Biden defends past civil rights record after Harris attack
CHICAGO — Joe Biden strongly defended his civil rights record on Friday, pledging to be a “president who stands against racism” and defiantly dismissing any suggestions otherwise.
Speaking to the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the white former vice president was working to repair the damage from a blistering attack from California Sen. Kamala Har- ris, the lone black woman in the 2020 presidential race. During Thursday’s presidential debate , Harris criticized Biden for recently highlighting his decades-old work with segregationist senators and his opposition to public school busing during the 1970s — creating a dramatic and deeply personal breakout moment.
“I heard, and I listened to, and I respect Sen. Harris,” Biden said. “But we all know that 30 seconds to 60 seconds on a campaign debate exchange can’t do justice to a lifetime commitment to civil rights.”
Biden has surged to the top of the Democratic pack arguing that he’s best positioned to defeat President Donald Trump because he can build a broad coalition of support. Appearances such as the one with Jackson — his onetime rival in the 1988 Democratic presidential primary — will signal whether Harris’ attack will chip into his support among African Americans. He acknowledged the critical role of black voters and labor unions on Friday, saying, “Y’all are the ones that brung me to the dance.”
Biden pushed back against some of Harris’ specific criticisms, including her argument that he once opposed busing. He said he was more opposed to federal intervention in busing than the practice itself.
“I never, never, never, ever opposed voluntary busing,” Biden said, adding that he supported federal legislation to “address root causes of segregation in our schools” and that he was always “in favor of using federal authority to overcome state-initiated segregation” — even in bygone days when it wasn’t popular.
But even while defending his own record, Biden still tempted controversy. He said he envisioned a society in which everyone realizes the “kid in the hoodie might be the next poet laureate and not a gangbanger.”