It’s frankly disappointing that the TPM editors (and I include Josh in this) don’t seem to get the point of what Harris called out. Biden was willing to outlaw federally mandated busing and deny opportunities to minorities that she received through a voluntary program. The question for Biden is will he make POC expendable for the sake of cutting a deal with Republicans if he were to become POTUS. Does he realize that those moves in the 70s are not acceptable today. That’s the issue. POC America gets it. Biden does not. The press does not. TPM does not (unfortunately).
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Check the quote again. That’s the same position that Biden presented on stage.
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Its the distinction Biden made in the 70s and everyone wants to say it doesnt matter. She won’t promise it because it would go over like a shit flavored ice cream in the electorate. This is purely primary politics.
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Read the whole exchange. It’s not the position Biden had in the 70s or on stage a few days ago. This is just more white media blind spots to discussions on race. Not the first time.
As Lily Adams (Harris’ advisor) said succinctly, here is the issue for Biden about reconciling his past with present:
"Remind me what his position on Hyde was a month ago?
Honestly - this is very simple.
The Q from the debate remains. Does the VP regret working with segregationists against busing in the 1970s or does he not?"
Whether it’s busing (an issue that a lot of the white commentariat simply doesn’t get) or the issue of abortion rights (Hyde) or women’s rights (Anita Hill), Biden has a lot of old baggage that he hasn’t been willing to fully address. He got a pass early. That halo and hall pass are gone now.
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false.
Harris has not said that Biden’s segregationist position was the right one in the mid 70s. But 45 years later, the issues – and the solutions – have changed.
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I don’t know exactly what the walk-back is.
The importance of addressing segregation is still present but it clearly was more directly so in the 1970s. Biden actively worked against it on the federal level and that is relevant when talking about him saying good things about segregationists who never called him “boy.”
Kamala Harris didn’t take it off the table. She said it should be in the toolbox. Its application in 2021 rests on specific facts and how the Roberts Courts will respond.
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But not Biden? Oh nonono he hasn’t changed from the 70s and didnt live thru 40 years of changing American politics at the center of it all and his 40 year record certainly has nothing in it to suggest hed be fine on race. Yawn.
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I think the whole thing is more than just about busing but the role of federal government as well. It’s the basis of protecting other rights, including reproductive rights, LGBT rights and healthcare. IIRC, during the debate Sanders was asked about how he could implement M4A given his position on guns. Harris may have to face similar questions soon.
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yes. The truth of Biden’s position.
The courts had found that New Castle County Schools were segregated as a result of state level actions (including redrawing school district lines in a way that encouraged de facto segregation), and ordered the state to come up with a desegregation plan.
It was at that point that Biden went all-out against bussing — and against any plan to consolidate school districts in a way that would consolidate black and white school districts, making it possible to desegregate school districts through bussing without crossing district lines.
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Biden is lying about his position from the mid 70s – and that is what is important to me. The fact that he’s dog-whistling his great working relationship with segregationists, while lying about record, says that he hasn’t changed at all.
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I only have quotes of what she said so I’m not fully sure of it exactly.
But, the bold can very well be on “should.” If the local government DOES NOT and evidence is present it is necessary to enforce integration, federal law can pressure them to do so. This would make it not “voluntary” since they are obligated to do it.
Voluntary busing was Biden’s position.
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Here is the full exchange between Harris and reporter Vaughn Hillyard.
- She says she supports the Fudge/Murphy bill to help districts integrate.
- “In the case of de facto segregation, do you support mandated busing and are there any other initiatives in support of creating more integrated schools”
Answer: “Yes”…
So to @castor_troy, that’s about as clear a response as one can get.
Now, there’s more to the response as it was a multi-part question:
“…so let me be just really clear, busing is a tool among many that should be considered when we address the issue which is a very current issue as well as the past issue of desegregation. So I think of busing as being in the toolbox of what is available and what can be used for the goal of desegregating America’s schools.”
I really don’t know how much clearer she could be on this point. Federally mandated busing is a tool in the tool box. That wasn’t Joe Biden’s position in the 70s. I really don’t know what his position is now or whether he’s going to make a conversion from his former position as he has on the Hyde Amendment. I would welcome a change in position and some considered reflection from Biden on this point. I think it would advance the cause of racial reconciliation. But he keeps f’ing this up and tries to attack Harris for pointing out that his past position and embracing it as a positive example of bipartisanship is a problem.
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Not really. The conjunctive clause in the question made it two questions and she said yes once.
She carefully avoided promising it because she won’t run on it.
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So Sen. Harris’ position is still in support of federally-mandated busing after all?
I wish her the best of luck in selling that.
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Lesser included option. Any locality can use it but it is possible that the Feds should enforce it in certain situations.
Kamala needs to internalize the press’s literalism and lack of logic and lack of nuance.
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Well, she put Biden on the same spot, so… Good for the goose and all that.
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She has been very clear that she supports federally mandated busing as an option when other remedies won’t work. It’s what she said in the debate, to Bloomberg, through a tweet from her campaign, and in this exchange with Vaughn Hillyard. That’s her position.
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This walkback is going to damage Harris. Not that she should have stuck with her original position—it was untenable. She just shouldn’t have painted herself into this corner in the first place. She should have said something like, “Federally mandated busing isn’t coming back, but it did do some good and I am grateful for the opportunities I got because of it.”
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Then it’s not in the hands of the school district, so her other statement is incorrect.
I love your analysis, but here you’re really trying to support the fake news version.
One can support Harris and still realize that she did just put her foot in her mouth.
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