As journalists, and it must be said opposition research teams on behalf of Democratic candidates gear up for the 2020 primary, we are learning about more questionable choices made by certain Democrats. This week it’s Joe Biden’s turn:
Joseph R. Biden Jr. swept into Benton Harbor, Mich., three weeks before the November elections, in the midst of his quest to reclaim the Midwest for Democrats. He took the stage at Lake Michigan College as Representative Fred Upton, a long-serving Republican from the area, faced the toughest race of his career.
But Mr. Biden was not there to denounce Mr. Upton. Instead, he was collecting $200,000 from the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan to address a Republican-leaning audience, according to a speaking contract obtained by The New York Times and interviews with organizers. The group, a business-minded civic organization, is supported in part by an Upton family foundation.
Mr. Biden stunned Democrats and elated Republicans by praising Mr. Upton while the lawmaker looked on from the audience. Alluding to Mr. Upton’s support for a landmark medical-research law, Mr. Biden called him a champion in the fight against cancer — and “one of the finest guys I’ve ever worked with.” — www.nytimes.com/...
To be fair to Biden, cancer research is a cause that he’s spent a lot of time and energy on given his family’s battles with it. Yet, he presumably also knows that Fred Upton was a key part of the House Republicans many efforts to repeal the Obama administration’s signature accomplishment, the Affordable Care Act.
He’s also a smart and experienced politician, so he must have known what would happen with that quote.
Mr. Biden’s remarks, coming amid a wide-ranging discourse on American politics, quickly appeared in Republican advertising. The local Democratic Party pleaded with Mr. Biden to repair what it saw as a damaging error, to no avail. On Nov. 6, Mr. Upton defeated his Democratic challenger by four and a half percentage points. — www.nytimes.com/...
If you asked me last week, I would have told you Joe Biden’s chances of winning the Democratic nomination are < 1%. His role in the Anita Hill hearings alone are enough to sink his nomination. This story doesn’t improve those chances.
— @subirgrewal