Joe Biden Is Not the Man for This Moment

[Content Note: Sexual harassment; rape culture.]

Joe Biden was never my favorite politician, to put it politely.

Apart from his history of plagiarism, his fondness for misogynist and racist "jokes" and propensity for "gaffes" that sound a lot like bigotry, his record of well-representing Delaware as a sanctuary for credit card companies, and the last year of "I woulda won" bullshit, he's got a permanent stain from his disgraceful performance during the Clarence Thomas nomination, when he was shitty to Anita Hill and refused to call three other witnesses who were prepared to make their own allegations against Thomas.

Today, Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin at the New York Times ask: "Biden Is Preparing for 2020. Can He Overcome the Hill-Thomas Hearings?"

"Can he?" The real question is should he (no), and perhaps an even bigger question is why the media is already so inclined to help him "overcome" that dreadful history, only so they can tank him with it in the general election, if he gets there.

I wish I thought Biden were smart enough to know that's exactly what would happen, but I don't think he is. Or rather, I think his ego overwhelms whatever smarts he's got.

Which, among a number of other reasons, makes him categorically not the man for this moment.

Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.

blog comments powered by Disqus