Many people here in 1975 were not too eager to see people who fled the Communist take-over in Vietnam resettled here. There were a lot of reasons, on top of garden variety racism. I can recall meeting around then two fellows doing grounds work at a gold course who acknowledged having been members of the national police there, but insisted they did nothing but type while so employed. They did not strike me as truthful men. Even many on the right who supported the war viewed our Vietnamese allies as corrupt and dodgy criminals. Mr. Biden may have gone with a common mood among his constituents at the time, I could not say yea or nay, and do not consider the matter important enough to bother looking into.
It is hardly true welcoming immigrants has always been a hallmark of the Democratic Party. Working people, especially union members, often view immigrants, whether illegal or legal, as distorting the labor market and depressing wages, and even causing some unemployment in the skilled trades. One can, of course, find economists to argue either end of the question, and so people tend to stick to the views they have derived from their own logic and experience and prejudices.
My own views are that we ought to be welcoming, and that immigrants contribute a great deal, economically as well as socially, to our country. But I do not care how Mr. Biden may or may not have voted back in the seventies on resettlement of Vietnamese refugees. It would be ludicrous to suppose a vote against admittance so long ago would define his actions today. I could cite plenty of much more recent votes by Mr. Biden I could take as grounds to oppose him, and which could even serve me for grounds not to trust the man on some weighty matters. I do not care about these things, either. I support the candidate of the Democratic Party, and am well aware of the consequences to our country of failure in this election.
"Defeat of a hated enemy is something to be for."
= new reply since forum marked as read
