# Joe Biden's in **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 25, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042 "2019-04-25T16:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/601 "2019-08-09T18:36:12Z")
I wonder if London bookmakers are laying odds on Biden saying the n-word before Trump. Biden, of course, will do it to show how woke he is. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/602 "2019-08-09T18:51:24Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Joe Biden’s latest quote: “Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.” > > The guy is a gaffe machine and I think may be torn apart in the general. I wish he and Sanders would step aside and make room for some of the younger candidates. Both of them have too many targets for the hate machine. Dude needs a self imposed gag order. Jeez. That’s almost Trumpian right there. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/603 "2019-08-09T19:21:42Z")
OMG :smack: ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/604 "2019-08-09T19:26:17Z")
Dear Joe Biden, The next time you are planning to say anything that uses the word ‘bright’ in any context whatsoever, just keep that to yourself. Thanks, I think I still want you to win. But I’m not real sure. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/605 "2019-08-09T20:05:54Z")
Well, it’s obviously a gaffe but it’s probably one that I bet many older centrist Dems think “I almost said that at lunch yesterday”. Probably mostly only get play in the white lefty twitterverse. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/606 "2019-08-09T20:14:14Z")
But Biden’s biggest base is black voters. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/607 "2019-08-09T20:18:53Z")
Yes, and they won’t care about this. Black voters, certainly over millennial age, are comfortable voting for paternalistic racist white candidates. It’s often been they’re only option. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/608 "2019-08-09T20:30:33Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > … Probably mostly only get play in the white lefty twitterverse. It really is the question isn’t it? How does his saying saying these sorts of things play with those who are his main support, and those whose votes he’ll need? Older voters? If they hear of them I am fairly sure don’t give a shit. Black voters who currently support him? Pretty sure those who support him are not too bothered as they feel his heart is actually in the right place. (Those unsure are another thing perhaps.) Establishment Dems? Will shake their heads again but still prefer him to any current viable alternative. They’ll stay. Non-college educated whites inclusive of Obama Trump voters? It may endear him to them as more real. Young voters inclusive of progressives? He won’t get the nom on his strength with them in any case. It may solidify their opposition to him, maybe, but my small sampling of my adult children (18 to 33), their friends, and that age cohort in my office, is that few are paying any attention yet and won’t until the field is way narrowed down. Most basically tell me they know they will vote against Trump whoever the Dems put up and it will be decided before they vote in the primary anyway so why bother? But no question it is headshaking and anxiety provoking. I wish I felt more confident that Warren had what it takes (already not so confident that Harris does, very sure Sanders does not). I really want to see her attacked some so I can see how she handles and weathers it. If I had greater confidence in her these challenges to having confidence in Biden would have me flipped in a flash. But I don’t have it … yet. And those under that polling level are a factor only in who they might spoil but if they haven’t gotten into the pack by now they aint going to. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/609 "2019-08-09T20:35:43Z")
As I have said before, we have several Democrats running who would be ideal nominees, and they are all polling in the low single digits. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/610 "2019-08-09T20:43:42Z")
In a universe in which Biden, Warren, and Sanders no longer or never existed, there would be an interesting race between some interesting candidates several of whom might be able to prove they had the stuff. This is not that universe. There is and has been no oxygen in the room to feed the fire of a different center Left establishment friendly moderate Democrat, or a different progressive, or a different disrupt the whole system candidate, no chance for anyone else to demonstrate that they might be electable too. Biden would have to do something to cause his complete and utter collapse for any of them to have any chance to break through, and some have, in their attempts to break through, already caused themselves damage in that scenario. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/611 "2019-08-09T20:44:13Z")
I wish we wouldn’t reduce this down to electability. The real question is do we really want to nominate a person who is constantly 10 seconds away from embarrassing himself? Do we really want to nominate someone whose brain might be softening from old age? At a time when minorities are taking hits from a President that is sympathetic to racists, do we really want to nominate a person who reveals thought patterns like this? Old centrists might not care about these questions, but then again, a lot of old centrists also voted for Trump. I’m thinking we need a different standard than that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/612 "2019-08-09T20:59:53Z")
Biden has done the impossible: He is strong in the African-American community and he is strong with democrats with racist views: > What’s also interesting is that he and Sanders score high with Dems who have strong feelings of hostile sexism. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/613 "2019-08-09T21:16:08Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > … At a time when minorities are taking hits from a President that is sympathetic to racists, do we really want to nominate a person who reveals thought patterns like this? … You prefer maybe someone who manages to not reveal their thought patterns like that? Or to ignore electability and keep the one who reveals and panders to thought processes that are explicitly hateful? I’d rather be more confident in Trump’s departure and live with an occasional embarrassment than have a more polished candidate that loses. That puts me in good company. The task isn’t to convince us that Biden doesn’t have it. The task is to convince us that someone else does and maybe better. We don’t want to nominate someone who risks losing more. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/614 "2019-08-09T21:26:43Z")
Senility is not a good look in a Presidential candidate. No question, even if he spends his time in office drooling in a corner while his appointees run the country, we’d be infinitely better off than with four more years of Trump. I take the polls which show Biden as our best option very seriously (though I still support Sanders, who is only slightly behind him in that regard). But at this rate, I would be unpleasantly surprised if the polls are still showing that when the time for actual voting comes around. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/615 "2019-08-09T21:29:38Z")
To be clear, I think the “white kids” thing was a slip of the tongue and not a sign that Biden secretly holds racist views. I don’t think he actually believes Margaret Thatcher is still the PM of the UK, either. But it looks really bad when a 78 year old man is making slips like this on a regular basis. It makes it very hard not to worry about what he’s going to be like when he’s 83. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/616 "2019-08-09T21:51:13Z")
Bernie Sanders made a similar unfortunate worded comment in 2016 but most people understood what he meant in the context of the discussion. > [@](#): > > “When you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto. You don’t know what it’s like to be poor. You don’t know what it’s like to be hassled when you walk down the street or you get dragged out of a car,” Sanders said. The problem for Joe Biden is his tendency to stumble provides Donald Trump and his campaign a shelter from being taken to task thoroughly since Democrats have to reckon with the prospect of having to defend their candidate. To an extent Hillary Clinton had this problem because she had Bill’s misdeeds projected onto her. For me the prospect that fears Trump the most is somebody new, short (therefore clean) record, and charismatic to energise the democratic base. But among rank and file democratic voters there is a fear that is propelling them to lean towards a candidate who can talk to Middle America. The goal is to reach 270 electoral votes after all. Increasing turnout is great but it’s no good if it’s because of New York and California. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/617 "2019-08-09T22:41:16Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Biden has done the impossible: He is strong in the African-American community and he is strong with democrats with racist views: > > [https://twitter.com/A\_agadjanian/status/1159833366423670785?s=20](https://twitter.com/A_agadjanian/status/1159833366423670785?s=20) > > What’s also interesting is that he and Sanders score high with Dems who have strong feelings of hostile sexism. This would actually be a strong kind of “triple threat” resume if he weren’t so old and feeble. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/618 "2019-08-09T22:48:57Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > To be clear, I think the “white kids” thing was a slip of the tongue and not a sign that Biden secretly holds racist views. I don’t think he actually believes Margaret Thatcher is still the PM of the UK, either. But it looks really bad when a 78 year old man is making slips like this on a regular basis. It makes it very hard not to worry about what he’s going to be like when he’s 83. I suppose it does though it is a little weird that he’s been called a gaffe machine for 40 years but now it’s a sign of senility. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/619 "2019-08-09T23:04:56Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > …I’d rather be more confident in Trump’s departure and live with an occasional embarrassment than have a more polished candidate that loses. > > That puts me in good company. T **he task isn’t to convince us that Biden doesn’t have it. The task is to convince us that someone else does and maybe better.** We don’t want to nominate someone who risks losing more. ^ Very much this. (my emphasis) This is not the time to be lost in dreams of perfection. This is the time to keep an eye on the polls and remember every moment that **seeing Trump lose is more important than anything, _anything_ else on our wish lists.** ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042/620 "2019-08-09T23:27:30Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > ^ Very much this. (my emphasis) This is not the time to be lost in dreams of perfection. This is the time to keep an eye on the polls and remember every moment that **seeing Trump lose is more important than anything, _anything_ else on our wish lists.** I think that’s part of the criticism of him from his left. He’ll be elected, _then what?_ Because while a return to normalcy appeals to a lot of the electorate, the question is does normalcy return the moment Biden is sworn in? Just removing Trump is the goal and not necessarily about progressive policy when the Republicans are very happy moving further and further extreme in their policy. It’s a question his critics from the left want to know because they don’t buy the electability argument. And I guess part of the reason is having gone from the first Black man to be on the top of the ticket (and elected), and the first woman to be on the top of the ticket, having an old white man is not a return to normalcy pre-Trump. It is normalcy pre-Obama. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-bidens-in/833042.md?page=32)