Joe Biden discusses Corn Pop

[Hassin Bin Sober]

[OKNancy]

1. You do know that this story has been verified, right

they even named the pool after him

Harriot’s skepticism notwithstanding, Biden is actually not alone in recalling the misadventures of Corn Pop and The Romans. At a dedication ceremony in 2017 for the Joseph R. Biden Jr. Aquatic Center in Wilmington, Delaware, former state NAACP President Richard “Mouse” Smith gave a firsthand account of the dustup.

Smith corroborated the first half of the story, noting that Biden used some “french language” when he told Corn Pop to get off the diving board, and that Mr. Pop did, indeed, threaten to “cut” Biden. He never got around to mentioning the confrontation in the parking lot, but did say that Biden “stood his ground.”

Smith and other contemporaries later corroborated other details of Biden’s story, such as the grudging respect that developed between Biden and The Romans.

Later at the same event, Biden told the story himself.

There is a video of at this link of Mister Smith telling the story. Scroll past the hater tweets...
https://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-joe-biden-tells-story-of-facing-down-razor-wielding-gang-leader-named-corn-pop/

[revmclaren]

2. There you go, posting the truth

and destroying a Biden bashing Op.

They are desperately trying to dig for any potential dirt against Biden now. Quite pathetic and sad.

ONLY!!! 2019 and beyond.

[bluewater]

3. Anyone have a real name for "corn pop"?

Or any idea how old he was? Biden was 19 at the time, was corn pop some kid at the pool or a grown man? I mean the story has a different tone if Corn Pop was 15 or 16 compared to being older than Biden. Why isn't age mentioned?

Details seem lacking.

It would be nice to know who Corn Pop actually was and, if possible, to hear his side of this story. I mean, after all, Corn Pop is being accused of being some sort of straight razor wielding thug. All he seemed to being doing wrong in this story was bouncing on a diving board, then maybe mouthing off. No one corroborated any razor or any actual confrontation outside.

[Kind of Blue]

4. Sadly, I heard that Corn Pop passed away. The latest is

They loved pranking Biden. The cost to enter the pool was 10 cents, but a tiny, smack-talking teenager known as Corn Pop wanted to try a way to get his friends in free: distract the white lifeguard.

Corn Pop got Biden’s attention by talking about his mother, Smith recalled. Biden blew his whistle and demanded Corn Pop show him some respect. Meanwhile, Corn Pop’s friends jumped the fence, hopped into the water and laughed over their declared victory.

Biden has said he was the only white lifeguard there at the time, but his friends from the pool recall that there were a handful of other white lifeguards on staff. Most had stopped working at the pool as more black kids began using it. The construction of Interstate 95 and other urban renewal programs in the late ’50s led to displaced black families moving east and settling in a nearby housing project known as the Bucket.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-a-wilmington-pool-pranks-nicknames-and-the-racial-education-of-joe-biden/2019/07/12/29fcc8fc-a191-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html?noredirect=on

[bluewater]

5. So "Corn Pop" was a "tiny, smack-talking teenager'? Hmmm.

"They loved pranking Biden. The cost to enter the pool was 10 cents, but a tiny, smack-talking teenager known as Corn Pop wanted to try a way to get his friends in free: distract the white lifeguard."

So... Corn Pop was NOT some black grown-ass man thug with a straight razor that Joe bravely stood up to?

Corn Pop was a "tiny, smack talking teenager" who loved pranking Biden?

oh boy....

Biden's story seems to come across a lot different when we find out Corn Pop was just a tiny teenage kid, hmmm?

Biden was a 19 year old six foot tall lifeguard and high school football star and "Corn pop" was a tiny, smack talking teenager whose exact age we don't even know that loved to prank the white lifeguard. huh. Story sure sounds different when you look at it that way, doesn't it?



Man, I hate it when anyone tries to paint black males as thugs, especially razor wielding thugs, when it turns out they are just kids mouthing off at the neighborhood pool.

[Kind of Blue]

6. Good Lord, this thread yesterday retelling Biden's "story"

has got to be the most hilarious piece I've read in years. I can't stop going back for comments.

Link to tweet

[bluewater]

7. Corn Pop was just a "tiny, smack-talking teenager" who loved to prank the white lifeguard.

He was a tiny kid at the neighborhood pool, trying to sneak his friends in for free by distracting the lifeguard by bouncing on the diving board...

You would never know that from how Biden told the story.

This is a disturbing pattern, where black children are portrayed as threatening and dangerous. It's systemic racism at it's worse.




Michael's take on the absurdity of Biden's story and it's invoking of racists stereotypes was witty, and damningly on target.
Thanks for sharing that.

[Kind of Blue]

18. Yeah, I'm laughing at Harriot's take because I know once I stop

to consider that Corn Pop was a "tiny, smack-talking teenager," the horror of systemic racism makes my head explode. But we need a good sense of humor to soldier on.

Looking forward to the movie version.

[cwydro]

25. The part about "wrapping a chain around his arm" made no sense to me.

I spent most of my childhood and youth in and around pools. Don’t remember a surplus of chains around any of them.

Bizarre.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

89. The Twitter-sphere is on fire over this... too funny!! But a good distraction from

Joe's "record player" comments about how to help raise children, so, all in all, that's a plus for him.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[Autumn]

22. That whole thread is hilarious.

[Kind of Blue]

24. Genius!

[dewsgirl]

131. Thank you. I needed a laugh desperately. That thread

was absolutely hilarious.

[Kind of Blue]

146. You're welcome, dewsgirl!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

87. True or not, it takes Joe's "record player" comments about raising children out of the headlines

for a little while.... that's a plus for Joe.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

106. Cornpop died in 2016 at the age of 73,

which means he'd have been the same age as Biden - 19 - at the time of the incident. https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287281338#post2

[creeksneakers2]

123. Corn Pop was a gang leader.

[bluewater]

125. I hear Corn Pop was black too.

A 19 year old "gang leader" in 1962 73% white Wilmington, Delaware, basically a southern state at the time in attitude.

Back then, the white teenagers that hung out together like him were called "the jocks" or maybe, just maybe, juvenile delinquents.

But black teenagers... they are all dangerous thugs... in gangs...



The Washington Post described William "Corn Pop" Morris as a "tiny, smack talking teenager" that liked to prank the white life guard.

The pool back then had become overrun by neighborhood gangs, like the 13th Street Stompers, the Hornets and the Romans.

They loved pranking Biden. The cost to enter the pool was 10 cents, but a tiny, smack-talking teenager known as Corn Pop wanted to try a way to get his friends in free: distract the white lifeguard.

Corn Pop got Biden’s attention by talking about his mother, Smith recalled. Biden blew his whistle and demanded Corn Pop show him some respect. Meanwhile, Corn Pop’s friends jumped the fence, hopped into the water and laughed over their declared victory.

“They were testing him,” recalled Maurice Pritchett, known as Marty, who served as a lifeguard on the shift with Biden. “He had to earn their respect.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-a-wilmington-pool-pranks-nicknames-and-the-racial-education-of-joe-biden/2019/07/12/29fcc8fc-a191-11e9-b732-41a79c2551bf_story.html?noredirect=on

Oh... scary black teenagers... sneaking into the neighborhood pool... pranking Biden.



But we are to believe that at the drop of a hat, or bathing cap in this case, this tiny black teenager turned into a rusty razor wielding thug that was going to cut up a white private school athletic star in broad daylight, right? Because that is what black kids do?

[creeksneakers2]

127. He was a gang leader

Are you going to call any facts you don't like racist? You have only that one reference that Corn Pop was tiny.

[bluewater]

129. You mean Biden's friend, Mouse Smith, former head of the Delaware NAACP?

He's the "one" source the Washington Post quoted about Corn Pop being tiny.

Are you calling Biden's friend and the former head of the Delaware NAACP a liar?

I sure hope not.

[creeksneakers2]

132. I dunno'

What happened to your stuff about him being 13? What happened to your stuff about no confirmation of a confrontation? Are you still trying to sell that?

[creeksneakers2]

134. I just checked your links

The Post didn't attribute the tiny description to Mouse Smith or anybody else for that matter.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

133. He was a "gang" leader

Fixed that for you.

Really, this story of Joe fending off a gang leader is just laughable.

[creeksneakers2]

136. Its all confirmed

And there was a GANG, not a "gang."

[Cuthbert Allgood]

137. Was Corn Pop the leader of the Sharks or the Jets?

[creeksneakers2]

142. I think they were called the Romans.

And nothing about any singing dance routines.

[highplainsdem]

8. Yes, and Smith confirms that Corn Pop was a gang member and that Biden was told by

multiple people that Corn Pop was going to cut him.

Anyone who thinks a short teenaged member of a gang with a razor or knife isn't potentially very dangerous, especially against an unarmed person, and especially if other gang members are around, is a fool.

[bluewater]

9. Corn Pop was a "tiny, smack talking teenager"

How old was Corn Pop? No one says exactly, and did anyone every say what his real name was?

Was Corn Pop 13? 14? Does anyone know? He s described as a TINY, not just short, but TINY teenager:

"They loved pranking Biden. The cost to enter the pool was 10 cents, but a tiny, smack-talking teenager known as Corn Pop wanted to try a way to get his friends in free: distract the white lifeguard."

We do know that Biden was a 19 year old six foot tall football star at the time.

But, please, proceed... tell us how dangerous tiny black kids can be.


oh boy...

[highplainsdem]

10. What part of "gang member" and "cut" don't you understand?

Do you think most gang members are at least in their 20s and well over six feet tall?

This is a recent article that popped up when I was searching for some facts to give you on gangs recruiting young kids:

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2015/0709/12-year-old-arrested-for-murder-Why-do-gangs-recruit-children

There's nothing new about teens joining gangs, though.. Or those kids committing violent crimes.

They don't have to be tall to use weapons.

No one said Corn Pop wanted to wrestle Biden. They told Biden that Corn Pop was going to cut him.

[bluewater]

12. perpetuating the stereotype that black children are dangerous and threatening is inexcusable.

"corn Pop" was a tiny teenager bouncing on the diving board to distract Biden so his friends could sneak in for free.

Good lord, with all the black kids, let alone black men, that are shot by Cops, perpetuating the stereotype that black children are dangerous and killers is inexcusable.

Shame on anyone that does that.

[highplainsdem]

15. The persom who said Corn Pop was a member of the Romans is the former head of the Delaware NAACP.

Here's a link that should take you to the right section of a book in Google Books that has information on gangs in Wilmington, Delaware, in the early 1960s, 1960-1966.

The Romans are among the gangs named.

The testimony from a Wilmington police captain explains that the gangs were a police problem.

https://books.google.com/books?id=hVBKAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA2826&lpg=PA2826&dq=wilmington+delaware+gangs+%22the+romans%22+-biden&source=bl&ots=O7EBRC5YyE&sig=ACfU3U2L6RFbaZVFrjx4siGrNetEB2NuuA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiy3tnivNPkAhUJPa0KHf3pDawQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=wilmington%20delaware%20gangs%20%22the%20romans%22%20-biden&f=false

I found that searching for

wilmington delaware gangs "the romans" -biden

The "- biden" is there to leave the recent stories about this out of the search, so I could find older sources.

Real gang.

Real violence.

Real confirmation by a man who later headed the NAACP in Delaware that this was a gang member.

[bluewater]

21. Mouse Smith is 6 years younger than Biden, so was Corn Pop also 13 years old then?

Biden was 19, Smith would have been 13. So Corn pop was a tiny 13-15 year old in a youth gang back in the 1960's?

That was back when everyone was obsessed with juvenile delinquents. We are not talking the Blood and Crips here.

So, tell us, what WAS Corn Pop's real name and what bad ass crimes did tiny Corn Pop commit?

He must have been real bad, right? What's his rap sheet like?



Again, why didn't Biden tell us that Corn Pop was a tiny teenager when he tells this confrontation story? Would that make Corn Pop seem less threatening to a 19 year old six foot tall football star?

[highplainsdem]

28. Wow, I'm sure the police who had trouble with the gangs then would have loved your reassurance.

See reply 20.

The story Biden tells was well known by other people who were hanging out at the pool then, and no one mocked him for it.

Which they would have if Corn Pop hadn't actually posed a threat.

[Hortensis]

61. I don't know Biden's early life, but I wouldn't have guessed

he'd be a white kid working at a pool in a neighborhood that had a gang thinking they owned it. Sounds like some of the little kids gave him some challenges also, but even they didn't scare him off. I didn't understand his reference to making straight razors rusty.



I take gangs kind of seriously. While we were living in West Hollywood back around 1970, a young, well-liked teacher was beaten close to death, permanently injured, outside a high school I often drove by, while a bunch of guys who'd liked him watched and refused to help him. Some were afraid to try to stop it, but also some apparently identified with the gang even though they didn't belong to it. A mob that just happened out of nowhere right on school grounds. The guy left teaching.

[Thekaspervote]

64. This!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

109. No, he died in 2016 at 73, which means he would have been 19,

the same age as Biden. Here's his obituary: https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287281338

[bluewater]

114. Thanks for posting that. Corny was a tiny, smack talking 19 year old teenager in 1962.

Another person just posted that too.

So, he was the same age as Biden, just tiny.

Looking at the funeral message, a friend remembers Corny, as he called him, fondly.

December 13, 2016
Corny and I best friends in our childhood years. While we had not seen each other for many years, he will continue to have a reserved place in my heart. To sum it up in one word he was SPECIAL.
We were brothers and I share this loss with the family.
Tucker Man
William Tucker, Boston, MA

I appreciate people posting William L. Morris' name so that we could see that he passed away with his family by his side at the age of 73, and was remembered by friends as being a special person.

It's a good thing to be able to humanize him and counter the portrayal of him as a nameless rusty razor wielding thug.

[LanternWaste]

145. You move your own goalposts with such deftness and speed!

That's a good thing as well! It illustrates an ethical adaptability primaries often create.

[oasis]

46. Holy hyperbole Batman!

[treestar]

48. He was not a child

Keep trying.

[Thekaspervote]

77. have you ever considered writing fiction?

[George II]

45. When I was a kid in Brooklyn, we had "tiny, smack talking teenagers". Know why they were...

....so brave? Because they had big guys backing them up.

[Thekaspervote]

65. Same ...growing up in Chicago, the "tiny" guy was always the bully. One had to watch your back

[Blue_true]

128. Have you ever seen a straight razor?

I grew up poor in the South. One thing you NEVER wanted was some dude coming for you with a straight razor, even if he was just 1 foot tall.

[George II]

42. Yep, another hit and run post. Like it's going to bring down the Biden candidacy, eh?

[Thekaspervote]

68. Yes.. the demise of his poll numbers and his candidacy has been predicted for months now

By the best of the best armchair pundits.

They didn’t seem to get the message. The hearts and mind of voters will not be won over with the kind of nasty comments being made. It’s like throwing rotten vegetables all over someone’s front porch, then walking up and saying hi, I’m the one that just threw trash on your porch. But would you change your mind and vote for my candidate of choice instead?

[LincolnRossiter]

11. Love Joe's stories.

This one is awesome.

[bluewater]

14. Quite the tall tale, eh?

Who knew "Corn Pop" was tiny teenager? Oh wait... "Corn Pop" does sound like a cutesy nickname for some tiny kid now that I think about it... Wasn't Corn Pop's a breakfast cereal and corn pops tiny round cereal bits?

[LincolnRossiter]

17. The story's been substantially verified, no?

I don't know how big this "corn pop" was, but I remember visiting cousins who lived in a rougher part of town growing up. The guy we were most afraid of and did our best to avoid was a considerably smaller than my brother and I were. But he was a bad dude who also was known to carry a blade.

Is this really all you guys have on Joe these days?

[bluewater]

19. Corn Pop is described as a tiny teenager that loved to prank the white life guard.

Sounds like a typical kid at the neighborhood pool...

He loved to prank the white life guard and, like all the other kids, talked some smack at times.

The part that surprised me the most was finding out that Corn Pop was described as being TINY, not short, but tiny.

[BlueMississippi]

26. Is it realized that one is trying way too hard with zero success?

It is like accidentally wetting dark pants ... the subject gets a warm feeling but no one notices or cares.

[bluewater]

30. Corn Pop "a tiny, smack-talking teenager"

Seriously, doesn't that change the entire tenor of Biden's story? It did for me.

But... Corn Pop was black so he must have been very scary and menacing to a 19 year old six foot tall football star, right?

[BlueMississippi]

33. Again, trying too hard.

I suggest you see a Mythbusters episode where a tiny guy wielding a knife can kill a big dude carrying a gun. They actually scientifically proved it.

[bluewater]

35. Sorry, but the truth about TINY Corn Pop is out of the barn...

trying to close the barn doors now can't get it back in.

Corn Pop was a tiny kid.

[BlueMississippi]

36. Are you getting a warm feeling as I discussed in a previous post? nt

[bluewater]

38. But no one confirmed any actual confrontation with TINY Corn Pop outside the pool.

But hey, some people want to continue the systemically racist stereotype that black children are dangerous and killers.

Did I mention that Corn Pop was described as "a tiny, smack-talking teenager" that loved to prank the white lifeguard?

And that he was bouncing on the diving board to distract the lifeguard so his friends could sneak into the neighborhood pool for free instead of paying the 10 cents?

[BlueMississippi]

55. Doesn't answer my question

"Are you getting a warm feeling?"

Please stay focused on my questions.

[bluewater]

60. "It is implied. You first"

"Please stay focused..."

[Thekaspervote]

78. Maybe having a bad day?

[BlueMississippi]

101. Please check again

I don't see any implication there because I am not a mind reader.

Again, "Are you getting a warm feeling by making all the anti-Biden posts which are transparent?" is the question.

One needs to stay focused here and for the good of the community, answer truthfully.

[bluewater]

115. argyle?

[BlueMississippi]

118. Sad isn't it

All the anti-Biden posts amount to zilch, zippo, nada, nothing.

As Bill Clinton used to say, "I feel your pain."

[bluewater]

120. "Again, trying too hard."

So, argyle?

[Sugarcoated]

148. Omg, blocking people who post this petty repetitive nonsense

Disingenuous trolls......waste of time and energy.....weakening who might end up being the candidate in the general. Smh. Fellow Biden supporters: please consider not wasting your time. The block feature is here for a reason.

[Thekaspervote]

71. See post 51 for an eye witness first hand report

Go Joe go!! We’ve got your back

[LincolnRossiter]

70. You try too hard and are doing Warren no favors.

No one cares about this shite. It’s relatable and funny, but that’s about it. Everybody (at least every guy) knew some tough guy growing up and can identify with a time we had to stand our ground.

[bluewater]

73. argyle?

[Thekaspervote]

69. Go Joe go.. we've got your back!!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

94. Can't wait to hear about Sugar Smacks!!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[floppyboo]

13. OMFG! LOL! The twitter comments are hillarious!

If you are scared of Bernie, it really is time to start seriously considering Kamala. Not joking. Just please - find a candidate to support that isn't so suspectable to criticism. This will otherwise be a huge uphill battle and leave many feeling exhausted rather than hopeful.

[BlueMississippi]

29. Neither BS nor Kamala will get the nomination

BS is done -- finished -- defeated already. If he can't get African American support, he will not get a single delegate in the South.

In the midwest, caucuses have been abolished and replaced with primaries. His ultra-left views are not popular in the midwest and there will not be any caucus bullying by zealots this time.

[floppyboo]

40. Bernie will hold his own with at least 15% in the first 3

And I think the kids are going to go talk to mom now. MSM are ditching Biden. Twitter is a mess for him. I'm not trying to be nasty - just saying - find a fresh horse. This is not going to last.
You can bookmark this and come scold me in December, but I'm saying, momentum builds - and the more time you have, the bigger the wave, and right now, its looking like Biden's horse is gonna need a big cart with just a few weary haulers to get up that hill.

I know trying to convince people here on DU that Bernie is the best chance is next to pointless. It wasn't always that way around here - hell I started lurking in 2011 for Warren.

There is a growing sense that anyone who doesn't support Biden is anti-democratic, which is absolute nuts!!!

Just please, please - find a better horse. So many good public servants running.

and btw - as a very pro-union pro-small farm person - Amy looks really good too!

[floppyboo]

47. Sanders plus Warren is greater than Biden. They are working together.

(had to delete my other post as the math symbols don't show up - but if you do the math, its pretty clear Biden will not prevail. His lead in SC relies on the AA vote, and that will not hold. It has been shown time and again that the biggest reason for the AA support of Biden is his electability, and if that goes, and it seems like it is going, you will see a huge abandon ship. So, even if your heart is set on Joe, now would be a good time to start flirting with someone else - try your best to get used to singing the praises of another.

Should be easy, right? No more than was demanded by others in the past. And before you go on about that blah blah bro line, remember, more Bernie supporters supported Hillary than Hillary supporters supported Obama

[BlueMississippi]

54. Actually

a vast majority of the supporters of Sen Warren have Biden as their second choice.

However, one can never stop people from dreaming, as impossible the dreams may be.

PS -- 15% in Iowa and NH won't cut it - it will be seen as a massive failure.

[bluewater]

63. "Again, trying too hard."

[Thekaspervote]

72. Humm.. yes you are... thx for letting everyone know

[bluewater]

79. "have you ever considered writing fiction?"

Post #77 seems applicable here.

[Thekaspervote]

140. I like post #7 as a good fictional story

[BlueMississippi]

100. Tell us how you feel

Are you angry and furious that socialism doesn't sell in America?

[Thekaspervote]

56. If you look at second choice candidates, your theory does not bear out

candidates dropping out or fading, simply because he does better or almost as well as any other candidate when voters are asked who their second choice would be.

https://morningconsult.com/2020-democratic-primary/


Sanders supporters, when asked for their 2nd choice:
Biden 30%, Warren 27%, Harris 7%

Warren supporters, when asked for their 2nd choice:
Sanders 23%, Harris 20%, Biden 19%

Harris supporters, asked for their 2nd choice:
Warren 28%, Biden 23%, Sanders 12%

Buttigieg supporters, asked for their 2nd choice:
Warren 22%, Biden 20%, Harris 17%


So, if any of these candidates dropped out or drastically lost support, apparently Biden would pick up approximately as many of their supporters as his nearest rivals would.


And in case anyone's wondering about Biden supporters' 2nd choice:
Sanders 26%, Warren 19%, Harris 13%

[Thekaspervote]

57. The demise of Joe Biden's lead has been espoused for months now.

Doesn’t seem to be happening

[George II]

80. If things remain the same (they won't) after the first three the delegate counts will be:

Biden - 41
Warren - 29
Sanders - 31

After South Carolina:

Biden - 95
Warren - 29
Sanders - 31

[bahrbearian]

49. LOL

[zackymilly]

16. Why wouldn't Joe call the cops?

If Corn Pop and his buddies all had razors and were real thugs, and waited by Joe's car for him, why go get a chain and not call the police? Joe was a real bad ass I guess....

[highplainsdem]

20. He was told that if he called the cops, he'd never be able to return to the pool to work there.

Here's an excerpt from a story about this in The Root several years ago, written by someone whose dad (and whose dad's friends) hung out at the pool and often told this story:

https://www.theroot.com/joe-bidens-black-pass-1790879439

Shortly after he ousted a guy named Corn Pop for breaking the rules at the all-black pool, Joe Biden considered calling the police to escort him to his car once his shift ended.

Corn Pop belonged to a gang known as the Romans, and Biden, the lone white lifeguard at Prices Run—one of the few public pools in Wilmington, Del., open to non-whites during the 1960s—made fun of the man's pomade-slathered hair before kicking him out.

Word from the black lifeguards was that Corn Pop, who took his coiffure pretty seriously, would be waiting outside with a straight razor, ready to fight. Calling the cops was a no-no, Biden was warned, unless he planned to never return to the pool.

Biden, then a 19-year-old college student, didn't take long to deliberate. He made his way to one of the back rooms and emerged with a 6-foot-long piece of chain wrapped around his arm. He knew what he had to do.

Luckily, a little public posturing was enough to satisfy Corn Pop, and the two men made peace; Biden even apologized for the insult.

-snip-

I was born in Delaware, and as a kid, I remember Biden's name being dropped casually in conversations as if he were an extended member of the family. It still is.

For starters, nearly everyone calls him by his first name. My dad, a retired federal parole officer, and his friends, many of whom hung out at the city pool back in the day, regularly rattle off stories about "Joe." They'd likely seen him at a community event when he was still a senator. Several of them attended fundraisers at his house or called his office to air grievances. But the Corn Pop run-in, which the vice president also recounts in his autobiography, Promises to Keep, is the one story they keep in heavy rotation.

It's easy to understand then that few of them were surprised when the nation's first black president chose Biden as his second in command. Or, perhaps more accurately, that Biden solicited the job. African Americans in the First State know this is familiar territory for the vice president.

Btw, from what I read elsewhere, it wasn't Corn Pop's hair that Biden was mocking, but his wearing a swim cap, which apparently was required of anyone with pomade in their hair. That was why Biden called Corn Pop "Esther Williams" after Corn Pop had been trying to cause trouble.

I also read that a mechanic who worked at the pool suggested he take a length of chain, and got it for him, before he went out to confront Corn Pop.

[bluewater]

27. before he went out to confront TINY Corn Pop.

There, I fixed that part.

[highplainsdem]

34. Why don't you try running your theory -- that short gang members who are armed can't be

a threat to anyone unarmed if they're taller -- past your local police department?

I'm sure they'll find it very entertaining.

[bluewater]

37. not "short", he's described as having been TINY.

Last edited Sun Sep 15, 2019, 06:15 PM - Edit history (1)

And there is no corroboration about the alleged confrontation outside the pool.

[OilemFirchen]

102. Yes there is.

From "The Root", posted just upthread.

Hmm... why does that publication sound so familiar?

[bluewater]

122. No, don't think there is.

Please provide a link where anyone besides Biden describes the actual alleged razor wielding confrontation outside the pool.

Thanks in advance.

[OilemFirchen]

124. You're welcome.

https://www.theroot.com/joe-bidens-black-pass-1790879439

[bluewater]

126. Um, no mention of rusty razors being seen by anyone? C'mon man.

Word from the black lifeguards was that Corn Pop, who took his coiffure pretty seriously, would be waiting outside with a straight razor, ready to fight. Calling the cops was a no-no, Biden was warned, unless he planned to never return to the pool.

Biden, then a 19-year-old college student, didn't take long to deliberate. He made his way to one of the back rooms and emerged with a 6-foot-long piece of chain wrapped around his arm. He knew what he had to do.

Luckily, a little public posturing was enough to satisfy Corn Pop, and the two men made peace; Biden even apologized for the insult.

Um, where is anyone saying that Corn Pop actually pulled a razor on the much bigger Biden? Where are the witnesses to the heart stopping armed confrontation that Biden alleges?

Again, it all sounds like some teenagers smack talking, as your link says... a little public posturing.

Here is how the Washington Post' says Mouse Smith, former head of the Delaware NAACP described the incident:

The pool back then had become overrun by neighborhood gangs, like the 13th Street Stompers, the Hornets and the Romans.

They loved pranking Biden. The cost to enter the pool was 10 cents, but a tiny, smack-talking teenager known as Corn Pop wanted to try a way to get his friends in free: distract the white lifeguard.

Corn Pop got Biden’s attention by talking about his mother, Smith recalled. Biden blew his whistle and demanded Corn Pop show him some respect. Meanwhile, Corn Pop’s friends jumped the fence, hopped into the water and laughed over their declared victory.
“They were testing him,” recalled Maurice Pritchett, known as Marty, who served as a lifeguard on the shift with Biden. “He had to earn their respect.”

Smith, btw, never confirmed Biden's account about what supposedly happened outside the pool afterwards.



So, again, please provide a link to anyone that says they witnessd and described the armed confrontation Biden alleges.

Thanks in advance.

[treestar]

39. Put the 1960s white cops onto black people?

That would be spun badly too.

[BlueMississippi]

23. lol -- posting verified stories as false

and scraping the bottom of the barrel ..




Must have received an urgent communiqué from David Sirota.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

41. There's nothing in the op about the story being false.

My opinion?: proceed.

[BlueMississippi]

53. It is implied. You first

[bluewater]

58. "Are you getting a warm feeling?"

"Is it realized that one is trying way too hard with zero success?

It is like accidentally wetting dark pants ... the subject gets a warm feeling but no one notices or cares."



perhaps one should reflect on one's own words?

[Thekaspervote]

74. Go Joe go!!

[bluewater]

81. "Maybe having a bad day?"

Post #78 might be applicable here.

[Thekaspervote]

59. Yup.. scrapping the bottom of the barrel seems to be all they have.

They call Biden supporters nasty. I think they need to look at their own posts!

[MustLoveBeagles]

67. +1

[stonecutter357]

31. good let's go Joe !

[IluvPitties]

32. Who cares? Most people do NOT.

[treestar]

43. Keep trying

Maybe this is the one that will do the trick!

[redstateblues]

50. Got to be frustrating that Hassin doesn't make a dent

Kinda like the Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote

[Thekaspervote]

76. Good analogy! As I recall Wiley Coyote never did catch road runner

[Kahuna7]

51. It happened. Here's the link to the corroboration from a former NAACP head...

Link to tweet

It

[Thekaspervote]

62. Awhhh! Great story from an eye witness, thx for sharing!

[Kahuna7]

66. As always...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

52. Is Joe Biden a racist (that's the obvious implication of this post)?

Why, no, he's not. I know Trump is a racist because racists think he's a racist. But I don't know of any racists who have endorsed, praised, retweeted or otherwise shown any favor toward Biden or, for that matter, any other Democratic candidate. If David Duke or any of the other bottom-dwellers of that ilk had ever said anything nice about any of the candidates I'd look further, but they haven't; all of them are Trump fans. So please quit with the candard or even the suggestion that Biden is a racist. The people who can accurately identify a racist - that is, other racists - don't think so, and it's offensive and downright scurrilous to imply otherwise.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

83. Wow. You sure read a lot in to a without comment posting of a without comment CNN video.

Didn’t you say this earlier today?

Bernie could certainly use some scowl-remover treatment.

I don’t go around making petty insults. I posted a video.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

108. So what was the reason for posting it?

[jrandom421]

85. But David Duke has endorsed a Democrat

If David Duke or any of the other bottom-dwellers of that ilk had ever said anything nice about any of the candidates I'd look further, but they haven't;

But David Duke has endorsed a Democratic candidate

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211679769

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

92. I'd forgotten about that, but I guess when I think about

the Democratic candidates she just doesn't come to mind. Ever.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

75. I love Martha Crawford's take on it.

The “problem” with the Corn Pop story isn’t if it is true or not, but why on earth he feels the need to TELL it, repeatedly. What it means to him and why. What message is conveyed and how and at whose expense and whose gain?

It can be absolutely true and not worth telling.

And at best it is a ridiculous story and at worst it is being told in a way that perpetuates harmful myths.

Link to tweet

[emulatorloo]

82. Is Crawford aware the video is from 2017? At a ceremony at City Pool honoring Biden?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/27/joe-biden-recalls-lessons-learned-as-the-only-white-lifeguard-at-inner-city-pool-in-1962/

Link to tweet

Doesn’t sound like she’s not aware of the date nor the context. Or maybe she just wants to insinuate Biden tells the story constantly even though he doesn’t.

[bluewater]

86. Two years ago is too long to mention?

It was 2017, but it's only 2019 now, right?



Perhaps she felt it was pertinent in relation to the 2019 primary debates to discuss it?

The Corn Pop story has been told repeatedly, it wasn't a one off thing.

[emulatorloo]

88. Crawford insinuates he tells the story over and over again.

He doesn’t.

Some posters in this thread seem to believe the video is very recent. It isn’t.

Other people ignore the context of the ceremony at City Pool and the good reactions Biden got from audience.

[bluewater]

90. Biden told the Corn Pop story in his autobiography too.

"As Harriott notes, Biden told this story in his autobiography, and again in 2017, but neither time as hilariously as Harriot did on Twitter Saturday.

tps://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-joe-biden-tells-story-of-facing-down-razor-wielding-gang-leader-named-corn-pop/



That sorta definitively memorializes it.

[emulatorloo]

95. Here's how his story was received at the ceremony at City Pool

You write: “Biden told this story in his autobiography and again in 2017”

First, are you aware 2007 and 2017 are ten years apart?

Secondly are you aware that the 2017 telling was at a ceremony at City Pool in Biden’s honor? They named a Pool after him.

Third are you aware how well received Biden’s talk was at City Pool in 2017?

Link to tweet

Something tells me you aren’t aware of any of this.

[bluewater]

113. Thanks for agreeing Biden told the story in his autobiography and also in 2017.

So, you totally agreed with me when I wrote:

It was 2017, but it's only 2019 now, right?

Perhaps she felt it was pertinent in relation to the 2019 primary debates to discuss it?

The Corn Pop story has been told repeatedly, it wasn't a one off thing.

and then:

Biden told the Corn Pop story in his autobiography too.

"As Harriott notes, Biden told this story in his autobiography, and again in 2017, but neither time as hilariously as Harriot did on Twitter Saturday.

tps://www.mediaite.com/news/watch-joe-biden-tells-story-of-facing-down-razor-wielding-gang-leader-named-corn-pop/

Well, thanks for admitting I was correct in the two posts you replied to.

[emulatorloo]

116. Appears you didn't read my post or watch the videos if that's your take-away

Have a nice night!

[bluewater]

119. Appears you didn't read what I actually wrote

You repied to my posts:

First, are you aware 2007 and 2017 are ten years apart?

Secondly are you aware that the 2017 telling was at a ceremony at City Pool in Biden’s honor? They named a Pool after him.

Third are you aware how well received Biden’s talk was at City Pool in 2017?
...

Something tells me you aren’t aware of any of this.

Honestly, that's exactly what I said previously. Biden told the story in his autobiography and then again in 2017.



I do not understand what you are disagreeing with me about.

But, have a nice night too!

[sheshe2]

121. The Michael Harriot?

That posts on The Root? That Michael Harriot? One 'T' not two.

Funny, I have posted many things from MH without a problem. Then I was trashed here...though they did not win the battle. Those here saying he was a terrible source and I should be ashamed of myself for posting his take on wypipo because his OP offended some. Then they brought up the fact that he refused to vote for Hillary. Yep, he did, do I agree with that? Nope. Fact is it was his choice. Lot's of members here said the same thing. Never Hillary and voted according to their views.

Now, only now they love the guy because he said what they all want to hear. This one however is incorrect and their are articles that prove that claim. He has every right to say what he says. Believe him or not but you can't have it both ways. He is a black man and this is his opinion just like his post about wypipo.

Crazy, huh.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

91. Not under the "Bernie Standard," which can go all the way back to his high-school days.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[JI7]

97. 30s and 40s aren't high school days

[sheshe2]

139. You could read this.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287280813#post95

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

93. Wondered that myself... what is Joe's point in repeatedly telling this story about Corn Pop?!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[bluewater]

98. Dunno. Perhaps we should ask Joe?

[emulatorloo]

103. See my post above

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=281339

I am not sure why that person insinuates that Biden tells this story all the time, because he doesn’t.

Also ignores the context of the 2017 video OP posted. Was at City Pool where the incident happened at a ceremony honoring Biden.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/06/27/joe-biden-recalls-lessons-learned-as-the-only-white-lifeguard-at-inner-city-pool-in-1962/

Link to tweet

Was well received by the audience as you’ll see in my post above.

[highplainsdem]

138. Whatever Crawford's irrelevant take on a story about a time and place she knows nothing about,

the black community in Wilmington, a community that knows Biden and loves him, has told this story for many years as a favorite story about Biden:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=281044

Maybe Crawford should try to analyze them. Though I suspect they'd tell her what she could do with her analysis.

[The Wielding Truth]

84. Great story! If you're not afraid to face up to a tough guy sometimes an apology will do.

[quickesst]

96. not only is this....

.... one of the cheapest hit jobs on Joe Biden, but one has to be absolutely dumbfounded by the naivety of the OP, and it's supporters.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

99. Here's Corn Pop's obituary

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287281338

[OilemFirchen]

111. And even there the slow-to-learn are stuck on stupid.

I wonder how tall they are?

[melman]

104. lol

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

105. Michael Harriot?

I got roasted for posting his opinion pieces from The Root.

[emulatorloo]

107. Yeah, I remember that

[sheshe2]

112. OMG

He is not credible because he did not vote for Hillary. Hated her.

Fact is many here did not and stated the fact.

There are many other very high profile people that did the same.

Susan Sarandon
Nina Turner
Sirota
Bri Bri
Cornel West

They gave us Trump.

All voted third party and all are hired for another team for 2020.

Hey, em. Good to see you.

[Otto Lidenbrock]

117. only susan sarandon and cornel west have any visibility outside of the political junkie bubble

and i'm being generous in including dr. west

go door to door to folks and most will never have heard of nina turner, david sirota and bri bri

[Kurt V.]

110. it is not to our advantage to keep ignoring this shit. he's not the guy to beat trump.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

135. I think Joe could win, but, we need a strong progressive nominee who will give voters

what they hunger for... a moderate incremental agenda is not going to cut it this time.


Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!! or
Elizabeth & Bernie 2020!!
Either way, welcome to the revolution!!!

[emmaverybo]

130. Better grounds than the Corn Pop story on which to champion Bernie's candidacy and discredit

Biden’s—aren’t there?

[Gothmog]

143. Joe Biden is owed an apology for this thread

Link to tweet

[LanternWaste]

144. I'm guessing this is this week's Let's Throw it At The Wall and Hope it Sticks message.

I'm also guessing there will be a LOT of alleged concern about this, it will die within 72-hours, and another imaginary Outrage will be quickly located and immediately targeted at said wall.

Consistency is a good thing. But that poor wall...

[Gothmog]

147. I agree with Nate Silver-no Biden supporter is going to change due to this attack

Link to tweet