden – 1 (0.03%)
Martha Kirkland – 1 (0.03%)

1988 Democratic National Convention (Presidential tally):

Michael Dukakis – 2,877 (70.09%)
Jesse Jackson – 1,219 (29.70%)
Richard H. Stallings – 3 (0.07%)
Joe Biden – 2 (0.05%)
Dick Gephardt – 2 (0.05%)
Lloyd Bentsen – 1 (0.02%)
Gary Hart – 1 (0.02%)

Full article about this here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_history_of_Joe_Biden#1980s

Cheers

[George II]

106. He's been on the national stage longer than any other candidate we have....

.....more than 45 years. That's LOTS of time from when to lift negative stuff about him. What everyone either forgets or chooses to ignore is that he's accomplished much more than any of the others, too.

[uawchild]

110. Biden has been on the national stage for a long time, perhaps too long?

Let me try to be fair and comment on your latest post in 2 parts:

" He's been on the national stage longer than any other candidate we have....

.....more than 45 years. That's LOTS of time from when to lift negative stuff about him. "

Very true. It's easy for detractors to just cherry pick his mistakes and bad decisions. Of course, come the general election that is EXACTLY what the Thugs will do to Joe 24/7. Joe definitely has baggage that can be highlighted and used against him, he wasn't a perfect politician. For example, his stand opposing bussing to implement desegregation of public schools WAS popular with many democrats, especially white working class democrats, all those tears ago, but today we realize it was a wrong decision.


"What everyone either forgets or chooses to ignore is that he's accomplished much more than any of the others, too."

Also very true about his accomplishments. But please don't say "everyone either forgets or chooses to ignore" his accomplishments. What I see people doing here on DU is vetting our candidates, with Joe's supporters highlighting his accomplishments and supporters of Joe's current competition mentioning his down side. And of course Biden supporters do the same thins to supporters of other candidates. For example, don't you yourself often post about Sanders shortcomings and his track record? That's fair, so please allow others to do the same without attributing bad motives to them. It's what vetting is, discussing the full picture.

My personal feeing is we simply must weigh a person's entire record. The problem for a candidate in their late 70's, like Joe, is that they actually DO have a track record that does contain negatives, or positions that perhaps were once mainstream but we now view as being out of step with today's society.

So, perhaps, it is time for generational change in political leadership. Must the Harris's, Booker's and Buttigeig's not be considered as strong candidates also? And not just for their accomplishments, but for their potential to change our society for the better?

Biden's time might just be passed, it might be time for new leadership...

[MrsCoffee]

67. Lol. Dick Cheney has nothing to do with nothing.

The spin on this 7 seconds is ridiculous and beneath all Democrats to continue pushing.

[BeckyDem]

71. ok, whatever you say. There will be no looking back on Biden's war vote, either.

We will ignore Cheney's fondness for Biden too because this is just another whatever from Joe, doesn't speak to his judgement.

Biden's affinity for Cheney is apparently quite mutual. In August 2015, for example, Cheney said he hoped Biden would run for president in 2016.

"I'd love to see Joe get in the race," Cheney said at the time.

https://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-dick-cheney-comments-resurface-amid-2020-campaign-2019-5

[MrsCoffee]

72. Ok, whatever you say, good luck with Trump.

Seriously. This shit has been so spun that it's almost gold. To continue to push it like it means anything is the worst of politics. Eating our own over bullshit will only help Trump.

I didn't say anything about his war vote. Don't move the goalposts.

[BeckyDem]

75. I am not moving any goal posts, its called looking at his record in context and it is not good.

His vote for Iraq is directly related to Cheney, ignoring that is absurd.

Good luck with Trump? Seriously, be afraid of having a primary race if you believe we as a country are not strong enough for one, I disagree.

[MrsCoffee]

130. I have no fear of the primaries.

I detest propaganda level spin aimed at our candidates. Especially when it supposedly comes from our own side.

The rest of the video clearly shows just how far out of context this had to be taken.

[BeckyDem]

132. Nothing was taken out of context, that is Joe Biden.

There are real live Democrats who oppose him and others like him.

[MrsCoffee]

142. And others like him?

We should be so lucky.

Joe is on our side not the opposition.

[BeckyDem]

143. This is primary season.

[DoctorJoJo]

63. In Other News, Was Adolph Hitler REALLY So Bad?

[redstateblues]

64. There's a piece in the WAPO today about Bernie's "honeymoon in Moscow"

There are lots of quotes that you could take out of context and make it sound like he is trashing our country and praising the Communist system.

[MrsCoffee]

68. You can say that again.

[highplainsdem]

85. Which is why Republicans are hoping Sanders becomes the Democratic nominee.

[LongtimeAZDem]

70. This issue reflects far worse on those outraged than it does on Biden, IMO

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

78. And Hillary was friendly with Henry Kissinger. In both cases

(Hillary and Biden) they had good relationships with the very small number of people who had their jobs before them. So what?

[ehrnst]

113. Some are not happy unless there is yelling and name calling and finger wagging

at "the enemy."

Diplomacy is suspect among those who aren't good at it.

[NYMinute]

80. Decorum of the office - Biden was VPOTUS

A sitting POTUS or VP never speaks ill of the predecessors - that has been the protocol.

It is for the dignity of the office and it is downright shameful to use this as a smear.

It is like a Democrat refers to a republican in the house as "the esteemed gentleman from Alabama"

[CaptainTruth]

83. If Biden is the best candide to beat Trump, I'll live with this.

I CAN'T live with 4 more years of effing Trump.

Most importantly: Does anyone here think that if Biden wins the nomination he's going to pick Cheney as his VP? Appoint Cheney to a cabinet position? Adopt Cheney's "deficits don't matter" (or any other) policy positions?

[LovingA2andMI]

94. BINGO!!!

Period!

[JustAnotherGen]

102. Thank you

to all of it.

[ehrnst]

88. Interesting where you found that interestingly and surgically edited clip.

Progressives for a Democratic Republic, a group backing Bernie for president.

[Demit]

90. The whole video is on Youtube. I invite you to watch it all, sans surgery.

[ehrnst]

91. I did. And the editing job on the one in the OP excludes a lot of context.

Not surprisingly.

[Demit]

101. Well, see, I don't think the context contradicts it in any way.

In fact, watching Biden joke with the audience about Cheney having "a different view" of the vice-presidency, then describing a torture cartoon featuring Cheney and him in the VP residence's basement so he could get a big laugh—I found that even more disturbing than calling Cheney a decent man. Mondale was talking seriously about Cheney taking things to the dark side, then Biden decided there was a light side to torture. He even mimicked Cheney's voice when he said the cartoon's caption.

I don't think torture is something Vice Presidents should be facetious about, I really don't. That's more questionable judgment. That's the context, for me.

[Tipperary]

93. Interesting.

[ehrnst]

96. Bernie, yesterday: "I thank my friend @JoeBiden"

Last edited Fri May 3, 2019, 12:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Link to tweet

But I guess supporters like "Progressives for a Democratic Republic" don't really have to abide by the "no negative ads" statement Bernie made.....

[EveHammond13]

103. zzzzzzzzzzzz

[msongs]

118. the obamas seems to enjoy kidding around with W nt

[Otto Lidenbrock]

119. Michelle Obama called George W Bush "beautiful, funny, kind, sweet man"

He was Cheney's boss.

[Honeycombe8]

126. GWB isn't Cheney. Even GWB doesn't speak to Cheney anymore.

Cheney is anything but "a decent man."

GWB is what the south calls a good ol' boy. Not the sharpest tack on the board, but a kind heart, good sense of humor, easy to get along with. He is all of those things, as far as I can tell.

GWB was NOT the one to handle the govt; he deferred to Cheney (a father figure), until after the Plame incident, I think it was. From then on. GWB barely spoke to Cheney, and took control. Cheney had lied to GWB about what Cheney and his office had done. GWB also refused to pardon Scooter Libbey, Cheney's fall guy who took responsibility for the crime of outing Plame.

The Clintons, the Obamas, and the Bushes are all friends, and are all decent people.

[Otto Lidenbrock]

127. "Cheney, Rumsfeld 'didn't make one f---ing decision"

Former President George W. Bush pushed back against the perception that he did not have a major decision-making role in the White House during his presidency, offering a blunt criticism of former Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a new book: They "didn't make one f---ing decision."

Bush made the comment to author Mark K. Updegrove in "The Last Republicans: Inside the Extraordinary Relationship Between George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush," saying Rumsfeld and Cheney "didn't make one f---ing decision" while he was president.

"The fact that there was any doubt in anyone's mind about who the president was, blows my mind," the 43rd president continued.

I don't doubt Bush on a personal level is liked. But he was Commander-in-Chief. And as the sign on Harry Truman's desk said..."The Buck Stops Here"

[Honeycombe8]

128. Yes, I know GWB resents that. But it's true, IMO.

GWB may have made the ultimate decision...by rubberstamping his father's opinion (by "father," I mean Cheney...his dad's close friend and a father figure).

GWB isn't very bright. He's a good ol' boy who likes to joke around, not work very hard, enjoy life. He was on the board of a big company. The Chairman said that GWB was well liked, but they asked him to quit coming to the meetings because he didn't have anything to contribute. He'd just come and joke around.

This is why Cheney could wrap GWB around his little finger. Not too bright, not too curious, like to goof off and have a good time.

[emmaverybo]

120. Out of context

Was in the context of the transition.

[ehrnst]

121. Well goodness!! A whole BUNCH of outlets posted this old video this week - at the same time!

And some of them are very right wing - FoxNews included.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=biden+cheney&sp=EgIQAQ%253D%253D

Somebody in Russia and in the GOP must be nervous about Biden pulling ahead....

[NurseJackie]

122. Interesting observation.

I'm thinking it's not a coincidence.

[Honeycombe8]

125. They all do that. When something hits the news, the others either copy OR it's released by AP...

or Reuters. All the news orgs get AP and Reuters news bites.

[revmclaren]

135. But who took the time and effort to dig up the dirt

In this chopped clip... right wingers or so-called 'progressives'. That is the million dollar (or ruble) question.

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[Honeycombe8]

136. I wouldn't call that "dirt." It's a public forum on a stage that was televised, not long ago.

They're not discussing controversial topics or burning the flag. It's not like they found someone to come out and say, "Biden told me once that he thought highly of Cheney and wished he would run for president! And then he kissed my head and left."

[revmclaren]

139. Little waving guy from now on...

We see you...

Bookmarking.



ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[Honeycombe8]

141. ...