So the consensus seems to be: It was fine for Biden to say "Go easy on me, kid" to Harris.

[pnwmom]

Does that mean it would be fine for Biden to say, "Go easy on me, kid" to Booker?

Because that's so different from "Go easy on me, boy"?

Just trying to get all this straight.

“She’s a senator and a bad ass. Not a kid,” wrote Democratic operative Christina Reynolds, the vice president of communications at EMILY’s List.

“And yes, some will say that’s just Joe being Joe. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t diminishing of her,” Reynolds continued. “He could have stopped at ‘Go easy on me.’ He didn’t. Call me humorless, and I suspect it won’t affect @KamalaHarris either way, but I don’t want someone calling me a kid.”

Bloomberg News reporter Jennifer Epstein weighed in: “I know Bidenisms and ‘kid’ certainly is one, but urging a 54-year-old U.S. senator and opponent ‘go easy on me, kid’ is not a great start for his efforts to reset with this debate.”

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/31/biden-calls-harris-kid-1442874

One analysis from popular Twitter account "Feminist Next Door," accused Biden of dropping a "single sentence quip intended to simultaneously diminish Harris and characterize her as overly aggressive."

"He'll say it was a joke, which is what his supporters will claim while belittling critics as humorless and aggressive. Women know it well," the account tweeted.

Another social media user, Rev. Laura Everett, agreed, writing: "'Go easy on me, kid' may pass to some as folksy banter, but underneath is centuries of sexism and racism, and a presumption of privilege where niceness avoids critique."

Activist Susan DuFresne also condemned the remark as "blatant sexism," writing in a tweet: "While watching the beginning [of the debate] I told my husband it seemed Kamala Harris was upset-like someone said something to her. Later, heard Joe Biden told her, 'Go easy on me, KID'."

https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-kamala-harris-go-easy-me-kid-1452062

[JI7]

1. this isn't helping Harris. things like this just result in more support for Biden

Tulsi Gabbard is the real enemy.

[left-of-center2012]

2. Huh ?

Seems Newsweek's Chantal da Silva is really stretching to attack Biden.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

6. +1

[George II]

3. It was during their initial greeting before the debate began, and they exchanged this, too:

"are we good?" "we're good."

Wonder why people are so upset about this when even Kamala Harris wasn't upset?

You know, later on during the actual debate, she referred to him as "Senator Biden", anyone upset with that?

[treestar]

4. Kid and boy are not the same

How ridiculous. Southern racists never used kid.

This is such a dumb issue.

Is this why Harris should be POTUS? Because she is the victim of so many of Biden's words? That's not a good reason for a person to be POTUS.

[cynatnite]

8. nailed it.n/t

[pnwmom]

12. The word "kid" wasn't in common usage in that era. It began when I was a "kid"

and I can remember adults objecting that kids were for goats, not for people.

[Lucid Dreamer]

38. There were at least 14 pro baseball players born before 1900 nicknamed "Kid." nt

[EarnestPutz]

71. Perfect. It's baseball, and the moniker was a form of endearment. A young player...

...or one who looked young was a "kid", or one who was capable of playing with the older guys.

[pnwmom]

113. How many 54 year olds were called "kid"? How many 54 year old male Senators

have you ever heard of being called kid?

[EarnestPutz]

184. I'm on social security and my 90 year old neighbor calls me "kid". If you respond ...

....to this it will be your 27th response on this thread,almost all to people you disagree with. That's fine, but you're kind of out numbered. Keep fighting the good fight.

[pnwmom]

187. This isn't in a professional context. It's one old guy joking to another old guy.

And most of the people here who think it's fine to call a 54 year old professional woman a "kid" on a public stage, in front of rolling cameras, would object to anyone calling Biden an old man -- even though he is certifiably an old man.

[SMC22307]

193. My 94-year-old neighbor calls the 60-something gay couple across the street "the boys,"

and they find it endearing. They help her around the house and yard, bring her Christmas cookies, helped throw her recent birthday party. I'm in my 50's and she calls me "kid" or "kiddo." NOT OFFENDED.

You don't get to decide what is/isn't offensive to other people. And you, and others, need to stop this insanity b/c it plays right into the right-wing "snowflake" narrative. Rethuglicans will wipe the floor with us if they perceive us as the party finding offense at every turn rather than the party offering up ways to better their lives. JUST STOP.

"Kid" is neutral -- it could apply to Harris or Booker or Mayor Pete. Calling Booker "boy" on the other hand, would be clearly wrong.

[jberryhill]

74. Nonsense

“Kid” is often used as a term of respect... it wasn’t “Billy The Boy”.

[msongs]

87. were you born before the movie Casablanca then? nt

[Clash City Rocker]

153. It was commonly used a lot earlier than that

[kcr]

112. I'm sorry

[Hekate]

175. My mom had 4 kids, all Boomers. Our neighborhood was full of kids. We played in the street...

...when we were kids. Only grammar nazis complained about the usage. This was in the San Fernando Valley in So Cal.

My husband speaks to his brothers as kiddo. They grew up in NY City.

[George II]

16. He should have handled it with "kid" gloves!

[MyOwnPeace]

39. Love it!!!!

My GAWD, we have SO many more things to be concerned/worried about than this.
Yes, I'm an "old white guy" and I truly see it as nothing more than Uncle Joe setting the stage with a friendly quip to let her know that they're "OK" and things will move forward.
Making it out to be something demeaning, putting someone in place, or belittling - that's a stretch that I'm not seeing.

[George II]

54. When I was in my late 60s I worked with a woman several years older than me....

...she always referred to me as "kid", it was a term of familiarity.

Biden and Harris have known each other for years. Remember, she was AG when Beau was AG of Delaware, they worked together on collaborative legal cases as AGs.

[Midnight Writer]

73. When I was in my 60s I worked with a lot of people younger than me. They called me "old timer".

I managed to get through it with minimal emotional scars.

I have many friends today who call me by my "cute" childhood nickname. They are not insulting me when they do so.

Again, the standard is context and intent. The context is they have known each other for years and have a familiar relationship. The intent was not to publicly slur Kamala Harris.

[lapucelle]

72. ...

I kid you not, George. That was funny.

[sheshe2]

99. No kidding.

[abqtommy]

5. This is much a-doo doo

about nothing.

[cynatnite]

7. Seriously, I can't believe this is something that would upset anyone...

It's ludicrous.

[SMC22307]

11. It's silly season 15 bleepin' months before the election.

Republicans are going to wipe the floor with us if we keep up this nonsense.

[cynatnite]

58. Agree completely....

I'm not watching any more of the debates until after the primaries are finished. I know all I need to know.

[SMC22307]

194. We're doing nothing but handing fodder to Drumpf to use against us in the GE.

The DNC needs to get it together.

[GulfCoast66]

95. It doesn't. They are reaching.

[thesquanderer]

9. Yes, of course, there's a huge difference between calling Booker kid vs. boy.

Were you joking?

The closest analogy I can think of would be if he had said to Harris, "Go easy on me, babe." But even that probably doesn't quite capture it.

[pnwmom]

15. What's the difference? Both are terms for a young juvenile.

One refers to a young juvenile of either gender; the other only refers to males.

[Trenzalore]

20. "Boy"

Has racist implications. Kid does not.

Seriously.

[pnwmom]

28. "Kid" was a slang term not in use in the slave era.

"Boy" was used because it was diminishing to be compared to a child. It's also diminishing for a professional woman to be called a "kid" or a "babe."

[Trenzalore]

36. I'm a white male in my 40s

When I was in my 20s the guys at the office in their 40s and 50s called me a kid.

Where do I collect my check?

[pnwmom]

43. Is anyone calling you a kid NOW? Kamala is 54 years old, at the peak of her professional career.

If you had been Attorney General and a Senator, would you expect other professionals to call you "kid"?

It's telling that you had to look back all the way into your 20's for your example. That's the point.

[Trenzalore]

49. Actually yes

I go to a club here in PA. I leave work at 4 somedays and generally the retirees are all there. They refer to me as a kid all the time.

When I was in my 20s I was a professional with professional certifications. I didn't think I should be taking offense.

[pnwmom]

53. You are talking about a personal setting, not a professional setting.

Being called a "kid" in a professional setting in your 20's isn't equivalent to being called one in your 50's.

[Trenzalore]

56. If it is by a 70 year old who was Vice President of the United States

who also spent 40 years in the Senate and was Chairman of multiple Senate Committees etc.

Yes, yes it is.

[pnwmom]

60. That makes it LESS acceptable, not more. But gaffes like this aren't unusual for him. n/t

[Trenzalore]

63. If you ask me if making this an issue makes me more or less likely to vote for Harris

Making this an issue makes me less likely to vote for her.

[pnwmom]

65. If Biden is going to be our nominee, I want him to have fewer gaffes.

I know lots of people find these lovable, but they'll be used against him in the general.

[Trenzalore]

69. The President of the United States is on tape talking about sexually assaulting women

"Gaffes" are not what are going to lose or win the election.

[FBaggins]

151. Historically he IS gaffe-prone

And he’ll likely make a number of them (perhaps costing him the nomination)...

... none of which is an excuse to imagine one where it doesn’t exist.


So my answers to the implied questions of the OP are:

Yes - that’s the consensus. Because
Yes - there was nothing wrong with it. And
No - “kid” is in no sense the same as “boy” to Booker.

I’m in my 50s with lots of friends in their 70s/80s. I’m called “kid” on occasion and like it.

[Blue_true]

62. She is also a generation younger than Biden. "Kid" is a generational term,

not a racial one.

[thesquanderer]

32. Boy has an additional meaning when addressing a black man. (nt)

[pnwmom]

33. Kid has an additional meaning when addressing a black woman. n/t

[thesquanderer]

44. I've never heard that.

If that's true, it's certainly not as well known. I even google'd and couldn't find such a reference. (Unlike numerous references for the racism in calling a black man boy.)

[pnwmom]

51. Kid is just the gender-neutral term for child. Slave women were addressed as "girl"

in the same way that the men were called, "boy." It also wouldn't have been okay for Biden to call Booker a "kid."

Another social media user, Rev. Laura Everett, agreed, writing: "'Go easy on me, kid' may pass to some as folksy banter, but underneath is centuries of sexism and racism, and a presumption of privilege where niceness avoids critique."

https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-kamala-harris-go-easy-me-kid-1452062

[thesquanderer]

59. I'm not a big Biden fan, but this strikes me as nonsense.

If Harris wants to make it something, let her. We don't have to offer up righteous indignation on her behalf. She's shown she can speak for herself.

As I said elsewhere, as far as I'm concerned, calling someone 20+ years younger than yourself "kid" doesn't seem worth raising an eyebrow to me, especially when the people involved are friendly/familiar with each other. Which they are, or at least were!

But calling a black man "boy?" That's about as endearing as the n-word.

[pnwmom]

61. So would it have been fine for him to say, "Go easy on me, kid" to Booker?

Nothing wrong with that at all?

[thesquanderer]

82. It would probably be fine.

This reminds me of the whole "Biden is too touchy" thing, which was nothing, and this is even less than that. We know this about Biden... he is, from some people's perspectives, overly familiar. That behavior was not made to denigrate or make people uncomfortable, and this isn't either, it's the same Joe. He wants to be everyone's old buddy. In the case of Harris, as I understand it, they kind of WERE old buddies, which makes it a particular non-issue.

With Booker? If he had a friendly relationship with him, yeah, it would definitely be fine. If he really has hardly met the man, then maybe it could be a little off-putting, but still, no worse than if he'd said it to any of the white candidates similarly younger than him. From Joe's perspective, Kamela, Cory, and Mayor Pete are all "kids." OTOH, it would be weird if he called Bernie "kid."

[mr_lebowski]

180. 100% agree ... well said/thought through (nt)

[Blue_true]

57. No. It is generational.

Like a 55 year old pipe-fitter calling a 25 year old "kid". It is not used in a derogatory fashion like "boy" is.

[pnwmom]

67. So it would have been fine to say "Go easy on me, kid" to Booker?

Or to Obama?

Anything other than "boy" would be fine?

[Blue_true]

77. The two have not been used the same way.

"Kid" usually implies younger and more vibrant or active. I honestly have seen "boy" used positively in only two cases, like "My Boy", which can refer to a male child or a male friend that is killing it at something.

In a way, I can see your concern, but I don't agree with them. Maybe we have been cultured differently in regards to how to interpret both terms.

[ecstatic]

10. I rolled my eyes at this article. We all know what he meant.

1. Biden is old, so everyone is a kid to him. 2. It's a joke. 3. Time to move on.

[ancianita]

26. Exactly. This mountain out of molehill stuff is lame. Move on. It's an old expression, is all.

[emulatorloo]

13. Unrec. Tiresome fake outrage from the Twitterverse.

Let it go.

[left-of-center2012]

14. The 'sexist' is the author of the Newsweek piece

It's a dumb article.

[OilemFirchen]

17. Jesus Christ.

And by that I mean "Heavens to Betsy!" With apologies to Betsy, of course.

[Trenzalore]

18. He didn't say "boy" to Booker

If he said go easy on me kid to any other candidate it would be no different because other than Bernie they are all significantly younger than him.

As far as politics go, outside of Bernie, none of them have been in the game as long as Biden is.

Mixed with the fact that her entire criticism of him last debate is about a policy decision that he made when she was in fact a kid....

[pnwmom]

24. I know he didn't.

But why is "Go easy on me, kid" to a black woman fine but "Go easy on me, boy" is not? The only difference is that the word "kid" is gender neutral.

[Trenzalore]

35. Because there isn't a history of southern white men putting down African American women

Using that word.

[pnwmom]

37. The word "kid" didn't become slang till much later. But slave women were called "girl" in the same

way that slave men were called "boy."

"Kid" is merely the gender neutral term for a child.

[Trenzalore]

41. My friend who is 60 refers to me as young feller

I'm going to sue his ass.

[pnwmom]

45. He's your friend, not your professional peer, deliberately calling you a kid

on a hot mic.

[lapucelle]

90. I think your timeline may be off.

kid (n.)

c. 1200, "the young of a goat," from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse kið "young goat," from Proto-Germanic *kidjom (source also of Old High German kizzi, German kitze, Danish and Swedish kid), of uncertain origin.

Extended meaning "child" is first recorded as slang 1590s, established in informal usage by 1840s. Applied to skillful young thieves and pugilists at least since 1812. Kid stuff "something easy" is from 1913 (the phrase was in use about that time in reference to vaudeville acts or advertisements featuring children, and to child-oriented features in newspapers).

In clothing, "made of soft leather," as though from the skin of a kid, but commercially often of other skins. Hence kid glove "a glove made of kidskin leather" is from 1680s; sense of "characterized by wearing kid gloves," therefore "dainty, delicate" is from 1856.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=kid

[pnwmom]

94. A word applied to "skillful young thieves and pugilists" in the 1800's would have been an insult. nt

[lapucelle]

98. Yes, but this is not the 1800's, and your timeline is still off.

[pnwmom]

101. Are you arguing that it would have been okay for Biden

to say to Booker, a 50 year old black man, "go easy on me, kid"?

You're seriously arguing that there would be no similarity between that and saying, "go easy on me, boy"?

Why was "go easy on me, boy"? insulting? Because it was used to put grown black men into the category of children.
"Go easy on me, kid" would also put a grown adult into the category of children. Same thing.

[lapucelle]

111. The expressions are very different.

One is a clear, purposeful. pejorative and the other is merely informal and familiar.

[sheshe2]

105. "Go easy on me, boy" is not?

pnwmom
24. I know he didn't.


But why is "Go easy on me, kid" to a black woman fine but "Go easy on me, boy" is not? The only difference is that the word "kid" is gender neutral.

Yet that was never said. You inserted it as a what if. "Boy"? Never said.

Let it go. Just Stop!

[pnwmom]

106. I didn't say it was. I said the word "kid" and "boy" are both ways of calling an adult

by a word used to designate children. So if one isn't acceptable the other isn't either.

[sheshe2]

108. You said it was a "racist" call out to Harris.

Please, just let it go, pnwmom.

[pnwmom]

109. I didn't say that. I said it was a gaffe. n/t

[sheshe2]

110. Alrighty then.

Night.

[tirebiter]

183. Not even. Get real.

[left-of-center2012]

19. Here's looking at you, kid

[George II]

22. ...

[Hoyt]

21. When I heard it, I thought it was a stupid thing to say, but not disrespectful.

[George II]

23. Certainly less disrespectful than her calling him "Senator" Biden.

[Hoyt]

25. I didn't see that as disrespectful either. Not much on protocol.

[left-of-center2012]

50. True

Harris 'demoted' Joe.

An elected official is referred to by the highest office the attained.

Imagine the outrage had he called her 'Attorney General Harris'.

[Cha]

185. Excellent points, of course! I wouldn't

think anything of it.. but some Biden detractors will grind every utterance into the Earth.. hoping others will take the bait.

[Gothmog]

27. Why is this objectionable?

[pnwmom]

30. Why is "boy" objectionable? Because it was comparing grown adults to a child.

Calling a professional black woman of 54 a "kid" has the same effect.

As multiple women explained in the two articles in the OP.

[Drunken Irishman]

80. He didn't call her boy.

[Gothmog]

122. This line of attack is really weak

[Gothmog]

121. Are you serious?

[pnwmom]

133. Yes, I am. Boy and kid mean the same thing except boy refers to a male, specifically,

and kid is general neutral.

Why does that seem so unreasonable?

Would you really have been fine with Biden saying to Booker, "go easy on me, kid"?

Biden's the guy who excused his racist Senator friend's use of the term "boy" by saying the Senator called him, "son."

[Gothmog]

142. If you want to worry about this, go ahead. I like dealing with real world issues

I really did wonder if this issue was from the Onion.

[Cha]

182. Ikr.. fretting

about pure speculation.. beyond ridiculous.

[OhZone]

29. Yeah, it's a term of endearment with friends and family really.

My brother and I are well over 30, and my uncle sometimes calls us kid or kids.

Really, the people who hate being called kids are kids. Like from 12 to 20 something.

You can call me young and card me any time at my age.

ha

Also, yeah, "here's looking at you, kid."

[pnwmom]

31. Among family it's fine. It's probably also fine if they call you, "old man," right?

It doubt anyone here would be defending her if she'd called him, "old man."

What is fine among family and friends isn't always fine in a professional setting.

[emulatorloo]

46. IRL Biden and Harris are collegial, and Harris and Beau were close. See this article

So this was family/friends.

Please just stop.


https://news.yahoo.com/kamala-harris-faced-political-heat-120953050.html

When Kamala Harris faced political heat, Delaware's Beau Biden had her back

USA TODAY
Meredith Newman
USA TODAYJuly 31, 2019

<snip>

When colleagues, political consultants and even White House officials questioned her decision, she found an ally — and friend — in Beau Biden, then Delaware's attorney general. He too was wary of the negotiations.

"There were periods, when I was taking the heat," Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir, "when Beau and I talked every day, sometimes multiple times a day.

"We had each other’s backs."

<snip>

When Beau died at age 46 in 2015, after battling brain cancer, Harris attended his funeral in Wilmington. Months later, she introduced Joe Biden at California's Democratic Convention.

"Joe has given so much to our country," she said in her speech. "On top of everything he has accomplished, he gave us my dear friend Beau Biden."

Joe Biden eventually endorsed Harris' campaign for Senate, citing Beau's longtime support for the California attorney general.

——————————-

From May, 2019

Link to tweet

[OhZone]

66. It really depends on context -

and tone. And the relationship between the two. We've been told they've been friends for a long time so -

But, I could call you a Mom and smile.

Or someone could call you a Mother- with an angry sounding tone.

Ha.

[pnwmom]

70. The setting was professional and public, not in the living room with friends.

How was it okay in this context?

[OhZone]

83. It's more like a couple of friends -

kidding around before auditioning for the same part.

[pnwmom]

96. It was on the stage before a formal debate, in front of a open mic.

All the cameras were pointing at them and the greetings were part of the public display.

[TrunKated]

163. yes...

He was "kidding." lol

[OhZone]

172. He's a old kidder. ha

[Scurrilous]

34. What a load of utter nonsense.

[MaryMagdaline]

40. It's diminishing etc etc but in the way of pre-game trash talk

He basically said, “Watch me kill you with kindness, starting right now.”

Am I disturbed? No. If it got under her skin I would be surprised.

[UniteFightBack]

47. I think it was a damn good way to break the ice. It was not pre game 'trash talk'. EYE ROLL. nt

[UniteFightBack]

42. That's right, that's the consensus. NEXT. nt

[YOHABLO]

48. I think this is more about ''Bidenisms'' than anything else.

I think people are reading way too much into this issue. It wasn't a racist remark, it wasn't sexist, it was Joe Biden being himself.

"While watching the beginning [of the debate] I told my husband it seemed Kamala Harris was upset-like someone said something to her.

Activist Susan DuFresne never says what her husbands reply was. It might have been "Oh for god's sake, stop making a mountain out of a molehill"

This is the type of rhetoric that divides us, it certainly doesn't unite us.

[Blue_true]

52. Completely different.

Kid is often used in a generational context, especially by someone from Biden's generation. He is a generation older than Harris.

"Boy" is historically used as a degrading term when spoken to another adult, with the height of vileness being how it is used toward Black men.

[4now]

55. It was the best line of the night

Sorry I cannot join the faux outrage.

[Thekaspervote]

64. Oh the recycled faux outrage appears again...

[Tipperary]

120. This whole thing is just silly.

People really like to get worked up over nothing.

[Princetonian]

68. So Harris deliberately misrepresenting Biden's position on busing and implying he's a racist is okay

... but this is an outrage?

[flamingdem]

107. this

[Chemisse]

75. When I heard it, I laughed. It is an older person joke, not meant to offend.

Instead it was likely meant to lighten the tension between them with a self-depreciating comment that exuded warmth (the 'kid' is meant almost as an affectionate term in this context).

Why do people find the littlest things and just pick over them? He's an older man and he speaks off the cuff, which means he is going to make dated remarks like this.

I'm sure there is plenty in terms of policy differences that people can discuss without going after what makes Joe Biden a kind and warm person.

[metroins]

114. I agree with your post.

[kacekwl]

146. Exactly. I don't know what era or how old

the people who are bothered by this are but you are spot on.

[Cha]

181. Mahalo, Chemisse.. well said!

[highplainsdem]

76. Considering the tension between them after Harris attacked Biden earlier, what Biden said

was a nice, friendly, teasing remark, obviously NOT meant as a serious appeal, NOR as an attempt to demean/diminish her.

[UniteFightBack]

85. I called it an 'ice breaker. nt

[highplainsdem]

92. Exactly. And as I pointed out in another thread, they've known each other for

years and he's probably called her "kid" before and she was fine with it.

[sheshe2]

78. Are you Kidding me?

Let it go.

This is OTT!

[Cha]

186. From 3 Kamala supporters, she..

Hekate.. https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=226452

Chemmise~https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=224563

nini https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=222655

[sheshe2]

192. Thanks, Cha!

[MadDAsHell]

79. " it seemed Kamala Harris was upset-like someone said something to her."

Wait till she hears the stuff the Orange Turd is gonna say about her. It'll make "go easy on me kid" sound like a love poem.

[PufPuf23]

81. Biden should step out of the competition for POTUS

Too much baggage and for him to continue only harms other prospective Democratic candidates.

What Biden did here is inherent to Biden and part of a past best left in the dust.

If Biden is the final Democratic candidate for POTUS, the GOP (Trump or another candidate) will likely win the election.

[Cha]

84. That's your opinion.. Joe Biden

has Many Supporters who are happy he's running.

[PufPuf23]

88. I understand this and that is their/your choice.

I do think the candidacy of Biden is a poor path for the Democratic party and nation.

So we have different opinions.

If the Democratic party did not make so many mistakes we as a party and nation would not be in the poor situation we are in at present.

As a liberal, anti-war Democrat for nearly 50 years I am used to not getting my druthers. Also unfortunate to most often be correct in hindsight.

[Cha]

93. Yeah, We Want Biden.

[emulatorloo]

103. He's polling at the top among Dem primary voters, so of course he should "drop out"

Sorry doesn’t make any sense to me.

Generally if you want your candidate to win the nomination, they will have to get the most votes. Other candidates have no obligation to “drop out” to make that happen for your candidate.

[PufPuf23]

170. Biden is leading current polls but we have yet to experience primary season.

As a Californian, I am glad out primary is scheduled earlier so will have more meaning than recent primaries.

IMO we need a younger and more progressive candidate not as tied to the party failures that brought us to the current debacle.

[Thekaspervote]

158. Hummm.... polls don't seem to indicate what you are professing. Any links you want to share?

[PufPuf23]

169. Never said anything about polls.

Merely stated my opinion on Biden as a candidate.

My gut instinct is that Biden will be a mistake for the Democratic party should he end up the POTUS nominee.

We have better and more progressive candidates.

All I know is that I have been a Democratic registered voter and have always voted Democratic for each election since 1972 when first was old enough to vote for POTUS) and do not intend to change.

I am used to not getting what I want politically.

[58Sunliner]

86. "Just trying to get all this straight." LOL.

But not before you label his intentions as racist and sexist.
I'm disappointed it's so disingenuous. Snarkasm.

[brooklynite]

89. "here's looking at you kid"

Sometimes an affectation is just an affectation.

[Devil Child]

91. Your linked articles highlight nothing to me but flailing attempts to incite outrage

Thanks for motivating(another) donation of mine to Sen. Biden.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/joe2020?refcode=frontpage

[GulfCoast66]

97. As if we need further proof Biden held his own!

And perhaps cemented his lead.

This whole thing make me think, “this all they got”?

He has the most popular idea on healthcare, foreign policy speech hit out of the park and Obama’s best bud.

But he called someone from a younger generation kid? The nerve!!!

Notice how few are talking about his opening statement, which, in my opinion, won the debate.

Everything else will be soon forgotten. He took it to trump in a dignified, Democratic manner. That is what resonates

[SouthernProgressive]

100. I just pulled a muscle. NT

[Vegas Roller]

102. Made up issue

It was kind of cute .... only the extreme anti-Biden forces are fuming while the rest of us watch in amusement.

Will a single Biden voter will change their mind because he called her a "kid"?

[Thunderbeast]

104. T H I S...I S...N O T...A...S T O R Y !

I, for one, am glad to see some smiles and comity among the candidates.

"If I can't dance...I don't wanna be part of your revolution"

[OnDoutside]

115. So this isn't from the Onion ?

[Gothmog]

124. I was wondering the same thing

I have trouble believing that this was a serious attack

[OnDoutside]

125. Humphrey Bogart would never survive in this era ;)

[Sneederbunk]

159. Nor want to.

[emmaverybo]

116. My dad called every one kid, me, my mom, his friends. He said of my fifty year old date, a college

prof with gray hair, “he’s a nice kid.” Biden does know Kamala by the way. If he called her kid during the debate, well then, you can make a case that he’s showing disrespect and over familiarity.

Otherwise, this is just the usual attempt to bash Joe and engage others in it over absolutely nothing.

[pnwmom]

117. He called her "kid" with cameras rolling and mic on, while the public introductions were being made

immediately prior to the debate.

It was inappropriate in a professional setting, and all he succeeded in doing was emphasizing his age.

[emmaverybo]

139. No problem with his age, which he can not hide. Why not then not act it? Yes, his use of kid shows

he’s older than Harris.

Still, the exchange was pre-debate. Really a mountain out of a molehill.

Love to hear your criticism of other candidates on substance and your positive comments on your
preferred. This post is in the “stirring it up” genre.

By the way, age is not a character flaw or an illness. Older people often refer in word or deed to their age when around younger folks. So he proudly owns his age and he light-heartedly owns his age, to which your post ascribes an offense against Harris. Dear lord, age as a weapon.

[True Dough]

118. This argument

is the weakest of weak sauce.

[Hav]

119. Fake outrage part 2!

Because posting the same nonsense in the other thread over and over wasn't enough.
I'm glad the the large majority here sees this for what it is. Made up bs to score some cheap points. No one's buying it, just give it a rest. It's embarrassing, to be honest.

The best part is, Harris wasn't offended at all. Probably because she understood it and they are relatively close. But I guess there is a need for people to "educate" her that she actually should have felt insulted by these words.

[Skya Rhen]

123. Correct - the general consensus is that the icebreaker was fine. Look at the Twitter comments,

Politico and Newsweek comments for proof.

[awesomerwb1]

126. Wow

Yes, yes it is.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

127. Oh, FFS, give it a rest! Aren't there bigger fish to fry?

[grumpyduck]

129. Bigger fish?

We have a huge WHALE to fry and people are getting upset about this?????

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

130. Exactly.

Nit-picking like this serves no purpose except to drag down Democrats.

[grumpyduck]

131. I think it's a symptom of the anger and frustration

that some people feel nowadays: they just have to find stuff to get pissed about.

[wyldwolf]

135. you are aware that 'fish' ...

... is used by some gay men to refer to smelly women.

You just insulted gay men AND smelly women. NOT OK!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

136. Oh, no, I had no idea! (Really!)

I rend my garment in shame. I am an insensitive, horrible person who is probably a Republican in disguise. I will now slink away in disgrace.

;D

[democratisphere]

128. I can't wait till this election is done and overwith.

[loyalsister]

132. It's NOT okay

It was at least as bad as using any other diminutive term in an unfriendly context.
No matter how he meant it, they were in a formal environment and there is no justification for using casual affection that is just as easily understood as asserting superiority.
It's an especially bad look when the electability = white man claim is festering just below the surface.

[Thekaspervote]

157. See post #137 and 148

[wyldwolf]

134. and everyone outside of the "progressive" bubble continues to laugh at this.

[OilemFirchen]

137. Did it bother you that most (perhaps all) of the male candidates...

kissed the female candidates on the cheek when they walked on stage? What about the light hug? Hands on shoulders?

[OilemFirchen]

148. Noisy fucking crickets.

Howsabout after the debate?

[Tarc]

138. Biden's condescension wasn't even remotely ok, and it is sad to see DU'ers here brush it off

with a dismissive "it's just locker room talk" esque brush-off.

[Hav]

140. Nice try connecting it to the Trump excuse for sexual assault

What many people here argued is how utterly ludicrous it is to fake this outrage about something that Harris didn't even feel insulted about because there was no reason to be offended.
It's hilarious that some claim that Biden was condescending or asserting his superiority by saying "Go easy on me, kid". Yeah, because that makes so much sense.

[Tarc]

141. The excuse-making continues...

[Hav]

144. You really think you've got a point?

I wasn't making an excuse as there was no excuse needed and no one being slighted by the original comment. I didn't deflect from the issue or tried to connect one point of view to an excuse used for sexual assault which is just a cheap and dishonest tactic. All I need to do is rely on the actual quote, others need to go way beyond it because their argument is so weak and ridiculous.
He literally joked that she'd go easy on him. If you believe that translates to being condescending, then we are dealing with different realities here.

[Tarc]

165. Mansplaining ftw...

Buh-bye.

[Hav]

171. Yes, just like I thought.

Thank you for confirming that you've got nothing of substance.
I understand that you have to run after your ridiculous argument has been such a complete failure. I'm not sure whether reverting to insults instead of arguing the points is a very convincing debate technique, though. Seems rather desperate but whatever helps...

[Thekaspervote]

155. Harris later said it was nothing. Your candidate is not outraged..why are you?!!

[Tarc]

166. No sense in kicking a man who can't even recite a website while he's down

[Demsrule86]

173. Well isuppose being in fourth place and all,Harris needs all the help she can

get...now using harmless slang...not really working.

[elocs]

143. Was the consensus fine when Biden was grandfatherly handsy and huggy with women?

Then why has he mostly stopped that behavior?

Bottom line: how did saying that help Biden in any way? It didn't.
"Go easy on me" Why, can't you take it?
I can't even imagine Sanders saying that and he's older than Biden.
"Kid" Really, is calling a female senator "kid" really a good idea?

Biden needs to learn to control his tongue and stop trying to be folksy.

[Hortensis]

145. Yes, it was fine. And because of determinedly hostile attitudes.

Here, this is to assist your "can't imagining." These're all women, of course, so you can tweak to visualize this behavior against men as needed. Although I've always kind of assumed he was probably taught to be cautious about that. The one swatting him is 80s-ish Senator Feinstein, but at least he's in no danger of being punched out. (Btw, the one laughing as she's literally bending over backward to get away from Sanders' hand? She's not really amused.)

There are other captured behaviors like this, including a clip of Sanders at the first debate, somehow bizarrely managing to swing that hand way over inside Biden's personal space at his podium. Biden's startled reaction was constrained by being on national TV at the time, but was pretty funny if you haven't seen it.

Link to tweet

Btw, Biden was chatting up close and person with a little girl just yesterday. It was charming, but since your imaginings might distress you I won't post a picture. Elsewhere, perhaps worse, Obama was cuddling babies...yet again! Why is that man always finding reason to put his hands on people too small and helpless to complain?

[elocs]

147. I can't imagine Sanders saying "Go easy on me kid"

but I guess you missed that. I could imagine Sanders saying, "Hit me with your best shot" or "Bring it on".

Please explain how it in any way helped Biden by saying, "Go easy on me kid".

There may have been a consensus here about Biden, but this is he DU alternate universe.
It certainly was not a consensus everywhere, not even among Democrats.

[Hav]

149. That's a strange argument

You can't imagine Sanders saying that because the two have completely different ways of talking and got accustomed to use different phrases and mannerisms. So naturally, there are phrases that Sanders doesn't use that Biden got used to using and vice versa.
For instance, I cannot imagine Biden (or any of the other candidates) discussing a topic while constantly planting his hand in someone else's face. I could also say that I cannot imagine Biden saying "Don't stand there" to push his wife behind him. But that's kind of a pointless argument when evaluating the tone and intent of an action isn't really dependent on whether another person would do it, too.

And it wasn't a phrase that was supposed to win anything for Biden. It was simply a friendly greeting between two colleagues.

[GulfCoast66]

168. I can't either...because none of the people are his friends!

Biden and Harris are friendly and actually have a good relationship.

[Gothmog]

150. None of the other presidential candidates gained any ground on Joe Biden

Link to tweet

[Thekaspervote]

152. If fact Today's Harris/hill poll shows Biden with a 2 to 1 lead over sanders

Harris and warren were down

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287225718

[Gothmog]

154. Joe is doing well

Joe is doing well https://www.politicususa.com/2019/08/02/joe-biden-is-rolling-as-no-one-gains-ground-after-second-debate.html

A looming problem for candidates is the new delegation allocation rules require that only candidates getting 15% of the vote or more in each primary and caucus are awarded delegates. This means that every candidate outside Biden who isn’t at less than 15% in any early state is flirting with not picking up delegates.

There is a sizable segment of Democrats who like and want Joe Biden as the party’s nominee. The possibility is growing that Biden catches fire in the early voting states and rolls to the nomination. The other candidates the nomination may have to beat Biden early or not at all, as these debates aren’t moving the needle and shifting voters away from the former vice president.

[Loki Liesmith]

156. Can't imagine caring

[comradebillyboy]

160. Yes it was perfectly OK.

[Cha]

179. Not if you are out

to parse it every which way from Sunday it's Not!

[comradebillyboy]

191. Some like to make mountains out of mole hills Cha.

[LakeArenal]

161. We need to parse every word Joe says ya know.. No consideration for:

colloquialisms, vernacular, regional differences in meanings, dialects, context, or the myriad of differences these things make on words.

[Skya Rhen]

162. I was hoping for Biden and Harris to be on the same ticket but he blew it. In light of this, it

would be more appropriate for him to offer the VP slot to someone that he has not offended.

Furthermore, I would assume that she would prefer not to be further associated with him, in any capacity, after this display. Serves him right.

[Cha]

178. lol..

!

[gulliver]

164. I took it as sort of "athletic" as in boxing or baseball.

[onetexan]

167. This is getting ridiculous & taken way too seriously

For one, Kamala was friends with Joe's son Beau. Since they are around same age it would make sense Joe calls her as the jovial 'kid'.

I looked at the video and Kamala doesnt seem upset about it. Has anyone heard if she did get mad at him for it?

Way overblown & taken out of context.

[Hekate]

174. 1) Kamala was the one who took an unexpected jab at Joe. 2) You can just see the twinkle in his eye

...and the humor in his voice when he says that to her the next time they meet.

3) If Kamala had been a man -- of any ethnicity whatsoever -- no "boy" would have been involved, because 4) Joe would have mimed jabbing back with a bit of physical comedy. Always with a smile.

It's humor.

[Cha]

177. Some Biden detractors...

will use any excuse to try and drag him. This isn't the first nor will it be the last.

Mahalo for seeing it for what it is, Hekate.. and as Kamala Harris supporter!

[Hekate]

195. I said at the outset I'd have his back: he's still Uncle Joe. What shocks me is who is participating

...in this faux outrage. It's humor. Genuine, twinkly-eyed, harmless humor, spoken to a friendly opponent.

If Kamala Harris expresses outrage I will drop her in disgust.

[tirebiter]

176. The problem for Harris was Tulsi Gabbard

The Russian trolls loved it and are reposting it all over the internet.

[Raine]

188. Oh geesh

does everyone have to be turned into some kind of victim with all the fake outrage from the professional grievance committee!

[TreasonousBastard]

189. Yes, that is the consensus. But we no doubt need at least another 200 posts to deal with it. But...

I assume everyone knows saying "boy" to Booker would be an entirely different thing, and I'm sure Biden knows it.

The only problem I see is if Biden was Rick, the movie would probably have tanked. Good thing he went into politics, not Hollywood.

(And Harris ain't no Bergman, either.)

[Cha]

190. lol