Attacking VP Biden for saying he had to work with people across the aisle 40 plus year ago

[Peacetrain]

is to deny reality.. he did .. and he had successes.. even if he had to make moves on mean people.. Joe Biden is willing to tangle with the other side.. others are scared to get into the fight.. they sit on the sides and throw bombs, and critique from the safety of standing only with those who agree with them 100%..Nothing gets done from that position.. NOTHING..You have to be willing go get in there.. Sometimes you have to jump out of the foxhole and run bayonets fixed into the enemies side..

[TrunKated]

1. yeah...

It smells like desperation and it just hardens my support for him.

[murielm99]

2. Biden is not my first choice,

but he is correct on this. They used to work across the aisle all the time. Gingrich was the one who put a stop to it.

I hope Joe sticks to his guns on this.

[keithbvadu2]

3. That's the way it should work.

[FloridaBlues]

6. Yes it should be that way, if polled voters would want government to work.

I work with many people who have a different point of view but I like my pay check as well.

[tishaLA]

4. Nobody really has an issue with people working with folks on the other side of the aisle

Sanders worked with McCain on Veterans Choice. Warren worked with Chuck Grassley. Harris worked with Lankord.

I just wish two things were different:
1.that the senators he'd chosen to highlight weren't segregationists and
2 that he'd find more recent assholes--Arlen Specter? Orrin Hatch?--to talk about

[DURHAM D]

8. Are you saying that the named Senators were not segregationists?

I recall that Eastland was against the 1964 civil rights act and going back ever further he thought Brown vs BOA was decided incorrectly. This is just to name two, there are tons more problems with him.

[tishaLA]

10. On the contrary, I'm saying, "Joe, please talk about senators who AREN'T segregationists"

Sorry if I didn't say it clearly enough

[loyalsister]

24. Exactly

If a republican had talked about the bipartisan glory days of bipartisanship when they could find common ground with George Wallace or Strom Thurmond when they were Democrats, outrage among 2019 Democrats would have been the predictable and legitimate response.

The defensiveness is an astonishing display of white fragility.

[DURHAM D]

5. The problem is not that he had to work across the isle.

The problem is that he named two Senators. Senator Eastland of Mississippi is particularly hated by those of us of a certain age.

[Gothmog]

17. I agree with Morning Joe

Link to tweet

[George II]

7. I can't believe the attitude of many who choose to totally discount the existence of a big chunk....

....of the population and government.

[R B Garr]

19. +1, and history! That's the reality of the way it was for Southern

Senators in office from the 40’s. They were great examples of what Biden’s actual point was. It’s just downright silly to imply that he agreed with their views.

At least we see now that Medicare for All is not a serious proposition since they rebuff working with Republicans.

[Cha]

9. And, the Black lawmakers who have Biden's Back understand this..

Clyburn wasn’t alone in his support of Biden, a longtime friend. In interviews with roughly a dozen CBC members, most defended Biden, who has long relationships with the caucus’ most senior members after a 36-year tenure in the Senate.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he had yet to see Biden’s full remarks from the fundraiser but agreed with his overall sentiment.

“I disagree with the overwhelming items that have come out of the mouth of Donald J. Trump. But we managed to work together with his administration to enact historic criminal justice reform,” Jeffries said.

“I think we here in the House Democratic Caucus have ourselves taken the position that sometimes you have to work with the opposition to the extent they’re in power without compromising your values if you can get things done.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/19/joe-biden-segregationist-comments-1370844

[PupCamo]

11. Harris was mentored by Mayor Willie Brown in SF

and certainly worked with a wide group of people

I was once a Log Cabin republican-never mind the reason it would take too long to explain

They were having a very tiny election nighty party-mayoral election-and who pops up but Willie Brown. Granted republicans for the most part are way more liberal than in other parts of the country but still republicans.

Willie had at one time appointed the LCR president to some city board.

I wish Senator Harris would look at Brown's example.

[R B Garr]

22. I was disappointed to hear her twist the issue today. I'm watching

who tweaks this into an unnecessary fight when it was clear what Biden was saying about working with others.

[madville]

12. Across the aisle? The segregationists he mentioned were also fellow Democrats

Most of the opposition to civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s came from Southern Democrats.

[delisen]

29. Yes Eastland and Talmadge were Democrats

[comradebillyboy]

13. Those guys were Democrats if I recall correctly.

[Demit]

28. Yes, he was working with members of his own party.

As an illustration of civility, it's a kind of weird story.

[Gothmog]

14. These attacks on Biden are really weak

[Scurrilous]

15. K&R

[Gothmog]

16. I hate it when I have to agree with Morning Joe

Link to tweet

[robbedvoter]

21. All never Trumpers are on Biden's team

Some trumpies too in this case:

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

23. For this thread

Link to tweet

[treestar]

26. It is not

That is not what he said.

If your candidate cannot win on their own without putting the others down then I’m not convinced to vote for them

[BootinUp]

18. The Gamesters of Triskelian say

Biden will be practice target, thralls must follow orders.

[robbedvoter]

20. It's the celebration of it in these times that is offensive even to people who are not black

Even the reassurance that Republicans will work with him is a bit off - because it invites the question: "why didn't they with Obama?"

[treestar]

25. It is history

And the point he was making going over their heads on purpose.

[Midnightwalk]

27. What gives me pause

Is the implicit suggestion that Democrats do not try to work across the aisle. I say bullshit.

For example, every immigration bill but one had majority of Democratic support but couldn’t get republican support. We even supported bills that included wall funding.

The one bill I know didn’t get Democratic support just provided money for the wall and othe border security. No reform. That also didn’t get enough republican support to pass.

The media always presents it as both sides are to blaim and people believe it. Pushing bipartisanship may be a good strategy to win the middle, but why not call for some bipartisanship and ask the senate to take up one of the several bills that McConnell won’t allow debate on.

Hell don’t even blast republicans just put some blame on McConnell.

Not calling out the problem reinforces the idea that Democrats are equally to blame.

Edit to add:
In fact the way he phrases it as he even worked with segregationists seems like a subtle slam that other democrats are not as bipartisan. Why not also bring up cases where republicans worked across the aisle in the past and call on republicans to do that again.

[Gothmog]

30. According to Symone Sanders, Biden did not praise a segregationist

Link to tweet

Link to tweet