Biden, Recalling Civility in Senate, Invokes Two Segregationist Senators

[Voltaire2]

Joseph R. Biden Jr., defending himself on Tuesday night against suggestions that he is too “old fashioned” for today’s Democratic Party, invoked two Southern segregationist senators by name as he fondly recalled the “civility” of the Senate in the 1970s and 1980s.

Speaking at a fund-raiser at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City, Mr. Biden, 76, stressed the need to “be able to reach consensus under our system,” and cast his decades in the Senate as a time of relative comity. His remarks come as some in his party say that Mr. Biden is too focused on overtures to the right as he seeks the Democratic presidential nomination.

At the event, Mr. Biden noted that he served with the late Senators James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia, both Democrats who were staunch opponents of desegregation. Mr. Eastland was the powerful chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Mr. Biden entered the chamber in 1973.

“I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland,” Mr. Biden said, slipping briefly into a Southern accent, according to a pool report from the fund-raiser. “He never called me ‘boy,’ he always called me ‘son.’”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/us/politics/biden-segregationists.html

Yeah Joe, like you’re white. Why would he call you ‘boy’?

[jberryhill]

1. Oh, that's nothing

Wait until he starts waxing on about sitting down with Reagan after the failed Bork nomination, to go over a list of "acceptable" Supreme Court nominees.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

4. Yes, those were the days!!

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

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I'm thinking now of one of Senators Eastland's quotes. It wasn't civil. NT

[Voltaire2]

17. Eastland was a nasty piece of shit.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

3. SMDH... but, I'm sure there's a good explanation.

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

[BeyondGeography]

5. Biden supporters, help me out

Doesn’t this tone deaf loopy stuff bother you at all? A lot of you supported Obama from the get-go. Remember how he never made a mistake? Like once in eight-plus years when he made a joke about Kamala Harris being the best looking AG in the room, or the country, or the world. It wasn’t even much of a gaffe, but he apologized on the plane ride home and that was that. With Biden, you’re already waking up every day wondering what the latest misstep is.

[George II]

9. Most Biden supporters don't dwell on things like this, they look at the overall picture...

...and record of the man, which is why we're Biden supporters.

On the other hand, it's curious how comments like this, made barely a year ago, that supporters of other candidates choose to ignore:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210723604

[BeyondGeography]

11. Obama worked around similar stuff from Biden

He was a smart choice as running mate. But he has spent the last decade in relative obscurity and his return to the limelight has reminded some of us at least why he may have hit his ceiling there.

[Voltaire2]

18. Yeah waddaboudat.

[George II]

19. waddaboudit?

[qazplm135]

35. well two responses

1. Sanders has his own "old white guy says stupid stuff" problem. Always has.
2. Doesn't make your candidate's "old white guy says stupid stuff" problem any better.

So saying, effectively, yeah but the other old white guy said stupid stuff and no one said anything about that is:

a. whataboutism
b. wrong because plenty of folks did criticize him for that remark, as evidenced by the LONG chain of replies to that thread.

Biden is racking up the stupid old white guy comments pretty quickly. I initially truly believed he was very likely to be the candidate, but we haven't even gotten to the pressures of a debate or real campaigning, and already he's doing some mind-boggling things in an attempt to appeal to old white moderates in a general election.

If he'd just stay quiet, put out some policy positions, he'd be much better suited to make it through the primary, but he insists on continuously embedding his foot into his food hole.

[Merlot]

31. Cringe-worthy:

“I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland,” Mr. Biden said, slipping briefly into a Southern accent, according to a pool report from the fund-raiser. “He never called me ‘boy,’ he always called me ‘son.’”

Is this his idea of a joke? The more Biden talks, the less I like him.

[CentralMass]

6. I don't know if I would run on my record of working with segregationist senators.

[George II]

10. He's not running on his record of working with segregationist senators.

[oasis]

7. Would Obama go on a 2020 campaign tour with such a person?

[George II]

15. I'm sure he would. He's intelligent enough to be able to look past things like this.

[oasis]

23. Obama's guy is my guy too. nt

[stonecutter357]

8. lol , let's go Joe !

[BlueWI]

12. Biden name checks James Eastland and it's LOL?

That statement falls somewhere between politically tone deaf in 2019 and reassuring Southern white voters that he's no anti-racist firebrand.

Either way, not a good look.

[stonecutter357]

13. #1 I don't care #2 I don't believe it ..

[BlueWI]

20. Ok.

It is politics, whether you personally care or not. And, having black parents who grew up in a segregated state during the Eastland era probably makes a difference in perception when Biden expresses nostalgia about working with Eastland.

Have you seen or read any of Eastland's overt defenses of segregation and white supremacy, from a state that is notorious for its politically motivated murders of black activists? If this specific history is unfamiliar, it's worth a date with Wikipedia or You Tube at least.

But, opinions vary, even in a big tent party that fashions itself the anti-racist party. No doubt.

[stonecutter357]

24. Joe Biden is not a Racist . And welcom to Full Ignore !

[BlueWI]

29. No one called Biden a racist.

Biden chose to bring up James Eastland to establish his claim to civility. It is what it is - a tone deaf statement that his campaign should encourage him not to repeat, given James Eastland's virulent racism even during Freedom Summer in Mississippi! Why any Democrat would defend that remark, I don't get.

Charge on.

[MrsCoffee]

26. So you think Biden is racist?

[Voltaire2]

32. I think Joe routinely puts his foot in his mouth

and has a track record of racially insensitive utterances.

He has self destructed his prior presidential campaigns. The theory that he is the safe bet is peculiarly lacking.

[BlueWI]

33. No.

But I personally don't apply the word racist to individuals except in extremely clear cases, since we are collectively socialized to view non-white people as inferior.

I do question the reference to James Eastland in particular, who was so notoriously and publicly racist, and to use a Southern accent along with this reference? I have no idea why any Democrat would defend the remark, Biden supporter or not.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

37. He is definitely a white person who lives in a white supremacist society and worked within a white

supremacist system. As many of us are and have done. The issue is he doesn't seem really interested in examining what that means.

[jalan48]

14. Hey, some Fascists are nice people.

[George II]

16. Who said that?

[people]

34. And Hitler was very nice to his dog.

[jalan48]

38. Yes, it's good to find common ground. Right?

[George II]

21. Is this going to be posted every few hours:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287155438

[Voltaire2]

25. Perhaps.

This sort of self damage is why Biden is a really poor choice.

[LanternWaste]

22. With a half life of less than 24 hours, you guys should exploit this with all due diligence.

The other paper bullets thrown at the wall with no effect shouldn't get you down... someday, one day, something will give both a valid and the visceral satisfaction of 'this should be concerning to everyone..."

While this weak-sauce certainly ain't it, I'll be damned if I'm not proud of the creative efforts you guys are putting into it.

(ten hours and counting before the story sinks back into the oblivion from which it was created... so let's get on it!)

[MrsCoffee]

27. Lol!

Well done.

[Baitball Blogger]

28. Reaching across the aisle...to Southern, racist Democrats.

It was a time when most white people wouldn't correct racists. Actually, it still happens.

[irisblue]

30. When Connie Schultz says you're wrong, you really need to rethink this Mr Biden

Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) Tweeted:
There is no punchline here, no emoji or funny meme to soften the harm of your words. That segregationist never called you “boy” because you are white. If you want to boast about your relationship with a racist, you are not who we need to succeed the racist in the White House. https://t.co/gULBDb9kMp

Link to tweet

Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) Tweeted:
I add this: My first thoughts, after learning of Biden's comments, were of my black friends, neighbors and colleagues: How would they hear this? What do they deserve to hear from us? Soon enough, they were letting me know.

We're either allies, or we're not.

Link to tweet

[loyalsister]

36. That's how they passed welfare "reform"

Last edited Wed Jun 19, 2019, 01:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Based on a blatantly racialized campaign that took off during the Reagan years and was relentlessly aggressive in promoting Black and Latinx stereotypes until they finally joined hands to pass it in the 90s.

[dragonlady]

39. Let's add quotes and make it "reform"

[loyalsister]

41. Good point!

Thanks.

[saidsimplesimon]

40. Somebody needs to remind Mr. Biden

that the dwelling in the past can be dangerous.