Why black Joe Biden supporters in South Carolina remain loyal, despite his record on race

[TexasTowelie]

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- At a downtown restaurant — amid the noise of silverware clinking, servers taking orders and diners chatting — Denae Pearson stared intently at a television screen where a defining moment of the first round of Democratic presidential primary debates was unfolding.

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California was calling out former Vice President Joe Biden for his opposition to integrating Delaware schools through the practice of busing. Biden was a U.S. senator from that state at that time, the 1970s.

A black woman who benefited from busing in California as a young girl, Harris put Biden on the defensive: “That little girl was me,” she said in a line now emblazoned on her campaign T-shirts along with her childhood photo.

The confrontation was riveting political theater to the dozens, including Pearson, who had gathered for the debate watch party. Among political observers, it was billed as a breakout moment for Harris that helped boost her poll numbers nationally and in Iowa, whose voters will be first to weigh in on the Democratic primary, in which 24 candidates are seeking the nomination.

Read more: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/south-carolina/article231926968.html

[Demsrule86]

1. Despite his record on race...what a bunch of BS...

And now Harris agrees with Biden's position...seriously flawed post... Let's all watch her poll numbers fade...I am more and more convinced Joe will be the nominee.

[Cha]

23. That's what I was thinking.. such a

bad record on race!

[UniteFightBack]

30. This ...glad the first post pointed out the BULLSHIT. nt

[samnsara]

2. his 'record on race'? what a bunch of bs.

[True Blue American]

4. 100%

[Hortensis]

20. Yes, a Charlotte Observer hit piece, leading

with the hit for several paragraphs, then for those who continue reading on giving some balance, but even that’s full of slant.

A typical example of what so many media are putting out, of course. MSNBC and CNN are full of this kind of thing.

[True Blue American]

3. Voters know Biden's true record.

After it was proven Harris had planned her attack, had T-shirts made that she was selling for a huge price,$29.99 and $39.99 she lost the argument.

Black people know Biden’s record. They are not taken in. They have watched too many race baiters make money off them and do not like it. They make race relations worse.

[RelativelyJones]

5. "Despite his record on race". Jesus, this guy is getting smeared.

[wyldwolf]

6. Better headline:

Why black Joe Biden supporters in South Carolina remain loyal, Despite White Progressives Telling Them How To Feel.

[beachbum bob]

8. I chuckle as many times the "white progressives" do their best to give us Bush/Cheney and trump

we saw that in 2000 and 2016. without argument its a fact

[wyldwolf]

9. They've played the race card so much they're not playing with a full deck anymore

[Demsrule86]

10. Right, it is better to lose the general with one of their favored 'pure' candidates than to win

with Joe Biden...a decent guy and someone who will make a great president; also, he can win back he rusbelt and save us from losing every general election in the forseeable future...oh and by the way they keep hinting how much they found Pres. Obama...(the best president in my lifetime...who along with Roosevelt can be credited with saving the American economy and giving Americans healthcare...creating a demand for healthcare) wanting in some way.

[oasis]

14. +1

[Demsrule86]

15. Thanks!

[UniteFightBack]

31. It's better to lose with 'purity' than win with a compromise. nt

[Skya Rhen]

21. As an AA, I sincerely thank you for this!

[Cha]

25. Exactly!

But on that night, Pearson — whose parents went to segregated schools — was still with Biden: the man she met a week before at U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn’s “World Famous Fish Fry” who impressed her with his stance on health care.

“I support him,” said the 34-year-old Columbia resident. “I am a black woman. I get where he’s coming from.”

[R B Garr]

29. LOL, exactly.

[beachbum bob]

7. never take the bait, its all about kneecapping Biden and ginving 2020 to Trump/putin

[Demsrule86]

11. I would imagine that was the whole point of this post...to attack Biden.

[TexasTowelie]

16. There is no need to suspect my motives and we really should avoid playing this game.

I used the exact headline from the article. When I read the article it also seemed balanced. If you don't like the headline, then you should direct your suspicions to the headline writer instead of me.

If you look throughout this forum, I post articles about nearly all of the candidates. While some of those articles may not flatter the candidates or put them on a pedestal, I don't believe that I've posted anything that completely bashed any of the candidates--even though there are a few that I would be reluctant to support in the general election.. I don't believe that I've been obnoxious praising my preferred choice either and I have posted a couple that mocked him also (e.g. Jimmy Fallon's "Beto Rules the Universe" videos and memes from the first debate).

While Biden isn't my preferred candidate, I will be quite happy to vote for him in the general election and I will definitely consider him if my current preference withdraws from the race.

[JI7]

19. how is an article that says many black voters still support Biden an attack on Biden ?

[zanana1]

12. He has a long and historic political record.

People grow and change. Obama wasn't crazy about homosexuals, then he changed his mind. Republicans are just trying to take down our most popular candidates.

[Demsrule86]

13. Biden was always for equality...there is no 'bad' history to change from...my parents were

against busing and you couldn't find two more liberal people who believed in equality and actually did march with King.

[Chitown Kev]

24. Actually, Obama is on record

as being for same-sex marriage before anyone else in the 2020 field...including Kamala Harris...and you can fact check that

[Loki Liesmith]

17. "Despite"

[brush]

18. Come on, you know better than that headline. You need to delete this.

Biden's record on race?

[Skya Rhen]

22. Notwithstanding the title of the article, given by the newspaper's author - this is a must read!!!

This article explains why most black Americans adore and support Joe...

[RHMerriman]

27. Interesting quotes from the article:

Even as Biden’s record on race complicates his standing among black voters nationally, many African Americans across generations in South Carolina told The State they do not associate themselves with the criticism the former vice president has received.

They said enthusiasm for Biden’s candidacy derives from a combination of strategic thinking about who can beat President Donald Trump and a deep emotional connection to the man who served alongside Barack Obama, the country’s first black president.

And older black voters said they trust Biden to unite the country. If they turn out in large numbers next year — as they did in 2016, when the over-45 age bracket represented more than 70% of those participating in the S.C. Democratic presidential primary — that sensibility could prevail.

and

However, the stakes feel higher for many black voters now than they did in 2008, seeing in Trump a president they believe does not deliver policies that help the African American community.

“African Americans understand that they have so much to lose with the re-election of President Trump,” said U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., a national Biden campaign co-chairman. “You’re not just talking about Roe v. Wade. You’re talking about a Supreme Court that could roll back Brown v. Board of Education, race used in college admissions. … There’s a bunch of things that are hanging out there that could decimate the African American community.”

The theory of the black vote as largely pragmatic actually underscores a sentiment expressed by nearly all the black S.C. Democrats interviewed by The State, across generations: Defeating Trump is the top priority in 2020, and there’s a belief that Biden can pull it off.

“Biden is the strongest candidate that can beat Trump,” said William Fairfax, a 21-year-old Claflin University student, pointing to Trump’s tweets targeting Biden as evidence Republicans see the former vice president as their biggest threat.

“(Biden) does not shy away from standing up to a bully,” Richmond, also a former Congressional Black Caucus chairman, added.

More than a dozen black S.C. voters interviewed by The State said Biden, 76, could run on being a seasoned politician who spent nearly four decades in electoral politics, plus another eight years in the White House.

“He’s been in politics for a long time, and I think he’s the best candidate to beat Trump,” said Jeffery Lytes, 49, of Lexington.

“I’m real high on experience, and I’m real impressed with the experience he has,” added state Sen. Kevin Johnson, D-Clarendon. “I think he’s the right person to bring us to victory.”

Dorothy Craig, a 56-year-old from Union who has “pretty much” decided to vote for Biden because of his experience, agreed.

“I just feel like he has the experience. I feel like we need someone who has that same experience to go back in and put it back in order.”

[UniteFightBack]

33. That's right it is a strategic vote. nt

[RHMerriman]

34. Yep. There's no margin for error...

Yep. There's no margin for error...

Democrats need the strongest possible ticket for the largest win, Electoral College and popular vote, and the biggest gains possible in the Senate and House.

Anything else is noise.

[redstateblues]

26. Nice attempt at a smear. Epic fail

[TexasTowelie]

32. I really hope that your comment is referring to the headline writer at the newspaper

instead of me since I don't believe that I've ever said anything negative about Biden during my eight years on DU. I've actually written some comments about my preferred choice that could be construed as negative despite the fact that I'm the host for the Beto O'Rourke Group.

[Cha]

28. Looks like some people can see through the m$m Bullshit..

And older black voters said they trust Biden to unite the country. If they turn out in large numbers next year — as they did in 2016, when the over-45 age bracket represented more than 70% of those participating in the S.C. Democratic presidential primary — that sensibility could prevail.

Biden’s comments “weren’t (offensive) to me,” said York resident Joyce Wilson, 53, who recently was still deciding between Biden, Harris and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. “(But) the news media just beat it, beat it, beat it and that kind of thing will cause divisiveness.”