With or without a pause, Biden called Obama “articulate.” That’s a clueless thing for a supposedly aware politician to call a black American.
Unless your claim is that the pause was so great he was no longer even talking about Obama, the pause doesn’t actually change anything for me.
You don’t see any difference between calling someone, “the first articulate African-American”, and calling someone “The first African-American [candidate]” and going on to say that this person is articulate?
With the first interpretation, the implication is that there aren’t any other black people who are articulate. The second interpretation does not make this implication.
If you don’t get the difference, I just don’t know what to say.
If you take issue with his statement for other reasons, that’s a different matter. Let’s first clear up the incorrect assertion that he meant there aren’t any other articulate black people, or that it’s unusual for black people to be articulate. It seems obvious that wasn’t his meaning.
If that is cleared up, we can address your assertion that it’s not PC to call a black person “articulate”. Seems like an odd position - why do you feel this way? Do you think black people can’t be articulate?
It’s not an odd position at all. It’s well-known that the term has uncomfortable connotations. Just read this., and don’t waste your time with silly implications that jsgoddess is racist for knowing that “articulate” is considered at best condescending and at worst offensive.
Sure, but I never considered, ever, that he was suggesting Obama is “the first articulate African-American.” So your two choices don’t make any sense to me.
The bad news it that the stain of racism is not entirely gone. The good news is that this sort of clumsiness is what concerns us as “racism”.
I simply think that racism exists in a very wide spectrum of beliefs and behaviors, from absolute evil to eyerolling clumsiness.
Would I vote against Biden for saying Obama was “articulate”? Probably not. But would I vote against someone with foot-in-mouthitis after suffering through 2 terms of Bush? Yes. I want a president who thinks before talking. Bah.
Well, he’s gone from dark horse to dead duck. You can rest easy.
Try following the thread next time.
Try following the damned conversation we’re having.
Biden was obviously to me referring to AA candidates, not AA people as a whole.
You gave two possible interpretations of what he said and neither one was an interpretation that I hold. I do not believe that he said Obama was:
and I do not believe that he said Obama was:
It’s like you’re asking me if I can tell the difference between him saying “Oogies smook ficknelburger!” and “Ookie shoooo wiffelheimer!” Sure, there’s a difference, but neither one, to me, is what he said.
Now, it’s your claim, apparently, that he said one of these two things, and that a pause turns it from one to the other. My claim is that he said neither of these two things, and the pause is irrelevant.
Well I don’t know how “well known” that is, but I understand the point that is being made. Again, though, the difference in interpretation changes the remark from being simply somewhat clumsly to being overtly racist. At most, it was the former, certainly not the latter.
And unfortunely, the article you linked to still presented the quote without the pause and the intervening word from the other person, thus preserving the incorrect interpretation.
You don’t see any difference between a person who perhaps didn’t express himself as well as he could, and a person who made a blatantly racist statement?
Wouldn’t he have had to at least double his support to rise to the level of dark horse?
Geez - you’re just thick as molasses.
Excuse me, but was my first post directed to you? No, it was not
YOU replied to MY post, which was not in any way, shape, or form a comment on what YOU think.
I was commenting on the opinions that other people hold. Do you always interpret everything as being about you personally?
Wow - could you be more obtuse? My contention is that he did NOT intend to say that Obama is the first articulate African-American, but that the out-of-context quote is leading some people to believe that he did.
This is not rocket science.
I could, by continuing to attempt to have a conversation with you.
But I won’t. Bye.
“Dark” horse?
How long have you been a bigot?
-Joe
Yeah, he wasn’t going to get any traction anyway, but wouldn’t it be great to have a primary where all of the candidates were people you wouldn’t mind seeing in office, and none of them had a history of dumbassitude?
And then you’d go vote and they’d give you a pony and a million dollars? Wouldn’t that be great?
Thank God.
Good thing Biden isn’t a non-candidate—like, say, John Kerry—or they’d really be hauling out the big guns.
Annnnnnd now I notice that very thing has already been mentioned several times.
I really need to hire someone to read threads for me before I post.
I turned 84 last December and I suppose you can lop off the first couple of years. 
And you are completely out of line in Great Debates.
Do not make personal insults in this Forum.
[ /Moderating ]