There is an odd irony in the history of remarks by Joe Biden. He has been all over the map, saying what he thinks he needs to at the time to please as many as he can while offending as few as he can. I don't think you can quite say that he went native in DC, as one might say about Al Gore or John McCain. It is more that he knows how to schmooze voters. I suppose if you are going to sell out and have no principles, it is better to sell out to the people than to the rulers. Though there is that Delaware/credit card companies history that undermines my argument there.
He is getting excoriated for things he said in the past, and I have heard more than one Republican defend him, however reluctantly, as in I'm no fan of Joe Biden, but his comment wasn't that crazy at the time and it's being taken out of context. I completely get the impulse to be evenhanded and strive for fair play in all things. But it's not as if he has principles he is standing on, then or now.
It's coming out now that he worked with them on a bill to prohibit busing for racial balancing after including in his reminiscing that he didn't work with them on racial issues.
ReplyDeleteIt's always pretending to have principles that gets them.