A week before the first debate, some Democratic hopefuls are taking shots at each other — especially at former Vice President Joe Biden, whose speech about his friendships with segregationists seemed to make him vulnerable to attack from the other candidates, all of whom are trailing him in the polls.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who has so far branded himself with a buoyant optimism and reluctance to adopt a pugilistic posture against President Donald Trump, sharply rebuked Biden for the comments.
He started out with some simple Twitter shade.
No, you won’t. https://t.co/x8E7Mlriue
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 19, 2019
Soon after, he followed up with a fuller statement, asking Biden for an “immediate apology.”
Cory Booker has put out a statement on Joe Biden’s comments touting his work with segregationist senators. Booker says he’s “disappointed that (Biden) hasn’t issued an immediate apology for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans. He should.” pic.twitter.com/n7hMS8E4NW
— Rebecca Buck (@RebeccaBuck) June 19, 2019
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also reacted with anger, posting a picture of his biracial family and asserting that “it’s past time for apologies” from Biden.
It’s 2019 & @JoeBiden is longing for the good old days of “civility” typified by James Eastland. Eastland thought my multiracial family should be illegal & that whites were entitled to “the pursuit of dead n*ggers.” (1/2) pic.twitter.com/yoOOkpaTX2
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 19, 2019
During a fundraiser Tuesday evening in New York, Biden touted his ability to work with others by invoking Sens. James Eastland (D-MS) and Herman Talmadge (D-GA), both staunch segregationists. Speaking about Talmadge, Biden noted the late senator’s meanness but said “at least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done.”
Biden wasn’t the only one on the receiving end of some heat from his peers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took an almighty swipe at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), implying that she’s in bed with corporate interests.
The cat is out of the bag. The corporate wing of the Democratic Party is publicly “anybody but Bernie.” They know our progressive agenda of Medicare for All, breaking up big banks, taking on drug companies and raising wages is the real threat to the billionaire class. https://t.co/zimci7JRO6
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 19, 2019
Warren’s camp has not yet responded.
All of this is going to make Elizabeth Warren more electable to Dems. She’s getting kudos from white voters for taking Trump’s best shot (Pocahontas) and bouncing back into the ring again. Minorities seem ready to overlook her errors because she would not be the first white person to make a mistake of white privilege, innocently or not. She’s demonstrating first rate communication skills to all audiences. Clinton/Obama voters who harbor skepticism of Warren for giving Obama a difficult time on TPP and for not endorsing HRC sooner may soon let that go too if she keeps campaigning like she has and the two old dudes keep doing stupid things.
It’s going to be hard for Biden or Bernie to attack her for being a Republican well into adulthood and claim that they’re more electable when Biden keeps shooting from the lip and gaffing it up and Bernie is Mr. Socialist who still hates Democrats.
At least Warren is on point talking about the issues of today. Her flaws seem more forgivable.
Of course, if Kamala Harris catches fire among minorities and builds on her wide appeal to suburban voters, she can drive around all of 'em.
But I have been told repeatedly on TPM that they are not as “electable” 'cos they are women. These are the same people who supported HRC.
Re: Bernie’s tweet. Why’s it always about him? Remind you of someone? Also, throwing around “corporate” like that make him come across as a moron.
Joe Biden suffers from a terminal case of foot in mouth disease. He will fade.
What are Biden’s detractors calling for – refusal to deal with duly elected members of Congress with repugnant views? Maybe that makes them feel good and pure but it doesn’t get infrastructure built. The fact is, the Republican party today is jam packed with neo-Confederates, but sooner or later there has to be bipartisanship to bring about any result, and claiming you can bring about the Millennium without it is a lie.