San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Biden sorry for praising segregationist senators
SUMTER, S.C. — Former Vice President Joe Biden apologized Saturday for recent comments about working with segregationist senators in his early days in the U.S. Senate, saying he understands now his remarks could have been offensive to some.
“Was I wrong a few weeks ago?” Biden asked a mostly black audience of several hundred during the first day of a weekend visit to South Carolina. “Yes, I was. I regret it, and I’m sorry for any of the pain of misconception that caused anybody.”
Biden’s comments came as he and rival presidential candidate Kamala Harris were set to circle each other while campaigning Sunday in South Carolina, the first Southern state to vote in next year’s primary and a crucial proving ground for candidates seeking support of black Democrats. Biden defended his record on racial issues and reminded voters of his ties to former President Barack Obama, whose popularity in South Carolina remains high.
The former vice president and the California senator probably will be pressed on their tense debate exchange over race and federally mandated school busing. Though the issue is not at the forefront of the 2020 primary, it could resonate in a state with a complicated history with race and segregation.
In the debate, Harris was unrelenting in her criticism of Biden, both his views on busing and his comments about working with segregationist senators.
“I’m going to let my record stand for itself and not be distorted or scared,” Biden said Saturday. He recalled his support of Obama’s criminal justice reforms and pointed out areas in which he disagreed, such as the threestrikes policy that led to longer sentences for repeat offenders.
“I’m flawed and imperfect like everyone else. I’ve made the best decisions that I could at the moment they had to be made,” Biden said. “If the choice is between doing nothing and acting, I’ve chosen to act.”
Harris proposed $100 billion in federal grants Saturday to pay for down payment and closing costs to help narrow what she says is a racial wealth gap and address historical discrimination in home ownership against black families.
She announced her plan at the Essence Festival in New Orleans, where the California senator was among several of the 2020 White House candidates attending the largest annual gathering of black women in the country.
Harris’ plan would address federal policy on how credit scores are calculated to include payments made on rent, telephone bills and other utilities to increase credit access for minority borrowers.
Meg Kinnard and Juana Summers are Associated Press writers.