Racism Of Presidential Candidates

[Stevicus]

So many threads are about calling Trump "Racist!".
But Biden seems to escape attention, especially from his fans.
Setting aside the many things he's said, he
has a long record of actual harm to blacks & asians (whites too).
- 1994 Crime Bill ("three strikes")
- Opposition to Vietnamese refugee immigration
- Opposition to the federal government's involvement in desegregation
Those are just the ones I can think of.
What else lurks in his long record?

Everyone can argue who is worse.
But can any Biden fans defend his record,
one which looks worse than Trump's?

I think it's a matter of looking at the whole person and the context of whatever they might have done that would be interpreted as racist.

The way the dialogue seems to go most of the time is kind of "tit-for-tat" trying to one up the other. They come up with various gaffes or other mistakes the other might have made and make it to be that they're both the same or that their mistakes cancel each other out.

I think of this scene from a funny movie, My Fellow Americans.

Spoiler: ...

The Vice-President is clearly putting his foot in his mouth - even when he's trying to be "nice," although it's obviously being spread on thick here for comedic effect. Yet, I also note the reporters feverishly writing down everything he says because they can't wait to get it to press. This is characteristic of how these things usually go.

There is a certain absurdity to it all, but I'm at a loss to try to explain it.

I seem to recall that Kamala Harris criticized Biden for some racially questionable policies he supported, but since he's now the candidate, they just swept it under the rug. I also haven't heard much more about his "you ain't black" remark.

But another way of looking at it is based on an individual's actions, policies they support, and the results of those policies. It may not be so much a question of who is more racist in their hearts, but who is more likely to violate the Constitution and violate the civil rights of people of color.

 

[suncowiam]

So many threads are about calling Trump "Racist!".
But Biden seems to escape attention, especially from his fans.
Setting aside the many things he's said, he
has a long record of actual harm to blacks & asians (whites too).
- 1994 Crime Bill ("three strikes")
- Opposition to Vietnamese refugee immigration
- Opposition to the federal government's involvement in desegregation
Those are just the ones I can think of.
What else lurks in his long record?

Everyone can argue who is worse.
But can any Biden fans defend his record,
one which looks worse than Trump's?

As a Vietnamese refugee I will say that Biden was definitely not my first pick.

But, Let's be clear on Biden's record which is poor concerning segregation and Vietnamese immigrants. So I can be open and honest about that.

However, this election like all elections is about choosing the lesser of two evils. And guess what? Biden still wins on this front compared to Trump.

IMO, Biden's past record is still less in comparison to Trump's current record on race. Trump is the worst of the two candidates concerning race relations.

If one wanted to just solely focus on Biden's past, then yes, it is poor, but it would be dishonest to not speak of the bigger picture. Which is that Trump is worst given how divided this nation is endearing.
Trump doesn't necessarily support White Supremacy but definitely wants support from White Supremacists. Hey, any vote is better than no vote.

So I will not place my Vietnamese refugee past front and center but I will think of what's best for my community.

 

[Lyndon]

Not my words. The words of a Black mother. Since this is about the relationship between Blacks and Biden I was a little curious about their view. Didn't really see it as my place to comment either way.
I wasn't trying to support Trump but curious why some Blacks still have an issue with Biden.

Her view is so important since she is one of only 2% of black women that support Trump.

 

[Nakosis]

Her view is so important since she is one of only 2% of black women that support Trump.

Obviously, her opinion is unimportant because she has a view Black people shouldn't have.

 

[Lyndon]

Obviously, her opinion is unimportant because she has a view Black people shouldn't have.

Well yes, obviously Black women should not support an openly racist, misogynist President, it not in their own best interest.

 

[Twilight Hue]

So many threads are about calling Trump "Racist!".
But Biden seems to escape attention, especially from his fans.
Setting aside the many things he's said, he
has a long record of actual harm to blacks & asians (whites too).
- 1994 Crime Bill ("three strikes")
- Opposition to Vietnamese refugee immigration
- Opposition to the federal government's involvement in desegregation
Those are just the ones I can think of.
What else lurks in his long record?

Everyone can argue who is worse.
But can any Biden fans defend his record,
one which looks worse than Trump's?

And his clear friendship and hand in hand photo ops with the late Mr Byrd of the KKK gets a convenient overlook.

 

[Nakosis]

As a Vietnamese refugee I will say that Biden was definitely not my first pick.

But, Let's be clear on Biden's record which is poor concerning segregation and Vietnamese immigrants. So I can be open and honest about that.

However, this election like all elections is about choosing the lesser of two evils. And guess what? Biden still wins on this front compared to Trump.

IMO, Biden's past record is still less in comparison to Trump's current record on race. Trump is the worst of the two candidates concerning race relations.

If one wanted to just solely focus on Biden's past, then yes, it is poor, but it would be dishonest to not speak of the bigger picture. Which is that Trump is worst given how divided this nation is endearing.
Trump doesn't necessarily support White Supremacy but definitely wants support from White Supremacists. Hey, any vote is better than no vote.

So I will not place my Vietnamese refugee past front and center but I will think of what's best for my community.

Ok, Trump sets a low bar. I assume from your post you would have preferred a different democratic candidate?

 

[tytlyf]

Kind of wonder why they ended up with Biden as the nominee. .

That's the great thing about living in a democracy, the people get to decide.

 

[tytlyf]

And his clear friendship and hand in hand photo ops with the late Mr Byrd of the KKK gets a convenient overlook.

Byrd escaped the radical right and denounced his own past. lmao.
When the southern democrats moved to the republican party, Byrd stayed put.
I smell some guilt by association.

 

[Tambourine]

@Revoltingest The title says "Racism of Presidential Candidates" but your original post only mentions one of them. So what about the other candidates?

Do you believe that Trump is racist?
And what about Jorgensen?
Which of these do you believe is the least racist, and why?

 

[Nakosis]

That's the great thing about living in a democracy, the people get to decide.

In the dialogues of Plato, the founding father of Greek Philosophy – Socrates – is portrayed as hugely pessimistic about the whole business of democracy. In Book Six of The Republic, Plato describes Socrates falling into conversation with a character called Adeimantus and trying to get him to see the flaws of democracy by comparing a society to a ship. If you were heading out on a journey by sea, asks Socrates, who would you ideally want deciding who was in charge of the vessel? Just anyone or people educated in the rules and demands of seafaring? The latter of course, says Adeimantus, so why then, responds Socrates, do we keep thinking that any old person should be fit to judge who should be a ruler of a country?
Why Socrates Hated Democracy -

 

[Revoltingest]

Fair points, the big thing against Trump is he had the easiest layup to make it all go away. .

Whuh?

 

[Mr Spinkles]

So many threads are about calling Trump "Racist!".
But Biden seems to escape attention, especially from his fans.
Setting aside the many things he's said, he
has a long record of actual harm to blacks & asians (whites too).
- 1994 Crime Bill ("three strikes")
- Opposition to Vietnamese refugee immigration
- Opposition to the federal government's involvement in desegregation
Those are just the ones I can think of.
What else lurks in his long record?

Everyone can argue who is worse.
But can any Biden fans defend his record,
one which looks worse than Trump's?

Biden has a long record as you said. Like any long record it is not flawless. But you cherry picked part of Biden’s record from 26 years ago and ignored, among other things, the eight years he served as VP to our first black president.

I don’t ignore what Biden did 26 years ago but I’m voting for him based on what he will do today, and how that compares to the alternative - Donald Trump, an actual racist.

So with that context I would add a few facts to consider:

- The 1994 Crime Bill banned assault weapons. The Republicans keep trying to keep assault weapons even though 74% of blacks want them banned.

- The 1994 Crime Bill was supported by most of the Congressional Black Caucus at the time and a number of black mayors. We can debate its merits 26 years later but “racist” is an awful stretch. And I think disingenuous, frankly.

- Obama/Biden passed Obamacare which is favored by 75% of blacks today while Trump has repeatedly tried to kill it without a plan to replace it with.

- Obamacare banned insurance discrimination based on pre existing conditions. Blacks in this country suffer disproportionately from a number of health problems and are over represented among under-insured. Black gained insurance coverage disproportionately as a result of Obamacare.

- Obama/Biden responded to two global outbreaks during their term, Ebola and Swine Flu. When there was an Ebola outbreak in West Africa, they sent thousands of troops to help. Trump calls African countries “****hole” countries and withdrew us from the WHO.

- Trump repeatedly lied and continues to defy medical advice in a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted black and brown people. Herman Cain died after getting COVID at a shockingly irresponsible Trump rally in Tulsa.

- Biden became VP to our first black president and their ticket won +90% of the black vote. Today +80% of black voters support Biden over Trump.

- During that time Trump championed birtherism against our first black president

- Trump refuses to acknowledge that institutional racism exists in this country

- Biden met with the families of victims of police brutality to try to heal the country. Trump visited Kenosha and wouldn’t even visit the guys family while he was there.

- Trump refuses to remove Confederate names from US military bases over the objections of his own party and his own military advisors

- Trump violently suppressed peaceful BLM protestors at Lafayette Square who were protesting police brutality against blacks so he could have an absurd photo op with a Bible in an act of sacrilege that shocked even me, an atheist

- The longest serving advisor in Trump’s administration is Stephen Miller, an actual, documented racist who promotes news articles on white supremacist sites like Stormfromt. He has had great influence with Trumps immigration policy.

- Obama/Biden inherited a financial crisis and left office with record low unemployment around 5%. Trump called that number fake but will end his first term with closer to 15% unemployment and a recession that has disproportionately impacted black and brown people.

So ... yeah. Biden’s record is pertinent but let’s not cherry pick. Also, I’m not voting for him based on what he did 26 years ago I’m more focused on what he will do in the next four years ... and comparing that to the alternative, which is clearly racist.

Thanks for playing though.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Byrd escaped the radical right and denounced his own past. lmao.
When the southern democrats moved to the republican party, Byrd stayed put.
I smell some guilt by association.

There's no Southern Democrats that transitioned into the 'new' Republican party. That's been long debunked unless you happen to think 3 people were the entirety of the Democrats back in the day and all Republicans magically became racist as a result.

Anyways its still amazing to see those type of denials by which the left accuses the right of racism, yet refuses those same standards by which they accuse others, are soundly denied whenever its directed back at them as if they themselves are immune of being racist themselves.

 

[suncowiam]

Ok, Trump sets a low bar. I assume from your post you would have preferred a different democratic candidate?

Yes, I would have. Or I would have preferred a different conservative candidate. But we are here with these two and I will support Biden not be cause he has a proven record but because he is the better alternative.

Also, the context of much of the OP was during his time in office decades ago. As the VP, he did not repeat those ideologies. So sure, it's good to point the past but please let's keep the context here. Trump by not condemning white supremacy is almost as good as endorsing it. Right wing groups are coming out of the wood work which they have not done before. They are more confident now in spreading their ideologies.

Let's make this very clear. This OP is a biased, agenda based attempt to make equivalent Biden and Trump. They are not.

 

[Revoltingest]

I think it's a matter of looking at the whole person and the context of whatever they might have done that would be interpreted as racist.

The way the dialogue seems to go most of the time is kind of "tit-for-tat" trying to one up the other. They come up with various gaffes or other mistakes the other might have made and make it to be that they're both the same or that their mistakes cancel each other out.

I think of this scene from a funny movie, My Fellow Americans.

Spoiler: ...

The Vice-President is clearly putting his foot in his mouth - even when he's trying to be "nice," although it's obviously being spread on thick here for comedic effect. Yet, I also note the reporters feverishly writing down everything he says because they can't wait to get it to press. This is characteristic of how these things usually go.

There is a certain absurdity to it all, but I'm at a loss to try to explain it.

I seem to recall that Kamala Harris criticized Biden for some racially questionable policies he supported, but since he's now the candidate, they just swept it under the rug. I also haven't heard much more about his "you ain't black" remark.

But another way of looking at it is based on an individual's actions, policies they support, and the results of those policies. It may not be so much a question of who is more racist in their hearts, but who is more likely to violate the Constitution and violate the civil rights of people of color.

I note that some bad laws have been found constitutional.
Saying that a politician is racist or not takes a back seat
to what policies they affect regarding race.

 

[Revoltingest]

As a Vietnamese refugee I will say that Biden was definitely not my first pick.

But, Let's be clear on Biden's record which is poor concerning segregation and Vietnamese immigrants. So I can be open and honest about that.

However, this election like all elections is about choosing the lesser of two evils. And guess what? Biden still wins on this front compared to Trump.

IMO, Biden's past record is still less in comparison to Trump's current record on race. Trump is the worst of the two candidates concerning race relations.

If one wanted to just solely focus on Biden's past, then yes, it is poor, but it would be dishonest to not speak of the bigger picture. Which is that Trump is worst given how divided this nation is endearing.
Trump doesn't necessarily support White Supremacy but definitely wants support from White Supremacists. Hey, any vote is better than no vote.

So I will not place my Vietnamese refugee past front and center but I will think of what's best for my community.

Past is prologue.
What each candidate has done illuminates their values,
prejudices, views, & reasoning. They can evolve, but to
judge this also requires examining what they've done
more recently. It boils down to their records in office.

 

[Revoltingest]

And his clear friendship and hand in hand photo ops with the late Mr Byrd of the KKK gets a convenient overlook.

That's certainly an outrageous relationship, but I give
it far less importance than policy he personally effected.
This is because it could be possibly just political cooperation
with the enemy.

 

[Twilight Hue]

That's certainly an outrageous relationship, but I give
it far less importance than policy he personally effected.
This is because it could be possibly just political cooperation
with the enemy.

Its mind-boggling actually.


Will Black Voters Still Love Biden When They Remember Who He Was?

Its like blacks theoretically supporting David Duke because he's no longer a racist on something.

Do they sincerely think a tiger changes its stripes that easily?

 

[Sunstone]

Much like all life forms, people do change over time, and it's not just our physical nature that changes. Thus, I hope people ain't judging me for what I may have said and/or done decades ago, as I'm much more interested in what they've been doing and saying lately.

Exactly! Also, as @JustGeorge points out, we should take into account the response people's behavior encourages in others. I don't see any White Supremacist groups cheering Mr. Biden. But the same is not true of Mr. Trump. He's their poster-boy.