home

Joe Biden Starts His Comeback Tour

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, has resumed his campaign appearances. Today he made a speech in Philadelphia on the crisis facing America and Donald Trump's unacceptable and inadequate response.

“Donald Trump has turned this country into a battlefield riven by old resentments and fresh fears,” Mr. Biden said, speaking against a backdrop of American flags at Philadelphia’s City Hall. “Is this who we want to be? Is this what we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren? Fear, anger, finger pointing, rather than the pursuit of happiness? Incompetence and anxiety, self-absorption, selfishness?”

The country, Mr. Biden said, is “crying out for leadership.”

Indeed we are. But the country is also crying out for an end to police brutality, for equal justice and for the implementation of change now (not in January, 2021 or during the next four years of the next president's administration) that provides persons of color and the impovrished with equal economic opportunities.

I have my doubts that the man who spent 30 years in Congress passing some of the most draconian and oppressive criminal justice legislation of the century, which to this day results in arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement against minorities, is the right one to lead us out of the cess-pool Donald Trump has dumped us in.

I think Democrats need an angel to step in. Joe Biden's legislative record on crime alone warrants him giving serious consideration to withdrawing from the race. Why should we have to choose between bad and worst?

< Ozarks Pool Party-Goer Contracts COVID-19 | Floyd: Charges Expanded, Obama to Speak >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Jeralyn: "I think Democrats need an angel to step in. Joe Biden's legislative record on crime alone warrants him giving serious consideration to withdrawing from the race. Why should we have to choose between bad and worst?"

    ... toward Joe Biden, and not without good reason, I would also note that the majority of Democrats voted for him to be our nominee. It's a done deal. There are no white knights in politics, and you're wasting your time wishing for one.

    And given what we're presently witnessing in our country, while speaking for myself only, I really don't think it's helpful at all right now for you to continue bashing our party's candidate like this over legislation that was passed over a quarter-century ago with substantial popular support. for sure, hindsight's always 20/20, and there are certainly a lot of people who now regret having supported the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

    But any lingering resentment one may have over that error is no reason to continue talking down and dissing our party's presumptive nominee in such a way that could drive down the vote at the very time we need to maximize our turnout. Do you really think we're going to get a better deal from the Mar-A-Lago Mussolini and his malevolent band of No. 2-for-brains GOP bootlickers?

    The former status quo is kaput. We're not going to return to it. We're way past that stage. Even Joe Biden has admitted this. So, please give the guy a chance, and since you're in Denver, please also work hard to ensure that Colorado sends the sort of senators and representatives to Congress in January who will enact the sort of reforms we all wish to see.

    Aloha.

    Today is the Pennsylvania Primary (none / 0) (#4)
    by Peter G on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:14:41 PM EST
    I voted by mail, writing in Elizabeth Warren, and for all but one of Biden's delegates to the Convention, plus one of Sanders'. I have done my duty for intellectual integrity. Now I can swallow hard and support Biden the rest of the way.

    Parent
    Reading you and J here (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by MKS on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:44:06 PM EST
    has taught me you, and apparently many of the criminal defense bar, are very principled on issues regarding the constitution and politics.

    I can say the civil bar, by and large, is more about manipulating the rules to win, not upholding the rules to support the principles of the legal system.  

    Parent

    Not all of my colleagues, safe to say (none / 0) (#16)
    by Peter G on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 06:55:27 PM EST
    but a pleasantly large number of us, yes.

    Parent
    Did you see him in Philly (none / 0) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:27:22 PM EST
    This morning?  He was good. On another thread Dan said this

    While not among (none / 0) (#29)
    by KeysDan on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 11:57:42 AM EST
    my top choices in the primary, I have come to the conclusion that Biden Is the right candidate for these very troubling times.  His speeches deserve wider media coverage

    I agree.  He is the nominee.  We all need to get over it and push pull or stay out of the way.

    IMO

    Parent

    Kamala as vp (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by jondee on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:36:53 PM EST
    is looking better all the time.

    Again, not perfect, but better and better.

    Parent

    I would rather see Kamala (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Chuck0 on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 04:22:39 PM EST
    as Attorney General. I think she would be the pitbull we need to incarcerate the entire mafioso in the White House,

    Parent
    We don't have to agree on everything. (none / 0) (#8)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:41:55 PM EST
    I was thinking the exact same thing about Abrams.

    To be clear I don't really expect that choice.  It would be a bold choice.  Whatever else Biden is probably not bold so my logical mind says not likely.

    But the part of my mind that turns on the Wheel of Ka thinks it was always going to be her.

    Parent

    Nope. Not in person. (none / 0) (#10)
    by Peter G on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:55:44 PM EST
    Writing a brief all day (and yesterday) with hours still to go.
      I didn't even get out the half mile from my house to join the 400-500 suburbanites doing a Black Lives Matter solidarity march down U.S. Route 30 through our township. I am told that when they arrived at the police station, which was the end of their route, a number of officers came outside and took a knee to demonstrate agreement and recognition that the conduct of their "brothers" in Minneapolis was indefensible and intolerable.

    Parent
    That is one of the best (none / 0) (#14)
    by MKS on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 06:10:33 PM EST
    things I've heard in a while.

    Parent
    I have now seen the photos and gotten more (none / 0) (#15)
    by Peter G on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 06:54:44 PM EST
    reports. They kneeled in silence for eight minutes, including our Superintendent of Police. We are the first town to the west of West Philadelphia, where residents trying to clean up after a spate of looting -- including my daughter and her fiancee -- were teargassed by either state or city police (not yet clear which) the evening before last. And teargas was used last night on a large group of peaceful protesters who were blocking the interstate that crosses the city.

    Parent
    It's going around (none / 0) (#20)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 08:05:59 PM EST
    Vine Street Expressway? (none / 0) (#22)
    by jmacWA on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 05:02:13 AM EST
    I just happened to switch to one of the Philly channels and they were showing a peaceful demonstration along the Vine Street Expressway; they cut away to change to the 5:00pm team, and when they came back the were showing the teargas.  Couldn't have been away for more than 5 minutes and things went sour.

    Parent
    1994 was a long time ago (none / 0) (#7)
    by MKS on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 03:40:41 PM EST
    And it was a different time.

    And many Democrats were trying to be "tough on crime."  It wasn't just Joe Biden.

    In 1988, Poppy Bush had defeated Dukakis via the Willie Horton ad (soft on criminals) and ridiculing him and his ACLU card.

    So, the Dems learned their lesson, or so they thought.  Bill Clinton executed Ricky Ray Rector in 1992, as Governor of Arkansas running for President, even though he was mentally retarded.

     

    Parent

    New York bail reform (none / 0) (#31)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 01:21:17 PM EST
    Why should we have to choose between bad and worst (none / 0) (#26)
    by john horse on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 09:14:36 AM EST
    I believe it was Chomsky who once said that there might not be much difference between the two mainstream parties but when you multiply this difference by the power of United States government, that difference is significant.  

    I agree with Jeralyn that Biden has a terrible record on crime.  I held him and hold him accountable for his record, which is one of the reasons that I voted for Sanders.  But I will still vote for Biden  because as Jeralyn also acknowledges, between the two, Trump is by far the worst.  They are both flawed but multiplied by the power of the United States government, the difference is significant.  Its time to start draining the sewer.

    Parent

    First (none / 0) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 09:40:37 AM EST
    Anyone who suggests there is no difference between the parties is a idiot.  

    Second if you read comments here you would know no one here is happy Biden.

    Neither is really the point here.

    Parent

    What Do I Know (none / 0) (#30)
    by john horse on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 12:01:52 PM EST
    Re: Anyone who suggests there is no difference between the parties is a idiot.

    You are so right.
    I don't know much.

    I know the man with the tremulous nose.
    I know the dong with the luminous nose.
    I know a nose
    is a nose
    is a nose
    is a nose
    and a nose by any other name
    would still smell the same

    I don't know much
    and you may know more than me
    but then again
    what do I know

    Parent

    I had said never Biden, but (5.00 / 4) (#12)
    by Towanda on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 05:48:19 PM EST
    for heaven's sake, stop it.

    Let's not act like Susan Sarandons and Michael Moores and other d@mn fools in 2016 who put us in this h*ll today.

    It's Biden or Trump.

    Seriously, stop it.

    The country is burning (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 06:07:15 PM EST
    We don't have any luxuries. Biden was above Bernie in my picks and Bernie was dead last. I am not excited in the least about Biden but our down ticket here in Ga is phenomenal and that is what I am focusing on. Getting rid of insider trading Barbie and chicken man Perdue is where my focus is and what motivates me.

    Parent
    Biden won't stop (none / 0) (#17)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 07:48:14 PM EST
    the burning.

    BOP was on national lockdown today, all 136,000 prisoners. There are hundreds of petitions every day to courts to let non-violent inmates go to home confinement, furlough or end their sentences early. Michael Cohen is home, never having to go back to jail. Paul Manafort was released to home confinement.
    . Even Michael Avenatti, convicted of the Nike fraud and waiting for trial on the Stormy Daniels case in NY and California fraud charges, got released on bond and allowed to sit out the pandemic at a friend's house in Newport Beach.

    I do not believe that Joe Biden or Kamala Harris would do any more than Donald Trump to intervene with BOP to similarly release the rank and file inmates with no funds for expensive lawyers early.

    I will stop arguing against Biden when he is officially the nominee. Until then, I'm going to home that he decides to withdraw.

    And it's not just 1994 -- he was like that the whole 30 years he was in the Senate. And let's not forget his years long fight against court-ordered busing in schools. Here's more with quotes.

    He was against Roe v. Wade and abortion for many years while in the Senate. And then there's Anita Hill. The list goes on and on -- well beyond the criminal justice issues I care about.

       ... a Supreme Court and decades of federal legislation shaped in part by Joe Biden and his party have managed to reverse many of the achievements of the 20th century's most transformative social movements: the very achievements that had provoked the kind of backlash that politicians like Joe Biden were put in place to quell.

    He's also too old.

    Parent

    Here's the link (none / 0) (#18)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 07:50:07 PM EST
    to the quote in my comment above: Joe Biden Isn't the Answer (New York Magazine, 2019)

    We really do deserve better.

    Parent

    42 years in politics. So far. (none / 0) (#19)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 07:57:15 PM EST
    Pretty sure we know which way his wind blows...

    Parent
    I have bad news (none / 0) (#21)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 08:12:15 PM EST
    He won't withdraw.

    He might die.  Probably have more luck hoping for that.

    Parent

    Bet he picks the Atlanta mayor for VP (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 07:59:35 AM EST
    She is the one standout mayor dealing with the riots.

    The way I see it (5.00 / 5) (#28)
    by CST on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 10:11:57 AM EST
    It's not that I'm voting for Joe Biden as much as I'm voting for a Democratic administrative branch.  I'm voting to replace Bill Barr, Pompeo, Kushner, Trump, etc...

    It's not just about one man.

    Although goodness knows that one man (Trump) would be enough of a reason.

    I think that is the best take on Biden. (5.00 / 4) (#29)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 10:32:17 AM EST
    I agree it's not about the one man. It is all about replacing a cadre of capos with actual administrators.


    Parent
    Yes (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by MO Blue on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 05:30:54 PM EST
    The very best way to look at voting for Biden. Living in a red state, I doubt my vote will make a difference but I will reluctantly vote for him and enthusiastically vote to oust the current corrupt administration.

    Parent
    Not just the Lincoln Project (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 06, 2020 at 07:06:59 PM EST
    NYTimes

    But, far sooner than they expected, growing numbers of prominent Republicans are debating how far to go in revealing that they won't back his re-election -- or might even vote for Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee. They're feeling a fresh urgency because of Mr. Trump's incendiary response to the protests of police brutality, atop his mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose private discussions.

    Former President George W. Bush won't support the re-election of Mr. Trump, and Jeb Bush isn't sure how he'll vote, say people familiar with their thinking. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah won't back Mr. Trump and is deliberating whether to again write in his wife, Ann, or cast another ballot this November. And Cindy McCain, the widow of Senator John McCain, is almost certain to support Mr. Biden but is unsure how public to be about it because one of her sons is eying a run for office.

    None of them voted for Mr. Trump in 2016, but the reproach of big Republican names carries a different weight when an incumbent president and his shared agenda with Senate leaders are on the line.

    Former Republican leaders like the former Speakers Paul D. Ryan and John A. Boehner won't say how they will vote, and some Republicans who are already disinclined to support Mr. Trump are weighing whether to go beyond backing a third-party contender to openly endorse Mr. Biden. Retired military leaders, who have guarded their private political views, are increasingly voicing their unease about the president's leadership but are unsure whether to embrace his opponent.



    When (none / 0) (#38)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Jun 08, 2020 at 07:53:38 PM EST
    someone like David Perdue breaks with Trump publicly will I take any of this seriously. Like the article says most of them didn't back Trump in 2016.

    Parent
    You know (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 01:54:58 PM EST
    Angels don't actually exist, right?

    Unless we are talking about (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 02, 2020 at 02:06:20 PM EST
    St Michael which might be as good a plan as waiting for a savior from the current Democratic Party.  Now I think about it.

    St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil......... cast into hell [fill in the blank, and his family and donors] who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.



    Parent
    WaPo (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 08:32:52 AM EST

     "The turmoil across the country, punctuated this week with authorities' use of force against peaceful protesters near the White House, has caused a rethinking for a candidate who once promised donors that under his administration `nothing would fundamentally change' and who, just 11 weeks ago during his final primary debate, offered himself as a pragmatist, unlike his socialist rival Bernie Sanders, declaring: `People are looking for results, not a revolution.'"

    "Now, in virtual town hall meetings, media interviews, his own podcast and in a rare formal address Tuesday, Biden has pointed toward a transformational era in which government would play a bigger role in curing the country's public health, economic and racial woes. Far from the incremental administration he promised on the primary campaign trail, Biden now offers Franklin Delano Roosevelt, architect of the post-Great Depression New Deal, as a role model for tackling the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 100,000 Americans and put millions out of work as well as the enduring effects of systemic racism being challenged by a newly energized protest movement."

    LINK

    PBS (none / 0) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Jun 03, 2020 at 09:07:25 AM EST
    Biden moves closer to formally winning Democratic nomination

    Joe Biden is on the cusp of formally securing the Democratic presidential nomination after winning hundreds more delegates in primary contests Tuesday that tested the nation's ability to run elections while balancing a pandemic and sweeping social unrest.

    Biden could lock down the nomination within the next week as West Virginia and Georgia hold primaries.



    Top ten (none / 0) (#33)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Jun 04, 2020 at 08:17:53 AM EST

    Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball says Joe Biden should not be in a rush to name his vice presidential pick. Circumstances may change his list of contenders -- and probably already have.

    Here are their rankings:

    Sen. Kamala Harris
    Rep. Val Demings
    Sen. Tammy Duckworth
    Sen. Elizabeth Warren
    Sen. Tammy Baldwin
    Gov. Gina Raimondo
    Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
    Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
    Sen. Maggie Hassan
    Stacy Abrams

    I don't necessarily agree with the order but I can't argue with the possibilities

    What do you think about Susan Rice? (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by Chuck0 on Thu Jun 04, 2020 at 08:20:20 AM EST
    There was an article touting her in The Atlantic recently.

    Parent
    spin machine (none / 0) (#35)
    by thomas rogan on Fri Jun 05, 2020 at 08:20:27 PM EST
    To not have Amy Klobuchar even on the top ten although she is the candidate who could doubly sew up the Trump Democrats votes is a puzzle and is probably meant to create momentum against her.  Black Lives Matter people won't vote for Trump no matter what.  Other people still have some sympathy for the police, although it is dangerous to publicly express it nowadays.  
    And how does Kamala Harris stay on these lists when she had her issues as a prosecutor?  

    Parent
    Biden is officially the nominee (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Jun 06, 2020 at 06:52:13 AM EST
    Biden clinches Democratic presidential nomination
    According to The Associated Press, Joe Biden has won a majority of pledged delegates to the August national party convention.

    Former Vice President Joe Biden has clinched a majority of delegates to the Democratic convention, locking up the party's presidential nomination, according to The Associated Press.

    The AP now projects that Biden has won 1,993 delegates to the national convention, just over the magic number of 1,991 required to secure the nomination on the first ballot.