Creepy Uncle Joe

Joe Biden, who has been coy about his intentions about running for president (though everyone thinks he will) got into the news this week for something that he had to get ahead of--his penchant for getting too grabby with women. Starting with Lucy Flores, a few more women have come out and said he made them feel uncomfortable by his wanderings hands or kissing them without asking.

I think this is a tempest in a teapot. The gaul of Donald "Grab 'em By the Pussy" Trump making fun of him and labeling him "Creepy Uncle Joe," when he has admittedly wandered into the dressing room at the Miss Teen USA pageant while underage girls were in various states of undress takes the cake. What Biden is accused of doing, by all who have complained, is not sexual. He's just an old man who is used to backslapping and hugging (he also hugs men way too much).

Flores supported Bernie Sanders in 2016, so some wonder if this isn't a political hit job. I don't know, but I think this takes #MeToo a little far. These women are complaining about having their personal space violated, which happens to us all on occasion, especially if we're on a crowded subway. Certainly Biden meant no harm, and his apology and promise not to do it anymore pretty much puts this issue to bed.

But I do not want Biden to run, or if he does, to win. There are plenty of other reasons. Biden seems like a genuinely nice man who cares about people--his work on sexual harassment in colleges is noteworthy, and he forced Barack Obama's hand on same-sex marriage--but there are some disturbing things about his career that must be addressed.

First, his age. This may appear ageist, but I do not want an octogenarian in the White House, which Biden would be were he to serve a full term. The same goes for Sanders. Both men may be sharp, but it can go quickly. We already have a nutcase in the White House, we don't need to go through this again.

But more than that, some Biden policies are unpleasant. His handling of the Anita Hill hearings, for example, which he has also apologized for. But will he apologize for his cozying up to the banking industry (he represented Delaware, home of credit card companies, and it shows), his aggressive stance on crime in the '90s, which led to mass incarceration, or his endorsement of a Republican candidate for Congress when he damn well knew that getting back the House was critical for Democrats. Friendship across the aisle is one thing, but this was short-sighted.

After fifty years in politics, Biden is the ultimate insider, an old white man who knows the workings of Washington. But is that a good thing? Probably not. He has a delusion that he is the only one who could beat Trump. He may well be able to, and if he is the nominee I'll be behind him completely, but after the rainbow coalition that got elected in 2018, it's a turning point for Democrats. We need to go younger, to introduce a new generation of Democrats to the country, not the usual suspects.

Uncle Joe, I implore you to sit this one out. And back the fuck off when it comes to women.