Sarah's Thoughts
President Biden … Never to Be
Gary Hart and his tryst on the “Monkey Business”.
Michael Dukakis riding in a tank.
John Kerry and his “botched joke” regarding intelligence levels of those serving in Iraq.
Biden also had fighting words for Barack Obama, calling the Illinois senator “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy…. I mean, that’s a storybook, man”
I don’t think that Biden ever had a real chance of getting the nomination, but this remark certainly ended any speculation of such a possibility. First, he pulls out the expected use of “articulate” to describe a black man who actually talks in complete sentences and with proper subject/verb agreement. Not at all insulting. But, then he goes on to point out that Senator Obama is “clean”??!! Wow. That one word just acted like a jackhammer drilling a huge hole into Biden’s now-sinking presidential ship. (I’ll give you a moment to reflect on and appreciate the stunning use of both a simile and a metaphor in that sentence.)
It was bad enough when Biden bragged about Delaware’s history as a slave state and explained how this lovely historical tidbit would help him in the South. Personally, I am drawn to candidates who represent a state that held other humans in captivity 150 years ago. When I see Biden, I think, “This man really gets the South of 2007! Consider me a fan!” But now, he actually thinks he is giving a compliment when he says that a black man knows how to use soap.
Now Biden will have time for other pursuits, since he no longer needs to waste time on a presidential run. Good news for his wife, based on the comments he made last summer:
Speaking to a group of 130 twenty- and thirty-something supporters of his leadership PAC last Thursday, Biden indicated that while he thinks he could be an effective chief executive, as far as the job itself goes, he could take it or leave it.
“I’d rather be at home making love to my wife while my children are asleep,” he said.
Just make sure you clean up first and make yourself presentable, Senator Biden. If you need any assistance, I’m sure that Senator Obama can give you some pointers.
February 1st, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Folks, lets get a grip here. This is a tempest in a teapot. Political correctness gone array. The media is milking this for all its got and it ain’t got much. I am a sociologist who specializes in race relations, and people are trying to find racism and prejudice where none exist. Biden is a “friend” not a “foe”; he was praising not prejudicing. The media is making more of this than it deserves. Get on with the real issues. His comment on Obama being “clean” was not about bodily hygiene, but about “skeletons in the closet” that can trip people up. Jesse has them, Cosby has them, Sharpton has them. Obama is “clean”…as far as we know. But who knows now with the media, since they are like archeologists….digging up every inch of dirt they, seeking to find fragments and relics from the past.
February 1st, 2007 at 10:53 pm
A friend to whom? Fellow egocentric men who always speak with an air of condescension? To me, he always comes across as pompous and completely out of touch.
I assume you agree that the media was milking it and trying to find racism where there was none when Rush Limbaugh made his comments about Donovan McNabb? And, that you would argue that Trent Lott was just making a inconsequential comment to make a feeble old friend feel good? I just want to make sure that I understand the barometer used for determining your friends.
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:47 am
I AM A 45 YEAR OLD BLK MAN. I AM A SENIOR EXECUTIVE FOR A MAJOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. I SUPPORT JOE BIDEN FOR US PRESIDENT…UNTIL 3 MINUTES AGO. HIS COMMENTS BROKE MY HEART AND MY FAITH IN PEOPLE…I AM SO HURT…NO MATTER WHAT WE DO…NO MATTER HOW HARD WE WORK…EVEN THOSE WHO CLAIM TO BE OPEN…REALLY DO NOT WANT US AROUND…THAT IS WHAT HIS COMMENTS ABOUT OBAMA SAY TO ME. I AM NOT ON THE BARRAK BANDWAGON…BUT I RESPECT HIM AND “FEEL” FOR HIM…HE IS GOING TO GET MORE OF THIS…AND EVERY ASSAULT ON HIM…IS AN ASSAULT ON ME.