Vice President Joe Biden has a long and storied history of saying the wrong things. In the past, Biden has been called out for insensitive remarks on the avian flu, the vice presidency, Obama’s inauguration, the names of various justices and, of course, race. In each instance, the media has been eager to repeat and examine Biden’s gaffes, but what conclusions we should draw from these remarks, if any, have been a topic of more serious discussion?
Biden’s latest slip-up involved a speech given in front of a predominantly African-American audience, in which Biden told the crowd that Romney’s financial policies will “put y’all back in chains.” The statement has drawn fire from pundits who have accused Biden of everything from insensitivity to outright racism. Some of these accusations are overblown, but others deserve closer examination.
It needs to be said upfront: Biden is not a racist. Obama wouldn’t have picked him for the vice-presidency otherwise, and he’s never shown a hint of discrimination in his politics. The thought that Biden’s “chains” comment is indicative of some kind of underlying racial prejudice is laughable, and it frankly only serves to distract from more meaningful discussion.
However, it is important to consider the implications of Biden’s comments. The use of “y’all,” coming from an elderly Pennsylvanian white man, is in itself suspect. True, all politicians adopt different speech patterns to better relate to their audience, but Biden is doing it wrong. It’s not exactly sinister, but Biden comes across as patronizing and superior. If Biden thinks that all it takes to relate to the constituency is the adoption of a colloquialism that he would obviously never use under normal circumstances, then Republicans may be on to something when they label him an “elitist.”
More offensive, however, is Biden’s reference to slavery. This analogy is not only divisive, but manipulative and completely irrelevant to the topic at hand. Biden’s comments show a remarkable lack of respect for his constituency, African American or otherwise, and an alarming apathy towards productive, honest discourse.
As one of the most influential men in the world and someone dedicated to the service of his country, Biden should understand the value of effective and candid communication. Instead, he seems ready and willing to manipulate Americans for votes.
This may seem trivial, but it’s really, truly not. If Obama wins the coming election, Biden may someday need to step into his role as president. And one way or another, he helps to set the tone for political discourse throughout the country. His comments matter, and more importantly, his attitude toward the American people matters.
If he continues to treat us as a source of votes to be exploited, it only stands to harm the integrity of America’s politics. And that, more than any other part of the Biden conversation, is something about which to be concerned.
