Good ole Joe is getting a little testy about being questioned on his very long record in public service. He didn’t appreciate being held accountable for his record on votes concerning the LGBTQ community during a forum in Iowa Friday. His exchange with a female moderator is being described as “tense”.
Lyz Lenz, a Cedar Rapids Gazette columnist, asked Biden about his support of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 and the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy in 1994, during his time in the Senate. She then tossed in his past comment that Vice-President Mike Pence was a “decent guy”. Pence is a persona non grata for the intolerant. The audience booed at the mention of Pence. So, as a life-long politician is prone to do, he turned it back on his questioner. “You’re a lovely person.” Yikes! She responded by saying, “Just asking the questions people want to know.”
An attention grabbing moment from Biden’s time on stage when moderator @lyzl pushed Biden on past votes and calling @VP a “decent guy.”
“You’re a lovely person,” Biden tells the moderator to laugher.
“Just asking the questions people want to know,” she replied pic.twitter.com/DB10NGuBCP
— Molly Nagle (@MollyNagle3) September 21, 2019
Why didn’t he just reach over and pat her on her head? He smiled, as though that would soften up his sexist response. Lenz did not take kindly to the slam masked with a phony smile, as you would imagine. Then to add fuel to the fire, as they were walking off the stage, he said to her, “You’re a real sweetheart.”
https://twitter.com/lyzl/status/1175210968185524225
Was it a gotcha series of questions? Yes, it was. So what? His supporters are getting pissy with her for asking the questions in their responses on Twitter (note that she is using “real sweetheart” in her Twitter handle today) as though gotcha questions are not part of any political interview. In something as important as the race for a political party’s presidential nomination, all candidates have to be prepared for all kinds of snark and being held accountable for past political actions, especially Joe Biden. Biden has been a member of the swamp for over forty years, for fark’s sake. He’s not new here.
She found Biden’s remarks as “condescending”. Biden went on to one-up Barack Obama on his early support of same-sex marriage. “I didn’t have to evolve.”
Biden is rapidly proving to be the Hillary Clinton candidate of 2020. He’s old and been a swamp creature for way too long. Now he feels entitled to the nomination and the presidency. Biden doesn’t think he needs to be questioned on anything along the way. It’s the kind of arrogance that happens when politicians past their expiration date refuse to just get off the stage.
Grandpa Joe still has the lead in Iowa with 24.5% in the Real Clear Politics average. Elizabeth Warren is at 20.8%, in second place.
The big political event this weekend in Iowa happens today with the Iowa Steak Fry. Maybe Joe can smooth things over with the ladies.
Undecided voters like Elphic can show up to another big political event on Saturday: the Iowa Steak Fry, where organizers grill 10,500 steaks for more than 12,000 attendees, who will get to hear from 17 candidates. The event will also have 1,000 vegan burgers, all of it made on 10 grills by 40 grillers.
I’ll be here with the popcorn.
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