Speaking At Women’s Event, Joe Biden Praises Senator Who Was Forced Out Over Sexual Harassment

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: Business Insider

In the middle of a Friday morning speech championing women's issues, Vice President Joe Biden offered warm words for a senator who resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal.

According to attendees, Biden singled out former Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon as the sort of Republican who used to be reasonable on issues like expanding voter access. Packwood was reportedly accused by 10 women of unwanted sexual harassment and ultimately resigned in 1995.

"It was Republicans that were involved," Biden said in a speech at a DNC Women’s Leadership Forum breakfast. "Guys like [former Maryland Sen.] Mac Mathias and Packwood and so many others. It wasn't Democrats alone. Republicans were the sponsors of the raises of the minimum wage. I could go on and on. I'm not joking: This is not your father's Republican Party, or your mother's Republican Party."

According to The Washington Post, the details of Packwood's scandal were especially lurid.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/joe-biden-praises-bob-packwood-at-womens-event-2014-9

[pnwmom]

1. On other issues, Packwood wasn't bad. But, yes, Biden could have found a better example.

Maybe one of the Republican female Senators from Maine.

[yeoman6987]

10. He could have used another Republican

He didn't and the point still is that Republicans are insane now when they were a bit more reasonable in the past. I don't think we need to take the intent of the remarks away.

[George II]

2. Was his speech only one sentence?

[IkeRepublican]

3. Jesus christ, Joe

If it was some obscure moron that got sacked for some stupid petty shit, I can understand.

But, Packwood? Joe might as well have told the spectators he had a hard on. I can't think of any other politician who got nailed to the wall for more dipping his pen in company ink than Packwood.

[RufusTFirefly]

8. Perhaps it was in Neil Kinnock's original version and Joe simply forgot to remove it.

[FiveGoodMen]

14. That's one thing I always think of when Biden's name comes up.

Wonder how many even remember it.

[RufusTFirefly]

15. Yes. Rather than providing any real context...

... I deliberately aimed my tongue-in-cheek comment at an audience of people like you, who still remember the incident and don't require any additional explanation.



P.S. For those who are unfamiliar with the incident, simply Googling "Biden Kinnock speech" should bring you up to speed.

[MADem]

18. I daresay there are few who remember who Neil Kinnock even was...

People could get away with that shit a bit better "B. I." (Before Internet).

But that was pretty much a line-for-line crib.

I sometimes wonder what effect those AVMs have had on him, too.

[24601]

25. Let me find you a link to Bill Clinton's Bio. No he didn't resign, but the Clintons never do.

http://www.biography.com/people/bill-clinton-9251236#presidency

[TwilightGardener]

4. I think he's kind of losing it. He's either forgetting who he's talking to, or

he's lost that little filter that many old people lose, the one that stops you before you say "Shylock" and stops you from praising a guy who's famous for sexual harassment.

[Sparhawk60]

5. If you have to praise a Republican

If you have to praise a Republican, why not one who is scandal linked? At first it looks like you are being very nice, but at a deeper level you are reminding people just what type of people the Republicans are. lol


Sparhawk

[MADem]

19. He's two years younger than Bernie Sanders.

He has had a few bad gaffes lately. Whether that is down to age, a medical condition, or simple exhaustion is not really known.

[jtuck004]

6. I'm especially happy there is a place where small-minded people can go to carp about what other

people say, even if they have to stretch it a mile, COMPLETELY miss the point, and veer off into distorting the facts. Maybe that is so their little friends will like them more? They are embodiment of vacuous, the primary ingredient of ignore, fit only to scrape off a shoe.

They go there so the rest of us can then do real work, not be annoyed, let someone else run the babysitting faculty.

Next up, American Idol, kiddies.

[Judi Lynn]

22. Thank you for your comment. Appropriate, clearly. n/t

[Doctor_J]

7. Amazing our dc dems can still walk

given how frequently they shoot themselves in the foot.

[valerief]

9. Why do they give this guy a mike?

[candelista]

11. Solution: a WH remote control with a mute button.

That way White House could could just shut him off every time he runs his mouth. Don't get me wrong. I like old Handsome Joe. But he is a loose cannon. He says whatever comes into his mind.

[Kingofalldems]

12. Interesting you cite a publication whose editor (Blodgett) is banned

from the securities industry and had to pay a 2 million fine for securities fraud.

Looks like a big fail from here.

[former9thward]

13. Are you saying it is made up?

There are many, many sources for it.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/218329-biden-makes-another-gaffe-at-dnc-womens-event

[Freddie Stubbs]

27. Is the Washington Post a better source?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/09/19/you-couldnt-make-up-what-joe-biden-just-said-literally/

[Kingofalldems]

28. Fail.

[BlueStater]

16. And these are our frontrunners for the next presidential primary.

An increasingly gaffe-prone septuagenarian or a hawk who befriends war criminals.

If this is the best we can do, we're in deep shit. I seriously wish Sherrod Brown would run.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

17. The article and headline acts like he made a fucking toast to the guy

Which I'm sure will be the meme from FAUX, Brietfart, Drudge and others ASAP....

He mentioned his last name in passing and off the cuff talking and probably recalled a specific bill the scumbag happened to sponsor.

[greyl]

24. Yep, a manufactured controversy. nt

[6000eliot]

20. "Not batshit crazy" is hardly high praise.

[Nye Bevan]

21. Next up: Biden praises former senator Larry Craig (Wide Stance, MN) (nt)

[Enrique]

23. i remember Packwood resigning

but I don't remember him being banished from anyone ever praising him again for anything, ever, until the end of time.

[Sunlei]

26. It's not the VPs job to point out that some Rs who used to sign-on with social legislature are now

'retired' assholes, sexual harassers and/or outright criminals.

Can see how some media hangs on every single freaking word to find anything, they can use to discredit.