Thomas Oatway asserts my commentary of July 31, “Biden Presidency Marked by Broken Promises,” is full of “untruths.” The theme of the commentary is that Joe Biden, both as a candidate and a sitting president, glaringly fails with his promises to unite the country.
President Biden’s record of unity is clear.
In 1977 when school busing was a hot issue, then-Sen. Biden addressed desegregation in a congressional hearing on anti-busing, saying, “Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle with tensions having built so high that it is going to explode at some point. We have got to make some move on this.”
He later said it wasn’t limited to just education, but to “all of society.” The New York Times reported this first, then it was reiterated by Business Insider in July 2019.
In March 2018, candidate Biden said, “They asked me if I’d like to debate this gentleman, and I said ‘no.’ I said, ‘If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.’”
On the campaign trail March 10, 2019, during the Michigan primary, CNBC reported, in addition to the news video coverage, Biden angrily told a factory worker he was “full of s**t.”
Politifact, that same month, wrote, after closer review of the footage, Biden also said, “I’m going to go outside with you.” Later, Biden said, “Give me a break, man. Don’t be such a horse’s ass.”
On June 18, 2019, Biden spoke to an assembled group in Iowa saying “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.” (NBC News, June 22, 2019)
In February 2020 candidate Biden reacted angrily to 21-year-old registered voter Madison Moore. She questioned his performance in the state of Iowa. He asked if she’d been to a caucus. She replied ”yes.” He called her a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier.”
These facts are on YouTube video and published by multiple media outlets.
In December 2020 candidate Biden made another Iowa campaign stop (on video) wherein he was questioned about son Hunter Biden’s connection to the foreign energy company Burisma. The man said, “You’re selling access to the president just like he is…”
Biden avoided the topic and angrily responded, “You’re a damn liar, man,” and challenged the man to push ups, mocking the attendee with “look, fat, look, here’s the deal,” and referencing him as “Jack” and “old.” Of note is that the video shows the man appears to be noticeably younger that the then-77-year-old candidate.
Per CNN, March 3, 2021, Biden was asked about the decisions by GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and Tate Reeves of Mississippi to relax COVID-19 restrictions. He replied, “The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking….”
The Forbes March 4, 2021, headline read: “So Much For Unity. Twitter Reacts To Biden’s Use Of ‘Neanderthal Thinking.”
Addressing COVID-19 and the Delta variant, Mr. Oatway clearly asserts it’s all the fault of Republicans because they are the “most resistant to vaccines.” That is farcical and wholly unsupported by any research or facts.
On July 9, about 57 Texas Democrats fled the state on two private chartered jets, to break a quorum on a vote they knew they would lose. Every single one of them was without a mask as they took their selfies. At least six quickly tested COVID-positive.
“Teachers in New York state became eligible to receive the vaccine in March, but so far only 60% of all public school educators have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to Mayor de Blasio,” as quoted from amNY, July 21, 2021.
Teachers are not reputed as Republicans.
Various sectors of New York City’s public employees are vaccinated at rates between 42% and 55%. The city’s 135,000 public employees and the 42,000 public hospital workers are reportedly vaccinated at a rate of 60%. There’s no mention of the percentages for health care workers overall. The estimate for the 65,000.Public Transit Agency workers is 70% for vaccinations. (National Review, July 26, 2021).
Registered Democrats in New York state outnumber registered Republicans 50.6% to 21.92%; the balance are undeclared and “other.”
Betty Arenson
Valencia
