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Good Ol' Uncle Joe




We have kind of a good uncle v. bad uncle thing going on right now between Biden and Trump, reminiscent of last year when Biden challenged the president to a fistfight.  Joe was careful to phrase his challenge as what he would have done in high school if a bully said nasty things about his girlfriend, as it is illegal to publicly threaten the president.

Uncle Joe has been described as a "touch-feely guy" by former Senate colleagues, and a warm, compassionate man by friends and admirers. They all say he means no harm in these kisses, hugs and slaps on the back.  It's just the way he operates, a product of the "old school" when such shows of affection were considered commonplace.  The only problem is that today a lot of persons like to maintain a safe personal distance, and ol' Joe has a way of invading it.

Biden hasn't always been this wonderful charming guy.  Back in 1991 he was pretty hard on Anita Hill, determined to rush through the Thomas confirmation hearing as a favor to his Senate buddy Republican John Danforth, who sponsored Thomas.  Pat Schroeder said it was more important to Biden to keep his word than it was to take Anita Hill's allegations seriously.  Joe had promised Republicans that they would be out by Columbus Day.  This meant that other women's testimonies were ignored and that Thomas was rushed through on a 52-48 vote, replacing the great Thurgood Marshall.

Joe has tried to put some distance between himself and those hearings 28 years ago, but he was the head of the judiciary committee and in complete control of the hearings.  He could have done something but chose not to, allowing his Senate colleagues to publicly humiliate Hill with a steady flow of sordid questions about her character.  It was a day that still lives in infamy for many women, including Anita Hill who was interviewed by John Oliver last year.

No one is saying the allegations leveled against Joe Biden by seven women are as damaging as those leveled against Trump for his ongoing misogyny, but they should be addressed in a serious manner, not made the brunt of late night comic jokes, as was the case with Anita Hill all those years ago.  The first woman to speak out, Lucy Flores, has been widely portrayed as a plant by Bernie Sanders, since she once worked in his campaign. Now that 6 other women have come forward that argument no longer holds up, if it ever did.

Biden was eventually forced to come clean by Nancy Pelosi, who told him he should keep his hands to himself at public gatherings to avoid such awkward moments, of which there have been many over the years.  Joe still tried to pawn it off as old school, but he came of age politically during the women's rights movement, championed the Violence Against Women Act, which has recently been reauthorized by the House, and has made a big show of his love and respect for his wife, Jill.  It doesn't go both ways, especially in the #MeToo era.

Just the same he has received the support of the women on The View, including a very vociferous defense by Meghan McCain.  Joe was a good friend of her father.  Other prominent women have also come forward to defend him, although some are now hedging given the allegations are multiplying.

His would-be opponents have all offered measured responses, notably Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke, the two leading candidates among the rest of the pack.  Biden continues to lead most straw polls, with fellow septuagenarian Bernie a close second.  The younger candidates have yet to be really heard with all the attention given Joe and Bernie, but their day will come.

The problem with Joe is that he is no longer in step with the Democratic Party.  He's a throwback in many ways and would come under fire much the way Hillary Clinton did last time around.  Joe staunchly supported Bill Clinton's notorious Crime Bill, which Hillary had to answer to last time around.  He also supported both Bush wars and voted for the Patriot Act and Homeland Security Act, all of which came under fire from all sides in 2016.

Democrats want to move on, and doing so means leaving Uncle Joe behind.  Biden is a bit like Marlon Brando's character in On the Waterfront.  He's run for president twice before, considering both missed opportunities.  He decided to give Hillary her space in 2016, as many felt it was time for  a woman president including Joe himself.  Apparently, he doesn't feel the same this year despite five women running for office.

He also should be more wary of this faux sympathy coming from the far right.  These guys want nothing more than to drive a wedge among the Democrats and Ol' Joe is the perfect foil.  There are a lot of moderates in the Democratic Party favorable to an old warhorse like Joe.

Not that he ever served in a war.  It was his son Beau who served in Iraq.  This is the Biden who could have made a fine candidate but was struck down by brain cancer in 2015, a painful ordeal that touched many of us at the time.  I think it is this recent memory that allows Joe to draw so much sympathy from the public.

It is hard not to like Joe.  He is warm and affectionate and apparently a genuinely good guy, unlike the dotardly old man in the White House, who is currently chasing windmills.  Joe wouldn't be a national embarrassment if elected, but do we really need Joe?

He would be 78 if elected, the oldest serving president by far.  Not that age should be a barrier.  Nancy Pelosi is holding up well as House Speaker.  However, it is time to bring younger, fresher faces into the spotlight like Mayor Pete of South Bend, Indiana, a very well spoken young man who makes a very good argument for a young president.  He might be a little too young for many people's taste, but there is the slightly older Beto O'Rourke and the young looking Kamala Harris, who offer Congressional experience, not that it seems to matter anymore.

Uncle Joe has passed his expiration date as far as politicians go.  He can't let go of the story because it galls him to be called out, and Trump can't resist making fun of him.   Vice-President was the perfect way for Joe to go out.  He acquired the eminence he lacked before and can now drift into the background of politics where he belongs.  He should be plugging one of the younger candidates, as should Bernie, instead of indulging in a vanity project we all know will come to a bad end.

Let it rest, Joe.

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