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Biden not apologizing for remarks on segregationist senators
[APNEWS] Joe Foreign Policy Whiz KidBiden ...Failed seeker of the Democratic presidential nomination on multiple occasions, vice president under Barack Obama, giving it a last try in his dotage for 2020... refused calls to apologize Wednesday for saying that the Senate "got things done" with "civility" even when the body included segregationists with whom he disagreed. His rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination, including the two major black candidates in the contest, roundly criticized Biden’s comments. But Biden didn’t back down and was particularly defiant in the face of criticism from New Jersey Sen. Cory SpartacusBooker  U.S. Senator-for-Life from Noo Joisey, formerly the mayor of Newark. Booker is a candidate for president in 2020, running on a platform of Make America Newark. He once wrote an essay on how to grope babes. He is noted for having an imaginary friend named T-Bone... , who said the former vice president should apologize for his remarks. Biden countered that it was Booker who should apologize because the senator "should know better" than to question his commitment to civil rights. "There’s not a racist bone in my body," Biden said. "I’ve been involved in civil rights my whole career." Speaking on CNN, Booker responded: "I was raised to speak truth to power and that I shall never apologize for doing that. And Vice President Biden shouldn’t need this lesson." The firestorm is quickly becoming one of the most intense disputes of the Democratic presidential primary, underscoring the hazards for Biden as he tries to turn his decades of Washington experience into an advantage. Instead, he’s infuriating Democrats who say he’s out of step with the diverse party of the 21st century and potentially undermining his argument that he’s the most electable candidate in the race. The controversy began at a New York fundraiser Tuesday when Biden pointed to long-dead segregationist senators James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia to argue that Washington functioned more smoothly a generation ago than under today’s "broken" hyperpartisanship. "We didn’t agree on much of anything," Biden said of the two men, who were prominent senators when Biden was elected in 1972. Biden described Talmadge as "one of the meanest guys I ever knew" and said Eastland called him "son," though not "boy," a reference to the racist way many whites addressed black men at the time. Yet even in that Senate, Biden said, "At least there was some civility. We got things done." A pile on from Biden’s rivals quickly ensued. Booker said he was disappointed by Biden’s remarks. "I have to tell Vice President Biden, as someone I respect, that he is wrong for using his relationships with Eastland and Talmadge as examples of how to bring our country together," said Booker, who is African American. Posted by: Fred 2019-06-20 |
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