opinion
President Joe Biden noted that Republicans in Congress today are “worse” than segregationists, especially Strom Thurmond, and lamented that in the past he could at least work with others.
Biden's comments indicate that he intends to disrupt his campaign with the same racist tactics he used in the last presidential election. But they also overlook the fact that the president repeatedly spoke fondly of working with the same segregationists over the years.
The comments surfaced at a fundraiser in San Francisco on Wednesday.
“I've been a senator since 1972. I've served with real racists. I've served with Strom Thurmond,” Biden told the audience. “But guess what? These guys are worse. “These people do not believe in basic democratic principles.”
The president added that Thurmond did “terrible things,” but “at least you can work with some of these people.”
RELATED: Biden refers to Maryland's first Black governor as 'Boy'
Biden fondly remembers his time working with segregationists
The bottom line here is not that President Biden would be reckless enough to describe his political opponents as “worse” than segregationists.
After all, he is the same man who said “you're not black” if you don't vote for him, and who once warned black Americans that a too-tamed Mitt Romney would put them all back in “chains.”
The takeaway here is that the current president is once again nostalgic for the good old days of working with his colleagues — Thurmond and the segregationists. He will get a permit for that.
You may recall that Biden led off the 2020 election by talking about the bygone era with regard to pro-segregation Senators James O. Eastland and Herman Talmadge. He said Eastland “never called me 'boy,' he always called me 'son.'
While Biden is busy portraying Republicans as “worse” than segregationists, he praised the late Senator Robert Byrd, who was a senior officer in the Ku Klux Klan, and described him as “a very close friend of mine, and one of my mentors.”
As for Thurmond, Biden repeatedly spoke warmly of him as “one of my closest friends” and defended him as someone who believes in diversity in America.
RELATED: Biden compares Trump to KKK in black church sermon
The hypocrisy is rich, not only regarding Biden's past comments about segregationists specifically, but also his long history of racist statements. The president's past is dark, far darker than anything in Donald Trump's closet.
Yet, somehow, he is heralded as a champion of racial issues.
Early in his Senate career, Biden expressed concern that desegregation would lead to his children growing up “in a racist jungle.”
He very famously described President Barack Obama in condescending terms, calling him “the first African-American who was articulate, intelligent, clean, and a good-looking man.”
Joe Biden on Barack Obama: “You've got the first African-American who's articulate, intelligent, clean, a good-looking guy.” pic.twitter.com/h81eGxY4YD
– For America (@ForAmerica) June 22, 2020
President Biden also once bragged about receiving an award from George Wallace, said Delaware was on the South's side in the Civil War, and bragged that he came from the same “slave state.”
Biden's racist comments stretch back decades.
The media barely mentions them, but Joe Biden has a long history of racist comments.
On this day 14 years ago, Biden said: “You can't go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin Donuts unless you speak a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking!” pic.twitter.com/FaBCUmuWLJ
-Ronna McDaniel (GOPChairwoman) June 18, 2020
Last year, President Biden referred to Wes Moore, Maryland's first black governor, as “Boy.”
Biden refers to Democrat Wes Moore — Maryland's first Black governor — as “Boy.” pic.twitter.com/X3Mb7uUrhe
– RNC Research (RNCResearch) February 15, 2023
In addition to Wednesday's comments, Biden spoke fondly of how Democrats worked with segregationists like Strom Thurmond two weeks ago.
“After we had a big fight, Teddy Kennedy and Eastland would smash each other on the floor and then go to lunch together in the Senate dining room,” he recalls. “They didn't change their views, but they were – there was this – there was a sense – strange as it may seem – of civility.”
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