Joe Biden engaged in an unfortunate exchange with an Iowa Voter, who said he is not a Republican. The voter suggested that Biden had been influence peddling by landing his son, Hunter, a plumb job at corrupt Ukrainian utility, Burisma. Hunter was clearly not qualified. Joe extricated himself by yelling at and insulting the voter.
A voter at a campaign event in Iowa got into a spat with Joe Biden on Thursday in an exchange that had the Democratic 2020 hopeful slamming the man as a “damn liar” and seeming to call him “fat”, which had conservatives leaping up to attack the candidate.
The man in the audience took the microphone and described himself as an 84-year-old retired farmer, then argued that Biden is too old to be president and pressed him on his son’s business activities in Ukraine, saying the former vice-president had “sent” Hunter to the country to work with an energy company.
Donald Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and the 2016 election, while holding up US military aid for Ukraine’s defense against Russia, is at the heart of the congressional impeachment inquiry.
Biden’s son Hunter used to be on the board of a private Ukrainian gas company, Burisma. The voter at the event in New Hampton, Iowa, who declined to give his name when questioned immediately afterwards by reporters, challenged Biden on the integrity of the business arrangement when he was Barack Obama’s vice-president… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <The Guardian>
Here is a video clip showing the incident and a brief discussion of it.
Joe Biden to voter: You’re a damn liar, man
One of the journalists compared Biden’s anger with Pelosi’s, when accused of hating Trump. The comparison is not valid, because Pelosi’s anger included an explanation. Biden’s did not. It came with a denial an insult.
First, please be assured that I am not attacking Joe Biden. I hope that, if enough people repeat advice similar to mine, he’ll follow it.
Until Biden defuses this issue himself, Republicans will keep bringing it up over and over again. Skilled fascist propagandists from the Republican Reich will be far fiercer opponents than that poor farmer. Biden’s only chance is for the public to know the whole story before that happens.
I think Biden had nothing to do with placing Hunter at Burisma. I think he knew Burisma offered Hunter the job, only because he was Biden’s son. I think Biden knew Hunter was not qualified and voiced his disapproval. However, because Hunter is an adult, he couldn’t stop him. If that is the truth Biden needs to publish it far and wide, even if it means embarrassing his son.
If that isn’t the truth, he needs to reveal what is. But for the sake of his candidacy, the Party, and the nation, he needs to come clean.
RESIST!!
9 Responses to “Joe, Come Clean Please”
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Yea, I watched this, and was surprised at his ‘going after’ this guy in the audience.
He needs to shape up, and take the remarks, and move on. If not, (like you mentioned) the R’s will play this scene over, and over, and over.
It’s not a good place for Joe to be, but hopefully, he’ll be able to recognize his anger, his actions to change his words, and nix nay on his anger. Everyone has an opinion, and speaks how they feel. Will he learn his lesson though?
It wasn’t illegal. It certainly was not unconstitutional. But none of that makes it right.
There is a huge, huge difference between what Hunter did and what Ivanka, Don J., Eric, and Jared are doing. Their actions are clearly “black” on the imaginary moral scale, while Hunter’s are somewhere in the lighter half of “gray,” But the “gray” needs to be addressed by Joe. I think he should ask Barack for advice on how to get past this, and take that advice, and the sooner the better.
Biden has taken his penchant for making dumb comments/responses too far. I agree with you, TC, but am worried that maybe Biden has early onset/ Alzheimer’s? Or, he’s just really not fit for the office of president. I would still vote for him, if he became the Dem’s candidate, however.
I will have to reserve judgement – probably permanently – because I can’t find a complete transcript of the exchange.
At the same time, using the pieces I have been able to glean & fit together, I can say that was NOT an optimal way to handle that encounter.
I fully understand how frustrating it must be for Joe as a parent to have their son endlessly – and, by all accounts, unfairly – vilified in the press. It’d be a natural instinct, we could all relate to, to strike back to protect your child, even if he were an adult.
At the same time, I’m not sure why Biden hasn’t already crafted some comment that addresses this issue yet does NOT come off as confrontational. Something along the lines of …
How hard would that be?
But there is a saving grace for Joe from an interview with the retired farmer:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/12/joe-biden-yells-at-iowa-voter
But would it be true? Hunter has made a career of being Joe’s son, but I’m unaware of any evidence that Joe set him up in Ukraine.
I really hope Biden will not be the Democratic Party’s choice to run for the 2020 Presidency. There are just too many little things about Biden that remind me of Trump; his age, his outbursts, his memory lapses, his recent focus on making money (he went from being ‘the poorest man in the Senate’ to a net worth of $ 1.5 – 2 million in 2019), his and his son’s legal but somewhat strange dealings in Ukraine, his dismissal of women who thought him too touchy…
With Mitch, I do worry about his fitness for the office of president. I wish for Democrats not to have to vote for a candidate they don’t really believe in only because he’s a Democrat and therefore better than Trump. That didn’t go too well in 2016 when Hillary was the least popular Democrat running for the presidency in decades or longer. With so many candidates for the Democrats’ race, it is a fact that some voters will always be disappointed and have to make a choice, and hopefully, go and vote for a Democrat no matter who, but much will depend on it being an acceptable candidate for most. However, as far as the polls are concerned, Biden is still in the lead with Democrats, so it may come to voting for the next best candidate after all.
I seen this on the news last night and was surprised at Biden’s response to the farmer.
I agree with you that Biden needs to step back and refocus on his campaign.
He has to calm down about the issue regarding Hunter and figure out a smarter way to address the issue if and when it comes up again in the future. Especially if tRump was to ask.
Also recently was overly defensive behavior in response to a voter addressing his woefully inadequate climate change policy with similar emotional qualities Mitch found to be of concern. Having him be the nominee reflecting a return to failed, harmful neoliberal policies is the surest way for the DNC to ensure a GOP win, which seemingly is OK with their corporate donors who also donate to the GOP.
Thanks and Weekend hugs to all.