Biden Shoots Himself in the Foot Again with Racially Charged 'Gangbanger' Comment
If former Vice President Joe Biden thought his party would hand him the Democratic nomination on a silver platter, he should consider rethinking.
To say the man has had a rough couple of days would be an understatement at this point and his opponents — who still trail him in the polls at this point — probably smell blood in the water.
After a disastrous Thursday night Democratic primary debate performance, Biden spent part of Friday in damage control mode. But even that was an apparent failure as prominent New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker found something disturbing about a certain description Biden used for black teenagers.
While doing his best to make up for being shredded during the debate by Sen. Kamala Harris over about remarks he’d made about past dealings with segregationist Democrats, Biden spoke at a Rainbow PUSH Coalition conference in Chicago, hosted by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
During his remarks, he spoke of the “kid wearing a hoodie” — and that didn’t sit well with Booker.
“That kid wearing a hoodie may very well be the next poet laureate and not a gangbanger,” Biden said during the conference.
In a Twitter post, Booker pounced, calling Biden out for the “language” he chose to use.
“This isn’t about a hoodie. It’s about a culture that sees a problem with a kid wearing a hoodie in the first place,” Booker wrote. “Our nominee needs to have the language to talk about race in a far more constructive way.”
This isn’t about a hoodie. It’s about a culture that sees a problem with a kid wearing a hoodie in the first place. Our nominee needs to have the language to talk about race in a far more constructive way. https://t.co/c2BFSSOHro
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 28, 2019
Perhaps Biden should have considered taking Friday off in an effort to gather himself after his dismal debate performance.
On social media, Biden did have supporters, but some of the criticisms were scathing.
I’m saying only a fool of a politician would use the term “gangbanger” in regards to a [Black?] kid in a hoodie when they’re already under scrutiny for touting their past cooperation with staunch segregationist on an anti-busing effort. There’s no way Joe’s handlers advised that.
— Sunn m’Cheaux (@sunnmcheaux) June 29, 2019
“Biden we gotta do some damage control today.”
“Alright I got this.” *Says “gangbanger” in 2019.*— Howlin’ Fantods (@HowlinFantods) June 28, 2019
The latest blow taken by the Democratic front-runner comes on the heels of a vicious and highly effective attack initiated by Harris on Thursday night. Biden and Harris clashed over a school desegregation issue. Biden eventually gave up by resorting to following the debate rules that govern how much time a candidate has to respond.
“My time’s up, I’m sorry,” Biden said, abruptly and voluntarily cutting himself off while he was in the middle of defending against Harris’ onslaught.
Analysts and social media experts pointed out the unintended symbolism in his surrender, which was more than bad timing for the 76-year-old politician who already faces challenges due to his age and because he’s seen as a member of the old guard.
Another embarrassing moment for the former vice president happened while he tried defending his gun control voting record during what he called the “Obama-Biden administration.”
“I’m also the only guy that got assault weapons banned, and the number of clips in a gun banned.” Of course, most guns don’t accept “clips,” let alone a number of them — a comment that received plenty of attention from gun owners on social media.
If that wasn’t bad enough, on Friday, a top fundraiser for Biden — one who in 2008 also helped then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama win the presidential election — publicly announced a previous decision that he would no longer be raising money for the candidate.
According to CNBC, the San Francisco-based fundraiser Tom McInerney delivered more bad news after pulling his support.
“I would imagine I’m not alone,” he said, implying that other donors may be planning on jumping ship, which could lead to a domino effect that would financially devastate Biden’s campaign war chest.
And that serious hit could be even worse considering that Biden hasn’t even landed the golden endorsement from his old boss and party favorite, former President Obama.
Biden might have strutted into this campaign season with a puffed chest, but after the last 48 hours or so, he’s not exactly inspiring confidence from his supporters, let alone the Democratic party activists.
If Booker and other opponents continue to effectively attack Biden, especially on the issue of race at a time when the party is laser-focused on “diversity,” he very well could be forced to hang up his political hat sooner than later.
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