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Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 10:20 AM Jun 2019

The discussion of Biden and school desegregation is missing context

What people don't seem to realize about politicians is that their "views" on various topics are more frequently driven by the necessities of maintaining office than any particular principles.

The University of Delaware did not admit black students until 1971. Biden graduated in 1965. Prior to that, despite the "hardscrabble roots" story, by the time his father was running a successful auto dealership in Wilmington, Biden attended what is, for this area, a relatively upscale private school.

After the assassination of MLK Jr., the upheaval in Wilmington led to the longest military occupation of a US city since the civil war. Longstanding redlining practices strictly segregated the neighborhoods of New Castle County generally. For most of white suburban New Castle County, African Americans simply did not exist in their neighborhoods, parks or stores.

(one thing to understand about Delaware is that while it consists of three counties, there northern county of New Castle is by far the most populous, and is essentially a proxy for "greater Wilmington" )

While a 1954 court decision required the desegregation of Delaware's schools, this was easily routed-around by the creation of separate school districts which tracked the boundaries of racially-segregated communities in New Castle County.

Biden was elected in a post-Watergate Democratic wave against a doddering incumbent. Holding that seat, in a state which straddles the Mason Dixon Line, was almost immediately challenged by the law catching up to the area's dodge of effective desegregation in the 1950's and 1960's. Filed in 1971, the case of Evans v. Buchanan, addressing Delaware's continued de-facto segregation, became a piece of civil litigation trench warfare which, after various appeals, remands and protracted attempts to resolve, eventually resulted in virtually direct administration of the New Castle County schools by the US District Court of Delaware.

There was no way that Joe Biden was going to be re-elected in 1978 without his usual attempt to be all things to everyone on the issue of school desegregation in New Castle County.

Whatever Joe Biden may personally believe about de-facto segregation caused by decades of redlining, or of busing as a remedy to that segregation, I can guarantee you that the only person who knows what that might be is Joe Biden. Going by any statements he made in the 1970's in order to fancy dance around taking a definable position for the purpose of being able to get enough Delaware voters he was marginally enough on their side, is an exercise in attempting to nail Jell-O to a wall.

Like his advocacy of an anti flag-desecration law in order to "protect the flag" or to prevent support for a Constitutional amendment gaining credible steam, it is one of those instances - and there are many - of Joe believing he has found some genius compromise position that allows him to wink and smile at people on either side to convey the impression he is on their side.

Joe is a good politician. A philosopher-king he is not.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The discussion of Biden and school desegregation is missing context (Original Post) jberryhill Jun 2019 OP
Yes fueled by re-election & probably reflecting his constituents underpants Jun 2019 #1
No, did not work True Blue American Jun 2019 #2
Yeah It's two different things underpants Jun 2019 #3
Busing was extremely unpopular. I was in 4th grade. Meadowoak Jun 2019 #7
Then, he should have said, "I would not have been reelected in 1978 had Hoyt Jun 2019 #4
One has to be pretty old to even remember the context. comradebillyboy Jun 2019 #5
Joe was not the one who brought up the past last night. True Blue American Jun 2019 #6
No Joe brought it up a couple of weeks ago when he comradebillyboy Jun 2019 #8
But she misquoted what he said. True Blue American Jun 2019 #9
who ever heard of a prosecutor misquoting a defendant lol nt msongs Jun 2019 #10
They wouldn't! True Blue American Jun 2019 #11
 

underpants

(182,276 posts)
1. Yes fueled by re-election & probably reflecting his constituents
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 10:27 AM
Jun 2019

I think now he’s seen as being on the wrong side of history BUT there are important questions here, did busing work? Do we still do it?

I remember seeing people yelling at school buses (we saw it again not too long ago too but that’s different) on the news as a kid. I didn’t understand what was going on but it did seem to be very heavy handed to me - forcing kids to go to school on the other side of town.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

True Blue American

(17,972 posts)
2. No, did not work
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 10:44 AM
Jun 2019

Was ruled unconstitutional. Hare brained idea of Congress. I was in that battle,along with many black neighbors.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

underpants

(182,276 posts)
3. Yeah It's two different things
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 11:30 AM
Jun 2019

Desegregation and busing. What and how.

I think Joe was smart to go that route as it could very well be seen as mansplaining or overbearing. He demurred a lot last night NOT playing certain notes as they say.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Meadowoak

(5,517 posts)
7. Busing was extremely unpopular. I was in 4th grade.
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 12:33 PM
Jun 2019

We lived in the suburbs of Detroit. I was to be bussed an hour and a half from my home, to one of the worst parts of the inner city. This was just a couple of years after the Detroit race riots and racial tensions were high. My parents weren't racist, but they bought a house in a good school district so I could get a good education. Now I was about to be sent to one of the worst schools in Detroit. They planned to send me to live with relatives down south had busing gone through. Also, I remember, they told us in school, if we had to be bussed, the district couldn't afford the busses, gas and maintenance and that our parents would get a monthly bill. I doubt that would have been legal, but that's what our school principal told us.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
4. Then, he should have said, "I would not have been reelected in 1978 had
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 11:41 AM
Jun 2019

I supported busing. But, I did demand equal schools, boundaries to be drawn to ensure desegregation and quality schools for all, etc." [The latter sentence, assumes he did.]

And he darn sure shouldn't have gotten into states' rights type stuff. Where I grew up -- deep south -- the people who used states' rights to keep Black schools cruddy, and thwart desegregation, usually stood in front of a confederate flag and/or screaming white wingers.

With that said, Biden has done a lot of good and he should have added a few quick examples.

In any event, when my primary comes in March, I'll vote for Biden if it still looks like he has best chance to beat trump.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

comradebillyboy

(10,119 posts)
5. One has to be pretty old to even remember the context.
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 12:24 PM
Jun 2019

Joe just needs to stop being so nostalgic about the 'good old days' in the Senate.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

True Blue American

(17,972 posts)
6. Joe was not the one who brought up the past last night.
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 12:29 PM
Jun 2019

And now we find Kamala is selling the little girl shirts! Give me a break, a planned stunt!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

comradebillyboy

(10,119 posts)
8. No Joe brought it up a couple of weeks ago when he
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 12:33 PM
Jun 2019

was talking about working with Eastland and other segregationist Senators. He got a lot of bad press over those remarks and should have been prepared to defend himself from an obvious line of attack.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

True Blue American

(17,972 posts)
9. But she misquoted what he said.
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 12:38 PM
Jun 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

msongs

(67,193 posts)
10. who ever heard of a prosecutor misquoting a defendant lol nt
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 01:57 PM
Jun 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

True Blue American

(17,972 posts)
11. They wouldn't!
Fri Jun 28, 2019, 02:00 PM
Jun 2019

Would they?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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