Uncle Joe and the problem with touching….
…or How in the hell am I defending Joe Biden?
Here’s our own Veritas Omnia Vincit, and his thoughts on who may well be the next Democrat Presidential Candidate, Joe Biden. I’m sure you all have your opinions of Uncle Joe, as do I. Here’s V:
Veritas Omnia Vincit:
The Politics of Division, or How in the hell am I defending Joe Biden?
#metoo is a big deal in the United States these days, perhaps as it should be. After all we don’t want our wives and daughters being subject to sexual misconduct in the workplace or at leisure activities, nor should we make light of inappropriate contact in the workplace. Women shouldn’t be subject to unwanted touching by anyone, men need to be aware of how their conduct can easily be misunderstood or how their conduct is actually inappropriate and can be terms for dismissal from a professional work environment here in civilian land.
Joe Biden is a lot of things, he’s an old school corporate centrist Democrat first and foremost. He’s also just an old school old guy born in 1942 into a middle class family whose business had collapsed forcing them to live in at his grandma’s for a while before his dad was finally able to find some success selling cars. By all accounts his formative years were spent like most in America, in the middle class. By all accounts his Irish American family was a typical one with lots of physical displays of affection between family members. He played some high school football and was good enough he was part of a group of athletes who were able to turn their school’s rather dismal record into an undefeated season as a senior in high school.
He was involved in some anti-segregation demonstrations and was class president in college as a junior and senior. While he received deferments from the draft to attend college he never attended a single anti-war demonstration and was noted for wearing sport coats even in college instead of more casual clothing popular in the late sixties. He initially thought of himself as a Republican but disliking Nixon led him to register as an Independent instead. He was not a fan of the racial politics of the Democrats at that time. In 1969 he would change his party to Democrat after being part of a group of liberals trying to reform Democrat politics.
Why tell you all this? Because his background should matter as much as Kavanaugh’s did, because for me nothing about Biden from his past suggests he’s anything more than a loopy, huggy, touchy feely wienie. Also because for me there are a great many reasons to dislike Biden and his politics, but on principle I can find no reason to believe that he’s any sort of lifelong pervert touching women inappropriately and creating a trail of broken victims of sexual misconduct behind him.
For the record, I’m not a fan of Joe Biden. I never have been and I never will be largely due to our differences over politics. Today however we seem to be using all manner of devices to divide us for reasons unrelated to our political beliefs in an effort to defame or question our personal morality to diminish our opinions or disqualify us from serving. Our actions if criminal should indeed do that, our actions if merely making others uncomfortable, should never create such a negative result.
The #metoo movement serves a valuable purpose in bringing to light numerous things long hidden in the dark. Things that should, and do, disgust decent men in our society. That said, during the Kavanaugh hearings I was pissed off that an undocumented accusation of a more serious crime could be the basis for ruining a life and preventing someone from taking a judgeship. If we are to be true to the law, documented complaints filed within an appropriate legal time frame need to exist otherwise the complaints must be considered to lack merit and the accused considered innocent. None of Biden’s accusers, like Kavanaugh’s, have filed a complaint. They’ve just mentioned they feel “uncomfortable”. I get that too as there are lots of people who make me feel “uncomfortable” from the dishrag handshake of one of my male vendors to the odd “smokers voice” low pitch at the end of every sentenceof a majority of young women’s speech patterns these days. None of that is criminal though.
However, Joe Biden has been in the limelight for decades, he has most likely met and touched thousands of women. Today though,based on the accusations of a few women who feel uncomfortable I’m supposed to think he’s not qualified for president? It seems wrong on principle to go after him on a feeling versus an actual charge or even a complaint filed somewhere with supporting criminal evidence.
I make a lot of people uncomfortable without ever touching them, in a career of management touching people has long been taboo. As a manager there also has to be something substantive for me to take action, hostile work environments require more than a feeling of discomfort to litigate successfully.
This is why a lack of formal complaints filed with an appropriate legal body make this attack on Joe Biden completely inappropriate for me. The “feelings” of discomfort could easily have been solved by simply telling Mr. Biden to never touch them that way again.
Should Joe Biden stop touching women? Of course, that should have been discussed with him decades ago, for this very reason. But based on his upbringing and the fact he appears to be one of those touchy-feely huggy sons a bitches I can’t see how this would disqualify him from the presidency in any way, shape, or form. There are dozens of other reasons he should never be president in my opinion, and I’m always happy to discuss and explain those reasons with anyone having some time to kill.
We need to stop the asinine rhetoric and get back to a more substantial debate over actual policy views and processes to achieve those visions. That’s probably not likely but one can dream.
For the TL:DR crowd the synopsis is this, I’m not going to be joining the chorus of voices talking about Biden being unqualified for his alleged inappropriate touching. I will be among those talking about his disastrous views on a variety of political issues and his close association as Vice President to one of the least transparent and honest administrations in our history.
Thanks for reading,
VoV
Yeah, well, there are enough legitimate political issues Joe needs to address, and I won’t go into them here. Thanks, V, for being the adult in the room.
Category: Guest Post, Media
Female national leaders around the globe are cringing at the thought of President Biden, AKA “Creepy Uncle Joe”, feeling them up on the world stage. That whack job must have some mental imbalance from Dow Chemical spills in Delaware. Joe’s gonna need more and better hair plugs for his campaign run.
Well, bashing Trump for being rude and clueless will likely fade away.
Tend to agree… I don’t see Biden’s actions as disqualifying by themselves, and it’s about time some of these whiny types grow a set and turn around and slap the asshat who gropes ’em. Lord help the clown who gropes one of my daughters, he’ll get to see something he has never seen before.
Now Biden’s POLITICS are completely disqualifying. (Should we mention he ‘dodged the draft’ with 5 exemptions like someone else we know?)
You nailed it on that first paragraph. An nasty old tickle monster man at church tried that shit once. Caught me off guard. I pulled my yound son away and told him not to do that again. A week later he came walking up while I was in a group all talking. He reaches out from the other side (thought i wasnt watching) to try the same thing. Grabbing and tickling just below the belt line. I snatched his wrist so hard and tweaked it and sternly said “No! Do not touch my Son!” He replied that he had grankids. Wtf so? I said “then go tickle their asses!” He turned red and his wife pulled at him and told him they had to go. Then the conversations resumed after a weird silent pause. Lol.
Young son. Not yound sin. Good grief my spelling!
Saw the typo, self corrected.
Good move.
DOUG out
I agree. I’m not a fan of Biden either for various reasons. I also agree that this recent spate of destroying men’s lives based on nothing more than an allegation or innuendo must stop.
There are many people who are the “touchy-feely” sort. I know a few who are like that. They connect with people and show their emotions through hugs and other innocent physical contact, a touch on the sleeve or slap on the back. It doesn’t make them molesters or sexual offenders.
“Unka Joe” may be creepy, but I’ve not seen anything that would be called criminal. Some may say that his creepy touchy-feely way is a symptom of a much deeper depravity. That could be possible. But until evidence of that depravity comes to light he shouldn’t have his life destroyed.
But “Unka Joe” has other problems that will prevent him from being the Democratic Party nominee. They are beyond his control, but he’ll be held responsible nonetheless. He’s old and he’s white. That’s a death knell in the new extreme left Democratic Party. Do you hear that Comrade Bernie?
This is why a lack of formal complaints filed with an appropriate legal body make this attack on Joe Biden completely inappropriate for me.
Complaints made to who or what body or organization? Who were these women supposed to go to?
Furthermore, Biden voted on legislation that made illegal the very actions in which he engaged.
We need to stop the asinine rhetoric and get back to a more substantial debate over actual policy views and processes to achieve those visions.
Sorry, but I personally think the hypocrisy is a valid topic of substantial debate and policy.
If elected officials are not holding to the laws they pass, why should anyone else be holding to those same laws and rules?
I don’t disagree with that Biden’s touchings should, taken by themselves, be disqualifying of the office.
However, they are indicative of an important issue and are another nail in Biden political coffin.
“Complaints made to who or what body or organization? Who were these women supposed to go to?”
You go right to Creepy Uncle Joe. It starts with the person on the receiving end of the unwanted touching.
No, it starts with Biden realizing how inappropriate his behavior is.
There is a tremendous power and authoritative difference between a Senator / Vice President and a peon in a receiving line or in a photo op.
The victims speaking up or not speaking up does not take away from the inappropriateness of his actions.
Let the demon rats continue to fight amongst themselves and throw one another under the bus. Maybe they can give it a lube job while they’re under it.
His touchy feely wouldn’t keep me from voting for him. Him being a big part of a lot of things wrong with our government would.
I’m not an Obama fan, but he pretty much nailed it when he said a few days ago that the Democrats have turned into a circular firing squad.
And in no way should we try to stop them.
I was prepared to join you in dismissing this as ho-hum, who cares until he “apologized.” When he stood up and said the words that he did not intend to make anyone uncomfortable, as if that excuses everything, he stepped in it big time. He is so self-absorbed that he can’t be bothered with such a small thing as paying attention to actions he is taking which make other people uncomfortable? What about all those folks who didn’t intend to get uncomfortable with him groping them?
There are plenty of pics around showing just how inappropriate his touches are – everything from guys looking like they want to slug him to women shrinking away from him. And no, we are not talking about gentle taps on the forearm or slaps on the back among friends. Nobody should have to put up with his hands going places they shouldn’t be and remaining there for entirely too long.
Maybe he should learn to bow like his old boss.
I agree for the most part.I think Joe would be a great guy to set and tell wild yarns with,but I to dislike his politics.when I was younger men were often accused of not showing affection as much as women would like them to show.I had a DI who warned us not to show affection in public to those slimey ass civilians.DIs were not very loving in those times.Joe has been caught in the mendacity of a culture that confuses itself about itself.Ive never been a woman,but I can’t imagine trying to choose a position between TIC TOC AND DON’T TOUCH ME .Caps unintended I can’t type or spell
Set politics aside, Biden goes way past the behavior of a compulsive hugger or someone who puts an arm around the shoulder in greeting. Trying to comfort someone who’s nervous with a quick shoulder squeeze is one thing. But the repeated hair sniffing, nuzzling, and kissing young girls on the head is well over the line of proper decorum. In a more gentle time he would’a been run out of town.
So he swam in front of women naked when he was younger as well..???
If by younger you mean 3 or 4 years ago, then yes, he did.
Has anyone ever told Biden “Stop that shit, you asshole”? No. If someone – anyone – had simply turned on him and said ‘Get your paws off me, you moron’ in a loud and angry voice, he might have stopped long ago. And I agree that his hands-on crap with kids and with women he does not know well is what makes him a bigger social moron than Obama.
But no on has yet snapped at him about it, and he just goes on, probably will until he croaks, and even then, he’ll reach out of his casket and pat one of the mourners on the ass.
The rest of it – his political views and history – make him such a numbnuts that I wouldn’t vote for him, anyway, because he does NOT have what it takes to make The Other Guy back down.
Every time I read about Ole Uncle Joe and his touchie feelings, this song comes to mind….especially the first few verses.
Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams both did great versions of it.
VoV, I agree with your general assessment of Biden, with one minor exception and that is your following comment …”The ‘feelings’ of discomfort could easily have been solved by simply telling Mr. Biden to never touch them that way again.” As I’ve told my wife, these women could have easily changed Old Joe’s behavior with simply, a dirty look.
I, too, had pretty much the same bourgeois upbringing Biden did. We learned that touching and nuzzling strange girls was a definite nono. I saw it done, however, and I saw how uncomfortable the girls were. Any halfway intelligent person, and Biden claims to be exceptionally intelligent, knew it was a nono and could observe the reactions of the victims. Hell, even a serial sex offender like slick willie knew better.
Biden IS a creep and a perv. Even if he, too, has grandchildren.