WASHINGTON, D.C. – Fellow Democratic candidates for President are slamming frontrunner Joe Biden for reminiscing about the good old days while working with possibly racist legislators.
Biden said that decades ago, he “got things done” with “civility” with Senators who were pro-segregation – meaning, they support the separation of black and white society and interaction in most ways.
Cory Booker, a Democratic Senator from New Jersey, released the following statement in response to Vice President Joe Biden’s comments praising segregationist Senators James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia:“You don’t joke about calling black men ‘boys.’ Men like James O. Eastland used words like that, and the racist policies that accompanied them, to perpetuate white supremacy and strip black Americans of our very humanity.
“Vice President Biden’s relationships with proud segregationists are not the model for how we make America a safer and more inclusive place for black people, and for everyone. I have to tell Vice President Biden, as someone I respect, that he is wrong for using his relationships with Eastland and Talmadge as examples of how to bring our country together.
“And frankly, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t issued an immediate apology for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans. He should.”
Meanwhile, other Democrats running for president sounded off.
“To coddle the reputations of segregationists … it’s misinformed and it’s wrong,” said California Senator Kamala Harris.
“I’m not here to criticize other Democrats, but it’s never okay to celebrate segregationists. Never,” said Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Beto O’Rourke of Texas said Biden’s comments “ignores the legacy of slavery and the active suppression of African-Americans and communities of color right now.”