'We're not stupid': Why Biden is dodging the California Dem convention [View all]

[progressoid]

The threat of California’s progressive boo birds is reason enough for Joe Biden to skip the state’s giant Democratic Party convention next week.

But the added layer of risk in getting onstage with Jorge Ramos, the immigration rights-crusading Univision news anchor and moderator of a candidate forum at the convention, also played a role in the campaign’s discussions about skipping the largest single state gathering of Democrats.

Ramos, who is supposed to hold 15-minute conversations onstage with each top candidate in front of the crowd, has a history with Biden. He emerged as a tough critic of Obama administration immigration policy and has already aggressively confronted Biden during the primary over the issue, which has repeatedly tripped up the former vice president.

As a moderator of the September presidential debate, Ramos flustered Biden by asking if Latinos should trust him and by repeatedly pressing the former vice president to explain President Obama’s record of deporting 3 million people. Ramos noted at the time that Biden never explained whether the deportations were a mistake. After the debate, the two reportedly had a contentious private discussion about the exchange.

Biden’s camp as well as some neutral Democratic observers are convinced Ramos would look for a similar moment at the convention, which will be packed with progressive immigration activists.

...https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/06/biden-california-dems-jorge-ramos-067045?fbclid=IwAR3qj8DteYV-0nMf_Ks7Azkrg-OxOm6ZM8rWLAShewQVbOYCEv_qj-PsW1Y