Former vice president Joe Biden’s recent remarks about his cozy relationships with segregationists are prompting demands for an apology, as well as a closer look at the 2020 presidential front runner’s long history of questionable comments and far-right policies.
Biden praised the late Sens. James Eastland and Herman Talmdage – Democrat segregationists from Mississippi and Georgia, respectively – during a fundraiser last Tuesday, and he continued the theme when he referenced the late South Carolina Sen. Fritz Hollings, another Democrat segregationist, at a fish fry there on Friday, Vice.com reports.
“The only thing I miss is my buddy Fritz Hollings, he was one of my mentors and I’m sorry he’s not here,” Biden said, referring to a man who said blacks attend trade conferences to “get a good square meal” instead of “eating each other.”
The references to segregationists are only one of many issues perturbing progressives online, where many are posting clips of his past comments on a wide variety of issues that will undoubtedly cause problems for his campaign to unseat President Trump.
In 1992, Biden said his crime bill would do everything but hang people for jaywalking. pic.twitter.com/DFA4gto0MS
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) June 20, 2019
“In 1992, Biden said his crime bill would do everything but hang people for jaywalking,” Arthur Schwartz posted to Twitter with a video from C-SPAN 2.
In the video, Biden touted the fact that the legislation contained 53 death penalty offenses. In another, posted by ChuckMondi, Biden explained how he teamed up with Sen. Strom Thurmond, a segregationist, to impose mandatory minimum sentencing for crack cocaine possession, an issue that predominately impacted blacks, as well as the death penalty for drug dealers in certain circumstances.
“If you have a piece of crack-cocaine no bigger than a quarter, we passed a law thru leadership of Sen. Thurmond & myself that says u go to jail for 5 yrs. No probation. Judge doesn’t have a choice”
Biden praises Strom 2nd time & lauds death penalty 4 major drug dealers/2 pic.twitter.com/cjTjFfmcax
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) June 20, 2019
“If you have a piece of crack cocaine no bigger than this quarter I’m holding in my hand … we passed a law with the leadership of Sen. Thurman, myself and others … that says if you’re caught with that you go to jail for five years,” Biden said in 1991. “You get no probation. You get nothing other than five years in jail. Judge doesn’t have a choice.”
“There is now a death penalty, we passed it a couple years ago, that if you are a major drug dealer involved in the trafficking of drugs and murder results in your activities, you go to death,” he said.
In the same speech, Biden praised civil forfeiture laws and flat-time sentencing.
In same 1991 speech Joe Biden lauds his creation of civil forfeiture laws & flat-time sentencing. His goal is shami Bush as not as tough as he & Strom.
“We changed the law so that.. the gov’t can take everything you own. Your car, your house, bank account… Everything”/3 pic.twitter.com/eZYfB67tSZ
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) June 20, 2019
In other videos posted by ChuckMondi, Biden touted his role in pushing draconian drug policies with harsh penalties for crack cocaine, as well as a presidential endorsement from Thurmond.
Here’s a quick video of Joe Biden calling for cuts to Social Security over the years. pic.twitter.com/D8XCW04qp3
— Walker Bragman (@WalkerBragman) June 21, 2019
“Strom said if there has to be a Dem as President, it might as well be you”https://t.co/fIzNP9qU7n
In 1988 at Strom Thurmond Institute, Joe Biden tells about endorsement from Strom Thurmond. So there’s that. pic.twitter.com/PgPv76EUIS
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) June 20, 2019
There’s also plenty of footage of Biden calling for cuts to Social Security throughout his career, from his repeated efforts to freeze the benefit along with Medicare and Medicaid in the 90s to his call to “make tough decisions” as former President Obama’s running mate in 2007, to his praise just last year for former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s focus on social security to fix the deficit.
Joe Biden wanted to bulldoze raves. So naturally I edited him into one#biden #Biden2020 #Bernie2020 #BernieSanders #democrats #mikegravel pic.twitter.com/5DBth4pYBR
— BudrinoPolitics (@BudrinoPolitics) June 20, 2019
Other videos poke fun at Biden’s promise to take on Rave promoters, showed a young senator calling black youth “predators on our streets,” and feature clips of questionable comments about blacks and minorities – some with direct comparisons to his starkly different comments today.
ABC reports on troubling questions regarding Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings while his father, Joe Biden, was VP.
Tom Llamas raises the question: “Was Hunter Biden profiting off his dad’s work as vice president and did Joe Biden allow it?” pic.twitter.com/7fmiizLpsP
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) June 20, 2019
Those issues follow numerous other problems plaguing Biden’s campaign, including allegations his policy proposals were plagiarized from other candidates and websites, his shifting positions on critical issues like climate change and abortion, allegations his son Hunter profited from Biden’s position as Obama’s vice president, and countless videos showing the elderly career politician putting his hands on uncomfortable women and children during public events.
Joe Biden 2020 said no one in this video, https://t.co/HVs0GeA1Jx
— JC (@JC3721) June 14, 2019
And despite the controversies Democrats and black party leaders continue to defend the two-time presidential loser as he bumbles into 2020. Al Sharpton gave Biden a platform on MSNBC Sunday to discuss his close working relationship with racists, while Rep. John Lewis is also standing firmly by his side.
VIDEO: Rep. John Lewis with a powerful defense of @JoeBiden: “I don’t think the remarks are offensive. During the height of the civil rights movement we worked with people and got to know people that were members of the klan…We never gave up on our fellow human being…” pic.twitter.com/NvkmurjsBG
— Alan He (@alanhe) June 21, 2019
“I don’t think the remarks are offensive,” Lewis said, according to The Hill. “During the height of the civil rights movement we worked with people and got to know people that were members of the klan, people who opposed us, even people who beat us, arrested us and jailed us.”
Everyone is talking about the “Cory should apologize” part of Joe Biden’s refusal to apologize, but I’d like to focus on the “there isn’t a racist bone in my body” and “I’ve been involved in civil rights my whole career” and “period. period. period” parts pic.twitter.com/RrpCobFrxh
— Brett Banditelli (@banditelli) June 20, 2019
Democratic primary debates begin on Wednesday.
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