Joe Biden: "I can get you a job chopping wood"

[bluewater]

Link to tweet

I am at a loss for words.

Who says anything about chopping wood these days?

Couldn't he come up with a more up to date precarious employment reference?

One that would show he actually understands the issue?

[dubyadiprecession]

1. That was taken out of context.

[fallout87]

3. Hmmmm... seems like joe has been

"Taken out of context" on a daily basis.

[Act_of_Reparation]

12. Of course it was.

[LonePirate]

55. Something is certainly out of context with the modern American workforce.

Another day, another Biden gaffe.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. What about running a Steam Shovel?

[bluewater]

5. I hear the Buggy Whip Factory is hiring.

[Baclava]

9. Anybody can learn to chop wood, lol

[Newest Reality]

52. I bet,

There are still plenty of openings for phone sanitizers, especially with the Novel Coronavirus outbreak.

Maybe going into being a telephone operator would be a good idea? And the horses do leave behind a mess, so somebody has to shovel it.

[unblock]

4. subject line seems almost contrary to context

sounds like he's saying he would *not* say "i can get you a job chopping wood", apparently using chopping wood as an example of a job that's not what the unemployed person is looking for (and in this case, is dangerous to boot).

[PatSeg]

6. Thank you

A new news cycle and a new outrage. This is getting tedious.

[bluewater]

7. Which candidate is talking about getting people jobs chopping wood?

None that I know of.



At the very least, Joe needs to update his references.

[unblock]

13. going a bit out of the way to slam a candidate.

fine, he should have gone with the dry "a job you're not remotely interested in", or "a job you're not trained for" or something like that, rather than risk mildly offending a few lumberjacks.

but, really, is this something worth bothering with?

[PatSeg]

22. And I think anyone hearing the reference

knew exactly what he was talking about.

No, this definitely is not worth bothering with, rather feels a bit desperate. I think there are more important issues to address.

[PatSeg]

20. I hardly think it requires a generational

decoder ring to ascertain who he meant. A job is not just a job and not all jobs are equivalent. A good paying job with benefits and a career path is hardly the same as a menial low paying temporary job.

The tweet does not explain what in what context Biden made the comment, so I have no idea which candidate he may have been referring to. It is possible, it is in reference to Trump bragging about this great economy and low unemployment numbers.

[bluewater]

21. The tweet does explain the context and quite clearly.

Joe Biden says, referencing temporary work.

[blm]

8. This piling on of Biden is so not helpful to our party.

Older people use different catchphrases and terms, it doesn’t make them out of touch idiots.

I loathed when Joe and Pete camps misrepresented Warren throughout the fall, then the Sanders camp’s wild attacks on her, and now the pile-on of Biden. Just because they did it to Warren doesn’t mean we should return in kind. It was wrong then when they were doing it and wrong now when it is being done to them..

[Demsrule86]

14. Thanks BLM...he is against Temporary workers...and what people don't get who are not union is

companies like GM fire all their workers and hire new ones to keep using them...even though they agreed to give them permanent jobs...it is a big issue. Sometime they rehire the same workers but mostly not. It is a shit show and destroys people's lives. We are an auto family in the Mid West so I get it.

[Demsrule86]

17. Warren is still my second choice...and I think she has a better chance after the first four states.

We need to counter the idea that these four states are the end all be all. With the right VP, Warren can win a general. Sanders will not win no matter what. That is my opinion.

[PatSeg]

10. That subject line is SO misleading

Clearly he is saying that it would not make you feel good, if he were to say "I can get you a job chopping wood".

I am at a loss for words.

[bluewater]

16. read the OP again, I clarified it to meet your concerns.

Glad to oblige. I hope the point is clear enough now.

[PatSeg]

24. Yes it is

Kind of irrelevant and silly, but quite clear. I am sure most people understand what he meant by "a job chopping wood". There actually are still people who chop wood.

[TwilightZone]

29. "There actually are still people who chop wood."

That's what makes the OP so ridiculous. It's also hilariously ironic, considering that the OP thinks that *Biden* is the one who's out-of-touch.

[bluewater]

40. Why is Joe slamming woodchoppers then? Is he being an Elitist?

You can't have it both ways.

Either its a real salt of the earth honest job, or Joe is wrong for slamming it by saying:

It’s not going to make you feel good if you lose your job, and I say, ‘I can get you a job chopping wood,’”

Please explain...

[PatSeg]

44. Okay, now this thread is getting rather comical

Wood choppers need to demand that Biden take back his denigrating comment and apologize!!!

[TwilightZone]

50. Agreed.

Unintentional humor at its finest.

[PatSeg]

56. And at this point,

we could all use a good laugh!

[Skidmore]

11. Want that big plum of a job to fall in your lap

instantaneously? Looking for a job but haven't found one yet? Ever consider picking up whatever work you can get? Both my husband and I have done all kinds of work all through our adult lives. I understand what he is saying. Any honest work is better than none.

[Act_of_Reparation]

15. ...

[Demsrule86]

19. Unfortunately 'honest' work doesn't pay for your gas these days or to put a roof over your head

and food in your stomach...where hubs works they paid the hourly $10.00 per hour...some who had working spouses could afford bene's most could not...they raised it a couple of dollars when folks couldn't afford to work there...but it is a dirty dangerous job where hourly workers frequently run the risk of being burned and /or burned.

[bluewater]

23. Unfortunately 'honest' work doesn't pay for your gas these days or to put a roof over your head

Putting all primary politics aside for a moment, let me say this:

YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY 100% CORRECT.

We might quibble over preferred candidates, but THAT is the problem ALL Democrats should be working day and night to fix.



Thank you for posting that.

[Demsrule86]

43. Thank you...and remember Warren is my second choice.

We agree more than we disagree...working people have taken a beating and the idea that they should be grateful for some shitty job that doesn't pay enough to keep body and soul together is nonsense. I absolutely don't agree with the 'be grateful for any job crowd'. That is what the GOP wants...to make it so you have to work for shitty pay...hey I am and always have been a liberal...now called progressive it seems...I just want to win in 20. I agree with universal health care (in whatever form we can get it),help with college and student debt (in whatever form we can get it), put student loans back into bankruptcy, all forms of social justice, and a woman's right to choose etc. Sure I missed some which is why said etc...I am and always was a liberal...this election is about kicking Trump out and I would probably vote for Satan if he was running and could do this.

[bluewater]

49. Best regards to you and yours!

I totally agree, something has to change. Too many people do not realize how hard it actually is for over half of us.

You are now my favorite poster on DU, for what's that is worth. lol

Thanks for posting and making such an important point.

[Demsrule86]

53. I have always liked you and enjoyed your posts...even if I disagreed...best

regards to you and yours also...and thank you. I am grateful for your kind words.

[Skidmore]

34. No?

Some income is better than none while you are looking for work. At one point in my life I had two kids, two suitcases of clothing, and $200. Temporary jobs here and there kept us supplied with food and a place to stay. Sometimes life doesn't go the way we want it to. I worked honest jobs until I could find a steady employment. It's hard but you keep putting one foot in front of the other to progress.

[Demsrule86]

39. No it doesn't... there are expenses associated with work...and if you can't make enough

money to pay for basic needs what is the point. Times change...salaries are down down and down...hourly work is shitty pay these days...and dangerous too...so no.

[bluewater]

41. +1000

You are just stating the truth.

Thank you.

[Demsrule86]

47. Thank you for the kind words...

[Skidmore]

42. The point being

that, if its all you have, you m as me due until things improve. It's that way no matter where you are.

[Demsrule86]

48. The point is sometimes you can't afford to work for this money especially if you have kids.

And we have to fight for better jobs and not accept this...Biden was talking against such jobs not for them.

[Skidmore]

51. Did you miss

the idea of temporary in my posts?

[Demsrule86]

54. You still have to pay for child care, and food and a house....and temporary these days is often

a permanent state...did you read my posts about hourly workers at hubs plant? ...or about autos?

[Midnightwalk]

57. There's two perspectives

I agree with what you wrote but I’m reading some one sided arguments.

As an individual you do what you can to earn money. Temporary crappy jobs if necessary.

Any democratic candidate ought to be for good paying jobs and getting people a path to get there.

The universal basic income ideas are maybe another way of addressing the issue.

Trying to improve the situation is not dismissing individuals work ethics. Both things are true and good.

Btw I’m not parsing the words and context so I have no opinion on that aspect.

[mzmolly]

18. Hand-wringing

continues...

[Cuthbert Allgood]

25. Know how to get the young (and by that I mean under 50) crowd to vote for you?

Use a phrase that their great grandpa would use that they would just think is g-pa talking crazy again.

Seriously needs to update his "folksly" phrases. I know all this polls well with the Baby Boomer generation, but that's about it.

[treestar]

46. You are making the young voters sound unreasonable

and very frivolous.

[TwilightZone]

26. You seem to have some difficulty reading for context.

But no trouble with selectively editing.

Your assertion makes no sense in the context of the full statement.

“It’s not going to make you feel good if you lose your job, and I say, ‘I can get you a job chopping wood,’” Joe Biden says, referencing temporary work."

Further, you've apparently never heard of lumberjacks, arborists, or wood-splitters. You should get out more.

[bluewater]

27. Are you saying Biden is denigrating Lumberjacks?

Please continue...

[TwilightZone]

28. Oh, please.

Someone in this situation is impressively out-of-touch, but it sure ain't Biden.

[bluewater]

30. Then why did you bring up Lumberjacks?

Please explain....

[TwilightZone]

33. Intentional ignorance isn't a compelling argument.

Good day.

[bluewater]

35. Enjoy your day.

[rickford66]

31. Me and many friends still heat with wood.

Unless we're really in shape, we depend on wood choppers. It's a steady job here in upstate NY.

[TwilightZone]

36. As it is in many parts of the country.

It's a bit mind-boggling that the OP has no idea that these jobs still exist.

[bluewater]

38. Why is Joe slamming woodchoppers then?

You can't have it both ways.

Either its a real salt of the earth honest job, or Joe is wrong for slamming it by saying:

It’s not going to make you feel good if you lose your job, and I say, ‘I can get you a job chopping wood,’”

Please explain...

[stopdiggin]

59. because for many this is a job

that you're doing because there is nothing else. No workman's comp, no benefits, no min wage, no unemployment ... and on. It's a job (actually more like a temp gig) .. but it's hardly a desirable job .. or one that you plan on building a future (or family) with .. or the one you're hoping your kid is going to school for .. or that you hope your kid is telling other kids about while they go to school .. 'Nother words .. just scraping by. And .. when somebody offers you that job (more often you're doing it by yourself, self-employed) .. your reaction likely is, "Oh, god .. has it really come to this?"

So Biden's portrayal is 100% on the money. You're not going to be very happy!

But .. all that is wasted effort, because I don't think you really need a clearer explanation here. It seems apparent that your rather transparent goal here is another smear on Joe Biden. Poor old Joe, with his "totally antiquated" terms. Who actually chops wood, 'fer christssake!? And then when it turns out the terms aren't so antiquated .. "Why is Joe slamming the poor wood choppers?"

You can't have it both ways. Oh, wait .. turns out some people can!
-

[HeartlandProgressive]

60. That was quite some ad hominem attack on a DU poster

That poster was pointing out inconsistencies in arguments, not attacking anyone personally as was just done in your post.

[bluewater]

37. So Joe is denigrating hard working woodchoopers? That sounds Elitist.

[gollygee]

61. How steady?

If you're using it for heat, it's seasonal, isn't it? Which it sounds like is part of what Biden is saying. It's also very physically demanding work that not everyone is capable of. If you're used to year-round work you are capable of doing and someone says, "Hey, here's this seasonal job that you might not be fit enough to do," you won't be too happy to hear that.

[Donkees]

32. :)

[treestar]

45. If only I had time to parse every word of every other candidate

wow, this one is worth complaining about and putting up an OP?

[bluewater]

58. Matt Viser, National political reporter for the Washington Post, thought so.

And descending to ad hominem comments seems inappropriate.

[Alhena]

62. Oh, give me a break, OP