Democratic Primaries

Caliman73

(11,767 posts)

66. Yes he is telling the truth.

Tue Dec 31, 2019, 07:26 PM

Dec 2019

The problem is that telling someone "Learn to code" can be seen as insensitive and tone deaf.

If you were in an industry that defined your family for generations and someone came in and told you to pack up, leave, and learn to do something different (even if it were true that it was needed) would you see that person as good?

He could have said, "I promise that when I am President, as we transition away from coal, which is the unavoidable reality, that I will do everything within the power of the Administration to make sure you guys have all of the tools and support you need to make that transition as smooth as it can be. We will not leave you behind. I know that you guys are the toughest, most determined guys in any industry, and that if we give you guys the support you need, that you can use your talents and strength to make a good life for you and your families. So, I promise you will have those tools."

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

238 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Biden to coal miners "Learn to code." [View all] Quixote1818 Dec 2019 OP

He just wrote the script for a tRump TV advertisment. Joe941 Dec 2019 #1

Some would like to think that, but he didn't. People should look at EXACTLY what he said.... George II Dec 2019 #8

Where is his full statement? I read the link but perhaps missed it.. pangaia Dec 2019 #19

Here's some video redqueen Jan 2020 #144

thanks..... pangaia Jan 2020 #162

George, you know the Press won't present the entire statement. Blue_true Dec 2019 #105

"the script for a tRump TV advertisment" crazytown Dec 2019 #10

I think the Ukraine story shows he doesn't have Teflon... brooklynite Jan 2020 #116

Anyone who lets Biden talk a hit over the Ukraine 'story' is doing dumps work for him. nt UniteFightBack Jan 2020 #120

That's true about Joe... good observation. InAbLuEsTaTe Jan 2020 #176

This is his this attempt to secure the nomination. redqueen Jan 2020 #145

What I am talking about is a poor (or worse) choice of words crazytown Jan 2020 #147

really, you think miners are too dumb to learn coding? OKNancy Dec 2019 #15

Do you think that is good advice? Voltaire2 Dec 2019 #21

Absolutely. John Fante Dec 2019 #43

While true it's not good politics. Joe941 Dec 2019 #59

Biden's words can be reformed to talk about training for the jobs of the future. Blue_true Dec 2019 #108

Nor is instructing anyone to be respectful so they don't get shot. LanternWaste Jan 2020 #207

That statement is taken out of context. Joe941 Jan 2020 #215

The chances of transitioning from coal miner Voltaire2 Dec 2019 #101

Turn "coding" into "the jobs of the future". Blue_true Jan 2020 #114

They need jobs of the now. Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #134

It wasn't just a flippant "Learn to code" to a coal worker Hav Jan 2020 #137

Sure. Perhaps you can discuss this rephrasing with Biden's advisors. Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #138

I have to explain it to those Hav Jan 2020 #139

See post 138. Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #140

See post 139 Hav Jan 2020 #142

I realize it can be tough to infer the obvious. LanternWaste Jan 2020 #209

It's not like he told them to write a best selling book. N/T lapucelle Jan 2020 #153

Right. The advice seems a bit out of touch. Joe941 Jan 2020 #117

A lot of truth to what you wrote Joe. Blue_true Jan 2020 #171

That's why we need a lot more government funding for retraining programs. totodeinhere Jan 2020 #219

Young miners and their children learning the skills of the future is the only way Blue_true Dec 2019 #107

The younger ones might have a chance. Voltaire2 Dec 2019 #109

See my other post, they don't all have to relocate. Blue_true Jan 2020 #118

The outsourcing goes to tech centers Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #133

So my ideas are a "fantasy", but free college, MFA, high paying jobs when Blue_true Jan 2020 #172

Actual proposals to implement the public Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #173

It is clear the both must be done simultaneously. Blue_true Jan 2020 #194

Your ideas (and the supporting "public infrastructure" ) were part of the 2016 Democratic Platform, lapucelle Jan 2020 #188

I know. Hillary had a comprohensive vision for people in coal country, they bought the words of a Blue_true Jan 2020 #195

What would YOU suggest? Happy Hoosier Jan 2020 #227

I don't have a good solution. Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #231

How is it condescending? Happy Hoosier Jan 2020 #232

So a middle aged person should Voltaire2 Jan 2020 #234

I think that's a bit out of context.... Happy Hoosier Jan 2020 #237

It's not a matter of "dumb"... regnaD kciN Dec 2019 #44

Many coal miners are not dumb mvd Dec 2019 #93

You don't know anything about "coding". brutus smith Dec 2019 #58

I think the jobs are no more connected than being a miner pnwmom Dec 2019 #79

Yes, pretty sure the initial reaction for many was that Hortensis Jan 2020 #127

"Everyone knows "coding" is shorthand for developing a new, marketable skill" redqueen Jan 2020 #146

So, you took this to mean he called for 60,000 people Hortensis Jan 2020 #157

"learn to code" has been read as tone-deaf, overly simplistic, and just bad advice redqueen Jan 2020 #158

Drop the ball for your own good. It's coated with poison. Hortensis Jan 2020 #159

Every one does know. But many wait for the slightest opportunity to pounce on Biden, so they emmaverybo Jan 2020 #190

They have to know they're pushing Repub/Russian Hortensis Jan 2020 #191

Hortensis, you tell the hard truths. Some collaborate willingly, others, unknowingly. emmaverybo Jan 2020 #192

And probably most are unwilling to know. Hortensis Jan 2020 #193

No they are not and to imply otherwise is an elitist insult. totodeinhere Jan 2020 #218

Joe, you're so right; cant believe Biden said that! He needs new advisors to help his campaign. InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2019 #34

I'm thinking we're going to need a "What self-destructive thing did Joe say today?" thread... regnaD kciN Dec 2019 #48

Totally agree with your post. Joe is a ticking time bomb, riding Obama's coat strings! chimpymustgo Jan 2020 #129

Agree. There's constant scrambling to clarify what ol' Joe said. SMC22307 Jan 2020 #186

Has Dotard brought the coal mining jobs back, as he treestar Dec 2019 #53

Exactly..My husband works for RR and his dumb co workers listened to Trump about coal.. helpisontheway Dec 2019 #92

Well, Blue_true Dec 2019 #103

A gaffe, crazytown Dec 2019 #2

Why is speaking truth a gaffe? bitterross Dec 2019 #38

It is not truth. Jirel Jan 2020 #201

Very well and comprehensively stated The Mouth Jan 2020 #208

I'm seeing a lot of criticism, but what's your alternative? Happy Hoosier Jan 2020 #228

Ummm .... anyone who could can go down 3000 feet and throw coal into a furnace pnwmom Dec 2019 #3

geez thats scary thinking about the conditions miners work in...they are tough! samnsara Dec 2019 #55

Oddly, that makes more sense than telling them their jobs are coming back. BannonsLiver Dec 2019 #4

That's misrepresenting what he said. Why do people feel the need to do that? George II Dec 2019 #5

Thereby offending both groups BeyondGeography Dec 2019 #6

Are you sure they're not Russian trolls? TruthTeller0505 Dec 2019 #33

Lol, ok BeyondGeography Dec 2019 #39

I don't know what the solution is, but coal mining is on it's way out. RandySF Dec 2019 #7

The solution has to be to provide services to retrain workers for a different job. Caliman73 Dec 2019 #61

They want to hear one thing RandySF Dec 2019 #67

Of course they do. Caliman73 Dec 2019 #69

++ 1000x NJCher Dec 2019 #70

I truly believe that we owe them that. Caliman73 Dec 2019 #75

The government has been using that line for decades. redqueen Jan 2020 #148

Or we actually have to do them. Caliman73 Jan 2020 #203

No, it's paid for. The government pays for it. redqueen Jan 2020 #205

Thank you. Why is that so difficult for many on this site to grasp? SMC22307 Jan 2020 #163

Is he not telling the truth? TruthTeller0505 Dec 2019 #9

I don't think it's so much about the coal mining jobs, it's his solution which far, far from reality brutus smith Dec 2019 #64

Yes he is telling the truth. Caliman73 Dec 2019 #66

I like your answer better TruthTeller0505 Dec 2019 #76

I like Bernie too, and Elizabeth, and Julian... Caliman73 Dec 2019 #84

Absolutely true. TruthTeller0505 Dec 2019 #99

Not sure how realistic it is Hav Dec 2019 #11

This isn't new OKNancy Dec 2019 #12

LOL while looking for an article about this... Bloomberg has some haters OKNancy Dec 2019 #13

"...sat down for his weekly, three-hour, Saturday morning news-reading session." SMC22307 Jan 2020 #185

WV only has around 14,000 people working in the coal industry IronLionZion Dec 2019 #14

I've no problem with his comments. David__77 Dec 2019 #16

That video contains two parts of Biden's answer - the start and end - skipping context in themiddle Otto Lidenbrock Dec 2019 #72

Thanks for adding context! David__77 Dec 2019 #73

me neither..its saying if you can go underground 3000 feet you can do ANYTHING!! samnsara Jan 2020 #130

And we really suck at retraining programs Sherman A1 Dec 2019 #17

Thanks...many people here are having trouble connecting the dots BeyondGeography Dec 2019 #31

You hit the nail on the head Sherman A1 Dec 2019 #41

It happens to people in IT also treestar Dec 2019 #50

Or any business really. greatauntoftriplets Jan 2020 #141

This! nt redqueen Jan 2020 #150

Oh dear. cwydro Dec 2019 #18

Better yet...Oh dear, who is misrepresenting what he said? He did NOT say what's in the OP. George II Dec 2019 #22

Then what DID he say? cwydro Dec 2019 #23

Well, I asked you what he actually said, and you didn't answer. cwydro Dec 2019 #65

Seriously!! Joe has some very high-paid advisors... they need to huddle and fix it, pronto!! InAbLuEsTaTe Dec 2019 #35

Coal mining jobs have deteriorated in wages and importance Prosper Dec 2019 #20

Is there a future in coal mining? Renew Deal Dec 2019 #25

Coal mining has changed drastically and dramatically. No future. Prosper Jan 2020 #196

Maybe no relevance in actual skills needed for the examples mentioned Hav Dec 2019 #26

Is he wrong? Renew Deal Dec 2019 #24

I assumed he meant it metaphorically, too. blm Dec 2019 #51

He's clueless about 'coding' jobs. Voltaire2 Dec 2019 #104

Agree, uninformed talk. Prosper Jan 2020 #197

I'll pass on buying software coded by ex coal miners. n/t brewens Dec 2019 #27

Classism. Loki Liesmith Dec 2019 #29

+1 OKNancy Dec 2019 #32

That's a nice way of describing this attitude Hav Dec 2019 #36

No good software company releases code unless its been tested and retested. Sloumeau Dec 2019 #71

Well said. I posted #80 before I saw this. nt LAS14 Dec 2019 #81

Would you now...kind of snobby I think to assume those who work for a living are stupid. Demsrule86 Dec 2019 #77

Stupid is not correct. Aptitude is relevant. Prosper Jan 2020 #198

Do you generally get... tonedevil Dec 2019 #86

What if it was the updated Minesweeper game?! InAbLuEsTaTe Jan 2020 #111

I became a programmer and previously had a manual labor job nini Jan 2020 #132

I was looking at it more like Trump worshipping miners that actually beleived he'd bring brewens Jan 2020 #136

understood nini Jan 2020 #149

Many aren't "Trump worshipping miners" but they didn't like... SMC22307 Jan 2020 #166

Lol! nt ecstatic Jan 2020 #143

I'm sure there are a few former coal miners who can become great developers Sapient Donkey Jan 2020 #164

He's correct. Deal. Loki Liesmith Dec 2019 #28

I can't imagine anything less I'd like to do. cwydro Dec 2019 #63

Telling someone to "deal" is how Dems have lost the working class. redqueen Jan 2020 #151

Spot on. cwydro Jan 2020 #160

A lot of the policy elites are basically clueless about average people. The policy elites are Midwestern Democrat Jan 2020 #161

Too depressing for words. We need to win. nt redqueen Jan 2020 #167

This message was self-deleted by its author Sapient Donkey Jan 2020 #168

As someone who studied programming in college... Sloumeau Dec 2019 #30

With you! The Valley Below Dec 2019 #40

As coal mining jobs started to decline those with Prosper Jan 2020 #182

Don't think he said that, but it's more realistic than "I have a plan for that" Hoyt Dec 2019 #37

Do any of their supporters have real lives? wiley Dec 2019 #45

So you like to believe. blm Dec 2019 #47

Her "Economic Patriotism" and such, is not going to help them. Hoyt Dec 2019 #57

Sure they are. How many are honest about how well that has worked in the past? redqueen Jan 2020 #152

Post removed Post removed Dec 2019 #42

Maybe I'm missing the point. Turbineguy Dec 2019 #46

I think he meant that was one option. But the keys words were badhair77 Dec 2019 #49

This always happens when jobs become obsolete treestar Dec 2019 #52

Because it's not the first time this has happened. redqueen Jan 2020 #154

Sure it has treestar Jan 2020 #174

No, it hasn't. nt redqueen Jan 2020 #204

on what ground has re-training "not worked out?" treestar Jan 2020 #229

Let me Google that for you redqueen Jan 2020 #230

Why are you assuming all coal miners believe others need 'tough love'? SMC22307 Jan 2020 #184

Conservatives generally tell poor people in the cities to treestar Jan 2020 #189

they would be healthier thats for sure samnsara Dec 2019 #54

Post removed Post removed Dec 2019 #56

Obviously Joe didn't read Hillary's book "What Happened" jcmaine72 Dec 2019 #60

Excellent point!! You would think Joe has read Hillary's book forward and backwards InAbLuEsTaTe Jan 2020 #113

"Learn to code" has become a glib solution for those in desperate need of employment. Aaron Pereira Dec 2019 #62

People were rightfully outraged earlier in the year when RWingers told jcmaine72 Dec 2019 #68

This is most certainly true! /eom Backseat Driver Dec 2019 #90

Exactly. I saw the clip this morning and could not believe what I was hearing. redqueen Jan 2020 #155

How about "the govt will pay for you to learn how to work in green technology" Fiendish Thingy Dec 2019 #74

I have thought that they surely have many transferable skills and abilities. raging moderate Dec 2019 #78

Thnking like this makes me wish Yang had a chance. LAS14 Dec 2019 #80

lolol evertonfc Dec 2019 #82

What makes some here so down on coal miners that they assume they can't learn to code? gulliver Dec 2019 #83

It's not hard? nini Jan 2020 #135

But it must be at least a bachelor's degree. keithbvadu2 Dec 2019 #85

"Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God's sake!" myohmy2 Dec 2019 #87

Yeah, right, not even funny! Backseat Driver Dec 2019 #88

What a racket. I've heard similar stories redqueen Jan 2020 #156

Trump to coal miners: "You will always have mining jobs! I'm bringing coal back!" Hekate Dec 2019 #89

And you have an issue with this because????? Peacetrain Dec 2019 #91

Biden sure ain't my first choice rownesheck Dec 2019 #94

Wow.... boomer_wv Dec 2019 #95

I did. The job market for software engineers is flooded right now. backscatter712 Dec 2019 #96

Wtf? Tipperary Dec 2019 #97

My Dad was a coal miner and I grew up in a minig town. yortsed snacilbuper Dec 2019 #98

Being cavalier with coal miners' jobs is an Achilles heal for us. aikoaiko Dec 2019 #100

Right, it would be better to just lie to them about their futures. TwilightZone Dec 2019 #110

We don't have to be cavalier to be honest. aikoaiko Jan 2020 #115

NO, she had a $30 billion clean energy jobs plan. Quote taken out of context, as everybody knows. betsuni Jan 2020 #121

Yep, that's cavalier way of discussing coal mining. It was a bad day for HRC. aikoaiko Jan 2020 #122

No it wasn't. Taken out of context. betsuni Jan 2020 #123

THIS is what they heard... SMC22307 Jan 2020 #187

Still waiting for why "Coal is in decline" isn't a cavalier way of discussing coal mining. betsuni Jan 2020 #124

I get it. All you see is the good and good intention of HRC. aikoaiko Jan 2020 #165

Why are peope on DU against education? yortsed snacilbuper Dec 2019 #102

We are against horseshit advice. Voltaire2 Dec 2019 #106

And against vapid condescension jcmaine72 Jan 2020 #119

They're not, they're against unhelpful political comments that could alienate a block of voters!! InAbLuEsTaTe Jan 2020 #178

People who work in coal mining should prepare to transition to something else. nsd Jan 2020 #112

Any way he would have said it would have been "a mistake" Hortensis Jan 2020 #125

He's speaking from a different era loyalsister Jan 2020 #126

Clinton said: "retrain miners" Trump said: "keep the mines open" brooklynite Jan 2020 #128

A little reminiscent of Mike Dukakis' "Belgian Endive" comment to Indiana farmers Algernon Moncrieff Jan 2020 #131

There's A Much Faster Option corbettkroehler Jan 2020 #169

as A programmer, I can assure you that everyone cannot "learn to code". SharonAnn Jan 2020 #170

or other jobs left open for them because others have gone treestar Jan 2020 #175

Like syntax checking ;) LongtimeAZDem Jan 2020 #180

.. honest.abe Jan 2020 #216

There are approximately 55k actual coal miners NoMoreRepugs Jan 2020 #177

People need to pay bills and learning new skills will be a better future. FloridaBlues Jan 2020 #179

Well, Biden is PARTLY correct. He is. PatrickforO Jan 2020 #181

Biden gave an uneducated response. The unemployed miners Prosper Jan 2020 #183

Key to the solution is: Prosper Jan 2020 #199

I think Andrew Yang's quote on this idea wins Recursion Jan 2020 #200

I've enjoyed Andrew Yang in this race. nsd Jan 2020 #213

what's his advice when tech bubble burst AlexSFCA Jan 2020 #202

"Learn to mine." jcmaine72 Jan 2020 #206

I love Joe but this is a bit of a stretch to think that old unemployed coal miners.. honest.abe Jan 2020 #210

It's ageist to suggest that old workers are not capable of learning new career skills. totodeinhere Jan 2020 #212

If you read my entire post I suggested welding as a good transition career for older coal workers. honest.abe Jan 2020 #214

I know. I was just agreeing with you about blue collar jobs. totodeinhere Jan 2020 #217

Sure its possible for older folks to learn to program like yourself.. honest.abe Jan 2020 #221

You do have a point about age discrimination in employment. n/t totodeinhere Jan 2020 #224

That sounds like good advice to me. People need to be flexible and make changes totodeinhere Jan 2020 #211

They'd have to move Recursion Jan 2020 #220

Exactly. honest.abe Jan 2020 #222

Being willing to relocate is a part of the flexibility I mentioned. totodeinhere Jan 2020 #225

That assistance was a huge part of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign Recursion Jan 2020 #226

It costs at least $5000 to move a household to a new area. Prosper Jan 2020 #233

No, it just doesn't Recursion Jan 2020 #235

You obviously haven't done the math. At least $5000. Prosper Jan 2020 #236

Which is why you don't start out in a rented apartment Recursion Jan 2020 #238

This is exactly what i discussed with him FIL over the holidays. He's a liberal as well, but seems onetexan Jan 2020 #223