Another perspective from an African American Biden voter:

[babylonsister]

A perspective I hadn't considered. Sis on FB~

Another perspective from an African American Biden voter:

"Let me explain something to you about Joe Biden and why some of the shit that he’s done in his past doesn’t matter.

This old rich white man played second fiddle to a black man. Not just any black man, but a younger black man, a smart black man. Not just for a day. Not 1, not 2 but eight years. He took his cues from this black man who had more power than him and was virtually unknown when he took the presidency, and Joe Biden had been around forever.

He was willing and proud to be his wing man. Not once did he try to undermine him, this black man. Instead Joe walked in lockstep with him, he respected him, he loved and trusted him. He was led by him and he learned from him. And Joe did not have a problem with it.

You tell me what 40+ year “establishment” white politician has ever done that. Joe Biden is cut from a different cloth. And black folks understand that and for good reason. He has shown it.

This is what showing up and being an ally looks like. When black people say they know Joe, this is how we know."

[lapfog_1]

1. I think there is even a popular song about this.

Joe showed President Obama R-E-S-P-E-C-T

(and he became good friends with him too)

[Laelth]

2. That's beautiful.

I want THE WHOLE CHICKEN, and I am relying on Joe to serve it up.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287643537



-Laelth

[PatSeg]

3. What a powerful and insightful endorsement

[onetexan]

10. +1 -K&R

[Sloumeau]

4. babylonsister, thank you so much for posting this! :) nt

[relayerbob]

5. Thank you

The tears of gratitude from last Saturday are back after reading this

[Funtatlaguy]

6. Biden and Obama's bromance is real.

[Blue_true]

30. President Obama selected Biden as his VP choice BECAUSE of the close

relationship they had in the Senate. The affection that those two hold for eachother is clear when they are together. Biden picked President Obama up after the first debate with Romney, Joe went after lyin Ryan with everything that he had, and turned the election at that point. When Joe was about to sell his house to pay for his son's medical bills, President Obama would not let him do that, digging into his own pockets to help Joe until Joe got back on his feet. When the two had meals together after the presidency one could see the "wow, I haven't seen you in a while" vibe that takes place between siblings. African Americans clearly see that, while they see Sanders' interaction with Black people that he associates with as forced, not natural like Joe. Black people like me see the difference and they trust Joe. And trust is very important. A lot of people, especially republicans, have claimed that Black people voted for President Obama in record numbers because he was Black. They totally miss the point, Black people were the staunchest supporters of President Clinton during his elections and his troubles. Black people will get behind ANY White man or woman that has legitimately earned their trust. That trust comes from the White person being there and listening when there is nothing to be gained from showing up, other than the joy inside of having expanded perspective and gotten information that assists people with improving their lives. THE reason why Mayor Pete didn't do well with African Americans was that his outreach to Blacks in South Bend left a lot to be desired, my barber is a guy who openly say that being Gay or Trans is a choice and he is adamant about that, even when I correct him time after time. But you know what, he is genuinely impressed by Mayor Pete and would not have hesitated to vote for Pete if Biden or Warren were not in the race, but Pete's record with Blacks in South Bend bothered him worlds more than Pete' sexuality, I can attest to that reality. It boils down to having the confidence in a person to invest trust in them, it doesn't matter what the person's race is.

[Docreed2003]

55. This needs to be a thread all on its own!! Wish I could upvote it!

[c-rational]

7. Great post with a sincere truth. Similar article in the Nation on the black vote for Biden. Blacks

know if given a choice between morality and money, most whites vote for their money, and it is the blacks who have the most to loose if our Democrat nominee fails.

[DinahMoeHum]

72. Here's that article from The Nation. . .

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/biden-black-vote/

[marble falls]

8. Seriously good post. From a perpective that was too subtle for me to understand till I read it.

[soldierant]

80. Well said.

Because Joe's actions were the actions that people are supposed to do, it was not obvious to me until reading this just how rare that actually is.

[marble falls]

83. It certainly displays his convictions being lived quietly. Its remarkable.

[still_one]

9. Wow

[yonder]

11. Excellent, eye opening post. Thank you.

[question everything]

12. What is amazing is that it should be taken for granted, not praised but, unfortunately, it has to

K&R

[NBachers]

13. Those two dashing rogues cut quite a figure together, didn't they?

[Cha]

65. Indeed.. many of us got

spoiled rotten!

[BluNoMatterHu]

14. How do you compete with that?

You can’t.

[paleotn]

15. Powerful...

That puts it crystal clear.

[Frances]

45. Powerful is the correct word

To describe my reaction too

[bitterross]

16. Wow, what a great comment. Good way to look at it.

I'm sad that not all of us can look at things from such a mature, dispassionate view. The person who said that should be commended for their ability to see things from a place most of us cannot.

[marieo1]

17. Great Men, Biden and Obama

Wow..........thanks for sharing - this tells a lot about Joe Biden.

[wyldwolf]

18. Wow!

[wryter2000]

19. Proud to rec this

I have so missed their bromance

[KSNY]

20. Thank you for a valuable perspective

[PatrickforO]

21. Wow. I never thought about it that way.

No surprise, cause I'm white. This gives me some good perspective.

[Blue_true]

22. Meanwhile, Sanders actually plotted primarying that Black man to possibly

prevent him from having a second term.

[AlexSFCA]

23. and Sanders is complete opposite, disparaging Obama

with his #1 policy proposal is to annihilate ACA. Not to mention considering primary challenge to Obama in 2012. I hope he will pay the price by losing every state going forward.

[betsuni]

68. And when he said, "The business model, if you will, of the Democratic Party for the last

15 years or so has been a failure. People sometimes don't see that because there was a charismatic individual named Barack Obama. He was obviously an extraordinary candidate, brilliant guy. But beyond that reality... ." On the 50th anniversary of MLK's assassination no less.

[Stonepounder]

24. K & R for visibility

Just WOW!

[emmaverybo]

25. Thanks for posting this.

[Brewh]

26. How would Dr King vote?

. .“I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to ‘order’ than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


https://www.essence.com/op-ed/joe-biden-james-o-eastland-mississippi/

[Farmer-Rick]

32. Well put Dr King.

Thanks for posting that.

[Blue_true]

35. Likely for Biden. African Americans take a pretty broad view toward

American society. I believe on balance, if Dr. King voted today as an African American, he would back Biden, as I am doing.

[brush]

40. Please. Sanders plotted to primary Obama in 2012.

[Frances]

48. You totally misunderstand

Read the whole Letter from Birmingham Jail
King would be for Biden

[ejbr]

49. I can't believe

There are people who think MLK would vote for Biden 😂 um, no... note: I’m black also. I respect black folk to vote for whomever they want. I only hope they are voting with a good knowledge of all the candidates.

[dansolo]

78. Why do you assume they don't?

They know Joe, and they know Bernie.

They picked Joe.

[qwlauren35]

63. I'm not sure.

MLK was very complex and had a lot of things that he was juggling. He and his associates debated whether to weigh in on Vietnam because they didn't want any distraction from Civil Rights.

However, MLK was turning around and beginning to go after poverty issues when he got killed. Not sure if it was the poverty issue or the Vietnam issue that got him killed.

MLK was not a moderate.

With that said. if he had a choice between someone who was willing to go after class issues, but had no clue about race, vs. someone who would go after race issues, and not try to destroy capitalism, he would certainly have some hard thinking to do.

I think in the end, MLK would support whomever he thought could get the job done, and concretely further his cause.

If MLK thought that Bernie could accomplish his campaign promises, he would vote for Bernie. If MLK didn't think that Bernie could accomplish his campaign promises, he would vote for Biden.

[dsc]

81. I think speculating about how King would vote is incredibly offensive

neither you nor I have any idea how he would vote and since he is dead, it is offensive to put words in his mouth.

[Hekate]

86. You have some nerve using Dr MLK in this context. Joe B has a good liberal record.

[Baked Potato]

27. Trust and loyalty goes a long way. Barack trusted Joe, Joe trusted Barack.

[SunSeeker]

28. K & R

[LaMouffette]

29. I got goosies when I read your post!

Thank you for posting this, babylon sister!

Although he hasn't officially endorsed him yet, I know President Obama loves Joe Biden, and that's good enough for me!

[Butterflylady]

31. Biden is always and will

Be a man of the people, for the people and by the people.

[mindfulNJ]

33. Oh man

That is amazing. I am fresh to the Biden camp from Warren and I have had to explain myself to some of my friends. I will be using this perspective on them for sure!

Thanks for sharing babylonsister!

[sarge43]

34. Best post of the day. Hell, the whole week. Thank you, babylonsister. n/t

[grantcart]

36. +1

[CentralMass]

37. That is a very powerful perspective that can't be denied.

Last edited Sun Mar 8, 2020, 01:04 AM - Edit history (1)

However Joe Biden is not Barack Obama and he has his own 40 year record.

Taking a look at just his record in the financial space Biden voted for two key deregulation bills, the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994, enabling commercial banks to do business across state lines, and the Gramm-Leach-Blilely Act of 1999, overturning Glass-Steagall, which separated commercial and investment banks. This deregulation has been attributed with the creation of "too big to fail:. The he voted for and championed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 that protected these too big to fail institution from people seeking relief from their predatory lending practices as it all came crashing down.

A 2014 article discusses the staggering loss of black wealth from the subprime scandal

https://prospect.org/justice/staggering-loss-black-wealth-due-subprime-scandal-continues-unabated/

I won't quote from it but it is well worth the read. However the point i am trying to make is the policies supported by the 3rd way type of Democrats have not helped us. (Note: When I say us I'm not suggestion that I an an African American.) They set the the stage for the subprime mortgage crisis and left the burnt landscape resulting in current economy where the middle class is in a downward spiral.
The African Anerican community was taken advantage of more and disproportionally impacted by predatory lenders during that period.

So maybe being VP for 8 years immunized him from this kind of scrutiny but his record as Senator helped create the problems we face.

[brush]

51. It's stuningly naive to think America will elect a socialist. Not a chance.

[CentralMass]

57. The monied interests always win but the peasants are getting restless.

[brush]

60. Still not a chance.

[qwlauren35]

67. Um...

Your point and the point of the poster have nothing to do with each other.

Biden licked the shoes of a black man for 8 years.
Biden kissed the butt of a black man for 8 years.
Biden played second to a black man for 8 years.

Has nothing to do with policies.

Biden never did anything to undermine Obama, never did anything to belittle Obama, never did anything to take down Obama, never did anything to elevate himself above Obama.

Biden never forgot his place. He was SECOND. Even during his debate when asked if he wanted the presidency because something happened to Obama, he said "I hope that day never comes." He was not eagerly waiting for someone to assassinate the President so that he would get his shot.


Me personally, I respect that.

Now, Bernie had the opportunity to get behind Hillary and back her up. He didn't do it. He's not a team player. And some people are never going to forget that.

I don't think there are words to express the significance of having Biden play second to Obama has in the Black Community. EVEN IF you don't vote for him, even if you don't like his policy decisions, even if you think he's too moderate (Obama was moderate), you can't sneeze at what he did for 8 years. It's actually never been done before.

I hear people talking about a bromance. No. He was SECOND.

A white man who can let a black man lead, and then graciously follow is worthy of respect.

[58Sunliner]

89. I know that some past policies give pause for thought. But Bernie has a snowball's chance in hell.

I have never seen a candidate that was not a fixer-upper. This isn't about one vote, it's about staying involved in the process. All I have to see is who Bernie hires. It's as if they bring their own issues to bear in his campaign. These are the people who will also lead a transition team? And if I think they are unsuitable now, what will it look like when they have power?

[Dietz]

38. Thank you for this!

Your comment made me more at ease with Biden after my other preferences dropped out.

[sarge43]

39. More than just a wing man, a brother

[Martin Eden]

41. That makes tons of sense.

Thanks for sharing.

My one quibble is that Biden is not a rich man (in the context of US Senators and presidential candidates).

[StarfishSaver]

42. That's a really interesting take

Thanks for sharing it!

[Karadeniz]

43. Thank you, Babs, for sharing that post...and the replies, touching. Made me tear up!

[CaptainTruth]

44. Thank you for posting that!

I had never thought about it from that perspective, but it makes perfect sense.

[sandensea]

46. Beautiful. We asked God for a team that could pull us out of the utter debacle we faced in '08.

And the Good Lord delivered.

[Peacetrain]

50. That picture just gives me peace!!!

[sandensea]

58. Something to look forward to, isn't it.

Chump and Dense have no chance.

[Historic NY]

66. I'd like to see the guy on the left make the guy on the right the next Supreme Court Justice.

[The Conductor]

47. Another thought on that...

Not only was Joe Barack's friend, assistant and wing man, a part he played so happily that they actually became good friends - Joe Biden also allowed himself to be a lightning rod for the administration. On more than a few occasions, Biden went out on attack in ways Obama could not have done without falling into the "angry Black man" tropes that Fox Noise and the rest were continually trying to trap him into. More than being color blind to that situation, Biden proved to be color aware, which is kind of next level. He leveraged his white privileged and took political hits in order to help the administration succeed. I get it, even as an old white guy myself; that's what a genuine friend does for someone he admires. That's what doing right looks like.

[oasis]

84. I agree 100% nt

[yardwork]

92. That's a very good point.

[skylucy]

52. Excellent!

[usaf-vet]

53. Wow dead on that says it all. And in some strange way it confirms why Trump is afraid of Joe.

Trump could just as easily gone after ANY of the other possible 2020 Democratic candidates...but Joe was the one he needed dirt on.

So someone connected to Trump apparently knows that Biden is the one who can take Trump down.

[3catwoman3]

54. I am sitting here with tears welling up.

I will be reading this many times.

[LizBeth]

56. Thank you for this. A wonderfully right on perspective that of course, I did not see.

I really appreciate this and makes so much sense, as a woman and knowing just what is being said. Yes. I can see where the respect comes from.

[mcar]

59. A great read

Thanks.

[pazzyanne]

61. Reasons that I have been a Joe Biden fan since 1975! nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

62. I read that when Obama asked Biden if it was okay to vet him for VP

that Biden had some doubts. Some wise person, I don't remember who, said (paraphrasing) "Obama is going to be our first black President. He's asking for your help and you're thinking about saying no? You're crazy." And so Joe said yes.

I'll always remember this at Beau Biden's funeral.

This peck on the cheek just slays me.

[babylonsister]

71. I don't know why, but I don't

recall ever seeing that video.

[Wounded Bear]

64. Thanks for posting that...

[Joinfortmill]

69. I hear you, says old white woman.

[betsuni]

70. Thank you!

[FailureToCommunicate]

73. Makes perfect sense. Thanks for posting.

[Cha]

75. Doesn't it, though.

[Grokenstein]

74. On the other hand, you have jackasses like Ben Passmore

who insist all "wypipo" are the same. Look at this crap.

https://thenib.com/identity-crisis-biden-bernie/

[BlancheSplanchnik]

76. How very cool. And powerful.

[B Stieg]

77. So well said...

Thank you, BSister!

[SiliconValley_Dem]

79. Excellent point! My only question

Is how you’re still undecided. 😁

[Vivienne235729]

82. Beautifully said.

[sdfernando]

85. This is powerful! /nt

[Hekate]

87. Thanks for this, Babylonsister

So much

[calimary]

88. I SOOOOOO get that.

And Joe’s not actually a rich man. He’s the one whose campaign was broke about a week ago. He’s the guy who was singled out for being one of the least well-heeled of anyone in the Senate. He’s the guy who took the train home from DC to Delaware after the inaugural festivities in which he was supposed to participate as outgoing VP in January 2017, with all the other people taking the train home from DC to wherever.

The black community and everyone else who believed in Barack Obama and voted for him twice can appreciate the role Biden played in that presidency. Selflessly and in service. That’s why I’m glad he’s doing well now.

If he prevails we’ll all have a choice between a genuinely good man and a genuinely bad man. And for a majority in the popular vote AND the Electoral College the choice will be simple.

[58Sunliner]

90. Beautiful.

[yuiyoshida]

91. I hope all People of Color take this advice

Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Middle Eastern-Americans, Native Americans, Gay, Straight, Bi and Transgender-Americans all, get out the vote and VOTE BLUE! (NO MATTER WHO!)

[Demsrule86]

93. Great post...thanks....K&R

[warmfeet]

94. K & R

[Danascot]

95. I'm so grateful to our African American brothers and sisters

We wouldn't have won back the House in 2018 without them. They'll put us over the top on November 3.

Democrats need to stop taking them for granted and recognize how critical their support for us is.

[Under The Radar]

96. We are kind of fond of Uncle Joe, but you do know that he has no Rhythm