Joe Biden was using feminism as a stamp, a shield against criticism, and a sham of solidarity. bridgetgillard writes
Joe Biden. Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images Even if you didn’t watch the most recent Democratic primary debate, in a cavernous, studio featuring a lonely Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, you probably know by now about its most noteworthy moment. Biden, in response to questions about who he would pick as his running mate from CNN’s Dana Bash, said that it would probably be a woman.
On the night that Democratic voters finally got to see the contenders they were left with — two old white men whittled down from a historically diverse set of candidates — Biden’s promise was met with gravity that matched his mood, from a wide range of observers.
The positive reactions on cable TV and Twitter to Biden’s response made me feel like I was living on another planet, considering the hypocrisies of heralding Biden as some kind of feminist ally.
It isn’t just that Biden has a troubling past when it comes to women’s issues. He still falls short. Yes, it has been many years since Biden voted against a proposed child tax credit, writing in an op-ed that women working outside the home would “create the deterioration of family,” but he has yet to release a stand-alone child care plan. His parental leave policy offers 12 weeks when his opponent, Sanders, supports twice that amount. His health-care plan leaves 10 million people uninsured.
These are policy gaps that will affect many women, but they were all but forgotten next to the spectacle of his VP gesture. Biden was using feminism as a stamp, a shield against criticism, and a sham of solidarity. It’s even more insulting given the timing: during the midst of the coronavirus crisis, which has put women in this country at extreme risk, and upped the stakes of the race. We need a candidate committed to improving the lives of the most women, not to optics.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Biden Pledges To Select Woman As Vice President Since Position Doesn’t Entail Much AnywayWASHINGTON—In a bid to secure support for his nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, Joe Biden reportedly pledged Sunday to select a woman as vice president since the position doesn’t entail much anyway. “I promise that my vice president will be a woman, since pretty much anyone can do this job, so I figure, hey, might as well pick a lady,” said Biden, adding that he knew from experience in his eight years as U.S. vice president that the position was essentially ceremonial and required no real work, so he had no reservations about handing it to a woman. “You basically just sit on your can all day and maybe show up at a meeting every month or two, so if a woman wants to do that, be my guest. I could see myself selecting [Senator] Amy Klobuchar, [former Georgia State Rep.] Stacey Abrams, or any one of the tens of millions of women perfectly capable of pulling off this no-show gig. I don’t really care what her politics are, and anyway it hardly matters. This works out well, actually, since I can stick a lady in the VP spot and don’t have to put one in an important role on the cabinet.” At press time, Biden was being praised by members of the media and his own party for his commitment to symbolic representation in an office that most people forget about half the time.
Read more »
Joe Biden pledges to pick a woman to be his running mateFormer Vice President Joe Biden committed to picking a woman as his running mate during Sunday's Democratic debate.
Read more »
Kate Beckinsale Says Harvey Weinstein Berated Her for Not Dressing Slutty“He said, ‘If I am throwing a red carpet you get in a tight dress, you shake your ass, you shake your tits.’”
Read more »
Biden commits to naming woman as running mateJoe Biden publicly committed to picking a woman as his running mate. He also pledged to nominate a black woman to the Supreme Court
Read more »
Biden Pledges to Name Woman as VP - WSJ.comJoe Biden pledged at the DemDebate to pick a woman as his vice president if he wins the Democratic nomination. Bernie Sanders said 'in all likelihood' he would choose a woman as his VP.
Read more »