Congrats...you just re-elected Trump...people who can't figure out who their real enemies are... come to a bad end...
6
Biden facts:
Biden accurately noted that he presided over the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in 1982 for 25 years as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, but not its chairman, who was segregationist Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, wasn't a "Biden only, despicable segregationist" Bill, it passed the Senate 97 to 2.
The 1984 crime Bill used to attack Biden as "buddy-buddy with Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.)" was co-sponsored by “liberal lion” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). The Bill initially passed the Senate on a voice vote.
Thurmond and Eastland were chairmen of the Judiciary committees in 1981 and 1977-81...it was impossible to move any legislation through the committee without working with them.
Former senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), the only African American in the Senate during her term (1993-1999) and the first female African American elected to the Senate, last week told Rubin at the Washington Post: She likens these attacks on Biden to a “circular firing squad.” ....she said “not only on civil rights but on human rights, he was always there.” She says he “master[ed] the art of working with just about anybody.”
17
If Joe Biden is the unabashed, unrepentant, and recalcitrant racist who Kamala Harris and the other Democrats, namely Cory Booker, have made him out to be, then why did Obama select him as his running mate in 2008 and 2012?
15
Using the word 'hurtful' was a manipulative way, using the strategy of 'critical race theory', to shut down any dissenting conversation.
Busing was a terrible policy. It destroyed communities, neighborhoods, and whole cities. It resulted in deeper segregation and disinvestment. It was a grave injustice against the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. It treated children and communities as nothing but government pawns. It was wrong. Biden was right.
That this is 'hurtful' to Harris is irrelevant. What about the 'hurt' done to children who were torn from their friends, or bullied in a strange new school? That is the problem with 'lived experience' as argument.
There are many other ways to insure equitable education for all children. Changing the way we fund schools, increasing support services, generous magnet programs, and improving maternal health and early childhood education would all do far more good for minority children while also respecting the integrity of families and local communities. And enforcing fair housing laws gives African Americans the agency white parents have.
That is the government's job - to support the free agency of citizens, not undermine it. If the government once screwed up by undermining the agency of black citizens, the solution is not to do the same injustice the white people, but rather to give black citizens the agency and freedoms whites have always had and protect it equitably.
14
Behind all all of this is the still open question of whether equal means equal.
Of course we have the Constitution an the Bill of Rights and the Civil and Voting Rights laws. And equal does mean equal, if you are not a white, male, native born Christian conservative Republican you have the equal right to, along with those of your group, says SCOTUS, to be screwed over by government and treated like surfs, while the 1% of the employers and corporations run this authoritarian, kleptocracy which is also a total kackocracy, run by criminals.
So for the 99% equal means equal and we are all in the same boat until we run the dictator and his mob out of political office and that includes those who failed for years to resist and sound the call of danger like Joe Biden.
White old guy against Biden.
Joe please retire.
Now
2
It's too bad Senator Harris did not pick up on the term "son" that VP Biden stated he was called by those segregationist senators. That was a derogatory term to insinuate a man was not old enough to talk one on one. I encountered the same thing early in my adult life, even as an 18 1/2 year old father holding my own son.
Using the word "son" to another adult in adult conversations is a derogatory term, plain and simple. It's too bad Senator Harris is ignorant of that fact.
I wonder what else Senator Harris is ignorant of in past and present America, maybe starting with the impact on non-African American children who were involuntarily placed on buses to desegrate schools, a point on which she has been silent?
7
Well, I must say that I was shocked when that African American woman had the temerity to question our good Uncle Joe about his opposition to busing back in the day. Has she no manners? There is no place for uppity women on the modern debate stage. She should know her place!
4
Harris fired her one and only best shot way too early. She misrepresented Biden's comments and her role. She declared herself a Rosa Parks! Printed tee shirts days before her contrived comments. Chances are she wouldn't be there at all if it wasn't for Biden's lifetime of civil rights work! How about this, what if Biden read the statistics of all the young black men Prosecutor Harris jailed making a name for herself. If Harris wants to take pages outs of Trump's playbook, she would run as a republican.
7
I don't have to believe in Kamala Harris's credibility...
...and why should I?
PS
If you do, I have a used Delta 88 to sell you – only driven into a pond once...
6
Of course the innocence is the crime. Baldwin, the son of a brilliant and in his own way very flawed, black Preacher, understood this to the core. He remains one of this country's most penetrating critics.
But let's remember the deep immersion Baldwin had in his own deep perception of human inadequacies. He was homosexual, but he also penned "The Male Prison," a bitter, passionate poem to the need men have for women, no matter how distant their own sexuality puts them from the half of the human race who brings us new life in their very bodies.
So, please, folks, if I may borrow Biden's hackneyed importunity, just once more: Kamala Harris is not herself innocent. She tolerated Biden's purported deviance from the straight and narrow--and for the whole, long duration of her own career. Now, suddenly, she pounces.
And for what reason? Because she's innocent. I don't believe it, fellow readers of the New York Times. She is busy pushing her own ambitions and confusing a lot of serious voters, at the expense of a man most black voters today trust, and for exactly the reason that for 8 long years he served the First Black President of the United States of America. I can't forget that. Does Barack Obama? I can't believe that.
4
Which issue(s) should the Democrats run on for 2020?
1) Bringing back forced busing?
2) Free healthcare for illegal immigrants?
3) Free late term elective abortions?
4) Reparations?
5) Packing the Supreme Court?
6) Allowing biological males who identify as female to compete against women in sports and use women's locker rooms?
7) Banning private gun ownership?
8) Voting rights for prisoners?
Will this let Trump win 50 states in 2020?
9
Our American president today is egregiously ignorant of "busing", re black children being bused to integrate white schools in the 1970s! Mr. Trump said it was a good way (transportation) for kids to get to school.
He didn't think much of Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate from San Francisco who stunned Vice President Biden at the Democratic Debate Wednesday night. Biden was against busing, but Kamala Harris confessed that she had been the little black girl bused to public school in Berkeley in 1970.
Mr. Trump's namesake, Donald Jr., tweeted that Kamala Harris was not a Black American because her father wasn't born in the U.S. Senator Harris's father was a Jamaican and not an American Black man. Don Jr. deleted his tweet but not before it went viral.
Dollars to donuts, Donald Trump's colossal ignorance of American and world history will lead the United States into war against a foreign nation or worse, a bloody civil war among the citizens of the United States, white supremacists and Trump loyalists against people of colour who will soon outnumber white people in America. Oh, the horrors ahead!
1
What I don’t get is that your own newspaper reported that only 9% of blacks supported busing. So now they do support it?
6
Noteworthy that the mayor of Atlanta, Hon. Keisha Lance Bottoms, who just happens to be a woman of color, has endorsed Mr. Biden. And, as others have noted here, Mr. Biden was chosen, twice, by President Obama as his running mate.
Hmmmm.
6
Kamala / Buttlieg 2020
Go for it Dems.
Sure sounds like a winner
1
There is little if any difference between Biden’s crime bills and Harris’s law enforcement initiatives as top cop in California. Harris does not hold any moral high ground. She laughed when describing how she prosecuted a homeless mother over truancy. Haha. No.
3
What about Kamala Harris lying is that innocence too.
4
Obama put gay rights on the shelf for a good long time and invited Rick Warren to a place of honor at the inauguration, for crying out loud. The author sounds like he's new to politics.
3
Well reasoned piece that helps me think about this complicated issue. Now, how do I think about Corey Booker's commitment to the racist Louis Farrakhan and his violent anti Jewish public pronouncements? Booker must be confronted. Booker must be criticized for supporting hate speech. He must grow older and wiser right now! Or get off the stage!
4
Many don't believe in hers either, Mr. Bouie. Tell us how she began her career!!!
Isn't it convenient to forget about her treatment of inmates, you know what I am talking about, and to change the subject to Joe's spotty record as a centrist.
It's interesting also that you seem to be wholly disinterested in economic issues and their social and cultural implications for Americans of all "sizes and shapes." Feel good and prepare yourself for another four years of ... you know who.
6
Yup, guilty as charged. Racist, exclusionary, likely homophobic, blind to the suffering of others. Cruel. And that's just me. The Democrats are re-electing Trump, but at least you're having your say.
1
Loved loved your James Baldwin quote also like your articles
Jamelle, Ms. Harris lost all credibility with me after the debate. I am praying that she does not wind up on the ticket. If she does, I will have to reconsider my affiliation to the democratic party. BTW, my antipathy for her goes back to her time as the AG of CA. Now a candidate? Her acting and looks (as per Mr. Obama's description of her) alone do not make her viable.
6
Did Lyndon Johnson work with any "racists" when crafting and passing the "Johnson Amendment"?
Just wondering. I absolutely don't know. One thing I do know is the "Johnson Amendment" , was and I repeat was a good thing. How many people worked together to blow it up? We might ponder that.
Guess I was taught Congress is all about compromise. I know not any more. It's about fighting the "enemy" then resigning and going to Fox News for higher paying and not so time consuming jobs.
But I'm just old fashioned.
1
The Harrison-Biden drama will haunt efforts to displace our non-nuancing President. People are holding on to their convictions as if their identities depended on it. Unexamined assumptions bolster self-righteousness. Slavery was never anything but a horror, segregation was never anything but oppression, patriarchy merely evil. 620,000 died in the Civil War, joining us with nations that had managed 'liberation'. Shame can move history, or appear to, if it sticks. No one would suggest that the wealthy employers of presently predominantly Central and South American nannies, gardeners cooks and maids are slave owners, even if the help lives in. Will their reparations day come? I don't know, but many seem so happy and relieved to be here and no longer in a country that doesn't seem to be able to support social peace, indeed life. For them, America is great for the first time. This greatness Trump speaks of is an idol and an abstraction. You progressives need to rethink your strategy, or you won't be thinking America great anytime soon, or ever.
Identity politics is killing the Democratic party.
Kamala Harris took a cheap shot, and I think it will backfire.
6
Joe Biden does not have to explain whether he is a racist. He was vetted by an African American president chosen to be his VP. How sickening to see an honourable man attacked for his very honour.
If the Democrats don't try to confer with"the other side" as Biden has shown it can be done, you will have Trump for another 8! There was nothing in the debates that would make a previous Trump voter switch to Democrat. If you refuse to deal with Republican voters, you are back to where the country is today.
4
Footnote: I just learned from a reply by Patrick to a comment by PN that Kamala Harris already has a T shirt for sale for $29.95 up pointing to her I was that girl statement.
I want Elizabeth Warren as the choice of the Democratic Party's candidate. I can be sure that she will not be selling T shirts.
Anyone who supports Kamala Harris should just give her the $29.95.
I understand that commercialization has now become the prime American value, but I cannot accept that, especially from anyone who wants to be president.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
3
This is what happens when you have a record spanning decades. Political and social norms change and evolve. The newcomers have the luxury of not being adults at the time Biden entered the Senate. Anyone who implies they will have nothing to do with, and not work with those with whom they find disagreeable or morally inferior aren't going to achieve much. Sadly there are still many elected officials who are extremely distasteful - our current Senate Majority Leader is one of them. I would like to point out it was Mr. Biden who really pushed Obama into coming out in favor of same sex marriage. Obama wasn't very happy about it at the time. It was Clinton who promoted "don't ask, don't tell". The current crop of young candidates need to recognize people's perspectives evolve.
1
James Baldwin was simply an amazing thinker.
It's too bad this article doesn't offer much-needed context from an earlier NYT article, wherein Biden explained his opposition to busing. I don't care about Booker and Harris's attempts to get attention in the media by casting this as a racist issue; Biden is many things, but he's not racist. And his point about working across the aisle was ignored in favor of this divisive opinion piece.
4
Why not? It was a different time and Biden did his best to get things done. Yes, throw him in the drain for the sake of winning the primary. But, there will be many disgusted voters in the general election who will stay home rather than vote for someone who is an opportunist. Lust for power is a fatal disease!
2
This article is a prime example of everything that is wrong in present-day democracies of the World. And which is leading Democracies & Govts FOR the people to lose ground to Populist Nationalist Forces & a anti-People Fascist Govts. Kamala Harris & Joe Biden are bidding to be President in 2020, not 1977. Kamala Harris raking up 1977 issues with contentious disputable remarks has helped the American people Nothing in deciding who is the better candidate today. The Democratic Party candidates would Serve the American people better by focusing their efforts on their present-day commitments & vision for the future of the American people. Else, they will simply be taking a page from Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again fantasy & plunge the USA deeper into the quagmire of intolerant polarization.
1
Compromise with racist? Working across aisle with racist? Just what point are we suppose to agree upon? Do those who excuse Biden want to compromise on the immigration camps for children, and work with Trump? Eastland and Trump are cut from the same cloth.
Kamala Harris didn't say that Joe Biden was innocent.
She only said she believes Joe Biden is not a racist.
Not being a racist did not let Joe Biden off the hook. If anything, it hooks Biden deeper. Harris is saying, in effect, "If you're not a racist, why are you running defense for racists?"
Biden had, and has, no good answer. It's easy to have "feelings," but it takes work to earn the honor of claiming to be something.
2
I don't like Joe Biden much, but Harris was simply playing the victim card. No one wanted busing, it wasn't popular with Blacks or Whites. And Biden's example of working with people he disagreed with -- the point of that wasn't to show that he liked segregationists, but to show that you can work with even the most loathsome individuals to govern. It would be one thing to show that Biden worked to support segregation, but where's the evidence? Isn't his overall record on civil rights pretty good?
As for Harris, she was a prosecutor. How many Blacks did she send to jail? For what crimes? She's probably got some explaining to do herself.
We need to stop judging people by what they did 40 or 50 years ago politically. People evolve. Obama was against gay marriage.
4
Accusations of racism are WMDs on the left, and considered ridiculous on the right. Both of these positions are myopic and extreme, but they illustrate the danger of winning the Democratic nomination by accusing one's opponents of racism.
President Obama never weaponized his race in the primary; he never accused his Democratic opponents of racism. Even though Harris started with "I don't think you're a racist..." the core of her argument is that Biden is a racist. If she's not accusing him of being a racist, then she has no point.
Joe Biden, now, is every older white man on the left. If you're accused, nothing else matters. Not whether the issue is relevant in 2019, not whether your views were considered mainstream (or progressive!) at the time, and not whether you erred in the service of another principle.
I was pro- Harris before this incident; now I'm not sure. Her argument will be useless in the primary, and it is personally offensive to me, so I'm now looking elsewhere.
3
If it was not for Biden and senators like Lyndon Johnson, blacks would still be picking cotton and operating under severe segregationist policies. It is an affront to realism to impose the values of 2019 of the radical Democrats on those politicians of 20, 40 or 50 years ago. To get anything done, liberal Democrats needed more than a stalemate which is likely if Harris and the other modern day dwarfs happen to be elected. And if they try to use presidential orders to override national laws, they will be met with a SC that will shoot them down. Especially if Ginburg passes before the next election.
4
Oh come on, “Biden’s relationship with Eastland and Talmadge wasn’t neutral”? This is cheap. Criticizing a Senator for working with other senators to get things done? Should we criticize Elizabeth Warren for working with Lindsey Graham or any other Republican Senator who is now supporting this bigot, this unindicted co-conspirator in the White House? Should be we criticize Nancy Pelosi for negotiating with Trump? This writer’s argument is naive, and Kamala Harris exploited one vote in a long career to stand out in a crowded debate.
4
"Eastland and Talmadge were arch-segregationists, vicious racists and ardent defenders of white supremacy. "
Talmadge was also a criminal. When his election to the governor's chair was disputed, he responded by hiring some goons and physically taking over the State Capitol. The legislature retroactively justified his occupation by declaring him governor and he didn't have to spend a day in prison. Bizarrely, Talmadge was appointed tp the Senate's Watergate panel 25 years later. As an expert in burglaries, I suppose. Another irony was that the governor's race was itself rigged, because blacks were not allowed to vote in it.
This is the sort of thing that happens when people don't respect democracy.
2
In addition to some of the position he took on the 70s on busing, on the 90s crime bills, Biden is known for making tone death comments:
2019: Mississippi Sen. James Eastland called him “son”, but not “boy.”
2019: His rebuttal to Harris that he didn't want Dept of Education to dictate policy to local government is also problematic given that racist state level policies has held back African Americans for years.
2008: During the presidential primary, He marveled how Obama was "clean" and "articulate"
Like Harris, I don't have to believe in his innocence.
1
Kamala Harris took a cheap shot at Joe Biden. Joe Biden is far from perfect just as she is but this was striking a low blow. Her record is super thin and tinged with multiple controversies as CA-AG. This will come back to bite her and rightly so
4
Joe Biden deserves our respect, despite all his gaffes, his mistakes, including his pathetically awful performance in regard to Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill... and still trying to defend his relationships with despicable segregationists? (I know exactly who Senator James Eastland was. Just Google his despicably hateful racist quotes...)
But by this time, Joe should know better...and let me repeat, I salute, respect and admire this good man and public servant for all his service to our country. But despite all Joe Biden's many virtues, he's out of touch and needs to get out of the way. (Like several other Democratic presidential wannabees) Isn't it time tor a new generation of leaders try to take over and get this once great nation back on track and find a way out this current hot mess and move toward a brighter future?
2
Biden's talking to segregationists equates to negotiating where civil rights won. No amount of misinformation by anyone can change that. And as far as busing goes; what a failed experiment in social engineering. Yeah, send your child on 3 hours of bus trips every day to satisfy the social elitists who send their kids to private schools. How about improving the neighborhood school? What a novel thought..........
3
The real question is: do we believe in Kumala Harris's innocence regarding the case against Kevin Cooper?
4
In a better world, everything you say in critique of Biden is fair and relevant. But this is not the world we live in, particularly with Trump as president. Even with a normal president, our leaders have to learn to work with the other side, not because it is the practical thing to do but because it is the ONLY thing to do. The other side exists. They even have a constituency. They may be Nazi racists but they get a vote. Show me a compromise and I'll show you why both sides threw away their moral convictions to agree on it. If our leaders cannot work together what hope do any of us have for advancing the cause of social justice.
Despite being an old white guy, my first choice would be Harris and second would be Booker -- because they are smart, tough, and compassionate. Biden's only real plus is electability, if one assumes that too much concern for social justice will alienate moderate voters. I don't know if that is true, I only know that beating Trump is more important than ANY policy issue, now or in the past.
The one person who should support Joe Biden’s record on civil rights has been oddly, so silent it roars. But Barack Obama could easily have chastised Sen. Kamala Harris for her demagoguery in the last Democratic Debate, when she criticized Biden for supporting white segregationist Senators, who happened to be Democrats (information that Harris conveniently omitted in her attempt to play the victim of opponents of busing when she was not in a government mandated busing program, her program being voluntary). Why hasn’t Obama, or his wife, a best friend of Biden’s wife, come to his defense? Harris, in a smear, all but accused Biden of racism. Only Rep. James Clyburn, who did initially oppose government mandated busing, had the courage to defend Biden immediately following the debate. Meanwhile, as though busing was an alloyed benefit, three black colleges have closed doors. But Harris, who had no life under legal segregation, believes yet that there were no costs to the black community from forced busing— something she never experienced as well.
1
It's important to challenge Joe Biden on many issues, including busing. The problem wasn't one of decorum. Harris' carefully calculated, sanctimonious performance (complete with souvenir t-shirts) was insufferable because she is a hypocrite. It's journalistic malpractice not to acknowledge Harris' well documented record of prosecutorial malpractice -- the kind that destroys lives and our justice system. Cloying stories about a little girl are no substitute for integrity and true commitment to social justice.
In case you missed the NYTimes story about Harris' record as a prosecutor, here it is:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/opinion/kamala-harris-criminal-justice.html
2
Busing? Racism? How has either hurt Ms Harris? Her personal joruney Attorney General of California, United States Senator? Nevertheless she made her attack on Joe Biden personal, referencing her own busing as a child. What is her point? Wherein is damage done to her?
2
From Politico August 2015 by Ted Van Dyk who served as assistant to Vice President Humphrey in the Johnson White House and was a senior policy advisor to Democratic national candidates and his party over a 40-year period
"Elected officials—even those strongly in favor of civil rights—began to conclude that busing was a well-meant mistake. Presidential candidate George McGovern, in 1971, proposed to his advisers, of which I was one, that he would straightforwardly take an anti-busing position. We prevailed on him not to do so because we believed that the issue then was so emotion-laden that busing proponents would misunderstand his opposition.
"This was the environment in which then-Sen. Joe Biden and other Democrats began to say out loud what their colleagues were already saying privately: Busing was not working. The emphasis should be on improving neighborhood schools, wherever people lived, rather than forcing kids daily to take buses, often quite far from their neighborhoods, distant from their parents and neighbors."
Interestingly the headline is School Busing Didn’t Work. And to Say So Isn’t Racist.
Do yourselves a favor and read the article in which flaming liberals called busing a bad idea at the same time Biden did. I pray Biden does not lose the nomination because of this phantom and dated issue for which he is being attacked by amateurs.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/school-busing-civil-rights-121077
1
I am cynical about all politicians Mr. Bouie. If Biden winds up as the nominee and starts looking for a running mate, you will be amazed by how fast Harris will turn to believing in Biden's innocence.
2
"Harris Doesn’t Have to Believe in... Biden’s Innocence... why should she?" She shouldn't. He's a politician. He's a politician with 50 years experience as such. He can't be innocent. If you think he can, that's not innocence, that's blindness. Harris would be a great president. Better, I think, than Biden. But if you think she is innocent, that's blindness, again.
If innocence mattered, Donald Trump would be the most innocent person on the planet. He is not, and so it doesn't. You honestly should have known this before you wrote this column.
James you state :"The dispute between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris isn’t really about desegregation. It’s about innocence". Whose innocence are we talking about here, Joe's or Kamala's. Kamala's ambush was well rehearsed and staged. I don't care if her feelings were hurt, just what do you think trump is going to do or say to hurt her feelings should she make it to the finals. Will she choose to weep when he pulls out one of his vile, vugar dismissive tweets aimed squarely at her.
Biden disavowed the racist senators. he has been an active advocate for civil rights. This was pure political theatre on the part of Harris. She could have handled her hurt feelings in a private off camera conversation with Biden. I remain a Warren supporter, that lady has class. I know now that I could NEVER support Harris.
3
Seriously. Didn’t Harris jump the gun on Smollett after he pulled his stunt in Chicago? Doesn’t that indicate;
1. She has bad judgement and
2. A propensity to be a bit racist herself?
This is a 2 way street folks. So let’s calm down a little and focus on real issues affecting ALL of us.
2
Harris bringing up busing is fair game ... and Biden knew it was coming and was unprepared... he needs to acknowledge he was wrong ... and acknowledge the inequality in public schools that prompted busing to occur ... on the other hand, his description of working with segregationists was nothing more than a metaphor for how it is possible to work with even the most extreme, horrible people ... Harris took that red herring to the bank and it is not to her credit ... Biden said she “mischaracterized” his statements ... he was right ... Biden has my vote for now ... but he needs to buckle down and get it right and be prepared ... being good old Uncle Joe alone won’t cut it ...
So in retrospect I can see why people would think Biden not supporting forced busing back in the 70s was a mistake. Desegregating the schools was an important advancement. Just keep in mind that not everything that appears to be a slam dunk now seemed so simple then. I was in high school at the time (lily white suburb of Boston) and I remember feeling like the AA kids who spent something like 2 hours a day on a bus to come to our school (where they were socially isolated) were getting a raw deal. Also, there was the issue of some liberals (including some AAs) feeling that busing was a cop out when what we really needed was to find more resources for schools in the black community. I understand that KH is a fantastic debater and might make a great nominee. But why must we gleefully tear apart Biden rather than simply vote for someone else? Lets not act like sharks in a feeding frenzy anxious to slander and shame all the "old guard" democrats. I don't want us to become the other ugly, self-righteous, scorched earth party. The Obamas always went high and acted with class---why must we ignore their legacy?
2
Biden is a thoroughly decent candidate and committed to civil rights. Kamala Harris, striving for a break out, was willing to trash him and his record of achievement -- for blacks, whites, and Americans. It will come back to haunt her and she can not beat Trump. Biden can. That is sufficient.
2
Kamala Harris is hypocrite and a craven political opportunist and the press and pundits, like the author, ignore her past and eat it up. She attacks Biden for not supporting an unpopular program 45 years ago, yet she built her career on seeking overly harsh sentences and unfairly prosecuting and incarcerating defendants, particularly black males. My partner of 10 years work at the SF public defender for 17 years - she is very liberal. She said that as soon as Kamala Harris came into office the prosecutors stopped accepting reasonable plea offers and started looking for unduly harsh penalties. Only results matter because as an ambitious politician, Kamala wanted to appear "tough on crime". To this day, Harris is widely despised by the attorneys of the SF public defender (something that cannot be said about her predecessor).
They are not alone in this view. See the paragraph below from a Berkeleyside article from January:
"“Kamala Harris made her career by locking up Black people in the Bay Area,” said Blake Simons, assistant director of UC Berkeley’s Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center and co-creator of the Hella Black Podcast, in a Twitter thread. “Her track record consists of terrorizing Black communities through the prison industrial complex.”'
Btw, I am for Warren and I think Biden said some stupid things - but I think his heart is in the right place and this type of attached disgusts me - especially coming from the likes of Senator Harris.
3
"Time after time, when progressives urged her to embrace criminal justice reforms as a district attorney and then the state’s attorney general, Ms. Harris opposed them or stayed silent. Most troubling, Ms. Harris fought tooth and nail to uphold wrongful convictions that had been secured through official misconduct that included evidence tampering, false testimony and the suppression of crucial information by prosecutors."
It's all right here in the NYT. Anybody falling for her slick prosecutor performance concerning her 2nd grade busing issue needs to read this.
https://nyti.ms/2RVs0b2
3
Biden’sviews changed,and he became one the Senat’as leaders wons progressive legislation. Here we go agai with the circular firing squad that Pres. Obama was coancerned about. Let him without. Fault cast the first stone.How many innocents did Harris put away for decades?
2
I think Biden should have stayed out of this campaign, but I was disgusted by Kamala Harris's unfair attack on him. She seemed to be painting herself as underprivileged and him as enabling segregation. Both, I think, are far from the truth. Let's not forget that Harris was riding a bus in ultra-liberal, affluent Berkeley, Calif. And surely her Stanford professor father and cancer researcher mother could have afforded private school rather than put little Kamala on a bus to public school.
She, btw, lived in Montreal for high school. There's a certain degree of privilege attached to her life.
2
@Texas Duck
Harris said definitively that she did not think Biden was a racist. She pointed out his blind spot. She is moderate, thoughtful, and nobody’s fool. She can beat Trump and, if another democrat happens to win the nomination, she will, along with every other democrat, support the nominee.
In my opinion Kamala Harris engaged in cheap politics and my faith in her has diminished. She looks more like a cheap shot artist right now than anything else.
1
What strikes this writer as an extraordinary example of the strange bedfellows politics is wont to make sometimes, is that "Big Jim" Eastland and "Hermy" Talmadage, the former a rancid, racist Methodist; and the latter a bigoted racist Baptist, would deign to consort with Joseph Biden, a "yankee Catholic."
The reason why, I'd say, becomes sharply clearer if one reverses the premise of Sen. Harris's complaint against Biden: i.e., Eastland and Talmadge needed Biden's support more than he needed theirs. By the mid-70's Big Jim and Hermy had become painfully aware that Dixie's "lost cause" was on the verge of being irredeemably lost. Egged on by that rude epiphany, they sought shore up the remnants of king cotton's crumbling domain thru alliances with their ostensible enemies.
Tho' the foregoing is unalloyed speculation sorely wanting evidentiary support, it's worthy of note that in 1978 Big Jim Eastland resigned from the Senate; and that a couple years later, Hermy Talmadge lost his reelection bid in Georgia.
And still more stunning is the coda to this whole episode. For it turns out that Big Jim Eastland was persuaded in part to resign on the advice of Aaron Henry and Charles Evers (Medgar Evers's older brother), high ranking officials in the NAACP, with whom he corresponded frequently.
2
Nothing Kamala Harris said in her use of Biden as a whipping boy qualifies her to be president. We are all racists, not blank slates. Can an individual learn how to channel their innate tendencies to become more civilized? We better hope so. Has Joe Biden learned? Look at his record and decide. Has Kamala Harris learned? Look at her record and decide. Bottom line, a president has to be a beacon of civilization for all the races. Obama was. Between Harris and Biden, who do you think is more light than heat?
3
I assume that Biden could use this quote from Maya Angelou- ““Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” I can’t believe he wasn’t prepared for this.
The icing on the stale cake of Joe Biden will be the details of
his Ukrainian and Chinese activities with his son..
Mr Biden as a candidate in the coming months will become .... toast.
I’ve never posted before but feel compelled to, given the way VP Biden is being skewered for his “racist” views on busing and working with segregationists.
While I do not question Harris’s nationality, as a decent of a long line African Americans dating back to the beginning of slavery in this country, I take offense to her riding the race card to the nomination. Her parents are from Jamaica and India and she has no idea about the struggles and triumphs of a people who, for centuries hated and loved this country, toiled for it and suffered brutally from the policies and people who persecuted and abused us in spite of all that we contributed. I grew up in Boston where forced busing was a nightmare. Joe B is right that the majority of folks on both sides hated it. It clearly didn’t work because those policies were eventually rolled back in most communities. He has a well documented record on race relations and civil rights. Obama vetted him and John Lewis came to his defense. I am incensed at Harris’s calculated take down based on her fake and misplaced outrage. Stop it. Run on the issues of the day and stop eating your own. This is why democrats lost to Satan in 2016. Trump is the racist in this contest. Aim your firepower at him. Corey Booker needs to stop it, too. Thank you!
5
Let's get the facts straight. Kamala Harris was a child of privilege. Her parents were well educated and both had good paying jobs. They could have lived in any community they chose. *Bussing did not have to be a factor. She played the race card against a white man, a champion of blacks, women, and gays for her own political purposes. Take away her race baiting and she had nothing substantive to offer as a candidate. After the debate, Joe's favorability went up among blacks. Barack Obama was a man of character, never once did he use race against another Democrat or a Republican opponent. The same cannot be said of Harris or Booker, neither of whom has passed one significant piece of legislation.
*Bussing was a terrible idea and caused "White Flight" from inner cities and had a negative effect on inner city schools many of which eventually closed.
2
Driving away critical swing voters is not tough; it’s stupid! For that’s exactly what Harris did in her tirade against Biden.
The 2020 election will be decided by a narrow band of white swing voters in battleground states—as it was in 2016—those who voted for Obama twice before turning to Trump. These swing voters are economically liberal, but socially conservative. They are ready to swing back to the Democrats.
Like most Americans, they abhor the angry identity politics of the left. If you doubt this, look for Biden’s poll numbers to tick up after the Harris imbroglio.
Most liberals/progressives claim they want to beat Trump. But they don’t act like it. They act like spoiled children who throw a tantrum when they don't get what they want. Reality beckons, "mes terribles enfants." Are you listening?
• "There Are Really Two Distinct White Working Classes," Thomas B. Edsall, NYTimes, June 26, 2019 http://tinyurl.com/y622dkqk
4
Apparently Jamelle really wanted to use the James Baldwin quote in his column.
1
It is rather convenient that the author totally avoided addressing Harris' claim that Biden 'praised segregationists'.
2
Face it, "moderates," yet again, as with Hillary in 2008 and 2016, and Jeb in 2016, you're riding a dying horse. Biden's problem is his hapless geezerliness, not busing. He makes Sanders look a decade younger than he is, and much sharper, not to mention 70-yr-old Warren. It would be great if Harris turned out to be a female Obama, but, one can hope, one less in thrall to Wall St., which early on wrecked Obama's popularity with the working class, not to mention Cornell West and Tavis Smiley.
It is so hypocritical of Harris to criticize Biden while she participates in the San Francisco Pride Parade! What VP played a major role in making gay marriage a reality???? Hello? Harris has done anything for gay rights, yet she can go for Biden's jugular!
I am signing up tonight to volunteer for Biden's campaign....I also volunteered for Obama's and brought at least $10k in contributions.
4
Biden does not know what he says and his faux pas are continuous.
Innocence? What innocence?
Biden stood by during one of the biggest deportation waves in American history.
And now look where we are; US-run concentration camps on the border. A crime against humanity.
It is time for the Mexican, Brazilian. Argentinian and Venezuelan armies to join forces with an international UN military force, fully equipped. For them to cross the southern American border, fight any armed resistance, and protect the women and children being subjected to conditions too horrifying to describe.
We need nothing less than a war against ICE, and the violations of international law being committed daily by an illegitimate and fundamentally criminal government.
Of which, yes, Biden is a part.
Time is up. Change soon.
If Harris does something like this to Trump, and later, to Putin, I welcome her candidacy. I don't see her unable to stand up to Trump as he stands behind her, trying to intimidate her like he did Hillary at their debate.
Until the debate, Biden was one of those I considered. However, he came across as not being ready for what promises to be a grueling campaign.
Would that he had run in 2016!!
1
"Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, one of two African-American candidates for the Democratic nomination, ...."
Sen. Cory Booker, really?
When recently asked, the enlightened "woke" Sen. Booker could not even offer a denunciation of the the most notorious racist in the USA today; the very Rev. Louis Farrakhan. It seems some "identities" are more sacrosanct than others.
And as far as Sen. Harris's "busing" experiences, she forgets that thousands of white children, like me, were bused to satisfy our parents' desire for "racial healing."
Except someone forgot to proclaim all this "racial healing' while busing ruled the day (Sen. Booker, who wishes to have a "national dialogue" on race and racism, never discusses "busing").
The reality of "busing" for me, and thousands of others, was that I was bused every day to a school on the border between black and white communities "to make a statement." That "statement" included the voluntary segregation of the school building into "black only doors," black tables in the cafeteria, disrespect for white teachers or any teachers, the shaming of black children for trying to learn ("acting white"), teacher strikes, and lots of fights and intimidation (holding it in for the whole school day rather than using the bathroom where danger lurked sure wasn't "integration friendly").
But, on the more positive side, I was indoctrinated to appreciate the African Kingdom of Mali and to read Claude Brown. A "win-win" for me and Kamala.
1
If you want to know if Biden is a racist, ask yourself how he would have treated Anita Hill if she had been an attractive, young, female lawyer with blonde hair and two white parents, accusing a black man of sexual harassment. Thomas wouldn't now be the worst justice in Supreme Court history, his nomination would have been withdrawn and he probably would have been disbarred. Biden might not be a conscious racist, but there is no doubt he is a racist.
2
Age matters.
Prominent 70+-year-olds ought to step aside and restrict their role to gray eminence adviser.
Race matters?
Does anybody, even a majority of black voters, really believe that Biden would be less than a reliable advocate for civil rights as president?
But what, exactly, is it that Biden is being said to be guilty of? As I understand it, he supported desegregation and virtually all means proposed to achieve it, including court ordered busing (indeed he defended the ability of the courts to impose such plans against legislation that would have shorn them of that power). He also supported the right and ability (including funding for) local communities and school districts to choose busing as a tool to achieve integration (as happened in Kamala Harris' case).
In these instances, there was a finding of fact of specific legal and regulatory measures meant to keep the schools segregated or identifiable patterns of obstruction and foot dragging in the wake of Brown v. Board of Ed. What Biden opposed was staff at the U.S. Department of Education being empowered to order busing for schools absent such behavior for schools whose racial homogeneity was a reflection of segregated housing and neighborhoods.
So, to be clear he was not against busing ordered by a court or a local or state school board (or even by the US DOE under certain criteria), only against the the DOE in cases where the disparity wasn't shown to be the result of specific discrimination or evasion.
And it is worth noting that his position was way more out front than the public's. In the year Joe Biden was elected, the Harris pool found 95% of white voters and 91% of African-Americans were opposed to even the level of busing he supported.
2
Biden is the choice many of us wish we had in 2016 when there was a dearth of choices on the Democratic side. We've got a lot of choices now though. Biden seemed like a great candidate, until we started meeting other candidates.
1
A Spanish philosopher declared: "I am i and my circumstances". You cannot separate an individual from what surrounds him and especially a politician who is limited by his party affiliation, the voters who elect him and the people with whom he has to work.
We must not forget that the Democratic party of the era in question was a political chimera. On one side, you had the progressive North and on the other you had the segregationist South whose adherence to the Democratic party was due not to shared values but to the reaction to the Civil War.
Moreover, their influence within the Senate was enormous because their guaranteed re-election gave them seniority and hence control of important committees. Indeed, Eastland was chairman of the Judiciary Committee, if you can imagine, and Biden had to work with him. That they managed to "work" together with civility is hardly to be condemned.
To be sure, Biden was not a precursor but to charge him with a kind of complicity in retarding the just demands of Blacks is not right.
Here is how his over-all position can be described:
" One could argue he was not in lockstep with the most liberal elements of the party, but liberal enough that Republicans would feel little hesitation to fling the epithet at him."
1
Kamala Harris knows exactly what she was doing when she confronted Biden. She found some excuse to play the race card by using the phony excuse of "hurtful feelings" over the busing issue that she copied from Corey Booker. Kamala Harris would've never gotten where she is today if she was a wimpy, think skinned Corey Booker. If Harris thinks she can win by dividing us even more than we are over racial issues, she will only hurt the Democrats from winning the election and play right into Trump's hands.
The voters want to hear concrete plans--not slogans and promises--how they will repair the damage Trump and the Republicans are doing to America.
5
Kamala Harris gave Joe Biden a chance to wriggle off the hook, but he instead dug onto it. Had he simply faced her, and said that his position then was wrong, apologized to her, and said that since then he has been a champion of civil rights, he would have escaped without major injury to his candidacy. But he didn't rise to the moment, to my disappointment.
3
Guilt and innocence are not just a matter of doing but also of knowing and awareness. A lack of effort to learn constitutes moral blindness. It’s a lack of care, in a sense. For many whites, of course, ignorance is bliss. We’re still guilty, though, if we fail to educate ourselves, if we remain blind to our white privilege. Biden could have and should have known better. Then and now.
19
Forced busing was a disaster. But what bothers me is the black candidates making this a political football to bring Biden down. I just don't buy the propositional that all is fair in politics. That said Biden should have been prepared for that assault. We don't need a President that is a good debater. We need a debater that is a good president. Is Harris what we need? Time will tell. But we don't need another term for Trump.
18
@Robert Hodge - Agreed, forced busing was a disaster in most areas, it was an attempt to make schools solve a problem that adults were unwilling to solve themselves, mainly live together. White flight just moved further outside the city/state and left the city school system less financially able to support the students. I think it was a cheap shot by Harris to get more press coverage and I can't support that.
4
Imagine getting things done in Congress that benefits the country. Working with some people you don't like and others whose views you find repugnant. Without that ability to compromise we have what we have now, mostly gridlock. I didn't realize that compromise was a bad thing until I read Mr. Boule's column. If every time you get half of what you want you'd have 90% of it in 4 years. Simplistic example but compromising is the only way we as a country can move forward for everyone.
11
I was enthusiastic about Kamala for Veep (not for Prez) until she attacked Joe. She should save her attacks for Trump.
5
@Anne Russell Exactly same here. I thought Biden/Harris would be a great ticket, but Harris exposed herself in the debate. I completely lost my enthusiasm about her.
4
A man who has constantly supported the basic premises of Civil Rights and equality, is castigated for policies he supporter decades and decades ago, policies that were not universally supported by many in the movement and policies engendering more than a simple racist reaction. Politics and policies are complicated. We are faced with the most corrupt racist President in the last 90 years and we attack a basically good man for mistakes he made in the 70's. Get ready for four more years of Trumpism
7
Its distressing to see a purity test put towards a man who has bent the course of history towards a more tolerant and diverse society. By the Harris and her angry mob's standards, nobody could ever satisfy.
2
If the Democrats want to run on bringing back FORCED busing, then they can expect to lose MASSIVELY in 2020. Forced busing was such a bad and hated policy that it was one of the few liberal ideas of the last 55 years to be completely rolled back.
When unelected government officials demand that a certain % of black students and a certain % of white students spend 2 hours a day on the bus so they can go to a diverse school, it does not make the school better, it makes it worse. It means you are teaching kids to treat people DIFFERENTLY due to their race. It means that the black students will sit at certain lunch tables and the white students will sit at different lunch tables. Eventually the white students will move or go to private school.
4
@Joe Public, What? Nice straw man you've got there. No one is proposing that.
Desegregation does not, as this article implies, mean forced busing. Yes, the Left would like to conflate those categories (like it wants to conflate reverse discrimination AKA affirmative action, quotas AKA diversity goals, outcomes AKA quotas, etc.) and then insist that dissenting from its policy positions on these discrete issues makes one a "racist" or worst. This is Kamala Harris in pure politics, nothing else. Go back and tell us: I object to Obamacare being contaminated by the vote needed to pass it of Klansman Robert C. Byrd, the Grand Cyclops of West Virginia and Democratic Majority Leader, wheeled out with the sick and halt to put Obama's signature initiative over the top. Oh--right--he voted the way the Left wanted, all is forgiven and discretely forgotten.
1
Corry Booker's statement on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' grandstanding at the debate were reprehensible to say the least. They obviously are not aware of Biden's work during his senate career in helping African Americans and the working people of this country, which is the reason Biden has such strong support in the black community and working people.
It's very convenient and self-serving on the part of Booker and Harris to dismiss Biden for the purpose of advancing their campaigns, which says volumes about both of them. If using the race card is the only way for them to gain traction, then they obviously have not much to offer other than criticize others and telling voters what they want to hear.
4
It appears that the backlash to Ms. Harris has been a dramatic increase in her standing in the polls. Her honesty was unmistakable compared with the usual much soup from the establishment candidate. I can imagine Sen. Harris ripping Trump to tears whereas Old Joe would stumble and fold like he has always done.
1
@LH The CNN poll was concluded the day after the debate. I don't think it factored the backlash in. Wait for next poll which will reflect more accurately about the impact.
People who are dismayed at Ms. Harris’ assertive manner and deliberate public challenge to Biden are naive about political craft, and Biden’s people who supposedly prepared him for the debate are naive as well. Harris is out to win at almost all costs, from a platform not as well known as Biden’s. Biden presumed (before that debate) he already has won, and that his well-known (and worn) platform would not be challenged. Even the most junior PR person/media rep would have pushed to better prepare Biden to anticipate and defuse someone much more astute, tenacious and in command as Harris. How did they not research her background (bused to school), her agenda (why presume she would not be on the offensive?) and her prosecutorial skills. Missteps galore on Biden’s campaign staff.
2
The implication here is that Biden's opposition to busing "obviously" places him on the "wrong" side of the civil rights movement, and that the reasons he gave amount to the same "states' rights" arguments of the segregationists. I'm not convinced that this is either fair or accurate, and I sense a certain amount of distortion or bending of the truth for hyperbolic effect i('it hurt') in Harris' charges (made for TV, of course). Biden's position and explanations are nuanced, to say the least, and some will probably not find them acceptable. But the busing issue was not quite as black and white (no pun intended) as some would like to portray it now. This is really less about Biden than Harris' attempt to weaken the apparent frontrunner -- and then the inevitable frenzy of "reactions". Fair game in a campaign, yes, but highly opportunistic and exaggerated for political effect. Truth and history get distorted. And then unfortunately opinion writers such as Mr. Bouie (whose work I read and generally admire) feel the need to "react' and join in the resulting public fray.
6
Harris's comments felt, in that moment, authentic, heartfelt, and spontaneous, and I welcomed them. Biden's response by contrast seemed inadequate, defensive, and woefully out of touch.
But on further reflection, and upon hearing that Harris's team had tweeted out an image of Harris as a young child precisely at the moment that she voiced her now-infamous busing comments, and then hearing that her team was fundraising off of t-shirts emblazoned with that image, it all began to feel very calculated and inauthentic to me.
This sensation of being played was exacerbated by comments I have heard lately that her record as California AG was less than stellar - e.g. she refused to prosecute law enforcement officers for blatant misconduct and argued in favor of capital punishment - but that she insists on labeling herself a "progressive prosecutor" and refuses to acknowledge that past positions were perhaps misguided. Sounds a lot like the way Biden has approached his own record.
All of this to say, I liked Harris's performance very much (and I would vote for in the general without hesitation), especially her adeptness and aggressiveness in a debate setting. But I find a candidate with a scripted line of attack and a PR campaign to go along with it decidedly uninspiring. Perhaps politically smart (in fact, definitely so) but ultimately it felt staged, and I felt manipulated.
5
@Audrey K: What you consider "staged" I consider, well-thought out in advance if/when the opportunity presents itself.
Kamala Harris exhibits the combination of book smarts and street smarts that I'd love to have in a president. She could definitely clean Trump's clock on a debate stage.
I doubt she'll have that opportunity when all is said and done, but who knows?
2
@guyslp I don't disagree with the clock cleaning and well-thought out in advance. OTOH, I think it would have been better thought out to wait a beat, e.g. even as little as a couple of hours before posting that photo, to complete the image of spontaneity and authenticity. But this is only my opinion, and I have not seen many opinions like it, so more likely than not the vast majority of folks watching the debate perceived her performance as you did.
In any event, while I think criticizing Biden was fair (more his current refusal to acknowledge mistakes than his past), I don't think in-fighting about race will do the Dems any favors (and I am pretty positive every Dem candidate is a billion times better than Trump in that regard), so I hope critiquing each Democrat's respective positions on race does not become a running theme of the primary (and while not directly pertinent, it bears noting that there was a tremendous backlash generally against busing, and busing is disfavored today as an impractical and ineffective means of effecting desegregation).
arguing about race for race's sake - before the general, that is - seems to be a self-defeating proposition, and exactly what the trump campaign is hoping for.
1
@Audrey K: While I think that "arguing about race for race's sake" is always a mistake, so too is the pretense that it's irrelevant in today's America.
Clear racial animus has come to the surface on the right for everyone to see. It's not dog whistles, it's painted billboards, and Trump has been feeding this.
There is never a wrong time to do the right thing (though there is an awful lot of legitimate debate about exactly how "the right thing" should be approached).
And my feeling, overall, is that Biden is being criticized now for wanting to paper over things. I don't think he has anything to apologize for, as his record on race issues is absolutely stellar for someone of his age demographic. And what one could do or say 30, 40, 50 years ago was very different than what one can say now. Each and every one of us has to work in the milieu of the moment, and it gets very old to me to watch people who do know better put up the pretense that what one could do or say in 1970 is exactly the same as what one can do and say in 2019.
But, with all the above being said, even acknowledging that, openly and fully and without apology, is something Biden seems to be trying to avoid. And that's the only genuine way to diffuse the criticism. If people want to "keep at it" after having said something along the lines of what I wrote above, either repeat it or make reference to having said it and move along.
There's no apology for having done what you felt you could at the time.
1
The most disappointing thing of this entire tempest in a teapot was Biden's lack of preparation. It won't happen Again. As for Ms. Harris, she needs to be prepped for a takedown from the other 23 candidates in her party. Good luck with that, Marco Rubio would say, thinking of Chris Christie.
2
The lack of prep for this is a failure. The rest is inconsequential unless the press want to anoint Harris which I believe they do. She is the second coming of Obama. Just watch.
@Paul Obama is inspiring, Harris is not. Even worse, Harris is manipulated.
3
I respect Harris for bringing up the busing issue with Biden, because of the issues of "local control" and "states rights." both of which are code for Republican good-old-boys maintaining power. It's about time that a candidate from the rising new majority of non-white voters crushes this nonsense. I'm glad that candidates like Booker and Harris are, in effect, smoking out Biden who would be perfectly happy to meet with big donors, avoid the press, give answers to questions about his maneuvers against Anita Hill that make himself into a victim ("sorry I couldn't do more for her"), and basically stick to a script that reduces gaffs. C'mon, people. Admit it. At that debate he looked like he'd be blown to the floor with one big bombastic blast from Trump. I can't imagine him taking on the orange menace on live TV. which is a medium Trump understands all-too-well. Give me the prosecutor who was at her best against Trump's picks for AG and the Supreme Court; she made both men shift in their seats under her pointed questioning. She'd do the same against Trump.
4
There is a problem with some of the criticism of Biden's claim to be able to work with segregationists. There often seems to be an overall condemnation of Biden as an individual rather than his judgment of the circumstances. Also, the Internet is not a nuanced observer. A segregationist is a segregationist, full stop, no further discussion required. But if that segregationist is a senator with good ideas on - say - revitalization of the nation's infrastructure, do we ignore those ideas because that person holds other views that abhorrent? It would take a person with a stronger stomach than mine to put aside revulsion and work for the common good. If someone can do that, while still condemning the racism, I have no problem respecting that. But that level of nuance is often lost on the Internet. I'd like to hear more about why Biden opposed busing, but decline to condemn him for that position alone at this point.
2
In the real world, political positions and people evolve. At times, the more effective route is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Even noted civil rights leaders have at times accepted the idea that slow progress is better than no progress.
It is easy to look back from a different world and see what was wrong with the previous one, and how change should have come faster. It is also facile to second-guess those who made different decisions in a different time and conditions than they might make today. If they are good at what they do and survive long enough on the national scene, the chances are that some day in the future the Cory Bookers, Kamala Harrises and other critics of the vice president will be second guessed based on newer conditions, changed expectations, and the ignorance of many about history.
3
@T. Schultz
And, as in this case, the second guessing will be valuable and enlightening.
Brilliant. One can only watch in amazement - if not surprise - as Democrats and pundits on the left like Mr. Bouie turn Joe Biden into the enemy for his actions in the 1970’s. Meanwhile in the real world Trump raises millions of dollars to fund what is looking to be his likely re-election.
10
The whole situation is tragic. As a mother, a grandmother and an elementary school teacher all my working life, I know the fragility of young children and the mothers who try to keep them safe not only from others but from themselves. As I read somewhere, having a child is like seeing your heart out in the world away from your body’s protection. Bussing was a political solution to an issue that was deeply personal involving the frightening vulnerability of young children. I don’t know what the answer should have been but I don’t think the language and the tone of this conversation captures what was and is at stake.
9
Whatever Biden said was going to be seen as negative by Democrats. A white man attacking a black woman's assertions on national TV? Really?
Trump will use every word of Harris against her to make her look like a grasping black woman, reaching for ever more support for brown people over white. And that tactic will work, even better than it did with Clinton. Republicans, unlike Democrats will eat it up.
The Democratic Party and nominee has to have an inclusive plan and platform. The longest journey starts with the first step, and the first step is getting the Republicans out of the White House and reducing/eliminating their hold on the Senate. Remember-every Representative is up for reelection in 2020. Let's not slide backwards by trying to leap too far forwards.
6
Her focus should be on Trump and the Republican Party, not on a fellow candidate. This is politics, not the civilized debate almost ALL other candidates participated in. Disunity from within is what dooms a nation and/or a coalition. Enough of the politics; get on with the job at hand. And that job is to deal with issues. Harris definitely lost any possible vote I may have had for her.
4
Regarding the many comments I see about the history of race relations -
I have a question about white responsibility and privilege.
I'm am immigrant from an Eastern European country. None of my ancestors ever owned a slave; in fact, they themselves were enslaved by the Romans while their land and resources were plundered.
My family came to the US with $200. We lived in a very small apartment, in a working class neighborhood. We quickly learned English and eventually became reasonably successful. I am certain that looking white has helped us along the way, in that we were not discriminated against by landlords and bosses. My dad didn't have to live in fear of police brutality. However beyond those very clear advantages, I have a hard time accepting white guilt for the crimes of a bunch of brutal and repressed imperialists that have nothing to do with my background.
10
No one’s asking you to accept “white guilt”. There is no collective guilt because there’s no guilt by association.
What society demands, I would say, is what you’re already doing: try to be clear-eyed about the historical and contemporary racism in our society, of its ramifications, and of policies that can mitigate against it.
2
@Anjou
Hi Anjou. In my opinion, there is no need to feel guilt, and 'white guilt' is really a term used by bigoted people (racists) when they are demeaning efforts to foster equality in our country. It is a term used to create distance between the present and the past, and to pretend that there is no continuity between the two. What we need more of is empathy for others, and some help when you are able to provide it. We do not need guilt.
@Anjou
Then you should be happy to hear that Senator Harris has refused to do anything that would benefit black people. It wii probably encourage you to vote for her.
1
Without a doubt, Kamala Harris a smart, seasoned prosecutor, which means she knows how to impeach (and even eviscerate) a witness she’s cross-examining. And that’s exactly what she did to clueless Joe Biden during night two of the Democratic debates last week. But I’m not yet convinced that qualifies her to be the Democratic nominee in the general election. My money/support is still behind Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both of whom are tireless advocates for lower-income and middle-class working people. #NoMiddleGround
3
Her actions as a prosecutor are troubling & will be the topic of the next debate. Her glass house has several large bay windows.
9
Reading the comments. And the comments to the comments.
Trump just ordered a fresh bowl of popcorn and a Diet Coke. He's laughing, as we make his eventual task much easier by eating ourselves. And yes, Kamala started it. She owns it now.
9
If only this exchange would get rid of both of them. They both are Wall St. darlings, it's just that Harris has a disingenuous story about busing to parlay into campaign funds. If both of them flame out, the Wall St, donations will flow to Mayor Pete. And so on until Warren and Sanders are stopped.
Just end this story about a goofy bumbling politician and a sharp elbowed prosecutor already.
2
Why Kamala Harris can't be identified for who she is in terms of race i.e. a mixed race individual! and for that Barack Obama as well. I hope people can see that this race identity is more to do with votes than anything else..If there was a much higher percentage of mixed-race people in US then both these politicians would have opted for that label...I believe not identifying themselves as mixed race individuals they both have done a huge disservice to all the mixed race people and reinforced racial divide by embracing one race over the other..while they belong equally to both!
2
“He never called me boy, he always called me son.”
Aides to Biden later clarified that his standard story about Eastland includes the line "He never called me senator, he always called me son." This was to make the young Biden feel young and inexperienced. Biden clearly MISSPOKE in this instance (and I don't use that word euphemistically.) I don't know why this hasn't gotten more press. Biden has been a consistent campaigner for civil rights. What a silly foofaraw.
1
Biden opposed forced bussing, which was very different from the voluntary bussing programs that Harris was part of. Voluntary programs were fairly effective because the communities participating seemed to care about educational opportunity. Forced bussing took kids from one poor school district and put them in another poor and hostile district. No educational interests were served and white liberals came off as elitist and hypocritical, since their communities were not forcibly disrupted. I am no fan of Biden's, but Harris' political attack obscures the failure of forced bussing programs and the reasons they were opposed.
7
In that way I think Harris took a cheap shot.
Schools are as segregated today now again as the were in the 1960s. Court-ordered bussing was enormously unpopular, and for good reason: people felt, correctly, their children were pawns in a game with no rules that they had no voice in.
Do I want my children bussed across town to a school not of my choosing for the sake of social equality? I do not. Is that what Harris proposes? It is not. Is that what Biden opposed? It is. So what’s her point?
Court-ordered school equity is a chump’s game. New Jersey has stymied its own Supreme Court over its constitutional guarantee of a “fair and efficient” education for decades. It’s far from alone.
I’m no Biden fan, but he’s right: democratically enacted solutions succeed where courts fail. She’s right in the larger sense but not the particulars: the federal government can play a role in forcing states to adopt more equitable school funding and racially integrated neighborhoods.
1
To all of the Biden apologists, can someone please explain why he is above reproach on racial issues? Is it because he has a "black friend" in President Obama (his friend that he referred to as "clean and articulate" no less)? Many comments have alluded to Biden "fighting for civil rights" his entire career. Can someone please enlighten me on what exactly were his accomplishments? I imagine if someone fought for something for 40 years - they would amass a lengthy list of accomplishments / legislative achievements.
While I cannot think of a single accomplishment Biden has delivered with respect to civil rights, I can think of his many efforts that run counter to social justice...like being one of the chief architects of the 1994 crime bill, like denigrating Anita Hill and denying her fellow women peers the opportunity to corroborate Clarence Thomas was a sexual harasser (we won't mention the damage that Clarence Thomas has done to Civil Rights and Voting Rights while on the SC bench), his bankruptcy bill, etc.
Please, do tell of Biden's laudable Civil Rights contributions? (Or, were they more in "theory" than "practice"/policy...kind of supporting "desegregation in theory" but vehemently opposing policies that could put into practice like "busing".) I'll wait...
3
@Edwina
Forced busing actually increased residential segregation as it caused white flight.
2
Only in the mirror of one another can we see who we really are.
1
Well, now I can scratch Harris and Booker from the list of candidates I'd EVER vote for!
Both are guilty of the cheapest of cheap shots.
Sad commentary on the lengths that some of these current crop of self-promoters will go to to get a sound-bite of attention. Disappointing in Harris's's case, but no surprise in Booker's. (After all, he threw incumbent Dem Sen Frank Lautenberg under the but of his ambition after declining to run for governor against Chris Christie, as he promised he would, because he was afraid he might lose! And of course he skipped out on Newark too!)
Biden has accomplished a lot as senator and as Obama's VP! What have Booker and Harris accomplished in the Senate? Name ONE important law that either has sponsored or gotten passed!
The nation needs someone who can get laws passed and reputations implemented, not self-promoting loud talkers who accomplish nothing, aside from grabbing PR!
What's SO bad about this statement, Sens Harris and Booker?
"We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished. But today you look at the other side and you’re the enemy.”
--Lifelong progressive Dem voter
9
I thought Kamala Harris was too bright to be stooping to a vote 40 years ago by an opponent. You lost my vote by using disingenuous tactics. If you have to gain votes by denigrating your opponents you are succumbing to the
tactics of the current regime which are despicable.
7
So Kamala Harris and other Dems are in favor of the forced busing of the 1970s?
Why not just hand the election to to Trump and be done with it?
8
Unless Ms, Harris intends to insert court-ordered busing in the Democratic platform, her take down of Biden is as phony as Trump University.
This particular attempt at integration was, at the time, unpopular with blacks as well as whites and largely considered to have been a failure.
8
What had happened - a bone dry approach.
- In a TV debate of candidates of the 2020 General election race a not-so-convincing over aged but so-called “moderate” frontrunner was ambushed by (un-)friendly fire by a fellow party colleague.
- This action can only be explained as an attempt to put this person out of the business while the ambusher herself has no reasonable chance to win the GENERAL election race in 2020 for many reasons and while there is still no better candidate for the “moderate” position whatever this is in sight because this had been the only reason the party had picked this one before despite well known flaws as being 78 in 2020 and as already sounding like a grandfather in 2019 to mention just two in no way dishonourable ones .
- The not-so-convincing moderate is severely damaged now while the ambusher is celebrated as the winner of the debate by her supporters, the identity wing and many liberal journalists who are all together definitely not representative for Jane and Joe Voter.
- In terms of content Democrats seem to be deeply divided. Elements which could unite them in future were well hidden in the debate, to put it mildly,
- There seemsto be no influence of a party management to stop an obvious tearing apart of the wings on open stage again, an effect that had already led to many refusals to vote by supporters of a defeated wing in 2015/2016.
Assessment:
And the winner of this bold coup de main cheered by many “progressives” is - Donald Trump!
4
Who cares if Biden is guilty or innocent? The real question is how will he fight Trump. He claims that centerist conciliation is the winning path. Kamala claims that treating Trump like a hostile witness and confronting him with a rap sheets of his lies and crimes is the way to go. Based on what we've seen in speeches and debates, she has a fighting chance to beat the Donald, while sleepy Joe will be punched around like a Pillsbury doughboy.
3
@lvzee
If Harris is the nominee, Trump will demagogue the forced busing issue and get re-elected in a landslide.
3
@lvzee
This isn't about 'policy'. What's-'er-name got it right: he wasn't elected on policy, he was elected on ignorance, bigotry, and indifference.
You can't fix stupid in a year. No one will vote for Harris but Democrats. Enjoy your fascist dictatorship when Trump's re-elected.
1
Newsweek 03/22/18; "School Segregation in America is as Bad Today as it Was in the 1960s."
If Kamala becomes president will she re-institute the busing program in America. If she were honest she should make busing a part of her platform.
3
@Winston Adam
If she makes forced busing a part of her platform, Trump will be re-elected in a landslide.
2
Hmm I didn't see Biden get flustered by Kamala. He seemed a little surprised and disappointed, as were many of us who admire Ms. Harris. The statement delivered directly to Joe that she didn't believe he was a racist disarmed him until she addressed the viewing audience "jury" and provided her evidence that Joe Biden was indeed a racist. It came across as a dramatic and calculated stunt to malign Joe Biden and remove him from the leader position in the polls. Adding insult to injury, the Kamala Harris campaign began shilling tee shirts right after the debate with a photo of Kamala as a child and the heading "I was that little girl". Offensive, tacky and misguided is the takeaway. She has also amassed a group of online supporters who appear to have been schooled by the Bernie Bros in their "Kamala or NO ONE" zeal for the Democratic nomination. Joe Biden might be many things but he is not a racist. I wish she had focused her rage stunt toward the real racist menace sitting illegitimately in the White House rather than a member of her own party. If Joe Biden were to ultimately win the nomination, this incident could favor a Trump win. As a result of this one early debate incident, I now have my doubts whether Ms. Harris is a worthy candidate for the office of the POTUS. Besides, Biden possesses foreign policy experience & skills above all the other candidates. He could easily rebuild the goodwill and confidence with US allies that Trump has destroyed
2
The debate is not about whether Biden is a racist; Harris even admitted that she did not think he was. The fact that he worked across the ailse to get things accomplished is part of what goes into the legislative process. If everybody agreed on everything, there would not be two parties separted by an aisle between them on the fllor of the Senate. Harris's attack on Biden was politically motivated. She's a 55 year old Senator. She was rasied by parents who both had Phds. She was luckier than most caucasian chilren. She is making a play for the black vote, which is an important component of the Democratic Party. Biden will need to sharpen his game, but what else would one expect Harris to do than attack the front runner about something that happened almost fifty years ago?
4
I respect Harris. She would be where she is with or without busing.
The circular firing squad continues.
1
My fear is hat by raising the issue of busing we may get embroiled in a controversy that weakens the effort to raise the quality of below average schools (the term 'inner city'has become a misnomer in many rapidly gentrifying downtows) in minority neighborhoods.....Dems had better start winnowing their policy priorities as surely as these debates will winnow the candidates.....
1
Busing was a terrible idea that most people didn't want. Voluntary busing decided at the local level was what Harris went to school under. She conflated voluntary and Federally mandated, probably knowing that a large number of people wouldn't know the difference. Trying to fix schools with busing is a bad idea just like changing the composition of the top schools in NYC by getting rid of the test that"overselects" Asians. Neither solves the root of the problem-underperforming local schools. Come up with a distraction that won't solve the real issue seems to be a common theme. What does it say when the same"progressives" fall for both? All I learned is that Harris is a typical politician willing to manipulate and distort using incomplete information and an ignorant sliver of the public. I learned nothing new about Biden-he was right about busing then, and he was right about having to compromise with even people whose views you detest to get things done in the Senate. Any president who wants to get stuff done has to do this.
3
The vast majority of black and white parents are strongly against federally mandated bussing. Enough said.
6
The title of this piece is Kamala Harris doesn't Have to Believe in Biden' innocence. Personally, I do not have the ability to look back 45 years and judge what happened then. I do not believe Joe Biden was guilty of racism then any more than now. As others have said there are many reasons to believe Biden should not be our candidate, but why condemn now for a judgement call he made so many years ago?
If I remember correctly Carter was raked over the coals for admitting then that he 'lusted' in his heart. Was he wrong for admitting this or just being honest? Politically it may have been a mistake to say it, but Carter was only making a point about his own humanity just as Biden admitting to working with racists was to make a valid point.
Nixon was a crook, but he and Congress created the EPA and that was a lasting contribution to our nation. Do we condemn the EPA or the creating Congress for working with a crook?
3
Kamala Harris is little more than an ambitious opportunist who fought to keep people in prison even after they were proved innocent. She refused to pursue the death penalty against a man who killed a police officer, but also defended California’s death penalty system in court. She implemented training programs to address police officers’ racial biases, but also resisted calls to get her office to investigate certain police shootings. She is running for President just two years after being elected to the United States Senate and without the slightest inkling that she understands the world and has done the writing, traveling and reading that would serve her in the international arena.
3
I was disgusted with Ms. Harris, not because she voiced her experience or even her anger with Joe Biden. That was her experience and it was very real to her. What I objected to was doing it at that debate, like a one-act play with her sounding like she was going to cry. It was obviously planned and staged to get her points in the debate.
Ms Harris, again, is completely entitled to her life's experiences. But did one bill Biden work on define his whole life? Do we have any idea of the chess matches going on in Congress, when people used to actually work things out despite their differences?
Talmadge and Eastland were objectionable and, by the accounts I've read recently reprehensible. They were elected by racist constituencies. But they were elected and Biden and others, republicans and democrats, had to work with them to get things done.
I am an old white guy I was in the Marines when busing started. Economically, I thought it was nuts. Socially, it was a step in the right direction to heal our country. Columbus, Ohio was on the national news the day it started as an example of how busing could be done civilly and peacefully. It was beautiful.
I have a smidgeon of a glimpse about the pain blacks felt in the 70's. I know they had every right to fight for their rights, and I'm glad most Americans felt the same way.
Biden is a good man. Maybe forgive him?
71
@Lock Him Up - Thank you for your thoughtful post, although I don't think Biden has done anything that requires forgiving.
We are all shaped by our experiences, of course, but I would like throw out there that there is a difference between how we experience something and reality. A competent leader understands this and doesn't conflate the two, as Harris clearly is.
10
@Lock Him Up If Harris is the nominee the Democrats will lose decisively in 2020. This weekend she said "we need to put every effort, including busing, into play to desegregate the schools... so busing is one of the ways by which we create desegregation and we make it more equal.” Harris’s campaign on Monday said that she supported federal resources for busing. Forced busing although a noble idea was a disaster. It wasn't about making all schools better. It was about trying to make all schools the same in terms of racial balance. What is wrong with working to bring up under-performing schools to the same standards? Nothing. When the best we can do is put kids on a bus adding an extra two hours to their day then something is dreadfully wrong. Instead of fixing the schools nearest to the students politicians decided it was cheaper to bus them. Insane. Mind you this was more of a burden on black students who were bused more often and further to achieve some magical racial balance. Any parent that could afford to pulled their kids out and put them in neighborhood private schools. What happened in Berkely was voluntary busing....which Biden supported. He has said so several times, including at the debates. It's beyond hypocritical for Harris to attack Biden for a policy that they both supported! Harris is now on record for bringing forced busing back. Forced busing failed. That point can't be emphasized enough. Harris will lose the election based on this issue alone.
8
@Lock Him Up I think most people, even those negatively affected by Biden's actions way back when, would be ready to see it all in an understanding light if he showed that he had thought about this and other issues over the years. He doesn't need to apologize, but he could show some leadership by demonstrating that he has thought hard about his participation in the senate, by speaking forthrightly about how his sense of social justice has changed over the years to better contextualize his actions in the 70s and 80s, by saying something about how he was part of a history tangled up with awful racism that haunts still. Instead, he showed he hadn't actually stopped to think it through and showed that all-too-familiar grumpy old-man petulance. He was annoyed and flustered and got defensive, rather than seize the moment to say something productive. His impulsive response was perhaps too honest, though, and it showed he's one of those powerful people for whom the greater offense is being made to account for his actions. He showed himself to look like the kind of guy who thinks the proper roles in this world are for some (him) to act with impunity and the rest to experience consequences. In that mindset, self-sacrificing public servants should never be made to feel uncomfortable about the repercussions of their actions. I expect conservatives to accept this mindset as right and proper, but no one who votes left of center. And we don't need a nominee with that mindset in 2019.
11
Yes, compromise is part of governing, but it must be compromise that does not abandon principle. I surely do not know how or if the United States can emerge from the crisis reaching its pinnacle with Trump. The only hope I can see, however, is a new era of progressivism. The last 40 years have been an era of rightward slide that has hopefully reached its final depth. Our only salvation will be a new era, and possibly the rebound from the depth of right wing depravity will take us to a new height.
34
@Scott: From your fingers to the electorate's eyes!
(Or, classical form: From your mouth to God's ears!)
1
@Obsession - You're right, Obsession, that racism will never vanish. But it's amazing to me how many people refuse to recognize it if the target of it is white men, or whites in general.
And by the way, I am not in any way responsible for anything my "race" did in the past. Understand this: I am not looking for "absolution." I have always treated people of all races with respect, and regarded them as the equals that they are. Although there are things that keep me up at night, I assure you this is not one of them.
1
She doesn't have to believe in his "innocence?" That implies that he's done something wrong.
The only thing Joe Biden is "guilty" of is being a grown up, and wise enough to understand that, in life in general, certainly, but even more so if you choose a career in politics, you HAVE to be able to work with people whose beliefs you personally find offensive. The fact that he could do this is a huge mark in his favor, not something negative.
The alternative, of course, is Trump style "leadership." I am quite sure that everyone wringing their hands over Joe Biden's ability to treat those he disagrees with as human beings, and in this case as colleagues he needs to work with, can understand that Trump's way of doing things just isn't working. So my recommendation is that Harris and the rest stop trying to paint one of Joe Biden's best qualities as one of his worst, because all they're doing is helping to create more of what they claim they don't want.
3
All this is true. But people do change as they grow older and wiser. Life has a way of teaching people lessons, whether they want to go to school or not.
I ask this question. What if Biden had kept his mouth shut? What if he never uttered those words about the segregationists? Same man. Same history. Same beliefs. Would he still be as guilty of innocence as most all of us are?
Yes he would. But why does it take an ill conceived gaff to convict him or anyone else?
My Rabbi gave a sermon where he said there such a thing as an unforgivable sin. This is where wrongdoing is done and someone who has the power to stop it does nothing. That is guilt by innocence. Is Biden then unforgivable?
Let me tell you about forced bussing. I grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood. My high school was naturally integrated at about 25% black and 10% to 15% hispanic. The city used forced busing which increased the black population to over 50%. My eighth grade class had about 500 kids. My graduating class was about 220. The school had 1800 kids when I started and 1200 when I left. The school district went from about 75,000 students to about 15,000 in 20 years. I received a horrible education and my primary goal was to get to school and back home each day without getting beat to a pulp. I wish I could run as fast in gym class as I could when being chased. That's what forced busing did to me.
What was my crime? How innocent am I?
268
@Bruce Rozenblit
What is your point? Who said you were guilty of any crime?
20
@Bruce Rozenblit
As Biden spokesman Bill Russo says in response, “Vice President Biden believes to his core that you can disagree politically on a lot and still work together in good faith on issues of common cause—like funding cancer research.” Biden himself responded similarly and with good humor: “I read in New York Times today…that one of my problems is if I ever run for president, I like Republicans," Biden told the Conference of Mayors. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” He added: “But, you know, from where I come from, I don't know how you get anything done…unless we start talking to one another again.”
https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/426891-criticism-of-biden-bipartisanship-exactly-whats-wrong-with-us
40
@Bruce Rozenblit Unfortunately, Biden's history is full of bad decisions:
1) Cozying up to segregationists including giving the eulogy at Strom Thurmond's funeral.
2) The busing issue.
3) Fighting for Clarence Thomas and helping to smear Anita Hill.
4) Prime sponsor/author of the 1994 crime bill that greatly increased mass incarceration.
5) Voting for the Iraq war.
6) Voting for deregulation of the banks.
7) Voting for the bill the made tax cuts for the wealthy permanent under W. Bush.
Then there's general feeling that he is a clueless candidate with limited debating skills. If Biden is not nominated we will probably lose to Trump or at the very least end up with someone incapable of dealing forcefully with the current GOP. Thank you Kamala for starting the take down process.
31
Needlessly, pointlessly divisive - all so Sen. Harris can get a “boost”. She might win a debate against Donald Trump but she will lose the election.
If the Democratic Party wants to have a primary in which scores of old grievances are brought out then it will be four more years of Trump. Death by identity politics.
5
What we learned at the debate is that Kamala is ruthless enough to debate Trump and come out on top, but that Biden is not ruthless enough!
30
@phil
I admire Sen. Harris, but if she was “hurt” by former VP’s Biden’s comments, she’d better develop a thicker skin if she intends to face the “offender in chief” in the general election.
1
Biden's views on busing aside, Harris going after his comments on working with segregationist senior members of his OWN PARTY was a cheap shot. What exactly would she have done in his place? Refused committee seats offered by the vile Southerners? Somehow I doubt it. She has worked with Rand Paul on issues of mutual concern in an effort to get something accomplished. As she should. And she's definitely smart enough to recognize that's all Biden was trying to say.
4
I honestly don’t understand the end of the James Baldwin quote. “The innocence constitutes the crime.” Does that mean feigning that you’ve done nothing wrong is the crime?
Mr. Bouie seems to conclude that if only Biden had fought for busing, etc., we would have lived happily ever after in a rosy world of racial harmony. The opposite may be true: Biden helped undermine the segregationists.
Did Kamala Harris do anything when in office to undermine notorious segregation in California schools? Did she sue the rich school districts? Did she enforce equality for children when she had power? In Los Angeles, only parental lawsuits brought in $150 million to combat rodents in poor classrooms. The state that Sen. Harris worked for maintained those deplorable conditions.
23
The simple answer is that in the USA (not the progressive libs) people are innocent until proven guilty. Politics are not to be confused with "life". The freedom everyone enjoys today is due to human being able to cooperate and collaborate even though they disagree. For many of us the democrats are on the path of self-destruction and we want "off".
8
"When people from historically excluded groups take the national stage," they can also use anger, forget objectivity, and lose civility for purely political gains.
4
Harris's attacks on Biden have locked-in Trump's reelection. Once again the Democrats go into self-destruct mode and form a circular firing squad.
I've had it with all this infighting. The only real task that the Democrats faced was getting Trump out of the White House. Biden represented the best chance of doing that. Now the Democrats have effectively killed his candidacy and ensured Trump's reelection.
Did Harris or this commentator or anyone actually think the nation wants to engage in a debate over busing and who's holier than who? The most successful African-American Democrat ever was Barack Obama. And he NEVER played the race card. Harris did so in the first debate and sealed the fate for the Democrats both for 2020 and likely for years to come after that.
What a shame.
4
A presidential aspirant ignorant enough in their first town hall to exclaim "Do away with all of that!" when asked what she would do to private insurance, i.e. the ACA which millions of Americans love and are not letting go of any time soon, will never win the nomination much less the presidency. This is called a tone deaf inability to read the room, and you can be sure that ill-considered response will be turned into a fear-mongering meme to be spread far and wide across social media should this candidate get close to winning anything. Couple that with the forthcoming meme of the same aspirant raising their hand in solidarity with Sanders when asked who would give up the private insurance option, who then nonsensically protested that she didn't understand the question, and you have a flip-flopping candidate who is going nowhere fast.
3
A few years ago, before Trump took over and started insulting everybody who got in his way, people praised politicians who "reached across the aisle" rather than demonizing their opposition as "enemies". Now reaching across the aisle is considered collaboration. (And of course, Biden made things worse for himself by admitting that the Republicans he worked with were segregationists). In one sense Trump has won, imposing his bellicosity on everybody else.
1
Sure, Biden might have made some questionable alliances in years past, but his 8 years as VP showed his commitment to equality do all Americans.
If Dems insist on debasing one another, Trump will stay in the White House another 4 years.
1
Will Rogers was quoted to say "I don't belong to an organized political party, I'm a Democrat". The Republicans don't suffer that problem as much. Divisions keep the Democrats from living up to their potential. Our current political divide is too severe and the problems too serious to ignore. If Trump is not that bad, maybe the system works. However, I think I am in the majority sounding the alarm about what is happening. Somehow we need to come together as the "United States of American" as articulated by Obama, and find consensus and compromise, that enhance not destroy our values. If Trump and the Republicans win another four years, we will be in big trouble, I fear.
2
I am not a Biden supporter, and I have enormous admiration for James Baldwin. I also admire Jamelle Bouie's columns, which have added a real progressive voice to the Times's op-ed page. I agree that Biden is not "innocent," and cannot simply wash his hands of his past, in which he was sometimes took the wrong stance on important issues. But I wonder if it is fair to invoke Baldwin to accuse Biden, who opposed busing, of being guilty of inflicting "destruction and death." To my mind, this is overstated.
5
If Kamala has more good insights like the one she hit Joe up with from her lived experience, then I'm voting for her every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I'm voting early and often. Yes I am.
And I can do that because I'm notaminoritywhite, and I've got no problem with pulling on a different Trump hat for each poll and pulling the lever for Kamala, as many times as it takes.
I like Joe, but a Kamala moment like that one is something special you just don't pass up.
1
Thanks for your commentary on this issue.
The Baldwin quote at the end especially resonated with me.
I am not optimistic that we will see a better US future any time soon, but you are encouraging and inspiring us to think deeply about that future.
I think the point is, why should we settle for some out of touch clueless moderate when our country needs to move forward aggressively to solve critical issues like climate change, healthcare, immigration.
2
I don't understand the plethora of comments lamenting that Dem candidates are competing with each other. That is politics, folks. What are they supposed to do, not oppose each other?
Calling it demolition and "circular firing squad" sounds very naive. Primaries are preparation for the general. Vulnerabilities of candidates are not like family secrets we mustn't air to the world.
Do we really think if we don't bring up issues in the primaries, that the GOP won't bring them up later in the general?!
Biden can't take a cakewalk and be coronated a' la Hillary. He has to earn it. Learning and toughening up in the primaries is part of the process.
3
Thank you for tackling this volatile issue.
And for closing with the voice of James Baldwin,
which never fails to ring true.
1
I would like to see an article on the results of forced busing. I understand that minimal benefit at great social cost was the result.
4
The distortion of facts and smearing of individuals based on their race and any interaction with prejudiced Congressmen 50 years ago during policy making negotiations is unfair,devious, and tyrannical.
This political tactic is dishonest but reveals the lack of character of the offender.
8
Spare me all this outrage about Biden getting a low blow of a cheap shot from left field. The for him is that, when it happened, he couldn't handle it. And if he can't handle a rather predictable "surprise" attack on a friendly debate stage, how capable is he of handling the next real surprise by the Russians or North Koreans or Chinese post-2020?
2
My issue with Harris is that, unlike Obama, she loves to bring up race and her experience as an African American, but like Obama, her background and upbringing are nothing like those of almost all African Americans.
Her mother, who largely raised her, was a scientist with a doctorate from Berkeley and came from a wealthy Indian family. Her father was a Jamaican immigrant who was an economics professor at Stanford. But to hear Kamala Harris talk and to hear people talk about her, you'd think she grew up like Michelle Obama.
Of course, none of this would matter to me in the least, if she just stuck to policy and left her racial identity out of it. But if she does bring it up, she should at least represent herself accurately. Bottom line: she was born into the kind of family that she didn't need forced busing to succeed.
16
Joe should have been prepared for the race issue since he initiated it himself by talking about his cooperation with segregationist senators. Busing was not the issue during the debate. Harris was prepared to talk about race in America and Joe was not. I would rather have Harris debating Trump. Until the second debate I was in Joe's camp.
@JJGuy: I was never in Joe's camp personally for a variety of reasons, but if the Democrats choose to make race a major issue in the election, they'll lose badly, I'm afraid.
@Dave . . . And she definitely doesn't carry hot sauce in her purse.
I don't buy into the "Uncle Joe" nonsense. Biden makes a lot of gaffes and if Obama hadn't made him Vice President Biden wouldn't be a front runner in the debates.
But I also don't buy Harris' "outrage" over Biden's comments. He didn't say what she says he said and he didn't mean what she says he meant.
She would gain more credit if she just dismissed the controversy instead of using it to gain an early edge against Biden.
3
It's likely that Eastland and Talmadge were working the young center from Delaware, down a well worn path of northern Democratic party hypocrisy, rather than the other way around.
I'm not a fan of Biden. And I thought that Harris's comments were appropriate and added a dose of humanity to a somewhat abstract discussion. Thats what the debates are for.
That said, in hindsight, as someone who went through court-ordered busing, I'm not sure it was the right way to advance the problem of school segregation. In my district, it lead to the abandonment of the public schools by much of the middle class. So it was a bit of an own goal.
And yes, as a Senator in this times, Biden had to learn how to negotiate with people he profoundly disagreed with. So I don't hold that against him either. In Politics, just as in Business, you have to deal with a lot of people whose values are contrary to your own.
My primary concern is that Trump is defeated. I hope that these debates don't turn into a bitter circular firing squad. I wish that Mr Obama (the only person who commands the required authority and respect) would sit down with the Democratic contenders and get them all to agree to rules of engagement. We need a fair and transparent process that energises Democrats to get out and give 100% support whoever is chosen.
Please! We need this nightmare to end!
10
Yes, and yes. And thank you for the perfect James Baldwin quote.
Mandatory busing destroyed the city of Cleveland. Those who could afford to move to the suburbs, white and black, did so allowing their kids to walk to neighborhood schools. The impoverished stayed in Cleveland that as a result of busing had a lowered tax base and rapidly declining neighborhoods. If you’re poor and your kid is bused a Ross town, it’s not likely you’ll get to many events or teacher parent conferences. Long and the short? Busing destroyed many inner city school systems across our nation. Unintended consequences at its rawest.
6
No, Dave. It was some people’s reaction to the recognition that their children would go to school with children of color, and that children of color would have a better chance to raise themselves to a level that their talent and drive would permit, that “destroyed” Cleveland.
"And Biden stood with a status quo that denied equal opportunity to black students, against the mandate of the Constitution. "
This is an interesting column because it asks the question or attempts to argue, that to oppose busing is to stand against the Constitution. Hmmm. That is quite a leap.
5
Biden will continue to have a tough race because he says random stuff that will get him in trouble. He is a man from a different era and while he is willing to see the error of his past ways, the modern world is not willing to forgive and allow him to move on. He is not the best candidate anyway.
2
Sorry, but this is a hit job; not a fair discussion of principled behavior. Biden opposed forced Federal Busing, becasue he believed it should be a local issue. Perhaps it wasn’t the best approach, retrospectively. Harris was wrong when she refused to consider DNA evidence which would have freed a man, a Black man, from prison. She recently apologized for her decision and I accept her apology and appreciate her willingness to learn from her mistakes. Her assault on Biden’s credibility by innuendo was great theater, but sadly the theater we have come to expect in today’s political debates.
Biden’s efforts to engage those politicians ‘of old’ was what was required to get things done. The senior African American legislative leaders acknowledge that! Biden didn’t accept their racist positions. Booker and Harris need to respect those who came before them and acted in good faith. Biden has made many mistakes and he acknowledges them.
The point is, let’s not crucify colleagues of good faith and experience for poll position. Using your line of reasoning Harris’s behavior on the DNA issue should be disqualifying. We need a leader who will reach across the aisle as painful as it may be to get things done. Things that will assist everybody, one constituency.
Harris is so far falling short as did your article.
12
The Democratic Party is doomed and the 2020 Presidential election will be lost if we make the new litmus test on civil rights the support for mandatory busing. There is a reason that such policies, which were very briefly seen as the pathway to desegregation, were largely abandoned across the country. They were so unpopular that they jeopardized the overall agenda of civil rights legislation and implementation. School desegregation issues, indeed, were the foundation of the new right-wing movement that subsequently arose in the country to take over the Republican Party and bring us to the current ferocious fight for democracy in the U.S. In the South, the opposition to school desegregation brought the growth of "Christian" schools to privatize education, which has now affected education outside the South as well. This history is largely why white evangelicals were mobilized to support Republicans after the white Democratic South became the white Republican South. Harris's attacks on Biden were unfair and in some ways shameful, because she knows that he fought for civil rights. His comments about the need to work with people whose views you do not share may have been inartful, but his point is not wrong. Although I do not know the history of his views on busing, I do remember what was happening in the country when such policies were being implemented. The goals may have been admirable, but there was no public support, despite widespread support otherwise for civil rights.
5
He seems to be deliberately obfuscating "voluntary" busing from Court ordered Federal busing. Harris benefited from the former and Biden opposed the latter.
Biden is old and his time may have passed, I agree, but nobody thought forced busing worked and it did not "give a generation of black children access to quality schools", rather it was abandoned and accomplished very little.
The reason is unlike Harris' suggestions that busing is unlike voting or fair housing because it requires 9 year olds to pay the price of integration by sitting on buses for long periods of time instead of getting religious training, speech therapy, or playing sports which they would ordinarily do. Parents, no matter their feelings on race, have the right to do what's best for their children.
Biden represented the voters of Delaware and he did what voters everywhere did in the 1970s, reject forced busing. And it stopped. Harris decision to resuscitate it as some kind of effective civil rights initiative is dangerously misguided.
The problem with the pandering and off-the-wall nonsense of the current crop of Democratic candidates (reparations, packing the Supreme Court, eliminating private health insurance which 180 million Americans pay for and like) is Americans like me who despise Trump have no one to vote for.
I paid for my kids to go to college, I won't pay for others' kids too. I won't go to the post office to see my doctor. Socialism fails just like forced busing failed.
2
Watching from the outside, I do agree that picking on Biden for something he said or did 40-50 years ago is kind of pointless. It's what our ruling party does and liberals call them out, correctly, for blaming things that happened 70 years ago for today's problems. By the same token, though, did Biden really need to talk about how he worked with segregationists 40 years ago? He worked as recently as until 2016 with Obama. Why would he NOT choose to evoke his more recent record? If there are misgivings about talking about Obama times in the Trumpian era, surely talking about Eastland isn't much better (if at all)? And if he had some coherent strategy woven around nostalgia (Trump-lite in other words) in so evoking Eastland, he should have defended himself a lot more firmly when Harris attacked him? He didn't do that either.
OK we see some of the Dem wannabees express outrage at the past and that's not a new expression. Back to reality. Hammering Joe Biden doesn't necessarily result in capable candidates for POTUS. America does want their elected officials to get things done and civility helps a lot and not to mention experience which, unfortunately, doesn't occur because of well spoken exclamations but via practice and being in the right jobs and yes, making mistakes. Which goes back to the central question: Who has the cred to be elected by a still generally middle of the road electorate? The non debate tends to concern me that the Dems will once again pick a candidate from the far left lacking the behavior of someone the electorate can trust. Trust is everything.
2
The Democrats only job is to beat Trump and oust as many of the racist Congressmen and women who rule the Republican Party today. The same Congressmen and Congresswomen who DO NOT represent their constituents and instead consistently vote on the "wrong" side of issues as it pertains to equality in the workplace and in the social sphere, climate, and taxes/deficit. Talk to me about current issues and what you will do to improve our Country for the next generations. Do not talk to me or lecture to me from a debate stage about something Joe Biden or anyone else did 40 years ago that disenfranchises them from a run at the White House.
To Kamala Harris, point taken. However, the busing policies of the 70s have little to no relevance today. (I believe) Joe Biden would have rather seen education $$$ spent on elevating all schools instead of breaking apart districts and sending kids across town to the worst schools. Yes, that is the other, ugly, side of busing in the 70s. I know because I was the disenfranchised white kid who lived a mile from the school in my district who got bused 45 minutes away to the worst high school in the district (Pinellas County, Florida). The education I received at that school was the worst.
Wake up Democrats, and figure out how to beat Trump and communicate that message. That is your only objective.
3
Well better now in revealing this part of Biden's past rather than having to deal with the vitriol he will face if he wins the nomination and take on the Trump machine.
1
Biden wasn't one of the "authors of devastation." He's a lifelong liberal, and for those too young to remember that period, busing was massively unpopular: single-digit support among both white AND black households. As for transactional relationships in the Senate of yesteryear, that's right; we don't need to compromise with our friends and allies. The fact that he tried to move the business along with the jerks he had to work with is a fair point, and Sen. Booker's attack is opportunistic.
5
Biden is putting forward a past that he simply didn't have. He was always a fence sitter. Always willing to wait and see which way the wind was going to blow. He never pioneered anything in all those years – except to help the credit card industry based in his homestate of Delaware pass any and all legislation which would allow them to part ordinary americans from their money at higher interest with higher fees. Even when he was VP he did nothing for anyone. Not even when he was inc harge of the Task Force to help the Middle Class through the Great Recession — he did nothing for us, ZILCH. He's inarticulate because he knows there's no there there. i understand why people might dislike Harris for gut- punching him with the truth, but I want her to continue. He has it coming. He's a fraud. So what if he's had an important job title for decades. So have dozens of selfish careerist Senators who just want your vote to bring them and their families more money.
1
If you think legislating and working in the government is easy, please volunteer and work in your local government.
Not everyone magically thinks like you do.
One often has to pick and choose their battles, and often requires give and take as distasteful as that may be to move an agenda item forward.
Sadly the Republicans completely eviscerated this dance when President Obama took office. And now, it's hard to imagine a time at the federal level, when there were negotiations between the parties.
Is it fun, no. Do we slowly move ahead when there are negotiations, yes. (Note: certainly not fast enough in my mind to move all Americans forward. ) Still, when will we ever get back to this time?
Heck, forget Republicans. Look within the big tent party itself.
2
I encourage readers to read the work of Hannah Nikole Jones who has written extensively on busing and desegregation efforts. This conversation requires nuance, which seems lost in the responses to this column.
Kamala Harris may have been bussed to a better school in a wealthier part of Berkeley, but she was hardly deprived of a good eduation. Her paernts both had doctorate degress. She went to high school in Montreal, college in Washington, D.C. and law school in San Francisco. She has always had a public sector job and went from being a county prosecutor to state attorney general to United States Senator. She may be biracial but it seems not to have hampered her career.
7
Thank you for your insights and that illuminating Baldwin quote.
So much of what I see are campaigns of vilification, slander, and other forms of violence. They must be destroyed. Another civil war may be necessary. I personally go by, "There, but for the grace of God go I." I may be good, but I may have had fewer temptation opportunities. Elsewhere I see little humility. When they called Jesus to account for associating with sinners, he asked whether it was the healthy or the sick who needed a physician. Were we wrong to cooperate with Stalin in WW2? Actually, I believe we were, but that's another story.
1
Harris came across as angry and rehearsed. Sorry, but she turned me completely off. And she is another poster child in the arsenal of the GOP and Trump.
10
Forced busing may have been necessary, but it was a mess for many, black kids included.
As a white kid, I remember being driven close to an hour to a downtown school in Nashville with over 70% black kids where I was continually tormented. Things like getting a knife stuck to my neck by older kids when I was 10 years old.
I suppose the white race deserved it, but I could've done without it.
3
Joe Biden is not malevolent. He is a walking political anachronism.He is out of touch with the contemporary social context. Now that the mass media has him in their sights he will face relentless scrutiny. It's an absolute certainty that other lapses will occur. The danger for Biden is that he will morph into an object of ridicule and become a comic staple on SNL. That would be a tragedy for him. His stands against forced busing, his inept handling of the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing, his vote in favor of the disastrous Iraq war, his plagiarism scandal, and his vote on the crime bill which disproportionately impacted black males, don't play well in the politics of 2019.
I'd just like to point out to all the distance X speed calculators re Harris's bus ride, ie doubting how long her bus ride took--it was a school bus.
It made multiple stops to pick up kids. It may well have multiple turns and turn backs. 40 min does not seem outrageous.
Biden supporters have to get off their high horse and accept that he may not be a nice guy or even a good person. Likely never has been.
Obama selected him because he felt he needed an establishment Dem to maintain his access to campaign donors going into the main contest.
The only thing Biden really stands for is the status quo which most people from my generation (millennials) find totally unacceptable. A Biden candidacy might fool the older core Dem constituency the same way that Republicans get poor white people to vote against their economic interests, but it does not make for an enthused campaign.
Remember the lessons of candidates who think policy doesn't matter and don't speak to needs and concerns of working class Americans. If Biden is the man I think he is I personally have very little reason to vote for him, because the real policy differences between him and Trump are not large. Biden does have a long history of bad calls and disturbing concessions to the right to make his deals leaving me with low expectations his potential Presidency.
@D W
Harris stands for whatever the group in front of her wants to hear.
1
The choice between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris isn't about competence or honesty. It is about timeliness. It is more than time to move on and have new people in charge.
1
I thought Kamala Harris was 'showboating' and purposely, taking Biden down in the polls. "I'm hurt!" Harris cried. Come on, she's a public prosecutor who is immune to being 'hurt.' But she did have a right to call Biden on his foolish comment about working with segregationist senators. HOWEVER, THE WAY SHE DID IT WAS PURELY POLITICAL.
Also, few people truly want busing. A federal mandate would have been disastrous in many ways. It's best worked out at the state level.
I taught in the Hood for five years and the answer is to rethink the paradigm of education completely, improve literacy (with free centers), and garner more funding.
8
What strikes me most about white innocence is that it is rooted in deep ignorance, an ignorance that would have been unfathomable to me when I was growing up and which I find I still often cannot predict the impact of on others and on myself. Every year that I'm alive I learn more about the depth and breadth of that ignorance.
Getting educated, in this context, is painful but absolutely necessary. Thanks to Sen. Harris for bringing her direct experience to bear in her exchange with Mr. Biden. At some point, many of us who haven't had the luxury of white innocence just have to take a deep breath, dive in and get our stories out there.
1
This opinion piece is an example of the self righteous, self serving, distorted narratives that are undermining American discourse. Biden made the point that congress did a much better job of serving the goal of moving the country forward when civility and looking to build acceptable compromise were valued and practiced. I believe he made a valid point. Neither Jamelle Bouie nor Kamella Harris focused on Biden's assertion. Instead, they shifted the issue to racism and built narratives to discredit Biden in that regard.
I believe that the ability to hear and constructively respond to the views expressed by opponents is a fundamental element of effective leadership. Baraq Obama displayed remarkable ability in this regard. Unfortunately, he came to office in an era in which civility and compromise had been replaced by relentless partisan maneuvering and attacks. A return to more civil, more earnest, less self righteous, and less judgmental communication will be imperative in order for us to regain our moral footing and improve our national mental health. I don't see the path forward at this time.
13
@PN - Note as concerns the use of words and concepts in all such columns that Bouie shifted the issue to "race" not racism:
See this sentence: "-- it was unfair of Harris to bring up her experiences, to make race part of the conversation..."
I understand that Times columnists and comment writers use "race" as a synonym for racism but that has never been acceptable for me,
If Harris had wanted to make "race" as part of the conversation, she might have said in a separate conversation:
My mother came from India and my father came from Jamaica. In America I, Kamala Harris, am seen as "black" whatever my skin color may be. Even though my father is not descended from a slave brought to America from the main source, West Africa, Times columnists always refer to me as African American, a designation seen by the US Census Bureau as the name of a "race". And once I have been put in a "race" box what choice do I have, I must represent my so-called race. So-called because I read David Reich column and the follow up suggesting to readers the language they should use, so I know there is only one race, the human, but I really do not dare to make such a statement.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
3
@PN
All of those things, civility, compromise, etc. are hallmarks of what has become regarded as the “Patriarchy”. In the Kamala Harris prosecutorial world, people become GUITLY merely by having been in the fray for decades dealing with reality. She and others play the role of Re-educamp Director merged with a slick commercialism with props like tee shirts. A mere $29.95 plus tax of your hard earned money enables you to become a righteous foot soldier, a camp guard, of the elderly white men toiling away in the rice paddy. Bernie, what are you doing here?
4
@Patrick-Learn strange things here in comment land. Will google to see if there really is a Kamala Harris T shirt.
As a footnote I am a strong supporter of what Bernie has stood for and I use a Vermont license plate in my ikon that could have been his, given that he declared firmly during his campaign - I am who I am.
But given the presence of Elizabeth Warren, Bernie is no longer my first choice. I note in a not reviewed submission that if Trump takes us to war then he will be the president in 2020 simply by proclaiming that we cannot change leaders during a war.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Citizen US SE
Dividing ourselves along racial, gender and generational lines has been an electoral disaster for the left at all levels of government. We keep this up at our own peril.
6
If it hadn’t been for people like Biden, this author might not be where he is today. Those of us who were in Boston in 1975 and went to schools in Roxbury to tutor kids were not all in favor of busing those kids into South Boston to have bricks thrown at them. Nor did we think the National Guard should have been sent in so they could go to the mediocre schools in South Boston. They weren’t being bused to the affluent neighborhoods much, by the way. The situation in some of those Northeastern cities was not quite the same as in states where there was a broad state conspiracy to repress minorities. Forced busing was not universally accepted by any group. The situation and the issue was a lot more complicated than it is being made out to be. Go talk to 60+ people both black and white, and you will see.
12
Harris is not an African American in the traditional sense - she wants to be one to have articles like this written about her to give her some publicity. Racism is on both sides? The Jeffersen TV series was a hilarious depiction of this. These types of debates are not winning seats in the Senate to get out Mich and the other cronies who support Trump - If the Senate and Congress are in Democratic hands a Trump in the White House would be contained if he does win in 2020. Fighting within Democratic party is what the Republicans want as they are not thinking of the Welfare of the US but enriching themselves.
"It wasn’t the politics of “racial strife,” it was the politics of accountability."
Well said, Jamelle!
Kamala wasn't playing "the race card" as much as she was speaking truth to an institutional power and mindset that Biden represents. She would not have jumped so dramatically in the polling if she had simply pulled off a great politically motivated "Gotcha, Joe!"
No. The power of her words lay in what she said, not that she spoke them to this specific individual. Her device was to address Biden personally, but she was actually talking to the nation: "You must be accountable for your actions. Even if your actions are truly not motivated by racial bias, the choices you make directly effect people's lives. The old ways will no longer stand."
2
@ImagineMoments
Well apparently Kamala Harris, the one time Queen of Mass Incarceration as AG, has done absolutely nothing else except decide she needs a new gig as POTUS for which her former inquisitional skills have been retooled to clear the landscape of opponents. Compare her even to the much ridiculed DeBlasio, as one example, who actually has done real stuff like create affordable housing, freeze rents, provide universal pre-k education, a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave, etc. and you might want to reconsider what you are looking for in a candidate, a builder or a destroyer.
6
I was unsure about Kamala Harris before the debate, but now I like her a whole lot more.
Busing was a terrible idea, and it had all the consequences that its opponents said it would, but a genuine friend of education would have offered something better, not spent his time chumming around with Deep South bigots and waxing eloquent about the experience.
Compromise is important, but when the time came to stand up clearly for the facts, as in acknowledging Anita Hill’s complaints about Clarence Thomas, or opposing the invasion of Iraq until the UN inspectors had been fully heard from, Joe Biden was nowhere to be found. America can do better than this.
2
It’s disappointing to see Harris make cheap shots at a fellow Democrat. That is working for the other side. She should be focusing on policy and the good she wants to do. She may get attention this way, but she is not going to get enough votes to win nor should she.
12
It wa a time and place. And we all have individually grown from our past to be different people with different ideas about things - that is if we are thinking people which I imagine Biden to be.
I also find Harris' comment was destructive to the real goal of the next election which is to unelect Trump. Older folks don't want disruption in their politics, but a uniter like Biden with a more liberal VP seems to me to have a lot more potential to win than trying to out-left the out-righhte.
5
As someone who grew up in a border state (MO), I'd like to offer a few points of history. 1) In the mid-late '50s, in the wake of the Brown decision, some cities started desegregating, though it was often in name only - e.g. they used "tracks" to segregate kids by the second grade. 2) In the early 1960s liberal enclaves like Evanston, IL were still segregated, building off the red lining of real estate which even in the same city would force Black enclaves. Berkeley is not unlike Evanston as a college town. 3) The heat of the busing did began in earnest until the '70s when cities like Boston. 4) One of the problems that Biden has is his verbiage - in this instance in his rebuttal to Harris, he said he was defending "states rights" in his decision not to block the busing bill. That is about as loaded/bird whistle of a term in the annals of segregation as "boy". "States rights" goes back to civil war days and beyond as a term used to defend state's often segregationists policies. Harris was right to call out the counter weight - The Voting Rights Act - which the SCOTUS is in the process of gutting, as a remedy envisioned to provide a level playing field nationwide. IMHO Harris was right to call Biden out on several levels.
2
I'd like to know what Kamala Harris thinks of Berkeley's current method of assigning/matching students with schools, and that of other California school districts.
And 40 minutes on a bus to school? In Berkeley? Driving for 40 minutes from anywhere in Berkeley would land one well outside of the city and, likely, out of Alameda County altogether. Was she being bussed from a house in the posh Berkeley Hills (where professors and medical doctors and other professionals lived) to Hayward or Union City, to the far western edge of San Francisco, or to Mill Valley?
If she indeed spent 40 minutes on the school bus between a home in Berkeley and a public school in Berkeley, then the vast majority of that time must have been spent making stops along the way.
It is disingenuous of her or her campaign to (mis)lead voters in other parts of the country to believe she went to a school a full 40 minutes' driving time away from her house. Such a trio might be conceivable for students traveling from the northern reaches of The Bronx to Staten Island or the south eastern edge of Brooklyn/Queens, or from one end of LA to the other, but not from one side of Berkeley to the other. Her allowing people to be mislead about even a relatively inconsequential detail has cost her my respect.
10
Powerful, stunning piece. In just a few hundred words, you have encapsulated why it was that Senator Harris's comments hit home for so many of us, and why the politicians who value their "civility" and Washington dinner party relationships over real service to the people should no longer be in office. Thank you for this, and for the James Baldwin quote, which should be engraved in some prominent place in the Capitol building.
2
I was, thankfully, out in the wilderness with no phone or tv for the debates, and must rely on watching them in playback. I am an independent who used to be a democrat. I am a 68 year-old white woman from Tennessee who moved north in the 70s. I was astounded, astounded!, to find in Massachusetts well educated bigots worse than any I knew in Memphis. I had lost any sense of superiority I might have grown up with when, at college, I lived down the hall from the the smartest, loveliest black woman, who was obviously a better person than I. This holier than thou talk does not reflect reality. I want to see a 2019 policy debate, not a 1970 rehash. The progressives have some great ideas, if they don't acknowledge that change will not be immediate, they are going to turn off the moderates who voted for Trump last time and will again, and believe me I know some of those moderates. I will vote for whoever the democrats run, but infighting or an independent run will absolutely give the race to Trump, and I am not sure our country can survive that.
5
The US Constitution mandates equal opportunity, which was (is?) denied to “black students.” But does the Constitution mandate a particular solution? Did it mandate busing? And what if busing students who don’t want it violates some other principle enshrined in the Constitution? Mr. Bouie, your moral certainty glosses over the complexity of busing as a political solution to a difficult problem. Surely it is (was) possible to oppose forced busing and to support equal opportunity. Perhaps there is no contradiction there—just fuzzy messy reality.
7
Biden, good career, but he is past it, as his public performances repeatedly prove.
His views are out of date on many topics, and frankly, we need a younger, more energetic, more modern person to deal with the twin disasters of Trump and climate change.
Thanks for your service, Uncle Joe... time for a graceful exit.
3
It seems Biden could prove to be a boon the Dems by helping fortify the Left leaning public. He may provide a good foil for some of the candidates and find a way to triangulate to a Dem victory where he gets, at least, SoS, or similar. Not a bad political career. The question is whether his political ambition of POTUS will cloud his ability to cede the seat to a younger buck or doe.
I don't understand the turn on Joe. Yes, he is the older generation, but he was able to help Obama win, and has done some good things for Country and Party.
4
Harris wants to address income inequality by giving middle-class families a $6000 tax credit. In other words, she doesn't want to address it at all. That's the signal; the rest is just noise.
7
I've been trying to understand why I found Harris' attack on Biden so distasteful. I think what bothers me most is that Harris used an oversimplified portrayal of the busing controversy of the 1970s to question Biden's commitment to racial equality, in a format that could not possibly do justice to the complexities of the issue or his motivations at the time.
Today's voters who were not born before Milliken v. Bradley or have not read up on this aspect of urban history might understandably see it as a clear question of right and wrong, whether a 6-year old Kamala Harris could get on a bus to attend a better school in a more affluent neighborhood to get a better education. What decent person now, and honestly, what decent person then, could object to that? But that was only part of the story. The flip side was whether a 6-year old Mary White could be ordered out of that same school and bused to an underperforming school far away from her own neighborhood, where she would undoubtedly have received a worse education. And would her parents, prejudiced or not, accept that reassignment or remove her from public schools altogether? That was the thorny question that divided not just conservatives from liberals, but liberals from one another.
I am not defending Biden's record on court-mandated busing. I'm only suggesting that scoring rhetorical points against other Democrats on complex, divisive issues is not the way we will beat Donald Trump.
12
I thought Kamela Harris was great in the debate and I support her as a candidate. I do think, however, quoting James Balwin about how most of mankind is best at death and destruction - well, that kind of rhetoric isn't going to win any elections; and if Trump is re-elected think about the judiciary and what that will do to the lives of millions of African Americans.
Don't get me wrong: Biden was wrong. But guilt tripping white people isn't a winning formula.
1
Politicians cut deals and make shifting alliances, and the results of these are often good overall. Politicians, like other people, change their minds over time, often for the better. Biden's fitness for the presidency should be judged by his present views and recent actions more than by what he did decades ago.
1
And his (and others') ability and proven track record of being able
to learn from mistakes and to build on insights and new information.
There's something very accurate yet terrifically misguided in Mr. Bouie's defense of Harris, and it's what Churchill defined: Politics is the art of the possible. And the possible changes from generation to generation. It is as pointless to hold Biden accountable for the sins of the time, as it will be to blame Harris for Trump's re-election.
5
Kamala Harris Doesn’t Have to Believe in Joe Biden’s Innocence.
And why should she?
If busing was a great way to achieve integration in the 1970s, if it made a profound difference to Ms. Harris in a deeply personal way, where are her bills to make busing the law of the land? Where are the bills from anyone? Call me a cynic, but I'm less than convinced this is more than a contrivance.
10
@Skeptical Observer
If she was so big on integration, why did she choose to attend Howard University?
I was a young inner city teacher in Seattle when busing hit our community like a bomb. Black parents were upset that their kids could not go to neighborhood schools, some very good, in the interest of giving racial balance to a white school. White parents were similarly upset, and drove protests all around the country. Many of us supported the goals of busing, and for students like Kamala Harris it was beneficial. The view some years later was more mixed, a flawed tactic to achieve a noble goal.
Biden's problem is not that he opposed busing, it is his defensive and tone deaf reaction to being questioned on those views. He seems unable to integrate his past views with where we are today - like a fly caught in amber. There has been blowback from Biden's people that Harris crossed a line in her confrontation. This is supremely unfair, as Biden himself brought up the segregationists and busing is part of his legislative record. Let's not demonize a highly competent woman because she upstaged an unprepared man.
5
Having civil conversations/relations with others does not mean one has to compromise with them. Similarly, respecting others does not mean one has to agree with them. If Biden does not understand such ordinary distinctions, then what HAS he learned in all those years of being in government, or indeed simply from being in the company of those with whom he does not agree or with whom he finds it morally unacceptable to compromise?
As no doubt many in the Senate, following long-standing protocol, must have said to him over the years, "I disagree strongly with the gentleman from Delaware." That's hardly a signal that the speaker is ready to compromise, even if it is part of a conversation that may lead to that.
1
The situation in New castle County Delaware was radically different from the voluntary busing Program in Berkeley in which Senator Harris participated.
In Delaware, the Order was for busing across school district boundary lines. Not only were different school districts involved buy different political entities were involved.
In a nutshell, black kids were bused out of Wilmington to suburban schools and white kids were bused into Wilmington from the suburbs. many people in the suburbs had moved out of Wilmington because the city and its schools had become dangerous places.
If The Democratic Party wants to relitigate a 40 year old case on busing across district and political boundaries to achieve integration, it can, of course. In doing so, it will drive back to the GOP millions of suburban white Moms who voted Blue for the first time in their lives in 2018. they may loathe Trump, but they are not going to take any chances that DOE or a Federal Court are going to order that their kids be bused into, for example, a school in North Philly or Camden.
Harris attack was masterful. As a lawyer myself, I give her funk marks for professional props. How Biden could have been unready for that is a mystery. However, KH’s attack was not entirely honest and the consequences may be disasterous for the Party in 2020.
8
Ms. Harris is not African American, either in the traditional usage of the term (to describe the descendants of Africans brought to America for enslavement) or literally (to describe recent immigrants from Africa). She is the mixed-race daughter of an Indian mother and a mixed-race Jamaican father, both highly educated academics. She spent her early years in Berkeley CA and her teenage years in teenage years, and summered in India with her affluent maternal grandparents. If anything, she is Indian American, given her genetics and personal history.
Ms. Harris has been implying that she is African American since she began her campaign, no doubt to claim a kinship with African American voters. She has avoided calling herself AA; the furthest she has gone is to claim she is Black.
Her campaign has claimed that any attempts to highlight her personal history is racism, and the other Democratic presidential candidates have all raced to echo her, as a charge of racism is death for their campaigns.
Ms. Harris may indeed be especially attuned to the issues of African Americans, but it’s not because of her personal background. Which highlights that stereotypes based on skin color or other physical attributes are often wrong. Isn’t that the definition of racism?
13
@Shiv I
In her biography, she talks about a long history of involvement with the civil rights movement as a child. I don't think she was making it up, though your points here are certainly valid.
1
@Hopepol
What civil rights involvement? She moved to Montreal when she was 12.
Biographies clearly published s a precursor to a presidential campaign are not fact checked by publishers.
I'm not even convinced that other non-fiction books are fact checked if the author is already famous. The embarrassing takedown of Naomi Wolf on her book about gays comes to mind.
The next part of the Harris- Biden interchange is perhaps more telling: Biden DEFENDED himself by saying he was against court-ordered busing. Then he implied, it really wasn't any problem because it was the local school district that had not enforced busing. I like Biden ok, but I was flabbergasted. He didn't realize that one of our most important protections is the ability of the courts to intervene when the local government abuses our rights. To say that he was against federal oversight today, in 2019, is not acceptable. Maybe he needs to review his constitutional law?
What Biden basically was saying, is that he did not think the courts should intervene to enforce the Civil Rights Act. What??? Should the courts also stop intervening to try to get safe prison conditions, or equal pay for women, or safe water for Michigan, or access to library books, or the rights of black and white people to marry, or the rights of women in Connecticut to use birth control, or the rights of people to be free from toxic wastes from nearby factories? It is all the same principle: we rely on the courts to assure our liberties. And that includes equal access to education and equal protection under the law for everyone, even people I don't like.
I would still vote for Biden in a heartbeat over our current president, but this gives me pause.
4
"And Biden stood with a status quo that denied equal opportunity to black students, against the mandate of the Constitution."
Not so fast. If Biden opposed a certain attempted solution to a certain problem, I would want to know why he opposed it. Maybe he thought it would introduce new problems of its own or maybe he thought that there was a better way.
4
We should expect more of this sort of scripted, made-for-TV opportunism and grandstanding from these televised spectacles that masquerade as "debates". Did Biden make a poor decision back then? It seems likely. How important or relevant is it now? Not terribly, unless you're trying to tear down the presumed -- and certainly flawed -- frontrunner. The whole thing feels overblown, and I'm struck by all of the "get-Biden" energy -- much it misplaced, in my opinion -- that seems to be out there. In this day and age, is anyone's time and energy really that well spent railing after Joe Biden, of all people? Have you lost all sense of perspective?
7
While I agree the Republicans avoided any significant compromise, especially since 2008, eventually Democrats will win back both chambers of government with the necessary super majority in the Senate; but in the meantime in order to accomplish anything some liberal consensus will be necessary. If government falls into razor thin majorities there is no more needed skill. In parliamentary systems less compromise is required: the majority simply controls mostly all passing of legislation except on brrief periods of mimority governments.
It's great that gifted black students in communities were able to receive better educations because they were bused to schools in "whiter" neighborhoods. But those students were not even 40% of the black students stuck in behind their local schools - schools which were without adequate resources to offer a comparable education to children in their communities, just as they are today.
Moving students around town, whether black or white, based on statistics is the type of idea that only statisticians would consider a solution to unequal educational opportunities. To remedy that problem, the US should have taken action to ensure equality of funding and student opportunities for learning in our public schools regardless of individual neighborhood resources.
5
Senator Harris may have won the battle but could easily lose the war. In future debates, surely she will be asked whether, based on her attack on Biden, she would, as president, advocate for mandatory busing - i.e., tell people who moved into their neighborhoods for the quality of the schools that she wants their children to be bused to schools sometimes an hour or more away. She says yes, and she is toast. There is no evidence that Democratic voters are pining for a return to mandatory busing - many can hardly believe she decided to reopen a matter that was long ago closed. She says no, then what was all the fuss against Biden about? Oops.
16
Arising from what I believe was Biden's intention in his busing remarks, the surest way to wreck this nation is to task the federal government with responsibilities and authorities that overreach it's intended scope and design. A chain saw is a great tool for cutting firewood but a lousy thing for peeling an orange. If anyone wonders why the government seems no longer able to perform it's most basic functions, begin your enquiry along that vein.
5
I think Biden's record on Anita Hills hearings is more concerning. That being said I am not a fan of either Harris or Biden. There are better candidates to run against Trump.
6
I have no problem with Kamala Harris calling Joe Biden out for his shortcomings. But I find it more than a bit disingenuous that she tapped into her blackness when Biden shot himself in the foot and she saw an opening to stand out and bring the hammer down on him Before that she was a poster child for diversity, working overtime to impress white folk she wasn't a threat by prosecuting the people she now identifies with so personally and so deeply. Indeed she made her name in California assuring moderates LIKE Joe Biden.
That's okay. She's a decent person, she's very ambitious (only two years in to being a senator but hungry for more). Fine, but the difference between her and Biden is generational. She would be the Edward Brooks (senator from MA; Republican and Af-Am) if she came up 25 years ago.
As far as I'm concerned Biden is past his shelf date. Harris, Warren and Buttigieg are the three I can live with, but none of them is perfect and each is incredibly calculating and self-serving. That's what all presidential candidates are. No exceptions.
1
It is not a settled point that the manner in which bussing was implemented is actually beneficial.
The 1980s and 1990s Pittsburgh Public Schools of my youth were nominally integrated via bussing. However, white supremacy (the systemic pervasive variety) ruled the day regardless.
As a middle schooler, I, a white Jew, was bussed along with literally three busloads of kids from my neighborhood to a middle school in the adjacent black neighborhood. The school was at least 80 % black. However, the classes we were put into were at least 90% not black. Funny how that worked. There was virtually no meaningful interaction between students of different socio-economic backgrounds. Everybody knew how that game was played.
The same pattern continued in high school, except that the black students were bussed to our predominantly white/Jewish/ grad school ghetto neighborhood (of the recent synagogue massacre infamy). The college bound tracks were populated almost entirely by white, Jewish, and Asian, students, with the occasional child of a black professor thrown in the mix. The "mainstream" track consisted almost entirely of poor and working class whites and blacks.
On another note, what were the circumstances of Kamala Harris being bussed in the 1970s? Her parents were both UC Berkely affiliated; her dad a Jamaican born economist, her mom an Indian medical researcher from an upperclass background.
9
Missing the point if you think Harris's point was just about 40 years ago. Her story is timeless, universal, relevant today. We still have a broken education system because so many guys like Biden keep making "incremental compromises" over
*education
*climate
*voting rights
*immigration
*healthcare
*Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh
* __________ (your favorite issue I left off)
That we value the "old white guy" deal-making style from 40-50 years ago that has left us divided, frustrated and mad now does not bode well. Things may have gotten a little bit better, but not good enough, not fast enough, if one grades honestly. Harris is saying she got a better education because someone made an effort to deliver on EQUAL education, not make some "states rights" back room deal.
Biden wasn't prepared. If it had been two white guys, different issue, and one beat the other with a well-prepared challenge, we would not be having this back and forth discussion.
We need a bigger vision, not someone reciting his resume and experience with hate-filled segregationists 40 years ago. If Biden wants the nomination, he needs to get up to speed, which is definitely NOT Kamala Harris's fault. Not the fault of any woman, any man or any race. Why does the white guy get all the sympathy because a smart black woman bested him? That answer demands a WAY bigger vision.
3
Some times you have to make a deal with devil to keep things moving. That’s what Biden was doing.
If you look for negatives in every candidate there would be no one left to nominate.
4
This article, as a result of the reaction to Biden’s comments about his past days in Senate (read his actual full statement and look at contextually with an adult brain), and Harris’ rhetoric on stage, are why Democrats are going to lose the election. Every Democrat is going to vote for the Dem nominee, no matter who it is, and a good majority of independents will too just because they hate (rightly so) Trump. The only way to win the National election is by getting a good amount of Republicans to switch. All this chaos with the Dems just feeds the Fox News machine. STOP IT.
10
Wow - what a great column! As always, well said Mr. Bouie!
2
She shouldn't have to believe ole Joe's current take on his past actions. What these folks with all that water under the bridge must do is simply apologize, deal with the fall-out and move on. I too would take sincere sounding words with a keg of salt if the words are pertaining to an action by an adult who should've known better. Let this be a lesson. You can't runaway from history, so you better make certain the present withstands scrutiny when re-appraised in the future.
2
A lot of people.. of all skin colors.. were against forced bussing in the 70's.. - Basically it meant that your 10 year old couldn't walk to her neighborhood school.. but would have to take a bus half-way across town...- That didn't sit well with a lot of parents..(or students).
...--And there was a lot of debate about the positive & negative effects of bussing on: students, neighborhoods, race relations, etc.. And, again, this debate occurred with people of all color..
...--And really, forced bussing has fallen out of favor today.. -and the promotion of magnet schools, charter schools, & special programs is viewed as a better way to move towards integration..
8
Change is hard. Ending systemic racism was hard, it is hard, and it will continue to be hard. Yet, the work must be done if we are to leave anything worth keeping for our children and theirs.
2
" . . . his efforts as a young senator would have ended one of the country’s few attempts to make equal treatment a reality, to give black students the kind of education that white students took for granted."
Well, yes, exactly . . . And this was clear even at the time. The cynicism that drips from what Mr Biden wrote to his segregationist colleagues at the time reminds one of Fox news, to be honest. Sen Harris is a complicated person and candidate. But her seriousness is beyond question, and her drawing on her personal experience to inform her points is impossible to impeach.
3
Biden's response(s) were classic. He dodged the question. He denied responsibility unless it made him look good. Here's the answer he could have given if he truly felt this way.
"Senator Harris, I understand how you feel. I had to deal with these men and compromises were made. Some of those compromises were not good and did not help solve the racial problems of the 60s. I'm glad you were bused to a better school. The results are obvious: you learned, you continued your education, you are a law abiding and productive citizen of America. You are proof that I should have supported busing more than I did and for that I apologize."
5
@hen3ry
Thank you. Your answer is simply eloquent. If only Biden had been so honest and clear.
After reading Jamelle Bouie's equally eloquent column, I have been spinning all day, angry at so much sympathy for unprepared Joe, upset by all the anger and "disappointment" toward the woman who dared speak up and call him on his past.
Old habits die hard. Or not at all.
3
At the time, Biden’s views of busing were in line with 91 percent of African- Americans and 95 percent of whites. It was a complicated question of means not ends. And Kamala’s success in adult life could easily be attributed, not to some grade school busing, but to her mother from India with Hindu upbringing, the fact that both parents were already highly educated, her high school years spent — not in the US at all, but in Montreal. Her black father was from Jamaica. If the US were ever to give reparations to the descendants of slaves — Kamala would not get any.
And while busing may have worked in already radical Berkeley, making it even more so, it did not necessarily help every city. It may have driven job-creating whites out of the center of cities like Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston and Detroit — making the cores less diverse.
This was a contrived, affected ambush.
It defines Kamala forever now, and she won’t become President.
Don’t look here for judgment on Biden’s non-innocence — you are judging 90 percent of America in the 1970s if you do.
15
The Times Editorial Board continues to ignore a fact that were younger people made aware, the discussion might change.
Sens. Eastland and Talmadge were Democrats!! With the notable exception of someone like the late US Sen. Howard Baker (R-TN), for generations the Solid South produced US Sens. like Eastland, Talmadge, et al. A Democrat in this era COULD NOT WIN IN THE SOUTH without having (by current standards) racist tendencies.
Having grown up in NYC during the Civil Rights Era and having met many of the luminaries (black and white) in the day, to me it is outrageous that WE ARE RE-WRITING HISTORY.
Segregation WAS and WILL ALWAYS BE wrong. It remains a reality that the worst racists were Southern Democrats. The Civil Rights Act and other key legislation from 1964 and 1965 WERE SIGNED INTO LAW BY LBJ only because many courageous Republican US Senators were as appalled by Jim Crow as I have been for more than fifty years.
If there is any doubt about my position, then I invite all who can to go to Memphis, TN and to visit the National Civil Rights Museum (on the grounds of the Lorraine Motel). Listen to the audio tapes of Mayors and Governors saying the most GOD AWFUL things about our fellow human beings.
VP Biden, as a young US Sen., knew that Sens. Eastland and Talmadge were senior to him. I am confident that the VP has repudiated their positions for many years, This country has come a long way since then. We don't need to re-live this era and its shame.
6
Biden defending Harris is not class, as some people deliberate, it is simply a political opportunity to try to say something that you cringe as you say it in order to gain advantage and a better position in the public eye. Not different that politically correctness. As if that fools anyone. Perhaps we need to go no further than to think about Mr. Biden's actions in the confirmation process of Mr. CLARENCE THOMAS and feel how that has affected our nation for eons to come.
1
Here's Joseph Biden supporting a Constitutional amendment permanently ending court-ordered desegregated bussing. Says a lot about Obama that he would work with the guy.
Harris scored some easy points off Sleepy Joe but she is already backpedaling on Single Payer. Joe Biden is just riding the corrupt gravy train as far as he can. . . Just as Harris is.
Tulsi Gabbard won the debate because she dared (courage!) to mention cutting off the nose of the Military Industrial Complex (the sacred elephant in the room) no one else would touch.
THIS is the way to pay for a national health care system, quality affordable education and jobs for everyone and the way forward to finance fixing our crumbling infrastructure.
Not to mention that dreaded word “diplomacy” that Pompeo and Bolton are loathe to use.
1
Keep it up and Trump will get his second term. Harris and Warren will not win.
You can bet on it.
9
Joe Biden's point is that he can work with the devil to get something good accomplished. And so he did.
Why does this matter now that vicious racists like Talmadge and Eastland are gone? Because they are NOT gone. Racists are still very much alive and well in the US, both in government and among the population where the White Nationalist movement is growing rapidly.
VP Biden's skills are needed just as much today as they were 40 years ago.
VP Biden deserves a lot of credit of doing things to help others and fight for social justice -- not just for his own self-interest or for political reasons.
VP Biden pushed President Obama into supporting the LGBT Community on same-sex marriage. Yet I see no evidence that VP Biden has any family or close friends that are members of the LGBTQ Community. This demonstrates a remarkable degree of empathy and a willingness to take risks in the name of social justice.
I see no other Democratic candidate with the proven track record of doing things purely for others and purely for reasons of social justice. Despite the great qualities and qualifications of all other Democratic candidates, none of them has the proven track record that Joe Biden has on fighting racism and fighting for social justice of all!
On top of this, Biden may well be the only candidate that can take voters away from the Illegitimate One and that gives him the very best chance of willing in 2020!
6
Democrats impose a yoke on their own candidates. If you are white and male, you are required to confirm to an infinitely narrow gotcha party pine. If you are a black woman, you have latitude. Biden should have simply called Harris on her attack and said, "You lived the experience of growing up black, I lived the fight to bring equal rights to all not thru rhetoric and symbolism but by securing genuine changes to law and opportunity even if it meant working across the isle with people with whom I disagree with. There is no litmus test other than to do what is right to the best of one's ability. " If the litmus test for Democrats is perfection, then welcome to Trump 2.0 because I do not believe that the far left will win the next election
7
There are many black people busing helped. There are many black people that it hurt particularly when forced. The cities were hurt and became more unequal. Kanaka Harris would have been Kamala Harris with two graduate professionals as parents living in the liberal town of Berkeley. The complexity of busing was and is enormous and if it were clearly successful we would not have to talk about it. One question we have to ask is why Berkeley as a liberal stronghold was so late.
The liberal side has to be careful not to look like they are spending OPM and practicing NIMBYism. We play into Trump’s hands.
1
Harris gave Biden the chance to say he made a mistake—or at least acknowledge that his position on busing in the 70s may have caused pain for some even if he still felt it was the right position—but instead he stubbornly tried to defend his past position. That revealed something we've seen before from Biden when he dug in defending his touchiness with women. As nice as Biden often seems, this stubbornness and lack of self-reflection and sensitivity to others' feelings is a major flaw.
4
@617to416
There's a word for it:
Patriarchy.
Hsrris made s very important point: That States will take away people's rights, therefore Federal laws are required. States right now are taking away women's reproductive rights. States are taking away minority's voting rights, this right after the Federal voting rights legislation was vacated.
3
This is thoughtful as always and mostly sound, though the use of Baldwin's words as a peroration is forced.
But the big story is not what Joe Biden did or failed to do in the realm of race, or what Kamala Harris experienced, or whether she spoke as a victim or as a cagey prosecutor. It's that the second debate among Democratic presidential candidates was dominated, first, by the subject of race and, second, by the subject of immigration.
That's the way to fill Trump's plate with good things. Meanwhile, Steve Bannon must be chuckling in his lair. This is exactly the kind of Democratic politics he has said he "can't get enough of".
Dilating on issues that particularly energize progressives will only serve to make the electoral rubble bounce in places where Trump and other Republicans are going to lose anyway. The Democrats should be hammering away at Trump, health care, Trump, the climate, Trump, economic injustice, and, for good measure, Trump.
Kamala Harris's message to the American people should not be, "My 13% of the population demands an accounting," but "We're all in this together."
15
@Longestaffe
Exactly. Bannon said that the more democrat talk about race, the more republicans win.
Every time I feel optimistic about 2020, something like this brings me down to earth. The debates delivered Trump a second term on a silver platter. I don't understand why democrats don't understand this. The election will be won or lost in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin at a minimum. The moderate voters really don't care about this. I can already hear the questions in the next debate: Do you support busing? This will not play well in those states.
5
@dba
You and I wonder why Democrats (the left wing of the party, that is) don't understand this.
I'm afraid the answer is that highly progressive politicians and activists tend to self-select for moral certitude and a sense of intellectual superiority. Another example is Bernie Sanders's attitude that if most people don't want their private health-insurance option taken away, why, he'll just re-educate them rather than offer a scheme for universal health insurance with multiple options like the popular one in Germany.
Ultra-progressives are not good listeners, to put it mildly. Here, too, we have very stable geniuses who can't be told anything.
I think the key statement here is :
"We didn't much agree on anything, but we got things done."
28
Biden runs on his experience, and its fair game to call him out on parts you disagree with. Kamala gave him a wide opening to admit past fault, which he is apparently incapable of doing.
Meanwhile we have a 37-year old mayor on the stage doing precisely that. Joe Biden could apparently still learn a thing or two from the whippersnappers. But if he can’t do better than this, and continues making bad gaffes again and again, he’ll be a liability rather than a safe asset in 2020.
2
The big problem with any argument in favor or support of what Harris did is that her statements were not fully based in fact or clear perception of the many complexitues of that era.
I went through the Detroit Public Schools in the 50's and 60's. Every school I attended was already integrated by kids living in surrounding neighborhoods. This was also true of the Berkley Schools, where Kamala Harris attended. This was all BEFORE busing.
Detroit, as did every major city, however, had its racial issues. These reached a boiling point in the 67 riot only a few blocks from my home. The other major riots requiring National Guard presence were in LA (65) Newark (67). Some records document around 700 major disturbances during the 60s. The cities were still recovering from the riots when forced, and I stress forced, busing was introduced. And, contrary to what Harris would have anyone who didn't actually live through this time believe, it wasn't just designed to give us "poor little Black kids" an equal chance, it was an ill-advised device to racially balance the populations of public schools. They wanted to bus Black kids to white schools, but also bus white kids to predominantly Black schools. Blacks and whites both opposed this. In some cities, like Boston, there were more riots. In all major cities where busing was compulsory, whites fled the districts and racial tensions were hightened. Biden didn't want this idiocy to be a national mandate. I agreed with him.
@Thomas Wright
Anyone who thinks Biden could win this election (in Obama’s words) should have his head examined. It is a pity that Democrats think that he is the most electable and most qualified candidate. We heard this in 2016 as well
A great number of commenters here seem to believe, in all innocence, that the pragmatic politics of our moment, the necessary compromise for rescue of the nation from Trump, requires the unchallenged, undisturbed candidacy of a familiar, personally "likeable," old white man, whatever his flaws or merits on issues of race or gender; that now is no time for a black woman or a black man to speak out, injuring that delicate, compromise candidacy, that doing so injures the nation. In all innocence, they have no comprehension of what Baldwin meant by "It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.”
5
I'm afraid I'm mad at Kamala Harris.
For a reference:
Obama was a liberal, but he found he had to negotiate with Republicans too, which means he couldn't always get what he wanted. But this meant his negotiations with Republicans negative affected illegal aliens, Dreamers, and even gays for awhile.
Should we view Obama the same as the Republicans, because he "failed" to live up to all his liberal values, and negotiated.
Let's be serious. A candidate who CANNOT negotiate with conservatives (and they are a large % of the population) is not FIT to be President.
Kamala makes a great Senator where she can stay hard left. She is not fit to make the compromises needed to be our next President.
20
She doesn’t even make a good senator. She is just hungry to advance and will do what (or whom) she has to for advancement. She doesn’t really believe in anything. She will not beat Trump it she’s the nominee.
31
@Nick
She believes in one thing.
She believes she wants to be president.
1
Powerful message:
“It is the innocence which constitutes the crime.”
Biden is not innocent on busing, mass incarceration or sexual harassment. If he can’t recognize his past errors, how can he lead our future?
Our youth came up during a time when technology provides full information at their fingertips and social media provides easy access. All candidates will be held accountable. And to be frank, we (Black folks) know we’re always held accountable while others are given a pass. (Obama vs Trump on everything!!!)
Either Biden does not recognize his errors and therefore can’t authentically say he has grown or he believes we’ll simply give him a pass (and not even bring up his errors) because of Obama. Neither will serve him well.
I’m still not sure who I’ll vote for, but I admire Kamala Harris for holding Biden accountable. Maybe he’ll become a better candidate and earn our vote...or maybe he won’t, in which case he doesn’t deserve to win.
3
The parents of Kamala Harris both had PhDs and taught at UC Berkeley and Stanford. Bussing didn’t give her the advantages that took her to where she now is. Her parents did. Bussing may have helped a few people but overall it was failed policy. Harris’s made-for-TV moment was just another disingenuous stunt by a politician.
40
Not to mention her own father was disgusted and embarrassed when she was talking about how she smoked marijuana and it being part of her Jamaican heritage. Don’t forget that her actual Jamaican heritage involved owning actual slaves, while she panders to the repatriation crowd. Smh
1
Joe Biden authored the 1994 crime bill that imprisoned millions of black men because of harsher penalties for crack cocaine over powder cocaine, the odious 3 strikes law and it banished the possibility of inmates studying for a college degree while in prison - which had been one of our most humane opportunities for inmates who had no education to leave college with a possibility of a decent job.
Biden's crime bill was all about harsher penalties for the poorest in our community - penalties which fell disproportionately on the African American community.
Joe Biden knew who would be hurt most by his crime bill. He didn't care. He wanted to look tough on crime to his constituents and he didn't care whose lives were ruined.
He has no business being vice president. Biden can keep claiming he has a great record on civil rights. It's not true.
Biden's crime bill one of the biggest motivators for the era of mass incarceration of African American men that left many communities devastated.
Biden's terrible policies of the past do matter. The millions of people hurt by his terrible crime bill do matter. He doesn't deserve to be president.
4
@George -- Kamala won the debate on the second night. But by attacking and taking out Biden, she is unlikely to pick up many of his voters (even though they are both "moderates" with the same baggage, when it comes to his "tough on crime" legislation and her prosecution policy that created mass incarceration of minority voters. She also supported calling ICE agents using information about school children in California in a direct break with the rest of the California Democrats.) She got a 9 point bump from her well planned takedown of Biden, but doubtful that she can sustain it. Biden lost 10 points, going from 35 to 25, and putting him within range of Sanders and Warren, who share the same progressive agenda. Their combined voters = 32. Anything can happen, especially since Sanders spent the entire last year visiting voters in purple and red states to explain what Medicare For All would mean to them, personally. A majority of voters (both Dems and GOP) now favor some form of universal healthcare such as Medicare For All (75% of Dems and 51% of Republicans. When you include "independents and third-party voters, you reach nearly 80% of American voters calling for Medicare For All. Thank You Bernie! Why in the world in the 21st Century would you want healthcare insurance tied to your job? People often change jobs many times during their working years, and should not live in fear that losing their job or changing their employer would threaten their healthcare protection!
2
@mjpezzi
President Bernie Sanders 2020!
A Future To Believe In!
@George
Are you going to hold all of the members of the Black Congressional Caucus who also supported that crime bill to the same standard, or are you giving them all a pass?
While people bicker over domestic issues, waving their feckless arms in air and taking on a Bernie bro. attitude of self righteous, never give an inch, self elected sanctity; someone, somewhere is creating the bomb which will destroy us all. . . Someone, somewhere is, likewise, wondering how much longer one can continue to breathe clean air, drink clean water, eat fresh food and admire nature in all her lush and virtuous glory. In a few decades, there will be few race issues as everyone will be brown . . . That is, if there is any human still living. Mr. Biden’s foreign policy creds as well as his proven congeniality and collegiality should be enough for at least one term; enough to put us back into the good graces of our allies and those around the world who still believe life is worth preserving.
4
@Dr. Diane --- Biden is Clinton 2.0, who thinks Trump is the problem, when really, Trump is only the result of the GOP going after the votes of racists and bigots for many decades, while the majority-rule corporate Democrats did all they could to benefit their big-donor global investments crowd. No one was representing the working class or middle class. Senator Sanders leads in money from small donors and has a million pledged volunteers, who have never stopped working for Our Revolution. It's a movement and it's not going away. 75% of Democratic-voters under age 50 voted for Bernie. The "establishment" will age out! THANKFULLY! What have the "New Democrats" of the corporate-wing done for the working and middle class? They are the enemy of reform and change. In 1981 to 2007, low wage workers saw a mere 15% increase in income. Meanwhile the investment crowd, represented by the Clinton Democrats saw their income go up 260%. Of course they don't want to change the trickle-down policies put in place by Reagan, with more tax cuts by Bush and now Trump. The Democratic Party of today is dominated by the corporate-wing that is an inadequate opposition party = How we got Trump, who is just a result of #NeverHillary and #StopTPP and the fact that the DNC rigged the primary elections for their Wall Street pay-to-play corrupt queen. Clinton Democrats lose by a landslide in any electoral college vote because of "lousy trade agreements."
@Dr. Diane --- Biden is Clinton 2.0, who thinks Trump is the problem, when really, Trump is only the result of the GOP going after the votes of racists and bigots for many decades, while the majority-rule corporate Democrats did all they could to benefit their big-donor global investments crowd. No one was representing the working class or middle class.
@mjpezzi
Bernie Sanders, is that you?
This line of thought is so last election. It is what tore the Dems apart last time and will again.
I have no issue with the content of this opinion piece.
But, I do have a word of caution to offer.
Democrats have a tendency to allow Republicans to define the debate. Immigration, for example, is not a crisis, apart from the terrible elements introduced by Trump.
Access to healthcare affects a lot of people. But, eliminating private coverage affects several multiples of that number.
Democrats need to speak to the issues that affect the largest number of people. Otherwise, we risk getting 4 more years of Trump.
If Kamala rises to the top of the candidate list by trashing Biden, who doesn't have a bad record on civil rights, as things go, then she's moved the debate away from winning issues. She cuts herself a bigger piece of a smaller pie come the General Election.
For everybody's benefit, she needs to make sure she doesn't energize the rightwing while turning off the moderate Democrats.
13
@RickP
The problem was more with the questions asked by the NBC moderaters. Why did they decide that illegal immigrants participating in Medicare for all is a pressing issue? Or decriminalizing unauthorized crossing of the border? Since when are people most concerned about those issues? NBC is attempting to create drama and tension within the electorate with questions like these. It’s really sickening.
6
@BK
Good point. Candidates are trained to pivot. Sometimes, it's appropriate.
The candidate who turns on the questionnaire and says something to the effect, "lets talk about something that affects every American", will separate from the pack.
1
We;re living in a time where everyone agrees that there is a big problem of polarization in the country. So here comes Biden, who is big enough, good-hearted enough (wise enough) to reach across the idealogical divide to meet those who differ from him. Yikes! The politically correct police are trying to make this a crime! Yikes!
15
This headline is effective: provocative enough to get me to read it, and irrelevant enough to make me reconsider how much I found Harris's move politically lame.
Any candidate--from any party, any identity group, any affinity group--seeks to score points, even when it's risky. This was risky, and we'll see whether it pays off for her.
Biden's "innocence" isn't a topic for serious conversation. Harris's views of it aren't relevant to anyone I know. This was a gamble and gambit, and in my household, it was a loser.
Yes, we believe in desegregation (I was bused 50 minutes each way, do I win?), inclusion, and human rights. And we also believe that applying contemporary standards to historical actions can reveal difficult decisions.
This felt cheap and easy, like the kind of moves a prosecutor might make--and feel bad about making, in retrospect. Kind of like the way Biden might feel about his actions around busing or more recent invocations about working with segregationists. And yet he got things done, just as Harris has. Next debate, please...
8
The only thing that was missing from the Democratic primary ‘debates’ was the line up of prospective candidates enthusiastically reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish.
What a show de perros y pony.
2
@Michal
Please don't give them any ideas.
Perhaps the Democrats should make forced busing to achieve fully integrated schools a part of their 2020 platform? “No,” you say? Then aren’t we being a bit hypocritical beating up on Biden?
19
Win the national elections, not minor points, Leaders ! Firstly, everyone has some racial and other unfair biases in everyone of us. If Biden is accepted and respected by Obama, a black, why shouldn't others blacks ? Things change and we all become wiser and the incident was some decades ago. The other minorities e.g. Chinese, Japanese, etc were also discriminated against sometime ago in American history. But they have made good use of the wonderful American educational and entrepreneural system and climbed the social and economic ladder. They don't delve too much in the past but learn its lessons Focus on the present and future national problems and plan to solve them better the Trump. Usually you need the middle path solutions, taking the best of the left and right idealogies.
that is the way for Democrats win.
4
Not particularly apropos to this issue, but perhaps the best outcome of 2020 would be to destroy the sanctimonious. Tough, when we live by sanctimony.
1
Kamala Harris does not have to believe in Joe Biden's innocence and you would be wise not to believe in Harris' innocence.
She was no poor little black girl. She went to a Montessori kindergarten, was bused while living in Berkeley, until the family moved to Montreal when she was twelve. Had they wanted, the family could have afforded private school. Her father, a Stanford economics professor was from Jamaica, her mother is a research scientist and the offspring of a very wealthy Indian family. Ms. Harris' maternal grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, was a diplomat of the Indian government.
Harris is mostly demographic allure wrapped in political expediency. The Powerful and the Establishment and its Media intend to protect the status quo and install a safe centrist as president. To them, Harris is perfect. Within hours of her being elected CA senator they were touting her demographic allure as her ticket to the presidency.
As CA Attorney General, Harris presided over a criminal justice system in California that disproportionately imprisoned minorities, and fought to keep them behind bars even after some were proven innocent by the Innocence Project and the U.S. Supreme Court had found the system unconstitutionally overcrowded.
Harris has never shown concern for the poor or working people, they never had the money or the power to be useful.
19
Two points I would like to make (if it's OK?). One- my middle school had over 1000 white kids and "maybe" 30-40 black students who were bussed in. They deserved a good education of course, but they seemed so alienated from the rest of us, the few I even saw walking the halls. I didn't have much chance to think about it anyway, since I was ridiculed constantly for not dressing in designer clothes. Point #2- Nancy Pelosi just made a big compromise over a funding bill for treatment of political refugees (i.e.-immigrants) at the border. It was regarded as a huge caving in to the other side, a little like Mr. Biden, no? I didn't like it one bit, but she felt she had to act quickly. Many even here have responded "well do they think we are obligated to just give them whatever they want?" Answer- we need to take an active role in the fate of the countries in our hemisphere from which we import and export numerous goods and services. Do you want to enjoy the sights in Costa Rica? Aztec Ruins in Mexico? Get a warm welcome in Peru, Brazil, etc.? And what about Puerto Rico- San Juan is paradise, si Señor? We could repatriate them if we confronted the problems that terrified them in the 1st place. Maybe we could do the right thing for a change, instead of rewarding the Saudi Prince or patting Little Rocket Man on the back for wiping off his shoes on his own people. So now I have to ask the question: Can Kamala do the hard things or just take on the "soft targets"?
6
Note how far back they have to go in order to find dirt. People can change for the better and with the times. Anyone who does not recognize that fact may not be well-suited to the Oval Office, or possibly the voting booth.
5
Kamala won the debate on the second night. But by attacking and taking out Biden, she is unlikely to pick up many of his voters (even though they are both "moderates" with the same baggage, when it comes to his "tough on crime" legislation and her prosecution policy that created mass incarceration of minority voters. She also supported calling ICE agents using information about school children in California in a direct break with the rest of the California Democrats.) She got a 9 point bump from her well planned takedown of Biden, but doubtful that she can sustain it. Biden lost 10 points, going from 35 to 25, and putting him within range of Sanders and Warren, who share the same progressive agenda. Their combined voters = 32. Anything can happen, especially since Sanders spent the entire last year visiting voters in purple and red states to explain what Medicare For All would mean to them, personally. A majority of voters (both Dems and GOP) now favor some form of universal healthcare such as Medicare For All (75% of Dems and 51% of Republicans. When you include "independents and third-party voters, you reach nearly 80% of American voters calling for Medicare For All. Thank You Bernie! Why in the world in the 21st Century would you want healthcare insurance tied to your job? People often change jobs many times during their working years, and should not live in fear that losing their job or changing their employer would threaten their healthcare protection!
3
I saw in Kamala Harris during the debates a strength, an intelligence and canny understanding of today’s brutal social media environment that gave me hope that she could beat Trump. But then I knew that the moment she declared her candidacy.
The fact that she was able to draw out of Biden the deepest flaw in his argument - that without the federal government’s insistence on busing we would not have faced an educational inequality that is still in violent disrepair, let alone the Civil Rights Act, was absolute brilliance.
We need someone exactly like this who can combat the horrific right wing media machine that has grown like a cancer around this presidency.
6
Amen, she’s had my vote even before she announced her candidacy
1
I found Harris's exchange with Biden off-putting. She seemed to savor prosecuting Biden on that stage, and it apparently has helped boost her numbers while lowering his. Joe Biden's career as a senator had bright and dark moments, but I have no doubt that if he wins the nomination and election, he will serve the country admirably and restore our standing with our allies.
19
Just because someone doesn't support an unpopular and ineffective policy such as mandatory busing, it doesn't mean they are racist.
If there was a consensus in the 1970s that school busing was a solution to school segregation, and that Joe Biden failed to support it at the time, it would be fair to criticize him.
However, there was almost universal dislike of school busing in the 1970s and it's barely more popular today. Furthermore, there is no consensus that is the best solution to school segregation and in fact school segregation has gotten worse since the 1970s even with busing programs.
There are a number of rational reasons why citizens and politicians may have not supported mandatory busing - it doesn't mean someone is racist just because they don't support an unpopular and ineffective policy.
9
Why would she believe in anyone's innocence? That's never been part of her job description before. My question would be, will she support whoever the final democratic nominee is, no matter what? Or is she saying "Never Biden" ?
6
Joe Biden was wrong to oppose busing (but so were many parents, including some black parents, in the 1970s). He was impolitic to cite two segregationist senators to bolster his claim that he could work with people with whom he disagreed. Sen. Harris dented his campaign, perhaps even ended it. But politics is a rough business, and doubtless there are many campaign staffers currently doing oppo research on Harris's years in California politics and her time as a prosecutor. I hope she has answers ready for the second debate.
2
@Chris Rasmussen From all accounts, Mr Biden's advisers specifically advised him not to cite the two toxic examples he did. It seems possible that Mr Biden does not recognize good advice when he is given it.
1
@Melbourne Town Agreed, Sen. Biden seems not to understand the politics of race here in the early 21st century. He is living in the past--in fact, I'm not even sure he understands the politics of race in the past. He had better learn very quickly, or his campaign will be over.
It appears to me, a white guy, that most of the commenters here are white people demanding absolution for the the crimes that their race has committed in the past.
It is understandable but can never be accomplished as long as they still live in a racist culture from which they benefit and still hold up in the name of "inclusiveness".
The tragedy is that racism will never vanish anywhere in the world and especially not here in the US.
172
@Obsession
Obsession, no doubt that is true on many issues, but not busing.
Polls during that time period show that busing was wildly unpopular among both black and white Americans. It wasn't even close. It was frankly a failed, unpopular policy that did not achieve its objectives and which undercut the broader Civil Rights struggle.
Biden was pro-Civil Rights and opposed to federally mandated busing. He just had the courage to say what many in the Civil Rights community knew and were thinking.
There is plenty of good literature on this issue. Harris decided to lie-plain and simple, in inferring that Biden was a racist due to his stance on busing.
81
@Obsession
Read San Francisco Chronicle: Willie Brown wasn't much impressed with any of them, including Harris.
18
@Obsession
I'm not a white guy (or white person) -- But bi-racial, like Kamala Harris and I've noticed much the same thing.
And the only thing I can say is this:
To recognize the misdeeds of the present, one has to forst acknowledge the misdeeds of the past.
And America has many, and a long way to go.
20
While you may have understood Harris's point in the debate, I think that you missed Biden's point entirely.
"We got things done" in spite of disagreements and contrary points of view and a political climate that was explosive.
Less than a decade after the Voting Rights Act, George Wallace still governor of Alabama, and Boston rioting over court-ordered desegregation, this was a period of civil turmoil.
Those in positions of political power can't simply push people passed where they are ready to go. That's not an excuse for racism and segregation, it's an understanding of the time.
Democrats need a candidate who will garner votes from the moderates and independents. That's not going to happen on identity politics.
It's going to happen with a candidate who supports the Affordable Care Act allowing for private insurance and choice; can point to a record and a plan for economic and educational opportunities across the nation for non-college educated workers; can get us back into the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; can renew and strengthen our ties with NATO (and properly staffs our diplomatic corps); keep the Russians out of our elections; and gets Congress working on infrastructure projects that fuel our economy instead of pointless "walls" and excessive military spending.
A candidate who gets voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to vote for such a platform will be the candidate who can beat Trump (assuming all other states swing the same way as 2016).
16
I doubt seriously if either opposing or supporting any subject or program such as busing could be incontrovertibly stated to be the moral high ground except in hindsight. If Harris benefitted, great. If others did not, I don't think we should be surprised. Ever seen a government program that worked perfectly? No, you haven't, but many (well, some) come out in the right place. If busing helped us get down the road to a more integrated society then we're better off as a people. Those who participated, paved new ground and paid the price and/or benefitted. It may be, and I don't know this, Joe's position served to moderate two more disparate sides. None of us were there, but we should show a little respect. There is so little of it left.
6
It was an unfair and mean-spirited attack. Of something from forty years ago no less. The obviously pre-planned aspect of it was off-putting as well. She scored plenty of political points but will probably pay a price in her likability ratings as well.
38
@Tim Yeah. Because women shouldn't dare to challenge men, right?
How is it unfair? Biden was a public figure 40 years ago, accountable then and forever to each of us.
How is it mean-spirited? Senator Harris was showing a real, personal harm done to her by Biden’s policy. She even pointed out she doesn’t think he’s a racist.
And pre-planned? Isn’t it a good thing that someone auditioning for the highest office did their homework before the debate?
My opinion of her went up, not down. That’s a real consequence.
The Declaration of Independence says, "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." We elect people to Congress to represent us and what's important to us. In 1973, the Gallup poll asked Americans if they approved involuntary busing. Only 5% supported it, consisting of 4% whites and 9% of blacks. Today the majority still opposes busing. Joe Biden represented his constituents and opposed compulsory busing because the overwhelming majority of affected Delaware residents opposed it. In a democracy politicians' views are a reflection of those who elect them. Talmadge and Eastland represented their southern voters. If Kamala Harris wants to blame someone, she should lay the guilt on those who elected him and everyone else who opposed busing and still do. But doing that won't get her elected president.
12
I'm a 64 yo black man, grew up in NC, and was able to walk to both my neighborhood elementary and middle schools. For the blacks and whites who lived in the community, we attended the same schools. In high school, we went to the school that was in the zone where we lived, so I guess I was not under mandated busing. Anyway, Senator Harris had a right to say what she said to VP Biden, but I think she was way too hard the tone with which she made her comments and asked the question. I immediately got on the phone with a black female friend and asked her what she thought about the exchange. She, too, felt that Senator Harris was out of her lane asking the question the way she did. While I'm still deciding on the Dem candidate, she has lost any support I had for her prior to the debate.
41
@Steve
Thank you. I agree that the tone of the whole line of questions (she talked over the top of Biden's answers) was unnecessarily divisive.
Biden isn't perfect...he is flawed in many ways. But he didn't deserve the Kirsten Gillibrand treatment from a vulnerable Kamala Harris.
This is going to come back and bite her hard.
We can only hope it doesn't bite the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign as hard.
2
I have a lot of sympathy for Biden for his personal tragedies, but I’m not a Biden fan as a politician. However in my estimation, Harris went a little too far yesterday by attacking him for being racially insensitive albeit Biden was Obama’s VP. But as an attorney, she carefully couched her statement by issuing a disclaimer right up front by not calling him an outright racist. It’s definitely a very well nuanced, pre-planned strategy but nonetheless she played the identity politics card to gain some traction over her somewhat floundering campaign at the expense of the current front runner Biden. That’s about it - quite common tactic in political races. Other than that, Harris didn’t really provide much originality in her proposals for the country. Being a former prosecutor, she speaks very forcefully but her messaging is somewhat wishy-washy. This campaign might be her trial run for a future campaign as she has time on her side.
I consider Biden as a conformist politician and a gregarious deal maker. He is not a trail blazer. Biden will go down in history as Obama’s Veep and not for his long lackluster senatorial career. He is somewhat socially challenged and thereby has a propensity to make cringeworthy statements and being touchy-feely with the women. These traits are very irksome but I don’t think he is a sexual harasser. This campaign is his “Swan Song” and unfortunately, his performance last night was underwhelming at best.
Ah well - it’s too early in the race
7
@Raj Sinha: Come on. Name one person without personal tragedies in his or her life. Argumentum Ad Misericordiam is no reason to elect a public official.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
@Raj Sinha: Name one person without personal tragedies in his or her life. Argumentum Ad Misericordiam is no reason to elect a public official.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
She used her personal story to show the effect of policy positions that is what a debate is about. The rest of it is hogwash Biden’s answer was inadequate and showed lack of sympathy and sensitivity he wasn’t ready for prime time. She should not be attacked for being better prepared people are really showing their true colors...
8
Please, someone go after Harris for upholding wrongful convictions. Someone print T-shirts with the faces of the kids whose parents were unlawfully incarcerated.
22
Harris' accusations against Biden were, in my view, correct. I only wish someone had criticized her for what she has done in California with respect to criminal justice & immigration.
5
@Jenifer Wolf What she has done in California with respect to criminal justice & immigration is likely to make her very popular with disaffected Republicans in the election.
1
And to educational equity and funding.
Mr. Bouie’s column asks us to assume Ms. Harris acted in good faith with her attack on Mr. Biden.
Why? Isn’t it just as plausible that this was a cynical electioneering stunt from someone trying desperately to topple a front runner? No senior official in the Democratic Party has supported mandatory school busing for racial integration for decades. Biden is by no means unique in that. If Ms. Harris wants to have a legitimate debate about the viability of busing as a tool for racial integration let’s have at it. But to blame Joe Biden of culpability for abandoning a policy his entire party walked away from years ago is, shall we say, disingenuous. I suggest Ms. Harris get her messaging straight on Medicare for All before she attacks someone whose consistent votes for civil rights over the years helped get her to where she is today. Read a history book, will ya’ Kamala
15
Whatever the arguments here, Kamela is the best candidate
to beat trump for the following reasons:
1. She is a woman. Their time has come.
2. She is pedigreed with a mother who was a medical
researcher and a father who was a Stanford
professor.
3. She will get the vote of educated men/women,
minorities and the elite.
4. She is battle tested in public service as a prose-
cutor and Calif. Attorney General.
5. She will go toe-to-toe with Trump and not be
intimidated.
3
So, in 1973 Biden should have shunned Eastland and Talmadge. How about Sam Ervin, the segregationist chairman of the Watergate Committee? Or J. William Fulbright, the segregationist chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and probably the most important senatorial critic of the Vietnam War?
6
And if Trump is re elected will pundits like Jamelle say they are sorry. Even Obama made mistakes that I can never forgive, but I would support him. Your anger about the past assures the destruction of our democracy. I suggest moving to Alabama to fight for civil rights. It’s a target rich environment.
6
Other than creating a rollicking debate on race, which is fine, it's also to debate how many angel can dance on the head of a pin at this point. To say Biden is not pure enough on race is to knife him in the back. But that's what he gets running for president having been around a long time.
6
@AG She didn't say he wasn't "pure on race". She said that he worked with two pro-segregationist politicians to oppose a civil rights initiative. What she said was a simple statement of fact.
2
Harris showed me in that debate that she's a tough, savvy fighter. It will take someone with that kind of grit to beat Donald Trump.
4
Many good and decent liberals and conservatives, including many blacks, had problems with school busing when it was first introduced and continue to object to it to this day.
If this is the best Senator Harris can do against Biden, she ought to find another bat and take another swing at him.
10
Harris scored scored some points by shoving Joe's face in his past...recent as well as remote. Joe should have just said, " I made a mistake, and I apologize, I have learned from it and my record speaks for itself". Harris 1, Joe 0. Can she turn that single episode into a groundswell of support propelling her into the White house? Doubtful. It's old news.
Americans care about healthcare, jobs, immigration, climate change and maintaining peace in a troubled time. A Biden Warren ticket works for me. Joe has 4 years, promises to not seek re election and retires at age 82 and Liz takes over. Simple, comprehendable and powerful.
5
Campaign debates are about making calculated moves to distinguish your own candidacy. To those criticizing Harris and claim she lost your vote - odds are she wasn't getting your vote anyway.
In defending Biden, you defend someone who made deals with hard-core racists, just as he made deals with hard-core misogynists to appoint the first of now two sitting sexual abusers on the Supreme Court. He might have "compromised", but his compromises were at best cynical, at worst evil. States rights? That's the white Southern man's argument for slavery. It's an argument to not follow the law. Had Harris been another white guy, different issue but same result - scoring the point - I doubt much criticism of her "win" over Biden would exist. Different race? Different gender? Different rules.
Bottom line, Biden wasn't prepared to defend the essence of what he did because --- it was weak. He did not work to ensure all children got a great education. Bussing was a flawed solution, but at least it was an effort - Kamala and other black children got a better education. Complicated, yes, but Harris made it simple and clear.
The incrementalism and compromise of the past that Biden defends today looks like a shell game designed to promise - but not deliver - equal voting rights, equal wages, equal opportunities under the law.
Harris won fair and square. Now it's Biden's turn to prepare better and show he can win a tough debate. Because if he can't, he cannot beat Trump.
8
Perhaps you are right, Mr. Bouie, though I don't agree. What would give you and the NYT more credibility is if I could see an equally piercing examination of Senator Harris's history of ethically questionable behavior during her tenure as district atty.
Because of that, I'm not convinced she's a good one for us to hang our hats on in terms of justice for African Americans.
6
Biden is completely tone deaf on the current moment. Harris, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the current moment.
If you are offended by what Harris said, or the way she said it, or who she said it to, ask yourself if you are offended because a woman challenged a man? Or a black person challenged a white person? Or both? Because that’s what many of the comments sound like to me.
Is she too calculating for you? Too clever? Too unwilling to take a back seat? Do you think “How dare she?”
Do you have those same thoughts when Biden talks about Scranton? His family? His lived experience?
No, huh? That’s what I thought.
In my opinion, Senator Kamala Harris is the best nominee we could ask for. Imagine the possibilities if a woman of color is the leader of the free world. Seems like the proper antidote to the trump administration.
6
What was Trump's take on bussing in the 1970s? Shouldn't that be Ms. Harris' and other Democrats' focus?
I'd like to know, if she is focusing on Democrat candidates' past policy endorsements or lack thereof, how it is that she created and endorsed and did precious little to change a policy that in effect penalizes (potentially criminalizes) the full observance of religious holy days by CA's observant Jews and people of other religions that don't focus only on Christmas and the Christian-secular New Year if they have a child in public school who might also sometimes be absent with stomach flu or other common childhood ailment.
3
In these desperate times, it honestly does not matter what these candidates did or did not do in their past careers. Going up against Trump is not going to be a civilized affair. The best candidate to beat Trump will be the one who can tear him to shreds without succumbing to childish behavior. Trump would eat Joe Biden for dinner. Kamala Harris would back Trump into a corner and shove his entire corrupt administration down his neck. That is what prosecutors do. We can worry about all the issues and a return to civility after the Democrats win the election. But this election is going to be all out warfare for the very soul of this nation. And when it's over we will either be a democracy or a dictatorship. In war there is bloodshed. The clean-up comes later. Joe Biden is not a warrior.
4
If Biden had any courage (what politician has?), he would have said that forced busing was a bad policy solution then and remains so now. It is the "solution" of bureaucrats that people do not like shoved down their throats. Was there and is there some racism involved in the opposition? Undoubtedly! But calling people names is not a good way to go after their votes.
4
Once again, the Democratic party is refusing to prioritize.
If the priority is to determine who is the best candidate to defeat Trump-Pence, sharp tongued persons playing 'the race card' should focus core strengths and forget whining about what happened to me as child more than 45 years ago. Such nonsense serves only to drive away the undecided and pander to one's own base.
A party divided has no chance the monolith that is the GOP preaching a simple message: "Take care of only yourself"
4
First, I thought it was very appropriate for Kamala Harris to confront Joe Biden. She is a woman of color, that is her identity. She is who she is. To even hint at the need for "political correction" is absurd. The Senator, and for that matter all women today no matter of race or ethnicity, should stand up to blatant attacks on their personhood. And, speaking as a woman, we are getting it from all sides.
Now Biden. Yes, the former vice president is a good man and has given his entire adult life to government service. But it was evident that he should not be sharing the stage with those who are more representative of the 21st Century. Our next president can not be an anachronism. S/he needs to "get" the complexities of this still young, new millennium. And I am not convinced that Mr. Biden fathoms that this is no longer the past. What may have worked then is not necessarily the case now.
5
@Kathy Lollock
Identity is not fixed by the melanine concentration in the skin. "People of color" have very different backgrounds and experiences.
And what is exactly that women are "getting it from all sides"? The only thing in which men as a group are ahead of women is in the number of high-school dropouts.
2
the backlash I've read about Harris is mostly about "how dare she be prepared for the debate." Reads like sexism to me. I want candidates to be prepared.
3
Kamal Harris' prosecutorial zeal against Biden may go down about as well as her similar performance against Kavanaugh. Not well. It wound up engendering sympathy.
4
Jamelle Bouie writes: "his (Biden"s) efforts as a young senator would have ended one of the country's few attempts to make equal treatment a reality, to give black students the kind of education white students took for granted." In what world are Kamala Harris and Bouie living? Forced busing was a dismal failure It did just the opposite of its intended purpose - setting back efforts to obtain integration, equal treatment, good education and improved race relationships. Kamala's rejoicing in her busing experience is what Biden supported: Local decision making rather than Federal. Boui's defense of mandatory busing resulted in far more damage to obtaining equal opportunity for black students than what he accuses Biden of. The overwhelming number of blacks and whites of all political stripes look back at the busing solution as a failed experiment.
6
What Mr. Bouie calls Mr. Biden's "nostalgia play" has to be put into a proper and fairly acceptable perspective. In his remarks Mr Biden was pointing out importance and difficulty of working across the isle. He was not glorifying the racist senators. Also he was suggesting that his willingness and ability to find reasonable compromises, an ability in high demand in the U.S Congress. That's the only way to get things done in ideologically divided politics.
Unfortunately people like Harris and Booker are too sensitive on racial issues. Their attitude may very well turn off the majority of the white voters. And tha's the easiest way to help the abominable Trump and lose in 2020.
4
People may criticize Biden - but lots of people still move to the suburbs or a school district for “good schools” or send their kids to private school or “screened” charter schools or public schools
3
I believe in Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren.
5
It's pathetic how the Democrats are trying to snatch defeat from what should be an easy victory against the worst president in U.S. history. Focusing on a racial issue from 40 years ago should do the trick. I'm not a Biden supporter, but to be clear, he was against federally mandated school busing -- not busing ordered by a community's city council or school board. According to articles in this newspaper, most white and black parents were against the feds mandating where their kids went to school too. And it was deemed a failure. Kamala Harris said today she would like to see federally mandated school busing brought back. Because who doesn't want a bureaucrat in Washington telling you where your kid must go to school? The Dems better focus on the issues affecting Americans now and in 2020, or they'll hand Trump a second term?
9
What Kamala Harris believes is irrelevant. What the voters feel about either candidate matters. Just as black citizens in Virginia couldn't be bothered by the governor's 'blackface' scandal. The issue is whether either candidate can come up with series of policies that don't make the voters feel like they're had or pandered to. And that will determine whether or not the eventual Democratic nominee will evict Trumpy.
2
This is not about whether Harris was fair or not to Biden. Biden can fight his own battles and perhaps his problem is his civility.
I suspect as the attacks continue, Joe will step up his game. But what Harris did which will hurts and taints the entire Democratic Party, is she brought back the horrible issue of busing.
NOBODY SUPPORTED BUSING!!!
Trying to paint Joe Biden as a racist because he opposed busing is not only irresponsible and wrong, but gives aid to Donald Trump.
Here's what Trump will do as the race continues: He'll paint the Democratic Party as
1. Pro-busing
2. Pro-open borders
3. Socialist.
14
Let's keep in mind that President Obama believed enough in Joe to have him next in line to the presidency. Notwithstanding his clumsy, understandably offensive, recent remarks, it doesn't seem fair to me to imply that he's been a longtime opponent of social justice.
6
I’m sitting with two other, slightly drunk individuals discussing Ms. Harris’s debate performance (as well as the other candidates), and interestingly, she is coming off the worst for all the reasons others have praised her: personalizing the issues.
None of us want a candidate who personalizes issues. Or resorts to anecdotes to make a point.
We want candidates who understand everyone out there-even those who we, personally, don’t think much of or care much about. Their needs and issues deserve to be considered equally, whether welfare redneck privileged liberal or fourth dimension progressive (a post wealth individual - we represent all three categories).
Someone who personalizes issues and tries to lead similarly will never demonstrate the kind of common ground or understanding this country needs within the next 3-4 election cycles. She’s D.O.A. for us.
12
None of what Biden is being criticized for took place since 2008. So if he is a racist now he was a racist then, right? So where were the charges against him then?
If he was good enough to be his party’s vp,twice, he’s good enough to be the party’s top guy now.
If Harris had real issues with him about this she should have spoken out long before this.
6
@Matt Williams
Amen. Let us ask her to admit to her 50% Indian ancestry and only 25% African.
This is why the Dems are going to lose again. They'll knock each other down till none of them can win. I know she's right, but with what's going on with Trump, to be calling Biden a racist is just not gonna work for us.
Or almost every important issue facing us we will not be able to recover from eight years of Trump for at least a quarter century. And if you think climate change in the environment is his extensional I guess you could say we won't ever recover.
And yet this time around it's the Dems that are going to have 20 people in the clown car and God knows who will emerge that can defeat the reality-averse Trumpers.
2
Berkeley's program was not wholly voluntary.
Every 9th Grader had to go to Willard Junior High.
Which turned out to be a disaster.
As for the long term effects of busing in Berkeley.
I can only suggest you go to the Berkley BART Station
around 10:00 AM in the morning and notice how many
High School Students are just hanging around.
Berkeley High School is a segregated school along
the lines of Academics, which ends up being largely
along the lines of Race.
If you will not negotiate with those with whom you
disagree in an institution such as Congress, you will
get very little accomplished.
I wish Ms. Harris would stop saying she is
Black or an African American.
Neither of her parents are from America.
Her father admits to European Ancestry and African
via Jamaica and her mother is from India.
She has a mixed heritage, not unlike most Americans.
Let her call herself American.
9
Kamala Harris is glib and smart and black which likely endears her to the black voting bloc. But she is from the most liberal state in the U.S., she is ultra rich, she is attacking candidates from her own party which really annoys me, and she is ambivalent about whether illegal immigrants should be eligible for free health care (they should not). Nominate the best person who can get trump OUT. And changes to our institutional systems like health care should be incremental so dems don't scare the pants off 150 million who do have health care insurance. Improve Obama Care but don't call it trump care
7
"By this line of reasoning, it was unfair of Harris to bring up her experiences..."
By now we can recognize her attack - talking of "pain" , "hurtfulness" as the standard line of the identitarian agitprop. It was unfair to manufacture a grievance from the background of privilege and advantage -she was smearing Biden with racism even though she knows quite well his record on civil rights and her own on prosecution of black defendants. It was the sheer brazenness of this inversion that was so appalling.
And what is this talk of "innocence" if not more emotional slaloming and double-standarding?
From a person who has used opportunism at every stage
10
More circular firing squads, how the right wing loves it. Even if Joe is 'tone deaf,' was he wrong to work with segregationist Talmadge, who was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee 50 years ago? Or should he just have done nothing? What of Harris' record? She refused to prosecute a cop killer in SF, and put thousands of young men of color in prison. Were all of them justly convicted, or were some just pushed through the system? Should she have shut down a system that was chronically underfunded and categorically unfair? Should AOC have worked with Ted Cruz? Sanders with McCain? Boxer with Inohoffe? Making good decisions is hard. Making good joint decisions for others you don't know and never meet, even harder. If we think that we will only vote for any person with an immaculate record of decision making, we will have no one to vote for. BTW - I could vote for Biden or Harris, even though I disagree with some of their positions then and now.
3
Here's my backlash. Harris took a cheap shot at Biden and the media is all excited. She knew exactly what she was doing, besides.....not telling the full truth. I still like her but don't like her litigating stuff from the 70's. Do you know any politician who has not made egregious mistakes?....and he did not make a mistake and she got an education because of it. Biden brings the kind of decency that America needs to be represent us, the U.S.A in the world. She would be a good VP in my opinion while being trained to be an effective strong woman president.
4
It is a pathetic sight to see the Democratic candidates pandering to the extreme. The racial undertones are truly disturbing. It is equally unfair to just paint the Democrats with that brush.
I am old enough to remember segregated bathrooms, water fountains and motels/hotels. I recall George Wallace standing in the door of a public school calling for segragation forever.
So much has improved. The Civil Rights movement under Martin L King and Jesse Jackson produced tangible, real results. Schools were integrated, college scholarships were awarded, Blacks went main stream and in America main stream means you can be the President, no matter where your family was from or what color you are.
I wittnessed this and such much more, the Moon landing, computers, yes, even jet aircraft .
Now I see Race being used as a weapon, a tool, a divisor. It brings back memories of true discrimination, not this made up stuff we see today. My only hope for this election cycle ( and I have little expectation that this could happen ) is that Race is not used as a wall between us. I hope the politicians will stop using the power of fear and hate. There is much fear and hate in the world, let us try to lessen that level of hostility one voice at a time.
4
A poor choice of words, an equally poor response to Cory Booker's comments and Joe being Joe. While Biden is not a racist, we have one in the White House so the difference not difficult to recognize. Biden is not now nor perhaps has he ever been quick on his feet, adept at fielding questions on difficult issues. As a white male at age 75 his shabby handling and treatment of Anita Hill is the man. Prone to errors in judgment. Slow to get it right. A fatal combination.
Federally mandated busing was a disaster! It encouraged white flight and would again. Long bus rides for little kids, taken out of their neighborhoods, etc.
Let's be honest about this and stop castigating a decent human being in an underhanded effort to elevate ones's self. I will no longer read Bouie.
11
I feel like you could ask the same thing about Harris's history of disparate racial prosecution in her previous jobs as DA/AG.
5
You – Jamelle Bouie – and other members of the media are trying to “carve” the profile of a new presidential candidate. Kamala Harris is a newcomer without the level to this kind of experiments.
3
Back in the day when most, if not all, Southern politicians were Dixie Democrats, Northern Democrats had to get their votes to pass legislation for the working people of the country. Then Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and the South flipped Republican...largely to their detriment on issued effecting working class people.
This is what Biden meant Mr. Bouie. If Komrade Harris keeps it up, welcome 4 more years of Trump!
4
Joe Biden's innocence ??
Hilarious, uproariously so; do some research into his dealings with the Ukrainian government when he persuaded the government to fire the prosecutor, who was about to investigate his son Hunters' financial shenanigans, and how did he get the prosecutor fired; easy, make a special trip to the Ukraine and threaten to withhold billions of American dollars in aid ...
All while he was Vice President under Obama.
Makes Boss Tweed of Tammany Hall infamy look like an angel.
The Pelosi Schumer democrats, and this latest annointed one, Biden, must never become our 46th President.
Only two worthy candidates running; Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Picture either as our 46th President and the other our Vice President and so will begin the campaign to regain control of our government and send our corporate controlled masters packing.
1
A Kirsten Gillibrand moment with Biden the target instead of Franken. At the end of they, it's not about her hurt feelings. It's all about taking down the front runner with a well planned flank attack.
Besides leaving a bad taste, it also leaves Ms. Harris open to a similar attack about some of the issues in her background that have been bruited about. At the very end of the day, the only one left standing will be Trump with a lot of Democrats wondering why. Is that what you want Mr. Bouie?
7
You won't mind if I call your bluff? As far as I'm concerned, your explanation about what happened between Harris and Biden is completely contrived nonsense. Harris, an intelligent attorney general and skilled debater, as if that's a qualification for high office, baited Biden. Hers was a premeditated attack and it was based on racial animus. Yet, based on her progeny and background, she has little if any grievance with American History except as a privileged bystander. Her father was a Stanford Professor. Boo hoo. She suffered mightily. And now, just like Elizabeth Warren, she calls up her race card, in solidarity with those who share several of her genetic characteristics to claim the moral high ground. How much common ground does she share with her South Chicago brethren. Her sins will not be washed away by a false allusion to shared suffering.
8
Joe Biden has been a product of his time and the time is not on his side because of social changes in the country. However liberal and socialist voters have never elected a president. All the liberals and extreme leftists can scream and raise all kinds of slogans but they will not win the mid west or the independent minded voters as they outnumber the socialists by large numbers. You want to vote for anyone other than Biden, you are going to lose and Trump will have another term and you can keep writing and reading these types of essays and commentaries. November 3rd, 2020 you will have a miserable night and will again start thinking of another place of your dream. As someone has said, republicans have no principles but have spine whereas democrats have principles but no spine. Wake up call for everyone who does not want Biden for president
Sorry. This doesn’t make sense..
3
...and the Dems keep eating their own...and Trump keeps touting MAGA. Guess who'll win the election in 2020?
2
With such a stellar line up of progressive forward thinking and relevant candidates, Joe Biden just does not cut the current mustard. Looking forward to Harris and others taking him on and questioning not only his past but really asking him the important questions on how he plans to move this country forward - not in the old school politicians way , but in a real actionable way that does not include his built in cronyism to get him through. I do respect my elders but seriously, times have changed and Harris continues to shine through with clarity.
LBJ took his Great Society to the people after arm twisting; cajoling and bullying his former Congressional colleagues of every stripe. you build consensus how and when you can. you cannot govern without both parties at the table. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. Biden should however, choose his battles and his words more wisely.
106
@Maureen Shame on Biden for making compromises for the greater good. Shame on him for having the audacity to do his job and get legislation passed. Shame on him for believing in compromise as a tactic. What kind of man is that?
He's one who gets things done for the greater good.
10
@Maureen
Remember: This was not about Biden working with the racists to IMPROVE conditions for Black people or for anyone. That would've been fine. Yes, you build consensus and work with whomever you need to, to pass legislation.
This was about Biden JOINING with them to try to STOP busing.
Busing was imperfect, but it was one of the few ways of integrating Blacks & whites. Today, schools are segregated because there is no busing, and no better alternative has appeared.
1
@Kraig No, schools are segregated because neighborhoods are. And some of those schools are failing for myriad reasons. Most parents still believe neighborhood schools, especially for young children, are optimal. Busing is a failed bandaid solution to segregation and failing schools.
5
“Vice President Biden’s relationships with proud segregationists are the not the model of how we make America a safer and more inclusive place for black people, and for everyone.”
Love Cory Booker, but they were back then. It was deals made with segregationists which brought civil rights legislation out of committee to the Senate floor.
On other other hand, Biden should know better than to talk about how it was. How it's going to be is today's history.
3
No one cares about this!!!! As a black man who grew up in the suburbs, trust me this is not a topic that white or black middle class care about. The elites are the only ones who want to pick this dead horse apart. No, the real issue is that Biden is not a good candidate. He has voted against fairness in the past and is beholden to the big money. The people see him as more of a Clinton. We do not like the status quo. Picking the race issue with Biden is not going beat Trump when a large percent of Trumps supporters are racist. Even Trump is noting the Democrats are eating their own. The Dems better get it together. The bottom line is jobs, health care, global warming(progressive) not some cockamamie comments from Biden.
405
@clif howell
No, but hopefully it will get Harris's approval among African-American voters about the 12% mark!
1
@clif howell The dems are going to shred each other until no-one is left standing. Most are unelectable (Harris, Booker and Warren, in particular) while Biden may have a shot at the white vote the dems must have to win.
16
@clif howell - I want to win the election, and truthfully I fail to see how the Democrats will secure the Senate, which Mitch McConnell has demonstrated is where the power resides.
Joe Biden would have beaten Trump and would beat Trump. But that might not good enough.
You are right, he is a sadly flawed candidate. In fact, I liken him to "Trump Light" (Trumplite). Just what we don't need.
My issue with Kamala Harris, whom I voted for is this, "She essentially just stepped into Barbara Boxer's old seat. No Democrat was going to lose against any Republican running. Period." She didn't do anything to solve the homeless crisis in California. I don't mean to coddle the homeless, etc., but to get them out of our lives. The homeless "urban campers" are stealing from us, destroying small businesses and neighborhoods and destroying public facilities and killing us, all the while drinking and doing drugs.
15
Kamala Harris as well as all the other candidates present themselves as compassionate champions of the downtrodden,their lives devoted to their welfare of the poor. Well, personal charity should be a good place to start. Let's consider the Jewish standard of minimum 10% as basic
level of sharing one's wealth.
So: (With spouses, Wash Post data): O'Rouke 1/3%, Sanders 3%, K. Harris 1.4%, Klobuchar 2%, Gillibrand 2%, Warren 5.5%m Inslee 4%, Biden 1.8%. Still awaiting tax returns on Booker and Buttigieg. Credit Pres. Obama with 22% and Romney 29.4%. No doubt some apples and oranges in variable calculation methods here, but the point is clear: there is hypocricy when politicians are sanctimoniously demanding the generosity of far less wealthy taxpayers while carefully hanging own to their own money.
And this hypocricy is evident in so many other facets of their lives.
8
Charity is not the point. I don't believe in charity. it makes people dependent.
1
@Dave Md. thanks , interesting and I do find the donation rates relevant to my choice of candidate. A very low rate overall for comparatively wealthy people. how disappointing. Not sure Obama’s or Romney’s are apples to apples , assuming much of their donations went to churches (which I don’t count as charities).
@Kathleen
That's not the point that Dr. Dave was making when he raised the issue...
He's noting the disparity between the candidate's fervently stated goals and their actual practices.
If I were one of the candidates with such a pathetic record of contribution to charities, I would be at my desk writing checks for cancer and heart research, to innovative educational charities, and food banks in my home town.
1
"When people from historically excluded groups take the national stage, they can bring new insights, observations and experiences to otherwise cloistered spaces." --- True enough. They can also, however, bring unproductive, personal, and confusing statements. Perhaps I was wrong (and probably so since I was so disappointed by the quality of the "debates"), but policy was supposed to be central and differentiating between debaters. While Booker had some interesting ideas to deal with the dilemma Biden poses, Harris played to the jury emotionally without any remedy or identifying any problem. So, what are the ways we can move forward to deal with race, racial injustices, and racial friction? With more cooperation (gradualism) or specific policies (eg. reparations) or what? Yes, Harris DOES have to state what she believes about racism AND what she proposes to do about it.
8
I agree that Joe Biden should be questioned, but I wonder what qualities Kamala Harris brings to the presidency other than those of a good prosecutor who is ready to pounce on every incriminating detail. The presidency however isn't a courtroom drama, any more than it is a reality show. My worry is that the media will be attracted by the spectacle and forget that there is much more at stake than their ratings.
14
Regardless of what SHOULD be, the reality of the situation is as follows: Hillary Clinton's performance shows that, regardless of the nobility of those of us that read the Times, many Americans are unwilling to vote for a woman, let alone a Black Woman. I'd LOVE to be wrong on this, and I will vote for Harris if she is the nominee, but to me, the consequences of being wrong are far too high. We need the candidate that has the highest probability of beating Trump. To do so will require the votes of those in the middle, and I am unconvinced that, in the privacy of the voting booth, these people will do the correct thing.
5
@manuscriptman
I have no problem voting for a woman, In fact I did vote for a woman (the Other Woman) in 2016. But I could not bring myself to vote for the Clintons (plural, as Hillary had stated that she was going to put Bill 'in charge of the domestic economy'). Please don't extrapolate from 2016 regarding who people will or won't vote for.
2
I think you are missing a part of this equation. It was Hillary’s long career in public service that railroaded her chances. When you have served that many years, voted based upon the information known then, your past will come back to haunt you. She was incredibly qualified but her stance on past issues, swirling conversations about her foundation and donors doomed her, not her sex. Enter Biden. An experienced politician and his past voting record and statements are coming back to bite him. Voters aren’t interested in candidates who reflect the past.
@irene
I also voted for the "other woman", for the same reasons.
I’m confused about these arguments - when Trump is destroying the US on the world stage. These issues are minor.
9
Don't you all understand? He STILL defended his choice! He STILL doesn't get it. That's what's problematic about him as a candidate. That's why this conversation is important and Harris was absolutely right to bring it up. If Biden has just apologized and admitted he understood what harm he caused, we could move on. But his defense was and is VERY problematic, to say the least.
11
You do know that only a very small fraction of the American public supported busing in 1970's, whether black or white? And that remains true today.
And you do know that many people, in good faith, including social researchers, dispute the benefits that have accrued to the bused children. Most especially black kids?
Kamala comes from a quite well to do family. I won't say privileged as that epithet is reserved for others. She moved with her family to Canada at age 12 where she grew up. Her success owes less to her being bused and more to her boyfriend Willie Brown, the mayor of San Francisco and former Speaker of the CA Assembly, who was known by many as a very shady operator. She then advanced her career, not as a public defender, but as an aggressive "tough on crime" prosecutor, during which time she fought against DNA evidence that would exonerate an innocent man. She also covered up multiple instances of prosecutorial malfeasance while she was CA Attorney General. And she promoted and later strongly defended sending the mothers of truant public school kids...to jail. "For the People" her CA campaign slogan proclaims. Okay.
As unprincipled as this has shown her to be are we to believe that in the 1970's Ms. Harris would have voted for busing? We don't need to go back 40 years to dig up issues with Senator Harris's record. It was just the other day.
I do not support Joe Biden but Kamala is no prize, either.
6
@Maggi
which harm, exactly? The population, blacks and whites, was mostly opposed to forced Federal busing.
2
Joe Biden is guilty of nothing. His "accusers" will achieve nothing without the support of Democratic centrists. See, midterm 2018 election.
If some people have new "insights" to be brought to the table I would welcome their input. I recognize no new "insights".
Much to my regret, Trump will be re-elected in 2020. (Dream on about impeachment. Remember the electoral college.)
Trump nationalists will retain control of the Senate.
The Democrats will lose a minimum of 25 seats in the House.
Democrats will not regain control of the government for another generation. If ever.
20
Not a Biden fan but this was too calculated for me and too much in the politicking camp. Harris' record on race is not clean either, given her history as a CA prosecutor. I prefer someone like Warren who is both substantive, ethical and a true progressive....
26
Biden was dead wrong to oppose Federally mandated busing, He says he was not opposed to busing but believed it was a decision that should be left to the states. Harris was right to assert that some issues are matters of fundamental rights and the federal government has the duty to make laws protecting those rights. Biden thus went too far looking for comity and compromise with blatant racists. even if they did "get things done." The question for me is how much he has learned since then. For example (or especially) has he learned that a Republican senate led by Mitch McConnell will never compromise one tiny bit to "get things done"?
1
@Thomas And have you learned that busing didn’t work?
If I'm to understand, Harris has the power to put Biden on trial and Biden is guilty of a crime.
This does not merely imply the guarantee of four more years of a Trump presidency. It means the resurgence of a Republican party that's on its heels.
I'm about the same age as Harris and was part of what was known as "white flight" of the 1970s. My Southern city had *forced* integration, which was what Biden was talking about. This was something that scared me to death.
I'd been to segregated schools since I lived in the South and was one of those kids who took a pummeling wherever I went to school. But in addition to being a social outcast, being racially targeted as well by my peers was physically terrifying. So we fled to the suburbs.
I'd posit that forced busing and the very threat of forced busing was the single greatest cause of "white flight" and subsequently the racial gerrymandering and polarization of urban areas.
Perhaps my parent's decision makes me guilty of a crime, and I should be put on trial by fiat as well. But I'm emblematic of millions of others, to whom Harris's message simply does not resonate.
29
One prepared zinger does not a Leader of the Free World make.
Now that she’s the darling of the moment, she should expect similar prepared zingers from her competition regarding some of her acts as a DA and as California AG.
31
@Franco51
Agreed...and she is going to face an avalanche beginning with her knowing use of evidence against defendants that she knew was tainted by crime scene investigators when a DA.
It's all in the public record and she better be prepared to defend her unlawful acts.
She deserves the knives in the back she's going to get.
Too bad the intra-party squabble is distracting us from the imperative to defeat Trump.
Nice going, Kamala.
2
It's odd to me how everyone is seeing, not only this event, but the response to the event, through their own prism. I haven't seen anywhere in the mainstream news the assertion that Harris was too hard on him. Personally, I thought she made her point, and it was reasonable. I also think that busing was an imperfect solution to a very real problem (segregation) and that in certain places (like Boston) it didn't work well specifically because it was handled hamfistedly.
Personally, I side with Harris, but as much as some people want to usher in a new era of racial condemnation, it's not absurd to have to opposed it. I believe I read something a few days ago that 53% of black people did at the time.
1
@KS
The main point Kamala Harris not only made but drove home is that Biden really thought he could coast to the nomination on his 'name brand' without putting in much effort. That is clearly not the case.
However, the immediate 'that girl' t-shirt rollout reminded me of a scalp being victoriously waved in our faces (metaphorically speaking).
Double plus ungood optics imo.
2
Biden's opposition to bussing constituted, in fact, support of segregation -- perhaps not overt support, but at least tacit support. He should acknowledge his moral failure to promote human and civil rights in the US. Times have changed, yet he does not yet recognize the harmful effects of his actions. His failure to change makes him unsuitable to be President of this diverse nation.
2
Bussing has not been successful in elimination or even degradation of segregation. Maybe that was not one of its goals, but we are as segregated in the south as we were 50 years ago.
I think this last election shows all people want good jobs and bussing did not provide that.
We need a specific program to train all minorities so they have access to good jobs. That would be part of the reparations that some are talking about.
11
This is why Trump is going to win reelection.
I lean Democrat, but honestly I'm so tired of the self-righteousness of views like this.
People, we are going to loose. All democrats are so good at criticizing the minutiae of every possible candidate, while ignoring the unspeakable horror of Trump as President.
Yes, maybe we deserve four more years.
48
Not every idea that claims to promote equality for African-Americans is good or worth pursuing. In the case of the very complex state and local public school system, busing generally has proved unworkable. School financing and solid academic performance are much more important for successful schooling for all children. The kinds of arbitrary busing programs that began in the 1970s have generally failed to improve academic results for any children and have created a lot of furor with little to show for it except a public school system that is probably worse for all students than it was several decades ago. Joe Biden is right about this. Promoting busing as a good idea is demagogic and seems intended to merely bully white people into acquiescing in a bad idea that even its proponents know is unworkable.
18
Let's talk about Harris on education and equity:
"
What was and remains controversial in some circles, however, is Harris’s sponsorship of a bill in 2010, which Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law, that allowed police to file misdemeanor charges against parents of habitually truant students. Under the law, parents can be fined as much as $2,000 and serve up to a year in jail."
(https://edsource.org/2019/harris-stance-on-truancy-again-an-issue-as-she-launches-presidential-campaign/608430)
While parents of kids with significant school-anxiety and/or separation anxiety, who are young elementary age and therefore more likely to get sick more often, who may have family emergencies, who may observe more religious holidays, or whose parents may want to give their kids a few enrichment days (maybe for educational field trips the school can't afford or teacher wouldn't spend time organizing or other reason not possible via school), Harris' policy may not ultimately mean a year in jail, but it did/does mean such parents get threatening warnings from school districts, and that they must spend precious resources (time, money, energy, childcare hours, and so forth) documenting absences (and even tardiness of 6-35 minutes), explaining reasons, even hiring lawyers to defend against misplaced criminal charges. All of this also has worse impact for survivors of domestic violence or contentious divorce where district/police warnings or action (albeit erroneous) can be misconstrued.
15
Perhaps too much is being made of the past palsy relationship with segregationists - not that I am criticizing Ms. Harris or Mr. Booker. I just see it more broadly. Biden has lots and lots of things on record for which he can be criticized through the lens of today's sensibilities. Yes I'm concerned about his support for the anti-bussing constitutional amendment in the past, but let's not overlook what he cruelly and unfairly did to eviscerate Ms. Anita Hill and ensure the confirmation of that incredibly inappropriate and boorish Clarence Thomas. Also, don't forget his key role in authoring the Patriot Act. And, permanent tax cuts for the wealthy, which bolstered today's dangerous income inequality in this nation. Biden may have a nice smile and great manners, and he won't embarrass us globally. But his record is too far to the right for today's big issues. His association with President Obama doesn't clean that up.
2
Mr. Bouie pulls a fast one in his op ed. Biden should not be faulted for working with segregationists to "get things done." He did not praise these two men. The issue worth discussing is his opposition to court mandated busing. Bouie doesn't discuss this issue. He used his word count to try to taint Biden for working with the segregationists.
Court ordered busing was a difficult and controvercial issue in the 1970s. It was probably fine and worth her effort for Harris to be bussed to a better school. However there were parents deeply concerned about being bussed to inferior schools.
The goal for liberals in those days was to have funding to improve schools and to reduce segregation in housing.
Biden probably couldnot have gotten elected if he supported court-ordered busing
23
For months I made an argument for Harris being an excellent candidate. Sadly, it no longer applies.
Like many I thought Harris did very well in the debate and that Biden's unprepared response, invoking states' rights, was cringeworthy. I initially considered it a vindication, but the days after the debates revealed how wrong Harris was, not just morally, but tactically. This piece by Bouie confirms it. Harris destroyed any chance of winning the general election.
Harris' own team proudly boasted she'd planned this stunt for months, shirts and memes at the ready, and a full blown marketing campaign. It raised her poll numbers and hurt Biden. However, Bouie's spin on Biden is just plainly wrong.
Bouie has long stated that any who voted for Trump are irredeemably evil, he then, as Connor Friedersdorf laid in devastating detail in The Atlantic in May of 2018, insisted that any Republican is no different than a member of the Alt-Right. Bouie hits impossible lows here in alleging that Biden is like members of the Alt-right.
If Harris and Bouie think this is a path to winning a general election they're deluded. For all his failings Joe Biden is no Donald Trump. He's a sweet decent man. As Former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun stated of Harris: "Her ambition got it wrong about Joe. He is about the best there is; for her to take that tack is sad." Indeed.
Finally, Harris' tack would never work on Trump or his followers, but it did alienate millions of Democrats and Independents.
52
I am convinced the majority of well-meaning comments here are coming from people who have not experienced the sheer trauma that busing and integration has had on the hundreds of children subjected to it.
And as someone who has witnessed its lasting effects on family members who had to go through this ordeal.
There's no justification.
No restitution.
No escape.
14
Harris did a "gotcha." Biden has a long record which means that, unless he is God himself/herself, he is going to have made mistakes.
I will not vote for Harris. I will vote for Trump if that is the choice. She showed herself to be an opportunist, a lightweight. She has mistakes of her own that would come out in a Presidential election, and she will need people to defend her. Yet, when it was her turn, she took advantage.
She did a Trump. Pure and simple. I have zero respect for her. Of all of the enemies of decency that there are in the world, for her own gain she attacked one of the good guys.
37
@Travelers Can't follow the logic: You'd vote for Trump because you now have no respect for Harris because "she did a Trump" by attacking "one of the good guys" instead of the "enemies of decency".
You mean like Trump relentlessly attacked Senator John McCain???
2
@Lee
Actually you did follow the logic. Harris, in terms of her personality style, is a Trump.
And I expect better of Democrats. I don't of Trump. One reason I vote Democratic is that I don't believe in the type of warfare that Harris did. If the Democratic candidate engages in the same type of warfare that Trump does, then I'll vote Trump.
And I"ll do that for the same reason that Sanders' supporters gave the election to Trump---to send the Democratic Party a message to clean up its act and start acting like Democrats.
Harris-Trump. No difference in my opinion.
Signed....a 50-year voting Democrat.
2
Kamala Harris prepared well, asked the tough questions, showed her intelligence and political acumen. All a product of her upbringing, the schools she was privileged to go to, and her career. I, for one, am glad she's bringing it all to bear for this election, because this group of candidates - with the exception of Warren, Buttigieg, Booker, somewhat Biden, and yes, Harris - needs as much talent as it can muster. And Mr. Sanders - who has attacked Harris at least twice vocally since the debate - is oddly surprised tha answering questions like "how will you roll out healthcare for all?" by shouting 'tens of millions of people will rise up and demand it!' - does not put him anywhere put in front of this pack.
7
As a lifelong Democrat I feel as though I am standing by helplessly as my Party ensures the re-election of the worst President in America's history.
Why?
By making moderates feel unwelcome and embracing far left positions a minority of Democrats is going to ensure that a candidate that is totally out of touch with most Americans will help the re-election of a candidate who is tearing apart the fabric that holds our country together, brick by brick, day after day.
Specifically....
Calling for open borders and refusing to acknowledge that America cannot allow millions of undocumented people to come to our nation is lunacy. Supporting giving them drivers licenses and free health care will only serve to alienate millions of folks who normally vote for Democrats.
The insanity of telling 180 million people that you plan to end private insurance in favor of Medicare for all which offers far, far less than most companies offer their employees is mind boggling. Lying that this can be paid for by taxing the wealthy is something that no one should believe.
Criticizing Biden about his record on race is fool hardy especially when the overwhelming number of Americans did not and do not support busing.
I am watching the Party I love implode. Middle America is not a bunch of white supremacists but instead hard working people who are pro choice, want to see climate change reversed, support gay rights, and support bi-partisanship.
That was not on the debate stage on either night.
58
@Mark Jeffery Koch I do not agree with you about health care, but, overall, you're correct.
2
@Mark Jeffery Koch,
As a lifelong democrat, perhaps you should start listening to what *they* have to say, and not to the MSM and Fox.
Example: no Democrats are in favor of 'open borders', a phrase right out of the same GOP ad slogan shop that gave us 'death tax', 'tax and spend liberals', and 'family values'.
3
You are seeking to shame a good man who has stood for equal rights all his public life.
Biden said he found a way to advance his OWN cause by negotiating with men he considered absolutely wrong in their beliefs.
Throughout history people have made truces and treaties. They didn’t like their opponents. In some cases they fought first.
But when wasn’t it preferable to bridge a divide instead of going to war with its unpredictable results?
25
@Steve Cohen. Roosevelt and Churchill had to work with Stalin to “get something done.”
1
This is a tough issue, related to the question of whether healthy debate among Democrats will weaken their anti-Trump goal. My own view is that healthy debate is critical at this early time, and there are certainly large differences between the many candidates, that we should discuss. Later, we will all have to consider whether these internal discussions have weakened the common goal of getting rid of Trump, as I believe the Clinton-Sanders hostility did. I do feel that Kamela's effective use of personal anecdote made it unnecessarily confrontational, although holding up conversations with Eastland and Talmadge as a badge of honor was pretty clueless. Perhaps we will have T bragging about his chuminess with Maduro and Kim Jong-Un in the near future.
1
I do not question the validity of calling out racists and racial attitudes. I question the value of crucifying woke white persons - who are now strong allies of civil rights reforms - for their unwoke behaviors which occurred decades earlier. While it may be philosophically appropriate (as Bouie argues) and emotionally satisifying to do so, it is a very poor strategy for inducing positive social transformation on race issues. And, the push for ideological purity in the Dem primary is extremely poor political strategy. No one wants to join a club that does seem to welcome them. Unfortunately, the reaction of many older white people to Harris's attack on Joe Biden is: "Wow, if being President Obama's loyal wingman and confidant isn't enough to escape being perceived as a racist, what is?" Social transformation - persuading the greater culture to "buy in" -- requires celebrating the Biden's and Northam's, celebrating those who have changed for the better -- not marginalizing them. And, incidentally, there was absolutely nothing about Sen. Biden's actual remarks the segreationist senators that suggested in any respect that he was anything but hostile to their segregationism. Nothing. Persuading older white men to vote democrat and thereby defeat Donald Trump, may require a little more forgiveness than Senator Harris displayed. That is a simple practical reality.
32
All of this happened before I was born. From what I have read, a fair number of people objected to having their small children bused across town to desegregate a school instead of attending their neighborhood school. In Harris’s case, the busing may have been a voluntary program. It was a controversial issue 50 years ago. If pressed, I think you would still find that parents still wouldn’t want their small children to spend a lot of time on a school bus solely to balance the racial makeup of a school when they could attend a neighborhood school instead. They also would object if any kid was denied the right to enroll in a school because of race, as well they should. This isn’t a hill for Harris or the Democrats to die on. As for what Biden did or said 40 or 50 years ago and the positions of the people he worked with, it’s certainly relevant to bring up since he wants to be president. But it will be up to the voters to decide how much it matters at this point. I tend to think columns like this one will only help Trump. They’re a distraction from issues in this election.
17
In quoting Baldwin, Mr. Bouie implies that VP Biden was an "author[] of devastation", meaning the segregation that busing sought to eliminate. That is nonsense. I think that centrist Senators of the 70s, such as then-Senator Biden, were faced with political equivalents of the "Trolley Problem" (use Google if you're not familiar with it) and required to take a morally dubious position (anti-busing) in order to ensure their reelection (to get them to the "greater good" of subsequent legislation). Had he, and others, at the time supported busing legislation (or not supported anti-busing legislation), the Senate easily could have swung, with other Civil Rights legislation consequently imperiled. To seek to crush Biden today with the consequences of votes taken then will give us four more years of Trump, if it hasn't already. Let's see how Biden fares over the next two weeks, but this ahistorical and smug self-righteousness will not produce a general-election-winning Harris or Warren candidacy. At least, not in North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Wisconsin. Feel free to enjoy the moment. It won't last.
15
One item of fairness to consider. Biden did lose his whole family in the early 1970s when a lot of this discussion was taking place. I can't imagine the pain he was going through.
11
For a foreigner it's quite exciting to follow the competition. But as the main duty now must be to beat Trump and although Harris is quite clever it was a bit sad to see her going hard upon Biden now. I say that because he is a man that would be accepted by the red states as well.
I'd like to see Harris or Warren as your next president because America sure needs a female president, but they should wait until next time.
5
@GE, look up Harris' record as an adult with great power in California. She is NOT a progressive, to say the least. That's why she's having to wave her hands and get us to only see her as a child and not the woman who scourged minorities for political gain.
4
I have two problems with this writer's ideas. First,"bussing" placed the burden for correcting the structural impact of our history of racism squarely onto the shoulders of working class kids (skin color irrelevant). While the anti-bussing leadership in Boston, for example, was pretty vile, that doesn't mean rank and file opponents were racist themselves. Maybe they just didn't want to send their six year old across town on a bus for two hours every day. Slavery provided capital accumulation which continues to benefit America across our society. So did other crimes (eg the genocide and dispossession of indigenous people.) As children of God we have a responsibility to address the continuing damage to members of the American family. But during the 1970s shouldn't the cost have been spread across the society rather than targeted to vulnerable working class kids? Is that a racist point of view?
Second, our country needs reconciliation, and that's Biden's point. He described at least one of these senators in negative terms, but claimed he could still cooperate with him. I have some misgivings about that decision, but I don't dismiss it's rationale out of hand. Let's suppose for a minute that Harris wins the presidency in 2020, and the Dems are crushed at the midterms in 2022. At that point, for the good of my country I hope she has enough sense to cooperate with some people who I really don't like.
15
Discrimination in educational opportunities is important, but, for all his discussion of race, you never see Mr. Bouie write about residential housing segregation and employment discrimination. For some reason, inflammatory topics like police brutality against reefer-toking criminals who are not in his economic class are more important to him. Perhaps, instead of alleviating his 'successful black person's guilt' by writing about impoverished criminals, he should pay more attention to the racism that affects hard-working students and hard-working professionals - the sort of people who end up on debate stages running for President and writing columns for the New York Times.
10
Biden isn't my choice, and yet, he was chosen by a black man as a running mate twice, and was elected twice. Seems like Joe already passed the litmus test.
17
I was raised in the South in the 1950s and heard a lot of rhetoric from white segregationists as I was growing up. It was a regular feature of campaigns back then, and I became familiar with how it is done, not blatantly but in a way that made one feel that his or her rights were being defended. It seems that Kamala Harris has revived a few of their tricks by focusing on racial politics, and especially by aiming the race card at a white candidate with an excellent civil rights record as she is doing with Joe Biden. Kamala seems to have learned that racial demagoguery pays dividends, and guess what that makes her?
44
The benefit of hindsight makes geniuses of us all. But her point was, admittedly in the context of a non-debate, merely a debater's point and good theater not a serious rebuttal. Biden has never been terribly swift or quick on his feet so he missed the opportunity to point out the obvious truth that we deal with the world as we find it and do our best to do the right thing at the moment, in real time, without the opportunity to avail ourselves of forty-five years of historical perspective.
8
I wasn’t happy with Biden’s nostalgia, but Harris began the circle shoot and fire. Her points were clearly scripted and rehearsed for maximum collateral damage. I was open toner candidacy but will now look elsewhere.
Democrats internal fighting will re-elect Trump.
And I’m not supporting any of our candidate who play theses games of attack the poll leader.
28
How sad to hear race baiting in reverse setting up a win for Trump. Harris pulled a gender-race-card and she showed what happens to a room when the white guy has to stand like a polite gentleman. Personally, I am now no way with Harris. Harris is a divider. Period.
39
Biden’s “innocence”???
How ridiculous. Harris is a great candidate, but this need to twist the facts on Biden around are beginning to rise to the level of “trump” lies. Enough.
8
Harris used race/gender to sandbag Biden. She had a right to bring up his past voting. But her attack was planned/self-serving. And that was the problem and that's my problem with her. She did it to move up in the polls. Since most of the Dem candidates are lemmings and say/do the say things and/pr try to top each other she attacked Joe to clear some space around her... and it worked... up to a point. Problem for her now is that it's open season on all the candidates. And we'll see who best represents the voters... not self interests... PS ... Bussing works both ways... Blacks are bussed into White neighborhoods while Whites are bussed into black neighborhoods. That means both White and Black students are moved into hostile environments. Not just Black students. It was a shared pain Kamala...
14
Point, set, match!
2
I wonder if there will be any opinion pieces on why the Senate’s first an only female African-American, Mosley Braun, has publicly come out in support of Biden.
23
To the degree that your claims help re-elect Donald Trump, you are a danger to our society.
6
@manta666 I'm not the biggest fan of Mr. Bouie either, but it's not that drastic.
" … only 9 % of African Americans supported it (busing). It hasn't even been up for debate since."
This reminds me of the Farsi proverb OZR-E GONAAH BAD-TAR AZ GONAAH 'an excuse justifying the sin which is indeed worse than the sin itself' !
The comment-writer and his surprisingly so many supporters are telling us that because a very small percentage of African Americans asked for 'busing', Biden and his likes were justified in their opposition to it .... forgetting conveniently that the overwhelming majority of Blacks refused to grovel asking for the 'honor'. They did it to maintain their self respect; they did not want to put their kids in a bus in which they were not welcome by other kids.
@Malek Towghi
Busing is an inane attempt at a solution to the problem of educational inequity.
I was bused with a bunch of other white kids into a black neighborhood. I will never forgive or forget the trauma and damage that did to me or my siblings.
And if you read my posting on the matter, you will see why it is now a very ineffective solution to the problem.
1
@Malek Towghi They did it because busing was transparently a terrible idea.
It was kinda like "Let's talk about meeee now". With all due respect, Kamala, we don't have luxury to whine. Millions and Millions of children rely on this next election--so get over yourself-- and let's win this election.
18
@TWShe Said
Yes, "let's win this election.". How? By making Kamala Harris our first choice. She is the only Democratic candidate who will definitely beat Trump, in debates and on the election day.
2
I strongly disagree. You do not know Joe Biden-yet you are quick to stereotype him. Why don't you take your Kamala Harris for President hat off long enough to view this man's history on civil rights. Biden did not: "oppose this singular effort to desegregate schools. "
Articles like this create a false partisan divide between Democrats. We deserve better from the NYT
19
@Don Beebe Wow Biden did not: "oppose this singular effort to desegregate schools. " Biden opposed Federal busing. Biden even supported an amendment against busing.
the whole constellation of criticism of Biden is unfair: he speaks to a time of compromise amongst unthinkable potentail comprimisors. Harris and the other ultra liberals would get no where without such skills!
251
@peter mccullough: Please let us know who among the Republicans is reaching out for compromise. Obama tried to compromise and the Republicans fought him tooth and nail.
24
@Stan Sutton What difference does it make what Republicans do? We are talking about finding a candidate who can beat Trump. I guarantee you, without a message and platform that reaches out to middle America Trump will be reelected for four more years. Sorry. That is reality.
8
@peter mccullough, Harris is not a liberal. The law-and-order whites adored her cruelties to the poor, her attempts to reinstate the death penalty, her turning over undocumented youths to ICE, and so much more. That's why she never boasts of her achievements as a powerful DA and attorney general. She's a little child being mistreated for her race, she says, and gullible progressives never even ask who she is really. Or wonder why black people don't want her. They go from picture to outrage in a second, which is what this smart woman wants. If they stop to think, she won't succeed. An audacious and outrageous plan. As a real progressive, I'm horrified and trying to spread the word.
12
Biden has had plenty of time since the 1070’s to repair his tainted civil rights history. Merely serving as Obama’s VP wasn’t enough.
And of course the segregationist Dixiecrats didn’t call him “boy”. That was reserved for black men of every age. Just uttering that line is so over-the-top clueless it is almost disqualifying in itself.
3
Intelligent, well spoken, comely, fierce when needed and empathetic...maybe, just maybe she will be the DEMOCRAT CONTENDER that can humble the egomaniac.
I can't see 'Liddle' Donny winning a debate with this formidable opponent. At this point in our political history I am convince that strong women are essential in negotiating the tortuous paths of the 21st century.
They will find the true path into the future while male testosterone, competitive nature and combativeness will inevitably lead to global conflict.
The geometry of our DNA recapitulates not only the origin of our universe and it's form, but also our pathway through time. Let female DNA lead the way. Its subtle differences are the defining light that will see us though the dark, foreboding clouds on the horizon.
Take a break Alpha Males. Let's give the Alpha Females the helm, or, they take it from you anyway.
1
@HoodooVoodooBlood Well, ain't that ironic. If you really do believe in gender equality, the misandrist attitudes you promote are no better than misogynistic ones. Can't you see you've become the very thing you swore to destroy?
I think it was absolutely appropriate for Senator Harris to bring up VP Biden’s past record. In hindsight, Biden’s wrong decisions might have been excusable but that’s why he could have provided his reasoning to his audience instead of being defensive. What I took from this episode is that Democrats should not nominate someone who thinks political expediency, willingness to compromise and consensus building is a virtue. Not in this political climate. Trump will eat him alive!
3
@CKGD,
Opposing forced bussing wasn't and isn't a wrong decision.
All he had to do when confronted with his busing enforcement vote, is say that in retrospect it was the wrong decision, and that he's sorry. Simple.
Instead during his semi-coherent explanation he dropped the phrase 'local control', which to my ears sounds a LOT like that decades old GOP racist dog-whistle: 'states rights'.
4
Democrats always seem to eat their own. Even past the Primary. Progressive Puritanism will re elect Donald Trump. Just like 2016.
13
I like Joe Biden. Overall, in my opinion, he has been a good public servant. I realities of legislating 40 years ago are not the same as today. Harris did have have to eviscerate him in the debate. I don't want Biden to be our Democratic nominee. With respect to Harris, I would not vote for her should she be the nominee.
4
Given the alternative, I would vote for Colonel Klink if he was the Democratic nominate.
It is interesting that I have now read quite a few comments on these theatrics and the issue that is always avoided is whether bussing is an issue we want to see re-introduced. Schools are more segregated today then they were at the time of Brown. If Busing was the best and only way to deal with the issue in the 1960's why is that not true today? In Ms Harris Berkeley only 9% of black parents and 5% of white parents advocated even the voluntary busing program that was adopted in Berkeley,and that is Berkeley! So if Ms Harris was doing anything more than showing that she could shiv another candidate we are owed her position on this issue not on the basis of her "feelings' but in terms of what she would do about the issue. Mr. Bouie's refusal to ask the question of what should be done shows that he too values the ability to shiv a candidate over real policy.
11
While she graciously offered public forgiveness for his egregious manhandling of the hearings she reluctantly agreed to testify in, Anita Hill is as clear an example as one needs to feel unsettled about Joe Biden. His extrinsic apology didn't match her humanity, not by a long shot.
Biden had an opportunity to allow other women who'd experienced similar treatment from Thomas to testify. In that way, she would not have been hung out to dry for verbal lashings from a bunch of misogynistic racists. It's difficult to separate Ms. Hill's gender from her race when we try to put a finger on why that low point in Supreme Court hearing testimony made us seethe. If Biden were as strong an advocate for civil rights as he claimed, it's unlikely that he would have allowed this doubly harangued, decent and honest woman to see such public humiliation.
I see Kamala as the next A.G. for her prosecutorial chops and her fearlessness in confronting those who are careless (at best) with their power. She was a bit of an antidote for the venom inflicted on Anita Hill and America's soul.
4
Old Joe should have ran 4 years ago, instead of the fake story of dealing with the grief of losing a child, instead he spent a lot of time getting rich, doing high priced speeches and his book deal. But No Joe at his age want to he President now, now not the time for Joe to live on Obama coat tail, he just too old and out of touch, please can't accept what his bad policies did to a race of people.
Beside he in the pocket of the bankers just what we don't need someone who would rush to bail them out while we all suffer.
Just go away Joe collect medicare and take the Clintons and Kennedy family with you. (taking the Bush's family too would be great)
2
@Joe, a republican-worthy sneer which shows how far we progressives have receded in their direction. Research what Harris did to the poor and minorities in CA even though she's nice and fresh and pretty. Brace yourself for a shock.
2
1. This nation has been fighting with its racial problems forever. Will this be a modern turning point? Can it be a turning point?
2. Biden is not innocent. Nor is anyone else running for the Democratic nomination. Biden happens to be old enough to be attacked for views from another decade. One day others will, too.
3. For me--someone who will vote against Trump no matter what--it matters not (on one level) who runs against Trump. Still, there is a lot of over-righteous speech going around.
4. Do not tell me that Biden is the poster child for modern civil rights. Do not tell me that Harris is much less calculating than her rivals.
3
Ms. Harris is great in many ways; but did she never in all her years as a prosecutor, DA, AG agree to a plea deal with a criminal defendant? Possibly to the disappointment or horror or detriment of the victim and her/his/their family or community?
What about Mr. Booker?
5
@VOTE 2020, research her. For God's sake. She thinks progressives won't if she puts a child-victim picture in front of us. Black people want Biden. Harris' myriad cruelties are why.
16
"...it was unfair of Harris to bring up her experiences, to make race part of the conversation, to put Biden on trial for past positions and make more ordinary Americans feel guilty about their views on this or any other race-inflected issue."
It was unfair to call out Biden's White Privilege?
2
@Mike, Kamala hurt minorities dreadfully as an AG and DA. Photo ops arresting poor parents with truant kids for the law and order crowd. Trying to bring back capital punishment. Refusing cases against priest pediphiles and refusing DNA tests to prisoners to show innocence if they could. And much more. Looking beyond the stereotype she has put before you--seeing the woman and not the child--you'll find a very different, more complex, truer reality than you do now.
16
From 40 years ago? Before “white privilege” was even a concept?
Times change, people change and learn. 30 years ago, almost no one thought it was wrong for a male coworker to tell a female coworker that her new dress look really good on her. Today, men couldn’t even consider such a comment.
We need to understand the social norms, even when we consider them Neanderthal now. Social change is incremental and slow, a large portion of the population have lived and evolved. A prime example is President Obama’s thoughts on same-sex marriage.
I clearly remember my grandmother telling me how embarrassed she was about how she thought, and still reacted, to black people (African & Indian sub-content decent) she was.
Society affects you, even when it’s wrong. All we can hope for is to out grow it, at least on the conscious level, and be able to recognize and fight the unconscious.
2
Give me a break, Bouie. Harris is from Lenin's Bay Area and for her it all began with Willie Brown (who wasn't impressed with her performance or any of the others for that matter) and then Boxer's Senate handoff. She's about as real, authentic, as Booker extolling the virtues of his lower middle-class youth.
15
If Harris cannot move Black voters to support her over Biden she has no chance. This was her strategy. She is fighting hard and she should be.
Was it a good idea? We shall see.
3
There is a deep generational divide in this country between those who balk at any form of tolerance for racism and those who balk at over-readiness to ascribe to racism to that which can be accounted for with other reasons.
Warren's inept response to the Pocahontas insult made by Trump is still held against her in some anti-Trump circles.
Harris should handle her supporters' elevation of Trump Jr.'s "Birthergate II" statements very gingerly, or refuse to dignify them with any acknowledgement.
As a man close to Biden's age, it was different for white men back in the day and we were wrong much of the time. I learned earlier though then Biden and he has no excuse to be saying what he said. Yes he did vote many times the "right" way, but as a presidential candidate he should be and sound smarter than he acts.
3
So, Kamala Harris never made a plea deal with a criminal dependent or other concession to the defense in all of her years as a successful criminal prosecutor, DA, or Attorney General of California?
I guess if her critique of (attack on) Joe Biden was in fact based on her deeply-held personal conviction never to deal with the devil -- even if it's in order to accomplish some good and perhaps eventually to disempower him -- then it speaks to some sort of integrity. If not, it may speak to some sort of blind spot to her own hypocrisy.
I'd be curious to hear from an array of crime victims and families/communities who dealt with her, and about cases she refused to prosecute, plea sealed out, or made other compromises on. Might the NYT investigate and report back to us reader-voters?
13
How is it that President Obama’s selection of Biden (twice) was good for him but not for others. Harris pulled a stunt. It is divisive and I can hear Trump now lying and trying to scare voters about Harris and calling her out for wanting to bring back “forced” busing. Wow! Talk about “stepping in it” Senator. Maybe Harris should ask President Obama his thoughts on the subject of Biden and even busing instead of insulting him on his good selection of Biden.
13
Harris throwing Biden under the bus does not ingratiate her with the Democrats or the general electorate.
In calls into question Harris's honesty.
A huge win for Trump.
14
@David, I don't agree. First it's a debate. Biden lost the first round. Second, this isn't a high school debate. This is for real, and Biden's skills are--debatable.
Third, this was hardly a win for trump, who must now see what he's up against. With all his criminality, he has never faced a prosecutor, but will in the future, even if it's not Harris, it will be a a gaggle of prosecutors along with indictments.
3
@David J
Harris is an extremely aggressive prosecutor from an extraordinarily privileged background, playing the poor soul.
is that appealing to most voters or will they find it repulsive?
1
Wow, that's some revisionist history about the history of American busing. If Biden's position "denied equal opportunity to Black students", why was his position supported by 91% of Blacks surveyed, as well as President Carter?
11
Kamala Harris went for the (easy) Kill Joe, self-righteously and full of race anger. She is one of the lucky ones who benefited fro busing, but on the whole, busing in the US, often not favorably supported in the black communities, was on the whole not a successful too to achieve racial equality in education.
But Biden did not have a good defense against Harris' attacks.
She clearly wanted to exploit identity politics. What is she going to do as a candidate to appeal to the Midwest (the vast numbers of the ""left behind") to compete with Trump's white identity politics. Warren at least fights for the middle class, Harris fights for herself. Because of her elitist posturing, she will become a marginal candidate because of her outrageous self-service. And what has she done for large African-American populations in the big cities?
13
Biden is looking more and more like Hillary Clinton: capable of doing the job but someone not good at being a "candidate."
He could continue to keep putting his foot in his mouth but all that matters is that the Democrats nominate the person who has the best chance of beating Trump, no matter who that is.
3
What's laughable in all the chatter since that "debate" (these things have become little more than a Maury Povich-style reality TV show) is the pretense that Harris launched that ambush for some higher, noble purpose.
It was a naked attempt to help her flagging campaign and hurt his numbers. Fine, that's how it works. But don't wrap it in some high-minded, phony, faux victimhood disguise. It degrades the legitimate conversation about very real racial issues in this country.
That said, shame on Biden's campaign for not preparing him for this very predictable stunt.
I've crossed Harris off my "maybe" list. She was already "iffy" after looking at her state & senate performance.
20
Harris would have been more convincing if she wasn’t so obviously staged.
13
My take is that the press and (Senator Harris) have taken advantage of Biden's point. By spinning his words into "racist" remarks, the media had something exciting to report, and Sen. Harris had a chance to gain a wider following.
In point of fact, Biden's comments were not racist. To the contrary, he was using those racist Senator's names as examples for the sake of making his point about DISAGREEING with those Senators but working with them to get other agenda items done nonetheless.
Seriously. He didn't in any way state that he would work with them to accomplish THEIR racist agendas. It was about accomplishment on a broader range of issues.
There are some pretty important issues on the table now that will require both parties to drop partisan extremism and work on our behalf. They also require the media (NY Times included) to stop exploiting the thirst for drama among its consumers.
7
Biden is a an example of why Democrats lose, all double speak and obfuscation. Kamala if she is nominated will beat Trump like a gong. Biden is a loose cannon anyhow would not know how handle Trump either in the race or after if he wins. Biden could win because Trump is pretty bad but Kamala will/would be an almost sure thing. Also I can see Kamala leading a crowd chanting "Lock Him Up!"
The 2020 race will be low down and dirty; Biden has never been that strong .....
3
I would have voted for Kamala Harris before her completely unnecessary attacks on Biden and her obviously scripted 'I was that girl' moment. How many times did she have to practice that exact speech? It wasn't a story shared in the moment. And why does everyone have to pretend they had some hard-scrabble upbringing? Her father was a Stanford economics professor. She's a sitting senator and the former AG of California. She's the definition of privilege.
If she took Elizabeth Warren's tack and focused on policy, she could win without having to rely on taking pot shots at Old Joe. And to be clear, no one under the age of 50 remembers busing. She just wanted to curry favor with the liberal wing of the party by trying to make Joe Biden look like a racist. As we all know, any sentence that starts with, "It's not about the money." Or "I don't believe you're a racist." Or "I'm not a racist, but...". The nature of those prefaces is simple: it IS about the money, you DO believe the person is a racist, and in the latter case, you're on the cusp of saying something racist.
We have real problems that exist today. Busing from 50 years ago is of no interest to people like me in their mid-30s. We have an immigration crisis, a health care crisis, a climate crisis, an unnecessary trade war, a fracturing liberal global order, actual fascists in several EU governments, and a giant wave of automation coming to remake the workforce at the worst possible moment.
Ergo, I don't care about busing.
16
I was for Harris going in but now looking elsewhere? What if Biden instead of getting defensive had deflected an attacked like Trump will have no hesitation in doing?
"Senator Harris, Just to be clear are you proposing that as President, you will bring bag Federally mandated school busing?"
If her response is anything other than unequivocal yes, "Senator Harris, I do not for a second think you are an insincere opportunist, but I can't help but thinking your attack on me for opposing a policy 40 years ago that you do not have the guts to propose and fight for today is simply because I am the frontrunner" If Harris does answer with a strong yes, Biden could then make the rest of the field unelectable by asking them to raise their hand if as president they will order forced busing.
I am still not for Biden, but say thank you Joe for not responding in the way I suggested.
3
Biden did not look so well in the debate but that was a cheap shot from Mrs Harris who was as unconvincing as the other candidates.
6
Sorry, fellow dems but's its going to get a lot rougher on Uncle Joe than this. Perhaps the whining about Senator Harris is to distract from the fact that Biden did not help himself in any way with his forgettable debate performance. You should be used to this by now. He always gets in his own way. That's Joe. Tell me again why he's the most electable, or better yet, pipe down for a few months and let's listen to these 21 people to determine who is the best option.
2
Why is it when women confront power we’re accused of not being “polite” enough? As if curtesy ever righted a wrong.
3
For someone who wants people to see her as progressive on social issues, her record as a D.A. and as an attorney general leaves much to be desired in that regard. She went after Biden in the unforgiving manner of a D.A. making her bones as a dispenser of harsh justice, just as she pursued criminal defendants in California. I sense in her attacks against Biden a typical politician's self-serving hypocrisy and/or a critical lack of self-awareness.
15
@NeilB.
Harris went after Kavanaugh with the same self-serving hypocrisy. I believe she was cheered for that performance. What a difference a "D" or "R" makes in whom she attacks.
1
It was not a political stunt for votes. It was a superlative opportunity to call out the decades of hypocrisy on the part of a white Congress ignoring what was going on in the country and focused on their career moves - not Harris now: but those back then. It's just rich the outrage.
1
Biden has been on the wrong side of every big issue of our times. Voted for the Iraq War and what was his defense the other night- “ I worked hard to get my son and others home.” No, Joe, you voted to put them there.
His answer was insulting and incomprehensible but I guess if nobody challenges it, it passes.
2
"Should we accept his good intentions..."
Maybe we should just back up a few inches and understand his point. Whatever it was that Biden and Eastland or Biden and Talmadge did or didn't do has to be understood by the reality that Eastland and Talmadge were in positions of power. All this editorial is doing is ask us why didn't Biden consider them as enemies. And all Biden is asking us is what good does that do?
Biden is coming at our current deadlock (read: down a notch from mere gridlock) from the perspective of realpolitick. That is real word with real meaning. It means you have to deal with the cards your dealt when it comes to political power. Or, you can choose to take your ball and go home because the other side is evil. But that doesn't do anything more than place namecards all around.
To change what Biden is trying to say based on the characters of Eastland and Talamadge is to completely miss the point or avoid the point, or worse, simply score points.
Finally, Mr Boule happens to mention the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Does he at all realize who Lyndon Johnson "had to work with" in order to get that thing passed?
5
Like Kamala Harris this 71 yr. old, white guy and military retiree does not believe Joe Biden's claims of innocence.
Biden's claims of innocence fall short because he has had the benefit of a good education — undergraduate degree in history and political science and a law degree. Therefore, it seems to me Biden should have read Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [Alabama 1963]" during his formal education or while serving all those years in Congress.
That said, no well educated person in their 70s, who claims to be a civil rights advocate, a person of faith, a person who believes in our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence would have made the political choices Biden has made over the years with regard to civil rights had that person read and embraced the words in Dr. King's letter.
Sorry Joe, your behaviors with regards to civil rights and your explanations for them are not acceptable. Please pass the torch, then work hard to help the democrats win the White House and Senate in 2020.
2
Willie Brown, the former Democratic speaker of the California House, wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle after watching the first two debates that the Democrats didn't seem to have anyone with a chance of beating Trump. Did I mention that Brown was Sen. Harris's boyfriend in the 1990s and her political mentor?
4
It is such sadly typical foolishness for Democrats to tear into each other
You don't have to be a genius to see who benefits - the Republicans who run this country to our mutual disadvantage.
5
If Joe Biden was smart, (but he isn't), he would gracefully drop out of the race and allow his more extreme left-wing candidates fight it out for the Dem nomination. Since he has been hitching his campaign wagon to the Obama economy / administration (with no endorsement) he will soon be trying to un-hitch it after the IG report comes out about the whole Fake Trump / Russia Collusion /Campaign Spying fiasco which he was in on. Let's face it, Joe's got more baggage than Samsonite and he keeps gaffing up a storm. Get out Joe while the gettin is good.
2
@P McGrath Gosh, why should we wait for the IG report when you already know the conclusions. Spill the beans. How was Biden involved with Russia meddling in our election?
1
As a lifelong Democrat, it sickens me that those running for President as the Democratic candidate are attacking each other for views held decades ago instead of right now. It easy for someone who has not grown up in the racist, misogynist past to attack we who did especially if 20, 30, or 40 years ago our views were mainstream "white" America but have grown and evolved into an anti-racism, pro-feminist view today. I'm almost 70 and my political views are far more liberal than when I was 20 something. Jamelle Bouie seems to feel that if one was once a racist or anti-feminist they ill always be both if that person is a white male.
7
Yawn. When one defends an opportunist one may become an opportunist.
4
Face it.
Democrats are in politics because that is where they can make money.
AOC goes from bar girl to 175. Not bad.
All these candidates and their hangers on are fighting over the same pot.
Appointments and contracts.
There will be blood.
6
How people don't realize that attacking Biden as a racist - and that is exactly what this attack is, lest anyone is still attempting to characterize it as anything else - almost guarantees Trump's re-election.
5
I will not waste my precious vote on old man. VP Biden is a very old man. He's my junior also.
Senator Harris told her truth about bussing. Biden should have known that he might be asked about his past voting records and should have prepared a better answer. He's not a bad man, he's just too old.
1
Harris, the downtrodden daughter of a medical doctor and an extraordinarily successful Stanford University professor,
the height of success in our society,
is playing the victim, trashing the former Democratic Vice President to Obama.
She will get far playing the victim with the most privileged background in the world, in actual fact.
12
Kamala Harris should no more be called a Black American than Senator Warren should be called a Native American.
Here’s the clear definition: African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans or Afro-Americans) is an ethnic group with total or partial ancestry from any of the black racial groups of Africa and, typically, refers to descendants of enslaved black people who are from the United States.
A litmus test is whether Harris would receive restitution to Black Americans were it ever finally (and rightfully) given, and the resounding answer is NO! Barack Obama might not either, but Michelle Obama, Oprah and Cory Booker certainly all would!
While it’s possible Senator Harris grew up assuming she was black-ish, Harris must know better now. In following Senator Warren’s deceptive path, Harris has created a self-serving mess that only adds to my growing impression of her as an inauthentic, grandstanding waffler.
I don’t want to diminish the real discrimination she faced,suggest she’s not an American, nor excuse Biden, but shouldn’t it be enough to be a non-white minority that would be the first female president of the United States?
p.s. I’m not a bot or a racist trying to resurrect birther-type junk, just an independent voter seeking an honest candidate who isn’t trying to capitalize on the suffering of others.
9
Would obama agree with harris? NO because she is a woman! and Biden is not black and to old? This is becoming trump crazy. I am writing in Mueller OUR democracy is more important than any other issue
Kamala Harris doesn't have to believe in much of anything, and apparently everybody else doesn't have to believe in much of anything.
But if somebody doesn't get inspired and start believing in something related to the current electorate besides empathizing the "past hurt" the democrats are going to officially become the party of Identity Politics, and nothing else.
I understand it is important to take down the leading brand, this is how successful businesses conduct themselves. Political campaigns are (and they should be) conducted as commercial commodities, especially in our years long campaigns.
What we are witnessing once again is an entity within the same party so bent on numbers that the whole product line is being identified as something other than what it actually is.
Mayor Pete could've called out House Representative Gabbard who in 2004 stated:
“To try to act as if there is a difference between ‘civil unions’ and same-sex marriage is dishonest, cowardly and extremely disrespectful to the people of Hawaii,”. “As Democrats, we should be representing the views of the people, not a small number of homosexual extremists.”
But Mayor Pete did not mention it. Yang said it best, He is neither going left or right, he is moving forward. The low ball approach to bump up individual numbers will always hurt the product. Team playing has kept the Republicans in power, despite the ugliness of it all. Democrats can win, if they embrace teamwork.
2
@SheHadaTattooToo Gabbard has apologized for what she frankly said was anti-gay. In addition, she's the only candidate with a consistent & sane take on foreign policy.
Kamala Harris Doesn’t Have to Believe in Joe Biden’s Innocence???
So...what are we parsing here? Joe Biden's life-long political career and his bumbling performance on the debate stage last week...or...the way and style in which Ms. Harris chooses to acknowledge, validate and display some modicum of respect for the former vice president to the first African American president in US history. Because like it or not...if the presidential election was held next week and it was Harris versus Biden (Trump has since left the planet with Jeff Bezos) I have no doubt that Biden would win...and that's the reality that Harris has to deal with as she steadily navigates the extraordinarily long and potentially gaff laden presidential election season, builds her constituency accumulates political strength. And she knows it!
One debate performance does not a campaign make. I seem to recall that the ever-cool Barak Obama...whom I came to think of as a political coquette (and I mean this in a good way)…was notorious for occasionally turning in weak and lackluster debate performances...just before turning the tables in what always seemed to be the very last moment.
IMO, Harris delivered her blow to Biden perfectly.
2
I remember Barack Obama. I voted for Barack Obama. Barack Obama was a president of mine. If he was okay with Senator Biden's record on race relations to the point where he selected Biden to be his two-term vice-president, both Kamala Harris and Jamelle Bouie are making an unconvincing point.
10
I am always leery of whites who proclaim they are not racist. As a white woman who was born and raised with a sense of unrecognized entitlement that still serves to protect me from the injustice and abuses persons of color regularly encounter, I know I am a racist. How could I be otherwise? Being committed to civil rights in earlier years and “Black Lives Matter” more recently is no excuse. White entitlement is built into our American culture, with white supremacy simply being its extreme manifestation.
I am deeply grateful to Senator Kamala Harris for holding her fellow Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, accountable for his racist attitudes and actions. The fact that they were unthinking and his response was defensive only goes to show the depth of racism in our individual and communal psyches. Biden’s inability to acknowledge his mistakes is telling. We have seen it in him several times during the months since he announced his candidacy. That is a character flaw I cannot ignore. But neither can I nor will I ignore Kamala Harris‘s bravery and honesty. She is just what our country needs today.
2
I think the whole thing has been just a cheap excuse to dump on Biden because pundits like Bouie don't like him for other reasons. There are ample areas to disagree with Biden but so much more satisfying to tar him as a racist. I thought he looked old and confused or overheated. He looked like he may have waited too long to make his last run for president, but that has nothing to do with busing or this attack. He'll either come with his A game at the next debate in Detroit or he'll slink out of the race. And then there will be an opening a mile wide for a moderate liberal not named Kamala.
4
Simply put Joe Biden is NOT Presidential timber. His performance at this debate confirms that. The issue of the former Vice President and his stances and actions on race,segregation,busing,etc... had been much discussed on news sites and blogs leading up to this debate so he should have expected this topic to come up and he should have been prepared with a response.He was not. This was not Senator Harris's fault nor is it her responsibility to prop up Biden and make him look good. After all she is running AGAINST him. Joe Biden needs to climb off his over privileged White guy high horse and actually campaign in order to EARN the Democratic Presidential nomination. If he will not or cannot do that he should leave the political stage now. But he said it himself at the debate I believe his words were 'Sorry my times up".
2
Everybody hated busing, including 90%+ of black people. Biden did not vote with the segregationists on civil rights legislation...Republicans were the most-counted on (by LBJ) voting block for civil rights.
Tine to look at real history books; not jeremiads to Progressive causes that have done nothing but tear us all apart anew.
5
To say this conduct by Harris is not a cheap shot is beyond laughable. Mr. Bouie, you may like Harris, and there is no problem with that, but don't use your position as an opinion columnist to sugar coat her conduct.
Harris intentionally inferred that Biden is a racist who did not care about Civil Rights.
While I supported busing, many did not, including many in the black community. Further, many others who supported Civil Rights ultimately came to the conclusion that busing simply did not work, but that to attack it was dangerous. This is not an old issue with regards to Biden- read this article for context. Biden at least had courage and character, something Harris clearly lacks.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/school-busing-civil-rights-121077
As for working with segregationists, what choice did Biden have when virtually every major committee was either chaired or dominated by them? Ignore or abuse them, and risk obtaining approval of any much needed legislation. That would have been a disservice to their constituents.
The sad thing is, Harris knows all of this and you likely do as well. However, Harris decided to mislead the public with a dishonest hit job on Biden. What is your excuse. Protect her at all costs?
I support Biden, but very much liked Harris. I am beginning to sense she is a dishonest opportunist who will stab her friends in the back to further her own career.
10
Jamelle, Nothing but a monday night quarteback article written by someone who wants to see Harris. Biden came through the Senate at the time he did he walked into the system that was funtioning at the time. He worked with people who had levers of power to get things done.
Us wanting him to not work with them was not an option as they had all the power. He is not a racist and its a joke to even imply that is the case. I got news for you and the Harris supporters, she will not win. It has nothing to do with her being black --its because so is too far to the left. American has already seen what a hard right country looks like -- we are living it right now with Trump land. America and millions of democrats like me do not want a hard left country like Harris-sanders-warren want.
They are all making promsies they cant keep and that is what we all hate. GO Joe GO!
4
Dear Mr Biden,
End your run for president now. Not because you aren't qualified, you are. Not because you can't win, you can. But because your so-called ideological allies are bent on destroying you. Why would you endure that? Go while you can and let them destroy each other because they surely will. It's the liberal way.
cheers,
Honestly, I am stunned that busing is being discussed -- with a president like Trump in office! Can we talk about the true racist-in-chief? No one is going to get everything they want in a candidate in 2020. Can we as dems accept that? Great! Now, let's focus on the issues of TODAY!
6
Opinion from a once cosmopolitan somewhat entitled urban dweller of the Bay Area, now devolved into something of a rustic, ivory towered up here in my native state -
Would people of color be better off with Kamala rather than Joe as POTUS? I doubt it.
-
3
I was not a little black schoolgirl, but I was and am a "real person." I suffered from segregation also. We all did. Your "politics of accountability" identifies victims and makes everybody else a perpetrator. This is ahistorical and morally blinkered. It will also, just incidentally, not win many votes.
6
I support equality under the law, equal access, and oppose forced segregation.
But I looked and looked and the Constitution does not guarantee anyone a right to a bus ride. I couldn't even find the word bus in the document at all.
Biden has, clearly from his record, supported equal rights for all. Maybe, just maybe, people of good faith disagreed on whether forced busing was the best solution or even if it was a solution at all.
I am glad that Kamala Harris got the option to bus to a school that worked for her. That is what I also want: people to feel like they have a little control over their life. Forced busing doesn't do that.
3
To be clear I don't want either Biden or Harris as my candidate; I want Warren because I believe she has the best understanding of how the system works & why it is not working & her vision of how it should work I believe is the best for our nation
As to Harris vs Biden, as well as the Booker remarks, it is clear to any objective observer that Biden identified Eastland & Talmadge because they may have been the two whose positions on an important issue, Civil Rights, was the farthest from that of Biden & the two most difficult for Biden to work with - did anyone expect Biden to identify Ted Kennedy as someone difficult for Biden to work with?
That they were senators is a historical fact & for anyone to say that mentioning that is hurtful is absurd. If Booker & Harris find the mere mention of their names "hurtful" then will they melt into puddles if someone says John C Calhoun 3 times?
LBJ was able to work with them as well as the rest of the Southern bloc who controlled the Senate through seniority & LBJ got more done for Civil Rights than anyone since Reconstruction beginning with his 1957 legislation. And don't forget Harry S Truman who really got the ball rolling with Executive Orders such as integrating the Armed Forces
So it has zero to do with decorum, it was a totally cheap shot planned by Harris that conveniently disregarded the constraints Biden operated under at the time. Perhaps Booker & Harris should put a little more effort into learning history
4
Oh, please, can Harris's supporters please stop trying to inflate one wise-crack into some huge political event? She took a swipe at a guy who was, sadly, not able to defend himself as he should easily have been able to. We learned a fair amount about Joe Biden that night, but not that much about what kind of president Harris would make. Being combative is not that much of a qualification.
5
A lot of liberals changed their minds about court-ordered busing, especially here in Boston. They were inductive thinkers, and saw that the facts were changing; that busing wasn't going smoothly as they hoped but was creating a lot of dissension and violence in the community. When the facts changed,they change their views.
Joseph Biden would make an excellent candidate, and as a centrist Democrat he is the most likely one to beat Trump. In many ways, his policies would be like Hillary Clinton's, but because he is a man, he would likely get more votes than she did.
5
I wasn't particularly moved by Kamala Harris's well-rehearsed childhood tale but I was stunned by Biden's lack of preparation and inability to respond to what should have been an obvious issue that was certainly fair game. Joe is too old and unfortunately missed his window in 2016 as I believe he would have defeated Trump. Harris is clearly a talented pol and I will be paying closer attention.
3
IN MY OPINION, KAMALA HARRIS Came across more like the Grand Inquisitor than as a fair-minded professional. Lyndon Johnson admitted openly that as a young man he had been a racist, but that he no longer believed in racism. Had Johnson faced Kamala, the passage of civil rights legislation might well have been delayed. The same principle applies to her attack on Joe Biden. Had he NOT engage with the racist Dixiecrats in the Senate, Biden may well have been unable to advance the cause of civil rights. He also noted that it was the policy of the locality where she lived that gave or withheld the authorization for busing to achieve desegregation. Biden presented clear examples of pursuing desegregation during his years of service. Harris did NOT. She was too busy attacking Biden to tout her own achievements. For that reason, I believe that Harris is too unstable and rational to move the US forward toward a more just society. Her energies are too directed toward advancing: herself, her resentments, her grudges and her winning points as a prosecutor. Objectively, that is the level that she has chosen for herself. Her claims of what she would do as President ring hollow. Because she has much wrath and vengeance that prevent her from moving toward positive goals. She has the right not to believe in Joe Biden's innocence. But in my view, she has no right to claim objectivity, leave alone innocence, herself.
8
@John Jones
Harris always comes accross with an attitude. About anything and everything. Her as President? You have to be kidding.
6
Okay, Biden isn't innocent of wrong doing here, but when you consider the context of the 60's, who in leadership was? LBJ, on one hand fought for the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, but was far from innocent in the death of thousands in Vietnam. The best view is one that considers how far they have come in leadership in recognizing the human dignity of every person, made in the image of God and I'm not just talking about Kamala Harris, who had the good fortune of the Berkeley community. Every child has the right to a decent public education. It may be the only chance for some folks to share the American dream. We want to support what works in bringing everyone a greater share of the American dream, as Biden has done since he opposed busing by the federal government back then. He has progressed, as has our country in recognizing the injustices wrought in the past. We want leadership to be like Biden in progressing beyond selfish interests in what is best for them, to show thoughtful consideration of the majority's needs and desires, not just their own. We must focus on ridding our country of this corrupt administration, that has only their selfish interests for more power and wealth in mind, when they make policy and decisions, even getting cozy with foreign authoritarians, welcoming their interference in our elections. Justice must be served for them. The day of reckoning must come to those who choose to hide their head in the sand and not progress or care.
3
The "lived experience" was shared in a premeditated attack in which Harris made it clear that she was tough enough to "prosecute" Trump (by proving she was tough enough to prosecute Biden. There are three kinds of busing programs, and Harris participated in a voluntary one, which Biden supported. But whatever you may think of this tactic, if Dems support Forced Busing so as not to personally hurt Harris once again or to (they hope) facilitate integration, know that we Dems will lose the election. Do we really want to bring back that wedge issue? Do we want to go down in glory and lose the Supreme Court for two generations?
5
"Biden may have opposed this singular effort to desegregate America’s schools..." This is as cynical as Harris' comments. It is enormously difficult to provide context in a debate of sound bites. However, Biden did try to explain that there were two kinds of busing: "local" and "federal." He was NEVER opposed to local busing - which is what Ms. Harris benefited from. He opposed FEDERAL busing - which was opposed by more than 90% of both whites AND African-Americans at the time.
Far from what many people took from this, I have lost a great deal of respect for Harris because of this. It was clearly a planned and deliberate - and extremely cynical - attempt to "score points" for herself against the front-runner. And while it apparently "worked" for many, I am not the only one who was put off by it.
7
To be honest, this article seems like one big logical fallacy, namely that being against busing means being pro-segregation. On that basis, roughly 80% of Americans are pro-segregation to this day.
Busing was deeply unpopular not because of the black kids getting brought into white schools but because of the white kids getting taken out of their neighborhood schools and forced to get up an hour early to be sent across town to inferior schools. And that anger is perfectly understandable, even if you can make the argument that it's short-sighted and that if busing had actually been sustained and enforced it could have made a real difference. White parents who were against their kids being sent across town to bad schools were not necessarily racist and to treat it as if they were is frankly insulting to the vast majority of Americans.
If the argument is instead that working together with segregationists on a particular issue makes you complicit in their agenda generally...hmm. That's even less convincing. Segregationist votes helped pass social security, they helped pass medicare, they helped pass medicaid. Is anyone who made common cause with segregationists on those programs guilty by association as well?
7
I'm not sure which is the more depressing reality.
Trump as president.
McConnell as Senate Majority leader.
Jared Kushner as de facto Secretary of State.
or
The democratic party's circular firing squad.
Seriously. Opposing court order busing in 1977? That's what the democrats self proclaimed progressives are castigating Biden for doing?
Look, lets be real serious.
If Ms Warren or Ms Harris or Mr Booker truly advocates for a renewal of court ordered busing as a political platform, the democrats will lose. They will deserve to lose. More than that, they will never again in our lifetime be elected to national office.
Ms Harris may be a spectacular success of the court ordered busing mandate. An n=1 does not a successful policy make.
So let's see how well a platform consisting of taxing Americans for reparations for slavery and using the courts to order busing will fare. Folks, this election is about much more than revisiting the evils of Jim Crow 40 or 50 years after the fact.
Now for a small secret.
White folks don't have better schools than African Americans by accident.
It doesn't have much to do with money.
It has a lot to do with the reality that good teachers don't want to be burned out in urban school war zones.
It has much more to do with the reality that African American children are much more likely not to have a two parent supportive family fostering a civil home life.
There's no magic and there's not pot of gold.
54
@TDurk Racism is usually invisible to itself. As you've just shown. The assumptions are too many to list. But let's just look at one. The assumption that all black children are living in "burned out...urban school war zones," and that "white folks don't have better schools...by accident."
White folks (more accurately, comfortably wealthy folks) have better schools because they pour money into them; they have benefited from generations of documented housing discrimination that allows them their gated communities and lovely sidewalks. They can purchase any extras their schools fail to offer (music lessons, tutoring, sports clubs).
The biggest enduring blasphemy of institutionalized racism is housing disparities. They leave whole neighborhoods behind, and unjustly push others forward. Until we address the wealth, safety, and education gaps we (white America) created, we will never address the real evils of racism, and they will haunt many more political campaigns.
14
@Laurie Knowles
Laurie, you're wrong. You conflate "white people" with rich white people. Calling out something as politically stupid is not racist. It's trying to prevent Hillary II. Wrt the sad state of education in urban public school systems, the data is there. Just pay attention. White folks are not the sole reason why the majority of African American kids are denied a fair chance to succeed in life.
1
@TDurk Yes, good schools have a lot to do with money. Schools are supported by property taxes. Inner city schools & rural areas just do not have the money to have top notch schools or hire top notch teachers. If the money came from the state, and low income states were subsidized by the federal government maybe more of our children would be getting a good education.
2
Surely there are politicians in the Senate and elsewhere whose values both Biden and Harris would despise. Is Harris suggesting that therefore she would not work with any of them to forward an acceptable, popular and moral goal? That's the only question and in the debate she seemed to suggest she would not. If so, she's not someone who understands politics and certainly not someone who deserves to be elected to high office.
6
There is a major reason Trump is in the WH, many of Bernie's supporters didn't vote for Hillary because they were young and lacked the insight that they were helping Trump, but the major fact is Trump's supporters knew what they wanted: guns, no abortions and no strangers in their neighborhoods. Even the evangelicals voted for a man whose connection to any god other than himself is slim, who abuses women and who has lived a privileged life in which he hurt many more people than he helped. But the evangelicals wanted a Supreme Court that was right-leaning and knew Trump (with the aid of McConnell) would give them that. Setting goals wins elections when the country is divided. And those goals cannot be so far left that it is easy for a major number of voters to feel pressured to not vote for whoever ends up running against Trump. Climate change has to be about creating jobs, healthcare has to be about keeping your doctor or insurance and abortion has to be about women being first class citizens and no longer in political steerage. And Democrats know all the other issues to rid our government of Trump's attempt to destroy all that is valuable about our country and to restore our international relationships ASAP. There are a number of candidates who can beat Trump but if the process of choosing one includes destroying any one of them then Trump and the GOP will be helped and the country will literally be teetering on the brink of collapse.
5
Kamala took a cheap shot. Most families, black and white were against busing. And busing did not effectively address ghettoization in most places. I was for busing when I was a college student. I am still a liberal Democrat, but I look back and realize that it was not a solution that addressed inequality, racism, etc. well.
13
@NR You are right busing was a bad idea. When I look at Senator Kamala Harris and the fact that she has been a Prosecutor, Attorney General of the State of California,United States Senator and now Presidential Candidate it is obvious that she could have been really successful if only her parents had not put her on that doggone bus to school. Senator Kamala Harris living proof of the failure of busing. When will America ever learn?
2
@Marian
Her success likely has much more to do with the fact that both of her parents were themselves well-educated and well-employed. Her Tamil Indian mother was a PhD at a leading university in the Bay Area. She also enjoyed a lot of connections with powerful people. My guess is that she would have been just as successful if she had gone to her neighborhood school. Also, Berkeley is and was a tiny city compared to places like Baltimore, Newark, Boston, etc. All incorporated communities in CA are called cities -- it is not like other places like Maryland, where cities are the more populace and/or geographically large communities and smaller ones are referred to as towns, villages, hamlets. The Berkeley population, which includes many students who live there year-round but move on after a few years, is close to that of Columbia, MD -- or roughly 1/6th the population of Baltimore. And it's residents, for the most part, are the educational and economic equivalent of the faculty and students of Johns Hopkins University, and not so much the population where that university may be located. Geographically, Berkeley is just a bit bigger than Pikesville, MD (but smaller than Bethesda), With most of that landmass being steep hills and residents' lawns.
1
@Marian
Kamala Harris has two parents with PhD's. I wouldn't be so sure that her success can be attributed solely to busing.
5
Still, you cannot write off the fact that Biden’s actions took place some forty or so years ago. The question for Biden is would he act the same way today?
One of his critics needs to ask him that directly and let him answer directly.
1
We have a shameful past... and a pretty shameful present. We can apply today's values for the present, but what do we do about the past?
It's not as if other leaders did not object to segregation. In fact, many of them did, and many of us supported integration by whatever means necessary, always in deference to those directly affected.
Joe Biden didn't have to support forced busing, but he has to explain his position and that of those who prevailed.
I think America has seen all it needs to see of Kamala Harris, to decide whether or not she is a viable candidate for president.
And I think she came up snake eyes.
10
@Objectivist: Well, someone's got to be the contrarian. I'd say that most evaluate her performance as spectacular.
5
@guyslp
Spectacularly favorable to re-electing Trump. If the Democrats want to bring back forced busing, Trump will demagogue it to a landslide re-election. Easy.
1
Biden didn’t appoint these segregationists. They were put in front of him to negotiate with by the voters who elected them. As members of the legislature, they held a vote in that era, whether we approved of them or not. And Vice President Biden not being from their district had no power to compete against them for their position. He couldn’t run against them to get them out of office. So what was he supposed to do? If they’ve got something he needs that will further the progress of the people he represents and vice versa, he’s got little choice other than to make an offer and try and get something in return. And what he may wind up doing is get them to give up, little by little, their position on segregation in return for Biden giving something else that they need to fulfill their agenda with their constituents. I’m not sure why people are highlighting this as Biden being complicit in segregation or passively endorsing their beliefs as segregationists. And I can tell you as well, growing up in the 70s/80s/90s, that I also see how I was blind to certain cultural inequities that I now see clear as day and want abolished. We don’t live in a vacuum and we revolve if we are progressive and open minded.
5
This was a calculated attack by Harris.
She has no substantive plans to deal
with Health,Immigration,wealth inequities,
Taxes,women’s choice so she brought up
Busing . We are all upset about this issue.
We need a Presidential candidate to carry
this issue into 2020.
Carry on Kamala.
6
She does not have to, but I do not believe in Kamala's electability. She may be OK for Boston, New York, DC and CA, but Hillary won those without being elected, and getting Trump and the GOP out of control of the US is essential for Democracy and the state of the world (as well as the state of the USA). I for one believe that Biden can beat Trump and Kamala cannot. Prove me wrong.
5
@toom First, prove yourself right. On what basis do you make this claim? Clinton won far more states than you acknowledge, and received 3 million more votes. Yours is a tired, old, baseless argument.
We have Trump because liberals are more focused on infighting and incremental progress than making sure someone much worse isn't elected from the opposition party. You want to keep scaring away moderates with elimination of private insurance, talk of busing and the like - go for it. You are picking exactly the type of issues that will push away undecided white moderate and upwardly mobile minority voters. Instead of focusing on how far left you can push the party, ask yourself would you rather have Biden or Trump? Don't choose a hypothetical choice of left candidates that cannot win an national election. If you didn't choose Trump, it's time to get real, narrow the field to 2-3 candidates immediately, and choose a moderate who can win. You don't win points for ideological victories - you get points for winning elections and the gulf between Biden and any other democratic candidate is 1/20th that between Biden and Trump
10
I've had to negotiate with bad people seeking bad things but sometimes it had to be done to accomplish something. We do not have an efficient form of government - if we want to achieve something, we need to include everyone we can so that everyone has a stake in the outcome. Otherwise you get the ACA and any law that lacks bipartisan support, and we all know how that's going down. As for Biden's busing position, it seems that he was a bit more nuanced than simply anti-busing - he was anti forced busing by federal edict. I suppose that's unfortunate - Brown v Bd of Ed was unanimous precisely because the Chief Justice knew that it needed to project moral authority. What's most unfortunate, however, is that Biden was right. Communities reacted very badly to forced busing and look where where we are today. Great idea, abysmal execution. He's a pragmatist, and progressive voters won't like that, period.
7
@MWR
The ACA is actually in pretty good shape. It will run the long term.
1
Mr. Bouie, I don't believe the dispute between Senator Harris and Mr. Biden is about innocence. It's about each of their desires to be the Democratic nominee. As an interested and active voter I have but one question; who can defeat Donald Trump?
I don't yet know the answer, but so far the conduct of the candidates gives me the awful feeling the answer may be 'nobody.'
13
What happened here is that Biden was not politically correct. But, 40 - 50 years ago, busing to achieve desegregation was as controversial as the Vietnam War. It was a lightening rod. When they tried busing in Boston riots broke out. To even say you supported busing made a politician a pariah. I do not agree with what happened, when I was in my early teens, but that was the state of the world in that era.
Another bit of history, a number of politicians, from the old Confederate states, were Democrats. This goes back to the Civil War, because the Republicans (Lincoln) were against slavery, and Democrats supported it. It was Democrats, of the south, which created Jim Crow. It was Democrats, of the south, that supported segregation schools, well into the 1960s and early 1970s.
This all changed, starting in the 1970s, when Democrats welcomed African Americans, and southern politicians starting left for the GOP. It took about President Obama's election that the transformation of both parties was complete.
Many of those commenting here, are too young to remember the background history. Harris, herself, was too young to remember.
Biden used a bad example for working with other politicians to get work done. Considering the state of affairs, any politician admitting they can work with other politicians, with very divergent views, should be seen as a plus.
Harris should have used a different forum to express her displeasure at Biden's comments. It hurt her, Biden and Democrats.
15
She very effectively used a prepared sound bite to axe an opponent. Fair enough. But let’s not get swept away into thinking that this one moment makes her the perfect leader of the free world.
Now that she’s the new savior of the moment, expect her opponents to attack her past as a prosecutor and as California AG. There’s plenty there, much more recent than the acts she attacked Biden about, that they can use against her.
12
From a purely political standpoint, what good did she do to defeat Donald Trump by bringing up a very bitter and divisive issue from the past and propose a purity test not only for Joe Biden but all Democrats? If you're for civil rights and good education, good incomes, good housing and good healthcare for citizens of all races, do you have to agree on the means to get there? Republicans don't even care about racial justice and empowerment. I strongly support Medicare for All because I believe it's the only sure and enduring way to cover everyone at a price they can afford and lower overall healthcare costs. But I do not doubt that every Democrat on the stage has the same goal albeit by different means. Persuadable general election voters are watching Democrats compete for the nomination and drawing conclusions about the party, not just the candidates. I don't think they're favorably impressed by a Democratic "food fight" over school busing and Joe Biden's memories of working civilly with vile segregationist senators four decades ago.
6
I am a "white guy" from a very white area of the country (and still happen to be living in one at the moment, after several decades in the Washington, DC, area and a few years not more than an hour from NYC).
I am also no great fan of Joe Biden. But Joe Biden's overall track record on issues surrounding race is just flat-out excellent for someone of his age demographic. That is what should count.
Also, I'm glad he didn't apologize for his comments. I'm tired of people being outraged at expressions regarding the ability to work with those one disagrees with, often vehemently, to achieve the common good. There was nothing in his comments that supported racism or segregation. There was everything in them acknowledging that we absolutely must try to find common ground in the sausage making that is politics.
I actually hope that he does not secure the nomination, but not because he is insensitive to issues surrounding race. He's had far fewer stumbles on that count than the majority of his age demographic have.
12
Courts eventually realized that children don't need to be thrown on a bus to achieve some social theorist's idea of equality.
Busing was a complete failure. Biden was right to oppose it, right to stand up for the rights of the governed to run their own school districts.
He has nothing to apologize for.
37
I like Ms. Harris.
And I like Mr. Biden.
Please don't make this a food-fight among Democrats.
Otherwise, Trump will win.
Most moderate voters don't care about many of the points made here (even if they should....but that's a different matter).
We need to WIN and the only way to do that is to focus on positive attributes of our candidates and especially how those attributes affect kitchen tables issues that the average voters are concerned about.
9
Biden did his best and actually accomplished many great things during his public service. Harris, in my opinion, is wrong to complain about his comments. I hope 30 years from know she can look back on as fine a career as Biden has had.
18
There's been a lot of talk about what will bring down Biden's campaign, whether it be gaffes, past history, or old age. But I'm not sure that any of that will have lasting damage at this point. We have a long tradition in this country of idolizing the president as a kind of father figure, going all the way back to George Washington. The way Mueller was idealized made me see just how badly many people in this country want an older, respectable father-figure to come in and clean up Donald Trump's mess, allowing us all to finally breathe a sigh of relief and go back to our daily lives. In the wake of John McCain's death, Joe Biden is the most father-like politician in this country. That doesn't guarantee that he'll win the nomination, but it certainly works in his favor.
5
Let me first state that I'm not a supporter of Biden, and I would like to see one of the many younger, brighter, more progressive Democratic candidates get the nomination. But that said, it does concern me when younger people place blame on older people for not having done more to advance progressive ideas when they were younger, or for having acceptance of those with what today is seen as abhorrent perspectives such as segregation or non-marriage for LGBT or take-your-pick. We need to recognize that everyone does what they can within the context of their times.
Biden said much in his statement to make absolutely clear that he disagreed with the segregationists (“One of the meanest guys I ever knew... We didn’t agree on much of anything") and yet Biden made his point "We got things done. We got it finished. But today you look at the other side and you’re the enemy.”
We need to understand that Biden is referring to a time when segregationists were still elected to the Senate, and was an it was necessary to work with all senators to get things done.
Both Harris and Booker are old enough to know how society's thought changes over time, and to be able to properly interpret Biden's message in his statement.
12
Atta girl! (meant as no disrespect but as laudatory to Senator Kamala Harris).
As Mr. Bouie points out, so many of the critical issues in our nation (and world) are discussed and decided on parameters set by the empowered, that the interests, perspective, impact on, the less fortunate, are completely drowned out (more usually, never heard or dismissed as irrelevant/tangential/trivial).
Keep at it Senator Harris. NYT columnists may laud their dawning recognition of the encompassing nature of Senator Warren. They will, in time, learn to appreciate the power of what you bring to our nation and its discussions. It is needed. Please keep bringing it to the forefront.
2
You should watch the 1981 CBS interview with Biden that CNN posted on its website yesterday where he gave a very nuanced explanation on why he opposed bussing. Bussing was a good idea but a failed policy which nearly every city gave up on due to the controversies it created in the local communities. In the 1981 interview Biden puts forth alternative ideas to address the educational segregation that was taking place (and still is) in many of our cities - a topic, which was, and hopefully still is, close to his heart. My hope that Biden comes out of this not just defending his past record, but that he embraces this as a core issue of his presidency if elected given that many of our nation's cities such as NYC are even more segregated than they were back in 1981.
11
Court ordered bussing ruined many cities, and their ability to educate urban children. Judges determined that moving children to integrate schools would change things. All it did was encourage people to move outside of school districts that were being bussed. I believe it was called white flight. The best teachers should have been sent to the neediest schools. Today, inner city schools are not integrated, and the best teachers fled to the suburbs. Why weren’t teachers the ones being shifted, instead of the kids?
5
"Biden was flustered, caught off-guard by this unexpected expression of lived experience."
Was the 'expression of lived experience' what caught him off-guard? Or maybe it was the fact that a 'serious' candidate for President seemed unwilling to work with other elected officials with whom she disagreed with?
This is a democracy. None of us get everything we want. None of us get the luxury of choosing who others will elect to represent them. That means, for our country to function, you sometimes have to work with people you dislike.
This is not just a lesson for Senators and Representatives. It is a lesson for all of us.
Harris wants to practice scorched earth politics. That path leads to ruin- for all of us.
15
@willt26
pLease do not be so quick to call what she did scorched earth. Another serious candidate should also have prepared. He ha already gotten slack a week or so leading to this debate. The times and the context of those decisions were different than they are now. No matter how nuanced the explanation of his decision making at the time, it is today that matters and how he might have done it differently. Dogs and hoses were used to resist integration of public places. The racists senators and officials of that time faced resistance and needed to be confronted. What other possibilities were available to Biden that he did not take at the time. Sticking with that rationalization of the time in the 21st Century in a national debate fails his supporters.
1
Kamala Harris was voluntarily bused to a better school. Most people who opposed busing opposed forced busing. Angela Davis described Boston's forced busing violence as poor black people and poor white people fighting for the chance to go to lousy schools. Many of the legislators who enacted busing sent their children to private schools. The first priority of the Democratic candidate is to win the election and reverse the damage that Donald Trump has done. All other issues pale in comparison. They should not be trying to destroy each other. Let's all remember that Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be almost 88 on Inauguration Day 2021; Steven Breyer will be 82.
10
Joe Biden has earned his liberal stripes, however imperfect these deconstructionist, contemporary politicians wish to portray him through the long lens of history. Like all species, we evolve. Kamala Harris took an opportunistic swipe at Joe Biden, and has lost my vote regardless of how this plays out.
19
If Kamala really believes that Biden is at heart a bad guy, she was right in her actions.
If she chose to kneecap him out of expedience, I hope she is coming to terms with four more years of Trump.
I hope my "friends" never take my worst decisions and try to judge me on those alone.
Speaking of which - how is it that Kamala gets a free pass despite being in charge of the largest population of incarcerated black and brown men in the world?
It isn't that simple in the real world, is it?
30
Well, I'm disappointed in this entire fracus. Biden may not be the man for the presidency, and he didn't handle the Harris assault well. But he was correct in saying that the bussing plan which Harris utilized (for two years) was a local plan -- The Berkeley Experiment. On the other hand, Harris's conspicuously pre-planned move promoted the idea that the Berkeley schools were segregated, a la Alabama. That's simply false. They reflected neighborhoods around the schools, and the area of the Harris home was a remarkably diverse neighborhood (I lived the best part of two decades there, albeit before Harris's time). It was not some form of ghetto, but nonetheless her being bussed to Thousand Oaks was a good choice. So her attack disappoints me. Those two years didn't make or break her. She's a talented woman. A president? Let's wait a bit on that one.
Added to the above are the recent Biden-related by unhelpful comments by Booker, and Trump juniors retweet.
So I'm disappointed. The overriding problem is Trump, and I'm smelling the formation of that proverbial circular firing squad.
5
Because I don't see it brought up often enough I'll remind readers that Talmadge and Eastland were both Democrats.
Biden's working with them was not a case of him reaching across the aisle or going out of his way to cooperate with segregationists - this was entrenched power within his own party.
11
You are right- she doesn't have to. Just like I don't have to vote for her. I will not vote for someone holding me hostage to the grievences of one or two demographics. If I have to choose between that or Trump I just won't vote.
15
@Lisa R.
Lisa, this is simply dismissive of a perspective that few have heard up front in national debate for the nominaiton. You are not being held hostage, And may I remind you that not voting is not the answer. That way you give Trump exactly what he is counting on. Why is it difficult to speak plainly...What does it mean to be held "hostage to the grievances of one or two demographics.". What do you really mean by this, I wonder?
Barack Obama was against gay marriage, against offering equal rights to gays as guaranteed by the constitution. Will that also define his legacy? I don't actually believe he was against it, he just saw that position as expedient at that time. It's unfortunate that the standout moment from the debates is not an exhilarating vision of and America governed by Democrats, but a gotcha smackdown within the party ranks. We need to be very careful that we don't lose sight of the endgame.
15
I watched the debates to hear what the candidates had to offer my country and me...not to hear attacks on each other. Save that for the campaign trail.
10
I favor Senator Warren, but I consider Joe Biden electable and so much a better option than the incumbent that I resent Senator Harris's attempt to bring him down. It is possible to make many choices over a 50+-year political career which were valid at the time as part of an effort to create consensus support for a position, and which decades later may appear wrong. But this is a different time and we all have changed our views. I supported LBJ on Vietnam until a European friend questioned me closely on it, and would up supporting Eugene McCarthy in NH.
I would love to See Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders as President, but, if they can't assemble the necessary support to win the nomination, supporting Joe Biden is a wonderful fallback position.
The Democratic Party is richly endowed with ambitious, capable, well-grounded candidates. Democrats have never felt the need to follow a rule similar to Reagan's, "Thou shall not speak ill of any other Republican!" But the attempt at bloodletting sometimes distresses me.
11
I see this as a generational difference at least as much as a racial one. I am a few years older than Ms Harris and remember all kind of sexism in my non-diverse schools. Biden should not cite working with segregationists as a sign of his ability. And Harris did not attack him personally but stated her dismay at his using his experience from the 80s as anything positive.
4
Biden has no excuse for being caught flat-footed. He knew the question was coming. If he could not deal with it before a friendly audience, he has no chance running against Fox news and its minion Trump.
On the substantive question everyone seems eager to relitigate, from the end of slavery through the 1950s, the schools black children were required to attend were, in every respect, inferior to those white children were provided.
Many states didn't just permit segregation, they required it. And they allocated less funding to black education.
So there were two issues to address: historical segregation and equality of education. The court deduced that educational quality could be addressed by ending segregation. If white schools were better, black students should be allowed to attend them. If black schools started to have white students, those schools would get the funding they needed.
That doesn't mean that busing was the only remedy or even necessarily the best. Indeed, courts ordered busing only as a last resort when communities refused to desegregate voluntarily (so voluntary and mandatory busing are related). But it was effective in terms of boosting the quality of education for black students.
6
Excuse me if I reject the fascism of "hurt feelings." Your feelings may be hurt, but you still may be wrong.
Court-ordered busing was a dismal failure, because it used schoolchildren as pawns to accomplish social engineering, i.e. racial integration. Yes, many parents who objected to forced busing were racist. Many others objected because they did not want their six year-olds bused one hour away, to a school in a neighborhood where the kids knew no one and the parents did not live.
In 1994, my husband and I turned down an elite private school admission for our five-year-old son, for precisely that reason; a 1-hour bus ride to an unfamiliar neighborhood. The school was predominantly white. Our son attended a more diverse, public school in our neighborhood, but diversity was not the reason for our choice.
Although this is a political campaign, no one will acknowledge the truth; it would have been political suicide for Biden to have supported forced busing, given that his constituents were vehemently opposed. His political allies included senators, including Eastland and Talmadge, whose motives were less than pure. What was Biden supposed to do, put on a halo and say mass?
Not to mention that the most vehement advocates of court-ordered busing sent their kids to private schools - see, e.g. Ted Kennedy.
This conflict is not about innocence, but rather hypocrisy, politics, and lying. If Harris' feelings are hurt, I'm the lost tsarina of Russia.
47
To take Biden’s comments out of context for political gain on race is a sad commentary on the state of the Democratic Party.If the Democrats continue to pander to the far left they will lose all those independent votes Mr.Edsell has recently wrote about.The idea of free health care to undocumented immigrants will not get my vote no matter the nominee. I’m well aware of the economics,I’m also well aware of my blood sweat and tears with my fellow blue collar workers,white black,Latino,men and woman.We work and have played by the rules and have been short thrifted by both parties.My vote in the primaries is Joe Biden!
14
Wealthy Democratic donors' preference for Biden illustrates the ex-Republican Party strategist Kevin Phillips' observation that, at the top, there is only one party, the party of money.
Of course extremely rich Democrats like Biden best. He will do the least to change the status quo that favors all the rich at the expense of everyone else.
3
I haven't yet heard Harris say whether or not she support school busing as a policy in 2019. Its just a ruse, if its not a real policy debate in the current day.
As the media fawns after Harris' comments for the millionth time in less than a week, they should think about whether Berkeley's busing was a local decision or one imposed by the federal government. If it was a local school district decision than it really had nothing to do with anything Biden ever said.
12
Biden voted for the Iraq War because he believed that Iraq posed an imminent threat to our country. Only a few legislators were willing to vote against it and they because they were simply opposed to war regardless of the risks. Voting against the war could only be rational if the accuracy of the facts was undetermined. In the absence of evidence that the facts presented were wrong, voting for the war was rational.
Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Condemning or praising anyone for their vote regarding the Iraq War is ridiculous.
4
@Casual Observer
Literally millions of ordinary citizens turned out for huge protest marches against Dubya's (actually Cheney's) war. If ordinary people caught up in the trivia of daily living could see through the phony arguments being made, and the contrivances used (e.g. not allowing Scott Ritter to testify), and could predict the general outlines of the horrific consequences of our intervention, why were our congresspeople so very complacent ? I don't believe for one moment that Biden voted 'Aye' because he believed that 'Iraq posed an imminent threat to our country'. How, exactly, was
that even possible ?
4
@irene
Logic insists that if the argument is valid and the premises are true and accurate, you must accept the conclusion. If Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, it posed an imminent threat to countries in the region directly by terrible casualties and countries around the world, indirectly by controlling oil. So logically, going to war was a rational decision.
In terms of risk, empirical analysis, the likelihood of Iraq attacking anyone was low but the significance was far too bad to risk.
I opposed the war, I could afford to do so, because I was not a member of Congress. I believed that any war in Iraq to remove the regime would produce chaos for Iraq and a quagmire for us. But I could not prove this.
@Casual Observer,
Voting for the Iraq war is disqualifying. The 'evidence' was clearly made up.
I suggest that the intelligent position is to oppose war, because of the risks, unless it is absolutely necessary.
We were never at the point in regards to Iraq. Those that voted yes have blood on their hands- and no reasonable excuse for their vote.
On what basis would you send your son or daughter to die?
1
As in 2016, one of Trump's major assets in his quest to occupy the White House is the behavior of the Democratic Party presidential candidates.
7
I found the Harris lecturing Biden to be cynical and well planned. Its purpose, as I see it, was to reduce Biden's support among African American voters in upcoming primaries. It was not instructive, and was designed to make her (falsely) appear to be a direct victim of Joe's policies. No one brought up the controversies around her as prosecutor. Would that have been okay, if Biden did that? Surely not. I found the episode ugly and it will cause harm to the Party. Is she saying that Biden is a racist? Is busing on the table now?
13
I thought Sen. Harris did an outstanding job of prosecuting the injustices of the past and the men who allowed them. And, that was the platform to do it. It was a predominately “me” debate until Sen. Harris made it a “you” debate.
Now that we know everything about all the candidates, the autobiographies should be over. Have a debate on issues.
2
The split screen of an elderly, wizened Joe Biden and a youthful, vibrant Kamala Harris speaks volumes. If he looks so tired this early in the campaign, what will he look like by the time he debates Trump?
2
Oh, good gracious - enough with the age-ism! Stay young and beautiful (as the song goes) and that will win you a seat in the Oval Office?
What ever happened to not judging a book by its cover? Or does that apply only to the color or curvature of one's skin, but not to the number of creases in it?
Personally, I like both candidates and I have some real misgivings about both candidates, in let because of past policy decisions or practices. But one thing I refuse to do (and as someone younger than both candidates) is to judge someone's character, capabilities, or worthiness of my vote based on their generation.
p.s. Friendly reminder that the age thing cuts both ways -- One might say the younger are lacking in experience, lack empathy for seniors or commitment to their addressing their disparate concerns, etc.)
p.p.s. Remember how certain people attacked Hillary Rodham Clinton for her age and/or supposed fatigue or physical vulnerability/instability? See where that got us?
2
I read this piece to be a direct indictment of President Barack Obama, our first African American President. Ms. Harris' attack on Joe Biden's voting record on busing and his comments are indeed the same. To think that our first African American President was harboring a segregationist and closet racist for eight years perhaps says more about him than it does Joe Biden. But during the entire eight years of Vice President Biden holding that office, I heard no protest whatsoever from the African American community on these issues that are being raised today. Why not?
And why does Pete Buttigieg get a complete pass from the African American community for having a police force, after six years in office, that is 6% African American when his community is 26% African American? Biden's positions on busing are 50 years old. Mayor Pete's discrimination in police hiring, clearly favoring whites, is happening right now this day.
At this present moment in the Democratic contest for President, the prevailing issue of the day is being defined by Ms. Harris and it is clearly about holding white people more stringently accountable for the sins of their pasts. I hope that voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida believe, as Ms. Harris and other prominent African Americans do, that this is the most pressing issue of the day - revisiting the Civil Rights movement of 50 years ago and unearthing every minute detail and fact about these issues. If not, Trump wins again.
4
Eastland and Talmadge were people who held racist attitudes, considered whites a superior race, and who sought to perpetuate segregation and deprivation of equal treatment to African American people. The supported vicious practices that ruined people's lives and justified by the false beliefs of racial superiority and inferiority. They were not vicious. They were civil and personable people. Most racists are civil and personable people. People like them can be very good to people in person while seeking to deprive them of all the rights that they hold dear for themselves.
The safe and secure environment that Booker would like cannot be achieved by pretending that bad behaviors and attitudes of people in power is out of sight, out of mind, but that is what he would like to think. The not having to be reminded of egregiously bad and despicable that Harris is demanding, is a reasonable request, but unlike her assurance that Biden was not racist, she really was asserting that he was indifferent to how painful to African American were his words and actions--he condoned racism.
1
The goal is not only to beat Trump, it is to beat him and get good things done for the American people. Joe is right to say that doing so may require work with both decent people as well as those whose actions and thoughts are foul. Harris was cynical and wrong to try and paint him as sympathetic to racists, and she didi it to get the media's attention and the praise and money of the far left. Sucess for her in those goals, and in that a defeat for decency and honesty.
9
Amen, Jamelle Bouie. It's Harris' right, and one might even argue her duty as a candidate, to stand and fight for what she believes in and the changes she sees as necessary in America. She's got moxie and guile and backbone, and man, she is fierce when it gets toe-to-toe.
1988 and 2008 were the first times that Biden couldn't make it to the finish line. He will drop out before Thanksgiving 2019, this time.
2
Yes, I saw this more as Harris betting Biden won't be around later on and so she used him to cut some chops in the "I'm African American" category since many people back home thought she was mostly Indian-American.
1
Kamala Harris' attack on Joe Biden was shameful. Earlier in the debate, she made a comment about not letting the debate become a food fight. Then she launched by far the biggest fight of the night with her calculated, disingenuous, highly misleading attack. She stated that she didn't think Biden was racist, then made every effort to make him look exactly that. As her predecessor Barbara Boxer pointed out after Harris' diatribe, only 11% of black families in the 1970's were in favor of busing, according a poll of the time. Busing was a failed attempt to write the wrong of segregation which was abandoned decades ago. Yet Harris drags it up to with fake indignation and anger to imply that Biden was racist in opposing busing.
Biden gave no praise to Eastland or Talmadge. He simply said you have to work with those who oppose your views to get anything done. The Civil Right Act would never have been passed if LBJ had thought himself too pure to work with Southern Senators.
Apparently, those in the debates who attack their fellow candidates with the most vitriol and fake outrage (you can include Castro) are deemed the debate winners by the media, and perhaps by viewers as well. It is disheartening.
14
Kamala Harris on primary schooling in CA? Her draconian policy regarding student attendance has had the effect of penalizing families for observing religious holy days (with desperate negative impact on members of minority religions); families of children who aren't seriously ill (as in needing hospitalization) but who are more prone to catching illnesses from other kids whose parents are too selfish or afraid of her punitive policy to follow the rules and keep their kids home when symptomatic or for 24 hrs after even low-grade fever; those who do follow the rules and keep post-fever kids home; kids who may have mental health or other struggles or family crises that impede their on-time daily attendance. In trying to protect kids from grossly negligent parents, she ended up punishing good parents facing other challenges - and their kids along with them. It takes tremendous resources - including time, savvy, money, etc. to fend off criminal charges or even more benign truancy warnings -- resources that could otherwise be spent feeding, clothing, healing, housing, educationally enriching those children. And how, exactly, did she think that having an incarcerated parent (due to a child's school attendance) would be less damaging to the child than chronically missing or being late to public school which, in much of CA, provides one of the worst educations in the country? https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/05/california-schools-earn-c-in-national-ranking/
12
Compare two reactions on that stage to the candidate's actual behavior in a situation that had definite racist implications. Mayor Pete owned up to having failed to meet the necessary things that needed doing and promised to do better in the future. Former Senator and Veep Joe made not the slightest of apologies. Which one appears to have learned from the experience? Easy question, trivial answer. Joe, you should pass the torch.
3
Well, we are all happy that Kamala Harris got a good education.
Guess what - my siblings and I did not because we were bused into a ghetto in the early 1970's. And no one talks or cares about the horrors and damage we experienced. Riots and fires in the halls - not to mention a complete disaster of an education.
Busing is a ridiculous, ineffective, damaging attempt at a solution to educational inequality.
Maybe you don't care about the ruined education of the middle class white kids being bused to schools in poor areas where they are bullied and abused by the denizens of those neighborhoods.
Even so, over time the busing situation in the south has resulted in whites taking their kids OUT of the local schools and into private schools and homeschooling. I watch lines of buses and cars streaming into my neighborhood now every day as minorities come to our local schools. But few if any white kids are left, so now, instead of going to local crummy schools these kids travel 20 miles in hours of traffic to go to crummy schools in white neighborhoods.
That's just a brilliant waste of resources, right?
What if we spent the money WASTED on busing on programs like Head Start or to raise salaries of teachers in the poorer school districts? Institute student loan cancellation for teachers who go to the poorer school districts? Raise the quality of the education where these students live instead of sending them to schools that now are no better than the ones they left?
14
It will be interesting to see if Biden’s lead among African-Americans now shrinks. I think there is a gap between working class African Americans, especially in the South where he is strongest, and middle class professionals.
And btw, though he didn’t jump in, Sanders, also of that generation, supported busing for school integration, then and now.
1
Biden's history is full of bad decisions:
1) Cozying up to segregationists including giving the eulogy at Strom Thurmond's funeral.
2) The busing issue.
3) Fighting for Clarence Thomas and helping to smear Anita Hill.
4) Prime sponsor/author of the 1994 crime bill that greatly increased mass incarceration.
5) Voting for the Iraq war.
6) Voting for deregulation of the banks.
7) Voting for the bill that made tax cuts for the wealthy permanent under W. Bush.
Then there's the general feeling that he is a clueless candidate with very limited debating skills. If Biden is nominated we will probably lose to Trump or at the very least end up with someone incapable of dealing forcefully with the current GOP. Thank you Kamala for starting the take down process.
3
And as far as Booker's attack about playing nice with people you don't agree with, this is Booker after the Kavanaugh appointment had gone through.
It happened about six hours into Tuesday’s hearing when Democratic Sen. Cory Booker took the microphone.
Earlier in the day, he had been a leader in the chorus of Democratic voices demanding a delay in the hearing until more documents about Kavanaugh were made available.
The requests were summarily denied by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley – a Republican.
In welcoming Kavanaugh and his family to the chamber, Booker said: “We are all Americans taking part in a historic moment.”
Then he turned to Grassley:
“Mr. Chairman, I hope you do not think earlier this morning that I was questioning your integrity or your decency . . . even though you did not rule in our favor I do hope you understand that I value your friendship . . . I have come to have a deep respect for you.”
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