No one can credibly accuse Joe Biden of being out of touch with his emotions.
That was clear at his press conference today (something for which the Beltway media has been clamoring...) when a reporter asked him about GOP state legislatures passing laws restricting voting access. Her framing demonstrated exactly how the media misjudges Biden's motives and, yes, political astuteness.
She wanted to know if he was worried about voter suppression leading to losing seats in the House and the Senate, and ultimately, power. He let her know immediately what was top of mind for him — just how detestable and racist these initiatives are.
"What I'm worried about is how unAmerican this whole initiative is. It's sick. It's SICK!" he emphasized. "Deciding in some states that you can not bring water to people standing in line waiting to vote? Deciding that you're going to end voting at 5:00 when working people are just getting off work? Deciding that there will be no absentee ballots under the most rigid circumstances?" His disgust was palpable.
He ticked off the things he'll do to combat the GOP's regressive moves: "One, trying to figure out how to pass the legislation passed by the House, number one. Number two, educating the American public. The Republican voters I know find this despicable. Republican voters. The folks out in the -- outside this White House. I'm not talking about the elected officials. I'm talking about voters. Voters." Biden's a much nicer fella than I am when describing these GOP voters, or maybe he's just met nicer Republicans, but I'll defer to him.
Thoroughly worked up, he finished, "And so, I'm convinced that we'll be able to stop this, because it is the most pernicious thing. This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle. I mean, this is gigantic, what they're trying to do. And it cannot be sustained."
Sick. Despicable. Pernicious. And not at all about his personal ability to hold on to power, or the Democrats' ability to maintain majorities in Congress. It's about the voters. These laws are punching down on voters who have STILL yet to realize full autonomy and freedom in this society. Don't get it twisted. Joe Biden doesn't.
