There's more to this than just an inane comment.
quote:
Biden Apologizes For Telling Radio Host 'You Ain't Black' If You Are Considering Voting For Trump
Brittany Shepherd, Yahoo News, 5/22/2020
Former Vice President Joe Biden apologized for remarks he made Friday morning insinuating that a black radio host "ain't black" if he had questions about voting for him. "I shouldn't have been such a wise guy," Biden said on a Friday afternoon call with Black buisness leaders. "I shouldn't have been so cavalier...No one should have to vote for any party based on their race, their religion, their background."
During an interview hours earlier, Biden suggested that African-American radio personality Charlamagne Tha God "ain't black" if he was questioning whether he should support the presumptive Democratic nominee over President Trump in the general election. After an aide interrupted the interview to say that the former vice president was running short on time, the host asked that Biden pay the studio a visit the next time he's in New York.
"It's a long way until November," he said. "We've got more questions."
"You've got more questions?" Biden replied. "Well, I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black."
Charlemagne said that asking challenging questions of the Democratic candidate has nothing to do with supporting Trump. "It don't have nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with the fact that I want something for my community."
Biden emphatically interrupted, telling Charlemagne to "take a look at my record, man...I have a record that is second to none," and promised that he'd join the talk show in person.
Shortly after the interview aired, #youaintblack and #JoeBidenisaracist began trending on Twitter. Trump campaign senior advisor Karina Pierson said in a statement that Biden's remarks make clear "that Joe Biden believes Black men and women are incapable of being independent or free thinking."
Symone Sanders, a Biden senior campaign advisor, wrote on Twitter following the backlash Friday morning that Biden's comments were made in "jest". "Let's be clear about what the VP is saying: He was making the distinction that he would put his record with the African American community up against Trump's any day. Period," wrote Sanders.
The remark came at the end of a wide-ranging interview about black America on "The Breakfast Club," a program popular for its candid and often contentious interviews with celebrities and politicians alike. Several Democratic candidates stopped by during the primary cycle to make their pitch, including an infamous appearance by Sen. Kamala Harris, who was mocked for an answer she gave regarding music and marijuana.
Biden has already said he wants to pick a woman as his running mate, and the campaign has been pressured for months to select a black woman, pointing to the African-American community's overwhelming support of the former vice president during the primary process, helping to push him to frontrunner status. Several prominent black female politicians, including Harris and Stacey Abrams, have received notable publicity.
Recent news that Sen Amy Klobuchar was also being vetted for vice president sounded alarms in the black community, especially considering the heavy criticism of her record prosecuting African-Americans in Minnesota.
During the interview with Charlemagne, Biden would not acknowledge any specific people on the vice presidential shortlist, but said that "multiple black women" are being considered.
Some compression for space. Original text at
http://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-...trump-154645383.htmlNow, if you want to go after Biden for that comment, I won't argue with you. But what fascinates the hell out of me is the chess game involved. The radio host was obviously pressing Biden to make a commitment to a black running mate while on his show. Biden argued that with his record, he can be trusted - and implied he can be trusted to pick a black woman. The radio host wanted to oilcheck him (now or later) and asked him to come on the show again before the election. Biden got frustrated that the radio host wouldn't let him weasel out of the question.
Usually Veep candidates are chosen to appeal to a part of the country where the Pres candidate doesn't feel particularly strong. If Biden picks a black woman, he's almost certainly going to pick one from some urban area that's already a stronghold for the black vote - which Biden is counting on getting. Perhaps even more interestingly, black voters may not be willing to simply trust Uncah Joe; if he's got to keep going back to the black community to reassure them that they're always the first thing on his mind, that's going to interfere with his spending time elsewhere and making promises that might conflict with something black Dems want.
As the comments about Harris and Klobuchar show, it'll also cut into the pool of women from which Biden can choose a running mate. One could argue that's no big thing since it's hardly unusual for a Presidential candidate to get handed a Veep candidate by the party or factions within the party. But Biden's got three other very, very pressing concerns. First, his running mate has to help him get elected (as in, consistently say and do the right thing, never say or do the wrong thing) in an election where the standing consensus is that the winds are against him. Second, his running mate has to be electable in his/her/its own right both so he gets the Veep he chooses and so that the Dem ticket doesn't get dragged down. Third, he's got to pick someone who can actually do the job in case he gets sick or old age catches up with him.
It's fun to jump a politician's case for gaffes. But I think this says more about the tensions underlying the Dems' efforts to beat Trump than anything else.