Joe Biden can’t seem to get out of his own way.
His campaign started the day by defending his nostalgia for a more civil Washington — when getting things done meant working with segregationists on occasion.
His comments at a campaign fundraiser in New York Tuesday night drew swift rebukes from his Democratic rivals for president, drawing the controversy into the next news cycle.
The backlash Biden faces from his rivals is less about his record on race — he has long fought for racial equality — and far more about whether he truly appreciates the changes that have taken place in his own party during a career that began in the early 1970s. Biden harkened back to a time when even segregationist lawmakers were acceptable in polite company, but he is aiming for the White House at a time when such historic figures are viewed as abhorrent.
The 76-year-old former vice president is taking the focus off his own contribution to history as the vice president of the first US African American president. Instead, his crusade to restore civility to America’s tortured political life is exemplified by his past relationship with two segregationist senators.
The controversy bolstered suggestions that some of the views and sensibilities that are the legacy of Biden’s near half-century-long political career are out of step with the modern Democratic Party.
It’s not the first time he’s faced such challenges. Earlier this month Biden reversed his position on the federal funding of abortion and he’s had to change his style on the stump after some women said his tactile manner made them uncomfortable.
Biden’s leading Democratic rivals were quick to exploit his stumble Wednesday as they sought to turn his years of experience into a liability rather than the core of his argument that no man has ever been better prepared to be president. It was also a chance for them to pull Biden, who has tried to hover above the sharp elbows of the race as front-runner, more directly into the fray.
Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders waded into a backlash triggered by another Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Cory Booker, who was quick to spot an opening for a campaign that has struggled to get coverage.
“Vice President Biden’s relationships with proud segregationists are not the model for how we make America a safer and more inclusive place for black people, and for everyone,” Booker said, and called on Biden to apologize.
But the Democratic front-runner — who has been at the vanguard of his party’s evolution on some issues, like same-sex marriage — reacted defiantly to the New Jersey senator’s demand. Asked by CNN whether he should say he was sorry, he said: “Apologize for what?” before adding, “Cory should apologize.”
“He knows better. There’s not a racist bone in my body. I’ve been involved in civil rights my whole career,” Biden added.
In an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon later on Wednesday night, Booker said, “I know that I was raised to speak truth to power, and I will never apologize for doing that, and Vice President Biden shouldn’t need this lesson.”
The question, however, is less about Biden’s record on race than whether he has truly appreciated the changes that have taken place in his party during a career that began in the early 1970s, when even segregationist lawmakers were acceptable in polite company, and could culminate at the White House at a time when such historic figures are viewed as abhorrent.
Biden’s remarks, at a fundraiser on Tuesday night, came amid increasing scrutiny over the staying power of his early polling lead. They were a gift to his rivals as the race kicks into high gear before next week’s first Democratic debates.
And they suggest that Biden may not have completely purged a historic propensity for self-inflicted political wounds that has stayed mostly dormant in a tightly controlled campaign rollout.