Commentary
COMMENTARY: Biden, Scarborough are creatures of the deep
FLORIDA COURIER —
By Oscar H. Blayton
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaking in his “Aw shucks, I’m just Joe” style has set off a firestorm within the ranks of the Democratic presidential contenders.
During a June 18 fundraiser with wealthy potential donors, he lamented the lack of civility in government. To make his point, Biden recalled how well he got along with Southern segregationists in Congress, such as former Sens. James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia. This struck a sour note with many progressive and left-leaning Democrats.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey issued a statement calling for Biden to apologize for his insensitivity. New York City Mayor and presidential candidate Bill de Blasio also weighed in, pointing out that the segregationists with whom Biden had a civil relationship thought that his multiracial family was illegal and that his children should not exist.
Biden defended
House Majority Whip James Clyburn, an African American Democrat from S.C., argued that you have to work with people with whom you disagree in order to get things done.
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi gave a more careful statement about Biden and said, “If he was able to work with Eastland, he’s a great person.”
Several of the hosts of the television show “The View” jumped to the former vice president’s defense and resolutely declared that Biden is not a racist.
Biden’s comfort level
But the issue here is not that Biden is a racist, and Booker did not call him a racist. What gives so many people concern about Biden is that he can be comfortable with racists without realizing that he is normalizing their hateful views.
The most glaring example of the tone-deafness of some of the advocates joining this debate is a statement made by TV host Joe Scarborough during the MSNBC show “Morning Joe.”
Scarborough likened Biden to former President Franklin D. Roosevelt when he said Roosevelt “had to deal with the same segregationists as we moved toward World War II to defeat Hitler.”
Think about it
President Roosevelt was willing to work with segregationists for the sake of the war effort. But Roosevelt, unlike the African American soldiers stationed in Southern states, was not humiliated and disrespected because of the color of his skin.
Black G.I.s suffered the indignity of watching Nazi prisoners of war they were guarding sit down and eat meals in restaurants where the Black soldiers themselves were barred by law.
Neither Roosevelt nor Joe Biden nor Joe Scarborough had a relative treated with less respect than the enemies fighting to destroy our country – a country that African Americans were giving their lives to defend.
People like Franklin Roosevelt, Joe Biden and Joe Scarborough can survive in the depths of a racist nation because they, like the segregationists they “work with,” are configured for survival.
Protective skin cover
They are “Creatures of the Deep.” They live and thrive in a racist America that is like the bottom of a deep ocean – an environment where such great pressure is exerted, only those equipped with protective shells can survive.
And while that protective cover may be the hard exoskeleton of a lobster at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, in America, that protective cover is White skin.
If Joe Scarborough gave an ounce of consideration to this issue, would he conclude that all Americans were setting aside their differences and prejudices in order to defeat Hitler during World War II?
Of course, Joe Biden could be civil with Sens. Eastland and Talmadge – because Joe Biden is White. But if Biden gave the slightest bit of thought to the matter, would he really believe those staunch segregationists would have shown the same civility and respect to a Black senator?
No empathy
The criticism of Joe Biden is not that he is a racist, but that he is a creature of the deep, blithely swimming around without noticing that others are being crushed by the enormous weight of racism.
And if he does not have enough empathy to recognize human suffering, why should anyone think that he deserves to lead a nation as diverse as America?
Oscar H. Blayton is a former Marine Corps combat pilot and human rights activist who practices law in Virginia.
This article originally appeared in the Florida Courier.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of September 4 – 10, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 4 – 10, 2024
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Activism
Oakland Post: Week of August 28 – September 4, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of August 28 – September 4, 2024
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Black History
The Value of the Black Vote
It’s time to take control of our own narrative: When they say ‘January 6’ we say “yeah, but how about Jan. 7?’ JUNETEENTH – JAN. 7. In the vast chronicle of American history, two dates in particular have come to symbolize the nation’s ongoing journey towards making its founding ideal of democracy a reality for all its citizens – Juneteenth and January 7th.
![In May, President Joe Biden bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Congressman James Clyburn. Photo courtesy of Congressman James Clyburn.](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/juneteenth-to-jan-6-featured-web.jpg)
By J. Barry Washington
Special to The Post
It’s time to take control of our own narrative: When they say ‘January 6’ we say “yeah, but how about Jan. 7?’
JUNETEENTH – JAN. 7
In the vast chronicle of American history, two dates in particular have come to symbolize the nation’s ongoing journey towards making its founding ideal of democracy a reality for all its citizens – Juneteenth and January 7th.
Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, commemorates June 19, 1865 – the day the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned they had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation over two years earlier.
While the Emancipation Proclamation had officially abolished slavery in 1863, it could not be enforced in places still under Confederate control until Union troops arrived to enforce the order. Juneteenth thus marks the definitive end of slavery in the United States – a pivotal milestone in the struggle to realize America’s professed commitment to liberty and equality.
For more than a century-and-a-half since, Juneteenth has been celebrated by African American communities as a hard-won affirmation of their long-denied rights and humanity.
In 2021, it was also enshrined as a federal holiday with the passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. This official recognition underscored Juneteenth’s status as a commemoration not just of the end of slavery, but of Black Americans’ perseverance in the face of bondage and injustice to continually hold America to its founding promise of freedom for all.
At the other end of the historical spectrum lies the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of rioters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Spurred by the false claims of widespread voter fraud propagated by former President Donald Trump and his allies, the insurrectionists sought to prevent the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory through force and intimidation.
The value of the Black vote during the Jan. 7, 2021, certification of the presidential election cannot be overstated. The unprecedented turnout of Black voters, particularly in key swing states, played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the election.
Despite facing numerous obstacles, including voter suppression efforts and the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black voters turned out in record numbers, exercising their fundamental right to have their voices heard.
The unwavering commitment of Black voters to uphold the principles of democracy served as a bulwark against these nefarious efforts, ensuring that the will of the people was respected, and the peaceful transfer of power could proceed.
The Black vote’s impact extended beyond the immediate electoral outcome, as it also served as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle for equal rights and representation in the United States.
The resilience and determination displayed by Black voters in the face of adversity resonated across the nation, inspiring others to defend the sanctity of the democratic process and uphold the values upon which the country was founded.
Juneteenth marked the official beginning of the still ongoing struggle for former slaves of color to realize the full benefits and responsibilities of citizenship in this country.
We have again fulfilled our responsibilities by being the difference on Jan. 7, 2021, by nullifying the efforts of the January 6 mob. Now it’s time for the descendants of those former slaves of color to realize maximum benefits of that citizenship.
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