Biden's Comment Meant to COMPLIMENT Obama; ENOUGH ALREADY

[The Cleaner]

The two words mistakenly omitted by Biden was "Presidential candidate." That would have changed the equation.

"Obama is the first African-American PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE who..."

CLEARLY Biden meant no ill will or racism. He was COMPLIMENTING Obama and commenting on the historic nature of Obama's Presidential run (even though as some DU'ers have pointed out we've had some other black Presidential candidates in the past). Is that so damn wrong?

Sorry, but this burns me up. First it was Kerry being unfairly and unjustly picked apart, now it's Biden. Are we going to pick apart every single solitary word that comes out of a Dem's mouth now?

This is too damn much - it's too much.

:eyes:

EDITED to change "GET OVER IT" (sorry 'bout that) and include DUer comments that Obama is not the first black Presidential candidate.

But still the question remains, should we Dems be so quick to judge, scrutinizing the every word of our fellow Dems, bashing them so quickly and aggressively?

i call for greater rationality.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

1. You Are 100% Correct. But If The Bogus 'Edward's House' Threads Last Week Were Any Indication, This

will be around for a bit.

[LTR]

2. First black presidential candidate?

Jesse Jackson, Carol Mosely Braun, Al Sharpton and Alan Keyes may beg to differ.

And I'm sure I'm leaving out a few.

[redqueen]

5. I would love to snark here, but it's probably not the best time...

:hi:

[Beaverhausen]

7. all those candidates had some "baggage" in their past

so far Obama is in fact "clean."

[BurtWorm]

20. Shirley Chisolm had baggage in her past?

:o

[Beaverhausen]

26. Ms. Chisolm wasn't listed in the post I was responding to

Yes, I doubt she had any baggage. She ran in the 70s, right? Not exactly recent history.

I believe he was trying to compliment Obama and it just came out wrong. Kind of like the Kerry joke.

[BurtWorm]

33. I believe he was trying to compliment Obama

and he wound up insulting a lot more people at the same time because of carelessness about what he was saying. Perhaps the same could be said of Kerry's remark, but Kerry was pretty clearly aiming his barb at Bush, not at the service men and women in Iraq. Here, it's not clear what Biden was getting at if he wasn't intending to slash sideways at Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, for two. But what do Jackson and Sharpton have to do with Obama except for their all having Africans in their ancestry? I mean, this isn't an easy gaffe to step out of, as far as I can tell.

[LTR]

31. Ahhh... that's the one!

I kinda thought she ran for president, but wasn't sure.

Definitely no baggage there.

[Katherine Brengle]

46. He's not so much baggage-less as he is extremely up-front and honest

about the baggage he DOES have.

I think that is one thing that separates him from his competition - ALL of his competition, on both sides of the aisle.

He is so seemingly straightforward, so NOT secretive... it almost seems too good to be true, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[redqueen]

3. Maybe it's best to wait until you're calm to start threads.

Surely making another about this topic doesn't help anyone to "get over it"... ?

[Catherine Vincent]

4. Well, it's clear that Biden isn't articulate when he speaks.

:)

[CTyankee]

9. Since his aneurism, he seems to "over articulate."

Altho this doesn't seem to be that much of a deal, IMHO. I realy don't think Biden has much of a chance, anyhow.

[Catherine Vincent]

28. He had an aneurism?

Well, then he is excused for what he said.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

36. He had a brain aneurysm in 1988

It wasn't too many months after he dropped out of the presidential race.

[LTR]

32. He's used to reading other people's words (nt)

[Guaranteed]

53. BAM.

LOL very nice.

Actually, I really don't want to pile on the guy. I feel sorry for him. He's not doing this on purpose.

[quickesst]

6. Some DUers....

look for racists under their beds at night. It's ok to have a cause you believe in, but I draw the line when someone has to make one up. Pathetic. Thanks.
quickesst

[me b zola]

24. Coultergeist, is that you?

What is pathetic is not seeing the ignorance that Biden spewed for what it is.

[quickesst]

38. Gee, ,,,

opening a post with proof of your character. How nice. And it's bullshit. When people sit around and have to parse every single word someone says, debate as to their definition in context with the statement, and basically make a mountain out of a molehill, as has been happening in this case, you're looking way too hard for your next bad guy. As for your personal insult, if it somehow fills a need or a void, then you're welcome. Thanks.
quickesst

[me b zola]

42. The act of looking for the boogy man under the bed is associated with Coultergeist

...so why pointing this out brings you to assumptions about my charactor is as mind boggling as not understanding how offensive was Biden's statement.

As for "When people sit around and have to parse every single word someone says, debate as to their definition in context with the statement, and basically make a mountain out of a molehill, as has been happening in this case, you're looking way too hard for your next bad guy." it's not parsing to call out ignorance and racism for what it is. There has been a lot written today on this subject, and you have either not cared enough to read, or you have read and have chosen to not hear.

I don't know what your experiences have been with racism, but I have seen just how insidious it is, how it cuts like a knife, and how it infects our culture like a virus. So please, don't get high & mighty defending Joe's idiocy to me.

[fishwax]

51. they didn't have to *parse*

It was immediately apparent to plenty of people that it was offensive and why. It required no parsing.

[malaise]

8. Why is it a compliment?

If someone made that comment about me or mine I'd be insulted since we've had four generations of articulate men and women in our family.

[The Count]

10. Not unlike * who used the same patronizing language...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=93022&mesg_id=93022

As for "get over it" - is this how Biden's stooges are going to troll for support on the internets for him? Cuz...bad idea, dude. These ought to be the most obnoxious words in the English language - at least since December 15, 2000.

[Solly Mack]

11. You might want to check your history...

"...commenting on the historic nature of the first black Presidential candidate in U.S. history"

WRONG.

[bigtree]

12. yeah

but, he was so ignorant about it

kinda medieval, really

[trumad]

13. I would but he has a history of this shit

BTW: DUers really don't like the term "Get over it"... A little advice there.

[Sydnie]

14. Have you forgotten the Alito hearings? Not an isolated action

do these jog your memory at all?

[AlCzervik]

15. indians owning 7/11s, also a mistake?

[BurtWorm]

16. What you say he said certainly denigrates the others who ran for president

including Jesse Jackson (whom Biden ran against and got creamed by in the 1988 Democratic primaries), Shirley Chisolm and Carole Mosely-Braun (not to mention Alan Keyes).

[Bluerthanblue]

21. and

Al Sharpton- he spoke pretty articulately when I heard him.

[BurtWorm]

23. Forgot about Al.

But is he good-looking? ;)

[Dracos]

17. This campaign is getting nasty and ugly

real early if this bull shit keeps get ready for four more years of republican rule we are cutting of our noses to spite or faces.

[trumad]

19. LOL

It's always been like this here on DU---and we just took the house and the senate.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. the word "clean" used with the other

adjectives is what I personally find offensive.

And it wouldn't matter what the other descriptive words were- to imply that Obama is the first African American who was also 'clean'- (as though that is a rare combination) and 'good looking'- is really pretty rude and offensive.

But Biden, like all of us, is human, and every bit as vulnerable to saying something stupid every now and again. If he makes a habit of it, I couldn't even begin to consider voting for him (it would be too much like *-) but one instance? Rude and ill- thought out, but not criminal.

imo

[geek tragedy]

22. That was mighty white of him to say such nice things.

What? I was just complimenting him!

:sarcasm:

[BurtWorm]

25. "Get over it" is a great way to encourage Democrats to "get over it."

:patriot:

[doc03]

27. Just what the hell did he say I have looked at a half dozen

threads and haven't seen the actual quote yet?

[Bluerthanblue]

34. here-

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man."

[doc03]

37. I just don't see what the big uproar is about

it doesn't look to me like he intentionally tried to insult anybody. We all say things sometimes that don't come out the way we intended. I would say he "is" the first African American Presidential Candidate that has a serious chance of being elected. This is just as ridiculous as Kerry's joke, the Dean scream BS and the Hillary joke. I am no great fan of Biben, Kerry or Hillary but isn't the war Bush is going to start with Iran a little more important, the voters will use their own judgment on stupid comments made by the candidates.

[CTyankee]

39. Um, no. This is not good. You just don't say how nice it is that a black man is clean.

You just don't.

Dear god.

[trashcanistanista]

48. Biden is

1. a racist and
2. he tried to knock down a more popular Dem

This is a freeper tactic. Get out of the race, Biden, you don't belong.x(

[w13rd0]

29. Am I completely wrong...

...or wasn't JESSE JACKSON one of Biden's primary opponents the last time he threw his ring into the hat? And I recall that many in the media and the corptocracy were fairly concerned that Jesse actually had quite a bit of support then. Biden is a total asshat. This isn't just a matter of his comments about Obama, he's just slinging mud like mad.

[BurtWorm]

35. You're right. He was.

That's one of the first thoughts I had when I read this comment.

[Rosemary2205]

30. I wonder if Colbert ever got a new "black friend".

Biden is trying. He really is. He meant no harm. He still stuck his foot in a big pile of racist shit. He deserves the Trent Lott treatment -- another well meaning rich white man who should have known better.

[walldude]

40. Maybe we should get over all those "mistakes"

Rush, Coulter, Hannity, Savage, and the rest of them make. This was a fucking racist statement, you guys can "get over it" all you want. No matter which way you look at it, Biden either didn't really consider previous black candidates as real or is just too fucking stupid to realize he said something racist. Either way, not my candidate. Never was anyway.

[davsand]

41. Is it too much to expect that Biden will not stick his foot in his mouth?

What he said was clearly offensive--just take a look at the response generated here at a Dem friendly website. While I think his comments are not acceptable in ANY setting (Come ON--do you REALLY think it is ok to speak about anyone's ethnicity and then offer a comment about their cleanliness or speaking ability?) I am clearly put off by the fact that Biden announced less that 24 hours ago and he's managed to piss off a portion of his base.

Bigot or not, it is just not terribly savvy to pull such a needlessly bonehead stunt when you are running for the Presidency. (Hell, if I was managing a LOCAL candidate that pulled a stunt this stupid I'd be running for the door, let alone one running for the highest political office in the nation.)

Politics is about competition and survival of the fittest. Do you honestly think Biden is up for this kind of race if he can't even make it 24 hours without pissing off a large chunk of his voters?

Biden screwed himself today, and I see it as saving us all some effort on down the road. Think of it as a form of political Darwinism...



Laura

[piedmont]

43. I still think it was a stupid thing to say

even if you could put those words into what he said.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

44. Biden's a racist.

Get over it.

[Taoschick]

45. I call for greater scrutiny

Of OUR candidates.

We scrutinize the hell out of the repugs and rightly so. Spinning this and accusing people who were honestly surprised and taken aback by his comments of being stupid by suggesting that CLEARLY he didn't mean the words that came from his mouth is insulting.

Biden has a history of stupid and insensitive remarks. I will not give him a pass for this just because he has a (D) after his name.

[WinkyDink]

47. I voted for Rev. Jackson in a primary. Pretty articulate guy, he.

[moondust]

49. Filed away with Kerry's big "bad joke."

Under GOOD INTENTIONS/SLIGHTLY TOO AMBIGUOUS TO WARD OFF A HUNGRY DETRACTOR.

[liberalpragmatist]

50. It doesn't sound like he was insulting him if you listen to the audio

It's pretty clear from the audio that he was saying two separate things - that Obama is a "mainstream African-American" (i.e. first truly credible Black candidate for president), and that Obama is also articulate and clean (ethically), etc.

BUT - this just reinforces what a walking disaster Biden would be as a presidential candidate. You think John Kerry had problems with words? Biden outdoes everybody on this score. The guy just never shuts up and doesn't think before he speaks.

[Guaranteed]

52. Yeah. You know, what he should have said is, "Compared to MOST black people..."

:eyes: