Biden explains Indian-American comment

[pnwmom]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Biden-Remarks.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

WASHINGTON (AP)

SNIP

On the recent C-SPAN program, the ''Road to the White House,'' the Delaware senator is shown shaking hands with a man and boasting about his support among Indian-Americans.

''I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking,'' Biden said.

SNIP

''The point Senator Biden was making is that there has been a vibrant Indian-American community in Delaware for decades. It has primarily been made up of engineers, scientists and physicians, but more recently, middle-class families are moving into Delaware and purchasing family-run small businesses,'' said Margaret Aitken, a Biden spokeswoman.

''These families have greatly contributed to the vibrancy of the Indian-American community in Delaware and are making a significant contribution to the national economy as well,'' she said.

[rusty charly]

1. hmmmmm...

[skooooo]

2. The hotel trade...

...is run more and more by Indian Americans. Is what Biden said really bad enough to get upset about it?

[MADem]

5. Funny, I stayed in an Indian run hotel in Delaware not too long ago NT

[pnwmom]

9. I think you need to SEE it, not just read it, to get the full effect.

Here's the link. Waddya think?

http://video.nationaljournal.com/Monday/BidenIndian.mov


I think it was a pretty big boo-boo.

[DesertRat]

35. I was a stupid thing to say

Expect the Repubs to show the video if Biden runs for President.

[larrysh]

3. Dumb stupid comment from someone who should know better

Kinda hard for us to jump on Repubs when our people make comments like that...and sorry, it was a degrading comment. Had he said, Indian-Americans are succeeding in all levels of our society from engineers
and scientist to small business owners, I could understand---but 7-11's
and motels?

[skooooo]

4. motels?

Yes motels! It's a phenomona.

Agree, he shouldn't have said it. But let's not crucify him over it.

[Divine Discontent]

7. he's just speaking truth to power

for the other side to use against him.....

I don't think this was a wise comment, but he shouldn't suffer too much from it, although the "others" will use it for the next day, against him & us.



www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<--- check it out!

[pnwmom]

11. Yep, he just handed his opponents a great TV ad.

'Cause there's nothing like watching him say the words while mugging at the camera.

[11cents]

24. He's "speaking truth to power?"

I didn't know Apu Nahasapeemapetalon was so formidable.

[Alacrat]

31. He should have known better

We should hold our leaders accountable for insensitive comments. We don't tolerate comments like that from the right, and should not tolerate them from our own. We should take the lead, and set the example that others should try to achieve. Letting these comments go unchecked will come back to bite us later. The W types will have their share of racist comments, and we can't call them on it, if we tolerate it from our own.

[pnwmom]

12. I'm not crucifying him. Just cringing every time I see him on TV.

[rzemanfl]

15. The last two times we were in Tallahassee we stayed in what

appears to be an Indian-owned motel. It is very nice and convenient to FSU, far and away the best place we have stayed since our son started school there.

[JI7]

26. that's just not true, he also said a large number of Indians were CEOs

in Silicon Valley.

[pnwmom]

30. His FIRST statement was about needing to have an Indian accent

if you wanted to go into Dunkin Donuts or the 7/11. LATER he corrected himself and said that Indians are working in many professions.

[JI7]

32. no, he said it when he made the original comments also

that clip being passed around does not include what he said right after about a large number of Indian Americans also being CEOs in Silicon Valley.

i saw the cspan appearance and it wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. the guy he was talking to was indian and discussing these things also.

the way he said it WAS stupid though , especially since he wants to be President. but it wasn't meant in a bad way. if he had said something like "Indians are making their way into the middle class through small business owner and then talked about the Indians in his own state with the dunkin donuts and 7-11s it would have been better." but this is Joe Biden we are talking so you can't expect much.

the man doesn't have much chance for the Dem nomination for President even before this . and considering it's Biden expect more of this to happen.

but lets not get carried away and make him out to be some racist. the right wingers are trying to use this to attack the entire party.

[pnwmom]

33. I don't think he's a racist. He just has a bad case of

foot in mouth disease.

And as I've said, he may be a jerk, but he's OUR jerk.

I just wish he'd think before he opened his mouth.

[Bobbieo]

13. To be politically correct -

People are going to have to learn there is a difference between Native Americans and East Indians. Is it Americans Indians as opposed to Indian Americans? God damn Columbus, anyway!!!!

[RaVeN MeaD]

6. The Hall of Stereotypes

Looks like someone needs to make a trip to the Museum of Tolerance.

[rayofreason]

8. If only...

...Biden's brain-mouth interface had not been designed by Microsoft.

[MrSlayer]

10. This attempt to cover up is worse than the actual statement.

A simple "I fucked up and I'm sorry" would have been a lot more genuine.

[mdelaguna2000]

14. true (n/t).

[rzemanfl]

16. I'm still waiting for him to explain why he is such an idiot in so

many other ways...

[xchrom]

17. what's to explain?

comments like those don't need any eplanation -- we all know what he meant -- and he didn't misspeak.

the mistake was the cameras were rolling -- and we still try to rehabilitate neanderthals.

but ya know -- whatever...

[pnwmom]

18. And why do we still try to rehabilitate neanderthals?

As I said in another thread, Biden's a slimy narcissistic jerk, but he's OUR slimy narcissistic jerk.

And we've got too few Democratic Senators to be picky.

[brentspeak]

19. Exactly

For a website that's supposedly in support of Democrats, there's sure a lot of Democrat-bashing that's allowed to go on here.

[frylock]

20. my party, right or wrong?

:shrug:

[brentspeak]

21. My party: the one I want to see regain the Congressional majority

[pnwmom]

28. Yup. Just think of us as one big, dysfunctional family,

doing our best to hang together.

As opposed to that other group, which kicks you overboard if you don't toe the line.

[xchrom]

22. ooohhh -- well you know there's always an excuse.

sinking to the lowest common denominator and defending it -- is doing such wonderful things for the democratic party.

positively uplifting.


pedal that horseshit to somebody who buys it.

if you treat the public like idiots -- they'll be idiots -- if you treat our team like brain injured children that play in shit -- that's what they'll be.


is anybody ever gonna raise the fuckin bar? it's 2fuckinthousand06 -- we have an asshole in the white house because stupid is ok -- and now i'm supposed to get over this because he is ours?

not mine, baby -- you're welcome to him.

[toopers]

27. Well put . . .

[bluestateguy]

23. What a dipshit

and a blowhard who can sense a microphone and a camera from a million miles away.

[wiley]

25. Tourettes' Syndrome?

Or maybe he forget he wasn't in the Senate clubhouse, where far worse crap comes out of Senators mouths on a regular basis. I bet they are all afraid of the power crazed nasty Dowager Empress Lieberman. Or maybe he said it so Joe could ask him not to come campaign for him. You know, give him an out.

[pnwmom]

29. Hah! You're right -- Lieberman would be crazy to ask him now.

[fujiyama]

34. Biden's a freakin' clown

How can anyone ever take him seriously? I mean, ever since I first got interested in politics, I found him to be a smarmy, slick talkin politician when I saw him on TV. And you could always tell what he loved that damn camera.

Anyways, Biden isn't a racist and he actually has a pretty good relationship with the Indian American community. He's just a dumbass that tries to pander any group that's donating money to his campaign (OK, that's typical of most any politician), but the problem is that his statement really didn't come across very clearly. What the hell was he really trying to say? I mean, why would you need an Indian accent to go into a 7/11 or Dunkin' Donuts? Does having an Indian accent make it easier to understand other Indians with accents?

There would have been no problem if he just kissed a few asses by saying "Indian Americans have made great strides in American society...blah blah blah...Many are small business owners, including those of franchises like Dunkin' Donuts stores, 7-11s, motels, and gas stations, as well as engineering, medicine, and law".

There. You're pandering and there is no mistake of getting misinterpreted. Instead Biden says Indians are "taking over" 7-11s and Dunkin' Donuts...Ah, nice way to make it sound like the brown folks are invading American businesses. That may not be the way he intended it to sound, but he's digging himself even deeper with these comments.

Have you noticed that Clinton (Bill that is) doesn't get himself into these sort of incidents? That's because he can genuinely relate, or try to relate with just about anyone. With Biden and Hillary, you always get the sense they are pandering, and sometimes their "trying" to relate, makes them look stupid.

[varun]

36. As an Indian in America

I did not find it offensive at all. I saw the video too, and it was not offensive.