“You Ain’t…Well, You Know”
If Joe Biden was trying to get folks to forget the sexual assault allegations levied against him by Tara Reade…he succeeded last Friday with his remarks on a radio program that has a high African-American audience. No different than when Hillary Clinton slipped into Southern dialect whenever she was south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Biden repeatedly referred to the host as “man” and dropped in the word “ain’t” in order to be…I don’t know, more relatable, I guess. Then came the line that could come back to haunt him, the one that cemented the Democrats as the party of quotas and labeling. It’s one thing to say that you would do more for this group or that group…pandering which is offensive enough…but to then say those who don’t vote for you aren’t really a member of their race is truly appalling. The only thing missing was the phrase “Uncle Tom”, but the show was going to a commercial and saved him.
The person who was probably the least happy was Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who was being vetted as a possible running mate. She did not draw well in her own campaign with African-Americans, but since Biden was so strong within that demographic, she’d have a chance…but not after Joe’s latest gaffe. He’d already pinned himself into a corner by promising to name a woman as his running mate…then came pressure to make it not just a woman, but a woman of color. Now, it seems he’s going to need to name an African-American woman just to shore up the base. So just as Klobuchar was lamenting her fate, Florida Rep. Val Demings was no doubt feeling good about hers. She announced publicly last week she was on the short list, her words, for a spot on the ticket. California Sen. Kamala Harris and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams may not have like the comment, but liked what it did for their chances, too.
Republicans shouldn’t be celebrating this latest misstep though…it seems as if Biden is peaking too soon in terms of driving his campaign into the ditch…better for Republicans for this sort of behavior to come in late September, because until whatever convention is held formally approves him as the nominee, there’s still a chance of him defeating himself. We’ve already discussed how even that convention vote may not mean he’s the candidate in November.
I’d give Biden a pass on the single comment, if it wasn’t part of the awkward-at-best, offensive-at-worst, demeanor he displayed during the whole interview. That is what speaks volumes beyond the words that were said.
