Is Biden-Harris on Tom Dewey’s Path?
Accused of being a serial harasser in 201 , Joe Biden did what comes naturally. He apologized for perceived past misbehavior, and, to ap pease his accusers, pledged to choose a woman for a Biden ticket.
5eacting to the racial rage that erupt ed after the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white Minneapolis cop, Biden reacted again.
He put out word he would be looking closely for a Black woman to run with.
Thus did Joe paint himself into a corner.
For there was no Black fe male governor of any state in the 8nion, and there was only one Black woman in the 8.S. Senate – .amala Harris.
This presented a problem. For in the first debate, Har ris had charged Biden with colluding with segregationist senators in the µ70s to block the busing of school children for racial balance.
Harris introduced the toxic charge against Biden with this sweet upfront concession ³, don’t believe you are a racist.”
This Tuesday, Biden made a virtue out of necessity.
He chose Harris to run with him. And did so just one day after receiving a letter from 100 prominent Black men led by rapper Sean ³'iddy” Combs and radio host Charla magne tha God that read like an ultimatum.
³For too long Black wom en have been asked to do everything from rally the troops to risk their lives for the 'emocratic 3arty with no acknowledgment, no respect, no visibility, and certainly not enough support.
³Failing to select a Black woman in 2020 means you will lose the election . ... We don’t want to choose between the lesser of two evils and we don’t want to vote for the dev il we know versus the devil we don’t because we are tired of voting for devils – – peri od.”
Astonishing. Here are prominent Black 'emocrats describing the candidates they have had to support in recent years – – Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John .erry, Joe Biden – – as ³devils” and the ³lesser of two evils.”
/ast Friday, 700 ³Con cerned Black Women /ead ers” delivered a similar letter to Biden demanding he put a Black woman on the ticket.
Wednesday, Biden com plied. But after the media ovation for Biden’s selection of Harris dies down, a new re ality will emerge.
Before winning her Sen ate seat in 2016, Harris was a prosecutor and two term attorney general of California who had established a reputa tion for being tough on petty criminals.
Biden, as chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, also had taken pride in helping craft the 9iolent Crime Con trol and /aw Enforcement Act of 1 4, which dramatically increased incarcerations and disproportionately affected Black men.
However, Black /ives Matter has pulled the 'emo cratic 3arty sharply to the left on the issue of crime and cops with its battle cry of ³defund the police ”
Yet, today, two months after Floyd’s death, mayors and cops in 'emocratic cities are still bedeviled by rioters, looters, arsonists, anarchists and a criminal class that settles its Tuar rels with nightly kill ings and weekend shootouts.
The public is get ting fed up. 3eople want their cops back, and leftist politi cians and police are coming into increasing conflict.
The Black police chief of Seattle, Carmen Best, has re tired rather than carry out the city’s decision to cut 50% of her budget.
Elected officials in New York, /os Angeles and Min neapolis have approved plans to reduce police budgets. Meanwhile, shooting and kill ings are going up in almost every city including '.C. and New York, where more have died of gunshot wounds in 2020 than died all last year.
The president has staked out his position, and it does not lack for clarity. 3resident 'onald Trump embraces the phrase ³law and order,” de nounces the ³defund the po lice” movement as promoting anarchy, and offers federal aid and agents to cities that re Tuest help. He calls on mayors and governor to demand the National Guard to deal with the crisis and condemns them for their chronic failure to safely secure cities they have run for decades.
Trump has been accused of taking us back to the Nixon era.
But 1 68 was the culmi nation of a decade of soaring crime the likes of which the nation had not known. At its convention in Chicago, the 'emocratic 3arty was ripped apart by anarchic violence and the police response. ,n late September, even Hubert Humphrey was denouncing the ³fascists” shouting him down at every appearance.
8ndeniably, Trump has his problems.
But it is not certain that Biden’s sheltering in his base ment and issuing his milTue toast responses to 3ortland, Seattle and the shootings, lootings and killings in Chica go, will prevail on Nov. 3 over Trump’s boisterous campaign call to crack down on crim inals, go back to school, get back to work and ³play ball.”
Biden Harris looks like a ticket content to sit on its lead and ride to victory in Novem ber, the way Governor 'ewey did in 1 48.