"Apologize for what?" Biden hits back at Booker.

[pnwmom]

Link to tweet

Alex Thompson
✔
@AlxThomp

Biden hits back at Booker over segregationist senator.
“Apologize for what? Cory [Booker] should apologize. He knows better”

[LibFarmer]

1. Cory Booker fell for the Sirota propaganda machine nt

[Peacetrain]

6. Some people are going to burn the house down on their way out

I am afraid.. and I am NOT talking about Cory Booker.. Sirota and company would just as soon see the Democratic Party in the trash can..

[LibFarmer]

9. Yep .. so they can vote green party again nt

[Peacetrain]

12. Good Lord how many times have they kneecapped us... from Gore, Hillary, never forget the whole

"holding his feet to the fire" attacks on Obama to now about every Democratic candidate we have..

[saidsimplesimon]

26. BS abounds,

sorry, this is baiting that falls flat. imo

[MrsCoffee]

61. BS hired Stein promoters as his senior staff.

People who advocated against the Democratic Party nominee and for the Green Party nominee. Like David Sirota.

That’s not baiting, that’s an inconvenient truth.

[Indygram]

65. I have NEVER voted for the green party in my 50+ years

I have always been registered as an Independent because I'm a moderate and have never completely identified with any party. I typically vote for the most moderate candidate unless a candidate really inspired and excited me. I didn't support Bernie last time. I voted for HRC and straight Democrat right down to researching mosquito control candidates.

Accusing people of something just because they don't think Biden is the best candidate is really not OK. I don't think Biden is the strongest candidate.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

32. Wait. What? Booker's comments are Bernie's fault?

Good lord...

[George II]

45. No. If you read the post it's blaming Sirota. Who mentioned BS?

[Gothmog]

66. From Morning Joe

I hate it when I agree with Morning Joe

Link to tweet

[Hassin Bin Sober]

70. Gee a racist republican's opinion. Imagine that.

Sorry, I gave up listening to morning jackoff since, like, forever.

Was Jennifer Rubin too busy to chime in? How about Dave Weigel? What other republican opinions should I be concerned with?

[Gothmog]

71. But here Morning Joe is right

I am not a fan of Morning Joe but he is occasionally correct

[John Fante]

76. Attack the source fallacy detected.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

77. Attack a Newt Gingrich/Reagan revolution republican's OPINION?

Yep. All day long. Seven days a week. 365 days a year.

This is a guy who voted to impeach Clinton. Sorry if I don’t think his OPINIONS amount to anything more than dogshit.

Oh and let’s not forget this clown is largely responsible for platforming fat Nixon.

[Gothmog]

80. According to Symone Sanders, Biden did not praise a segregationist

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Hassin Bin Sober]

84. Lol. I remember when she was the "worst person ever" when she worked for someone else

[TCJ70]

60. Could you outline the connection for me? You keep saying this...

...but how do you connect the dots to lead back to Sirota?

[Voltaire2]

69. The NYT ran the story and Sirota commented

on it so Bernie is bad.

[George II]

2. I agree. Our candidates should stop sniping at each other.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

4. It will get worse

The low percentage candidates will have to.

[customerserviceguy]

55. Exactly

We're just getting started. The news media eats up inter-family warfare, they ask questions designed to bring it out.

This will continue all the way to the convention. And Trump will be chucking his ass off.

[emulatorloo]

10. Booker's not polling well. His campaign thought this might be a breakout moment for him

However I don’t think the primary electorate has much appetite for excessively “spun” press releases from campaigns polling in single digits.

[George II]

43. Actually there's only one candidate polling well, which is why the attacks are coming....

....from a few directions. 'Tis sad.

[oasis]

3. Say "bye bye" to VP chances Booker.

[OhZone]

53. Yup!

This!

[emulatorloo]

5. Booker was spinning damn pretty hard in his statement. I know you want to make Biden look bad

but not sure how effective this will be for you. We all remember how Booker attacked Obama for going after Bain Capital.

I like Booker, btw, and am surprised he’s not getting more traction. This is not the way to do it, IMHO.

Can you please post something positive about a candidate that you like?

You are such an excellent poster. I would love to read a post that advocates for a candidate you like and agree with.

Looking forward to positivity.

[jberryhill]

18. "Can you please post something positive about a candidate that you like?"

<snort>

[WA-03 Democrat]

7. How to Work With People You Don't Like

Yes, repukes suck and are trying to destroy our country. Putin wants this division. United States means everybody. Tru$$ia is only President to those that voted for him. Look at the way Puerto Rico and CA were treated by the Administration during their storms and wild fire.

I want Biden to be the President for everyone, not just the red hat crowd or those who are cool enough to hang on DU

Go Joe Go!

[emmaverybo]

56. Joe rolled out his campaign with a direct assault on white supremacy, on Trump making

racists morally equivalent to those protesting them. He could not have been more clear.

Trump talks about what “my voters want” and Romney was not going to bother with 47 percent of the electorate he claimed (falsely) did not pay income tax and were not going to vote for him.

I think Biden is polling so well because people know he will be the president for all and will work to heal divisions Trump, acting right out of Putin's playbook, depends upon.

At the same time Joe has said he wants the Charlottesville mob to “crawl back under their rocks.”

But of course, paint the guy who gave us VAWA as an anti-feminist groper, and the guy who set Schultz and Reagan straight on whose side America should take in the fight against apartheid as
in bed with segregationists.

The marks of an orchestrated hit campaign are obvious.

[saidsimplesimon]

8. Candidate Biden,

It is unfortunate that the media is reporting a tag line of "segregationist senator". I'm sure this does not represent your views.

[pnwmom]

14. Biden has never been a segregationist. However, a major issue he was working with Eastland on

was Biden's bill to end school bussing for desegregation.

So he's shooting himself in the foot to remind everyone of that.

[saidsimplesimon]

17. Bottom line,

Biden took the wrong position by failing to support Anita Hill, imo. I never forget and rarely forgive those who claim the moral high ground. imo

[emulatorloo]

23. Joe Biden is not the reason Clarence Thomas is on the Supreme Court.

It’s fine if you don’t support him, I am undecided myself. I saw the Thomas hearings though.

Have a nice night!

[saidsimplesimon]

24. Just a symptom, not the cause or cure.

I am blessed with a life without regrets, sometimes painful, always rewarding.

[emulatorloo]

34. Same here, no regrets. I also understand the power of change and redemption, it's real

Regrets can’t change things, so I just try to do better in the present and the future. So glad we chatted, you sound like a wonderful person!

[saidsimplesimon]

37. You and those like you inspire me to

say and do things that I have always lacked the courage to support.

[emmaverybo]

57. It should be mentioned that Biden voted against Thomas, twice. He has also always supported

Hill’s credibility and character. Yes, I saw the hearings too.

[robbedvoter]

74. Lindsay Graham is not the sole reason Kavanaugh is on SCOTUS either

But it's safe to say, both men play a major role in moving along very thorny confirmations that may have been otherwise defeated.

[LanternWaste]

64. And you have zero idea how damned ironic alleging that is, eh?

"I never forget and rarely forgive those who claim the moral high ground."

[Otto Lidenbrock]

11. He has just dug himself a new hole

The explanation at the start was fine. But this:

“Apologize for what? Cory [Booker] should apologize. He knows better”

was not wise at all. He could have said "Cory should speak to me in person" or "I'll have a chat with him about it". Flipping it around to make the black man apologize is terrible optics.

[Peacetrain]

13. Just stop.. not going to work...

[emmaverybo]

21. With you. NT

[Thekaspervote]

22. No it's not working....the dem candidates engaging Biden negatively need to find a + message

You’re beginning to sound like another negative candidate that isn’t doing so well with his negative rhetoric

[OhZone]

54. Yup

Bye, Felicia to the negative candidates!

[CentralMass]

58. Let me state that I have and always will vote for our nominee.

However, this issue is of Joe Bidens own making. His efforts in the 70's to effectively kill bussing earned him praise from the likes of Jesse Helms who welcomed him to the ranks of the enlightened. This was one of the efforts that he worked with these segregationist senators on. Comments that he made in interviews on the matter then would get slammed today. He brought up the issue.

This was 45 years ago and I think that he has a net positive history on civil rights support but it is what it is and IMO him digging up that chapter is not a great poltical move.

[emulatorloo]

15. Booker's press release had a lot of "spin" to it. Booker knows Biden, so yeah he does know Biden

isn’t a segregationist and doesn’t support segregationists or White Supremacists. Booker knows full well that the White Supremacy guy is Donald Trump.

I like Booker and understand he wants to break out of the single digit polling rut. But there are better ways to do that than by attacking other Democrats.

[pnwmom]

20. But why is Biden bringing up the Senator who worked with him on

Biden's anti-bussing bill, when bussing was being used to desegregate schools?

Of all the R's he could have mentioned, why pick that guy?

Who also called for ending the "Negro race?"

Shouldn't Biden have expected strong pushback from that?

[emulatorloo]

28. Positive posts about the candidates you like?

DU would really benefit from your posts advocating candidates you are behind.

Especially for undecideds like me.

At this point your negative OP’s may be having the opposite of your desired effect, at least on me.

I would love to hear your take on candidates you are considering supporting.

[ecstatic]

19. I think he was hurt and his comments reflected that. nt

[Gothmog]

62. From Morning Joe

Link to tweet

[robbedvoter]

75. the explanation at the start was not fine either

It ads injury to insult. Not unlike this one

Link to tweet

[ecstatic]

16. I think Cory hurt his chances here. Kick Biden under the bus for his

marijuana stance. He'd immediately get everyone's attention. But to jump on the Biden is a segregationist/racist bandwagon, when he knows better, is not a good look. That's the worst type of smear you can put on someone. I don't think Cory will recover from this.

That being said, I hope this incident makes Biden think twice about bringing up rethug acquaintances, in any context, going forward.

[bornsunny]

30. No one called Biden a segregationist/racist.

What Sen. Booker and others are objecting to is how Biden made two racist senators sound like decent guys. Here's Sen. Warren's take from The Hill:
WARREN on Biden: “I’m not here to criticize other Democrats but it’s never ok to celebrate segregationists. Never.”

[ecstatic]

31. The problem is, I read his comment and he didn't do

anything of the kind. There was no celebration. There was no praise. Both Booker and Warren are wrong.

[marylandblue]

81. Whether "celebrate" is the exact right word is certainly debatable.

But her point is that we shouldn't say nice things about segregationists just because they said something nice about you 40 years ago. There are a lot of ways Biden could have made the same point in a much better way.

[ecstatic]

83. And she and everyone else are free to say it the way they would say it during their own stump speech

Again, the only way forward is to let the candidates be themselves then let the primaries sort it out.

[TomSlick]

25. And here I thought Sen. Booker was an intelligent guy.

I'm disappointed.

[bornsunny]

33. He is and a courageous one too.

If Dems don't respectfully criticize and enlighten one another, we become no better than the Republicans. Biden can either learn from this and be a better a candidate or continue to make gaffes which will eventually sink him.

[TomSlick]

40. Sorry. Purposefully mischaracterization is neither intelligent nor courageous.

If he as intelligent and courageous as I thought before tonight, he will walk this back - quickly.

[ecstatic]

35. He is intelligent, but I don't think he had all the information

before issuing his statement.

[TomSlick]

41. Would Senator Warren make such an inflammatory statement before she knew the facts?

Of course not. She is too intelligent.

[CentralMass]

38. I think Corey Booker has the right to think and say what he wants on this issue.

[LakeArenal]

27. For me personally, Booker owes an apology. In two words,

Al Franken.

[saidsimplesimon]

29. Very telling response from our leader in the primaries.

My goal is to return our nation to sanity. Attacking anyone who supports this goal is cause for me to worry about our party priorities.

[emulatorloo]

36. Booker attacked Biden. Possibly to get out of his single digit polling rut.

I like Booker. His attack on Biden was full of spin and was not necessarily accurate. I don’t want our candidates attacking each other.

While I do like Booker, I have not forgotten his attacks on Obama for correctly criticizing Bain Capital and Romney’s work there.

Booker is very capable of doing better. Hopefully he’ll get more attention for his POLICY proposals at the debates. Negatively isn’t going to win over the primary electorate.

[saidsimplesimon]

39. Biden is playing an old school campaign, imo.

He would fair better if he concentrates on his strengths as a candidate. imo

[emulatorloo]

42. As should Booker. Concentrate on your strengths is good advice to all of them.

I feel like some of the campaigns’ staff have gone off the rails. I have zero appetite for this negativity, they need to promote the strengths of their candidates, not pick fights

[mtnsnake]

44. Wow, Biden continues to prove he's his own worst enemy

If he is this bad during the Primary campaign, just imagine how poor a campaigner he would be in the general election. I think the polls have it all wrong. Maybe the pollsters are only polling republicans. Something's not right there.

[emulatorloo]

46. "Democrats in Disarray" is a strong drug. "Unscrewing" polls never ends well for anyone either

I don’t think most Democrats are as “gaffe obsessed” as we DU’ers are.

Booker made a play to escape his single digit polling rut. It failed. I want to hear Booker and Biden debate policy.

POLICY. That’s the discussion I want to hear, not overly spun press releases from a campaign that isn’t doing as well as it should be doing.

By the way:


https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=156939

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/joe-biden-segregationist-comments-1370844

Black lawmakers get Biden's back amid 'segregationist' uproar
'I worked with Strom Thurmond all my life,' Jim Clyburn says.

[MrsCoffee]

63. Lol.

[emulatorloo]

47. Article: Black lawmakers get Biden's back amid 'segregationist' uproar

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/joe-biden-segregationist-comments-1370844

2020 ELECTIONS
Black lawmakers get Biden's back amid 'segregationist' uproar
'I worked with Strom Thurmond all my life,' Jim Clyburn says.

By LAURA BARRÓN-LÓPEZ and HEATHER CAYGLE 06/19/2019 02:56 PM EDT

Senior members of the Congressional Black Caucus leaped to former Vice President Joe Biden’s defense Wednesday after he touted his bipartisan work with known segregationists as a time of “civility.”

Progressives pounced on the remarks, and two other White House hopefuls criticized the 76-year-old Democratic presidential poll leader over his comments at a fundraiser Tuesday night. But more than a half-dozen CBC members argued that Biden’s remarks were taken out of context and that the former senator’s call for decency is needed now more than ever.

More at link. Link courtesy of EllenG.

Ellen’s post:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=156939


Please stop. Thank you.

[OhZone]

49. I'm reading all this anti-Biden stuff, and I'm thinking YAY!

Now I won't feel bad if I miss the debates, because my mind has been made up by these unfair attacks. And I don't need to see desperate people attack a fellow Democrat like this.

I'm a Biden chick till the end!

((But I'll vote for any Dem over a Con in the general.))

[Indygram]

50. We.Can.Do.Better

eom

[BeyondGeography]

51. Booker responds

Link to tweet

[loyalsister]

72. He should. not. need. this lesson

Booker is exactly right.
This isn't about Joe's intention. It's about caring that one's words might be painful for someone to hear regardless of intent.
"But he didn't mean it that way" is a vile defense because we all know that it can be easily interpreted as giving comfort to cruel intentions by casting doubt on the hearer.

[robbedvoter]

73. Thanks. Very eloquent.

[Jarqui]

52. I don't have a problem with Biden on this:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/19/18692039/biden-2020-segregationist-civility-booker-harris-sanders-warren

Biden said, “At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished. But today you look at the other side and you’re the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don’t talk to each other anymore.”

[Gothmog]

59. I hate it when I have to agree with Morning Joe

Link to tweet

[robbedvoter]

67. Biden, like 🍊, don't do apologies. See Anita Hill and this woman with a finger in her face

Link to tweet

[aikoaiko]

68. Booker is right. Especially about the "He never called me boy" part.

Why would he, Joe?

[Gothmog]

78. According to Symone Sanders, Biden did not praise a segregationist

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

79. Who said he praised a segregationist? n/t

[Gothmog]

82. James Clyburn is siding with Joe Biden on this issue

This is very nice to see https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/06/20/why-joe-biden-is-so-defensive-over-his-remarks-about-segregationists/?utm_term=.ab8bb7949ad8

Biden has powerful Democratic backers on this: The highest-ranking African American member of Congress, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), told reporters Wednesday he understands where Biden is coming from and that he, too, worked with people such as Strom Thurmond. Other black Democrats in Congress tried to frame Biden’s words in charitable ways.

“I think the sentiment is something that we all know in the legislative body — that you work with people you don’t agree with,” Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), a co-chairman of Biden’s campaign, said.

The Clyburn comment in particular is helpful to Biden. If there’s one friend in Congress you want to make as a Democratic presidential candidate, it’s probably Clyburn. He rules South Carolina Democratic politics, and South Carolina is the first early voting state with a majority black Democratic primary voters. Biden and his opponents will be campaigning in South Carolina this weekend at Clyburn’s famous fish fry.