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Biden says 'I am a union man,' at first 2020 campaign event

79 Comments
By James Oliphant

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79 Comments
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And the circus has officially come to town. It won't be long before Donny start keeping the office of the president classy by using Twitter to publish childish insults and baldfaced lies.

You Trumpophiles must be so proud of the role model you elected.

-6 ( +11 / -17 )

.

Well Biden already stripped his campaign of class -just wonder where the #MeToo voices went......?

.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

The swamp just won't go away.

9 ( +14 / -5 )

Biden's biggest problem is likely to be his and his son's financial and political dealings in Ukraine. It all looks rather unsavory to say the least. So far the mainstream media hasn't really focused on it.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

The political party that wants rich white men out of the White House is pushing two rich white men as their top candidates...

We're so gonna end up with 4 more years of Trump and it's the Democrats fault.

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Yeah because he wants some Union money and votes. Contrary to what a lot of people think, Unions don't raise the wages of Union workers in any significant way, what they do, however, is to eliminate competition by limiting and controlling the number of workers allowed to work in the given company. So their high salaries come at the expense of everybody else. The moment you create any organization, you are creating an organism whose number one purpose is self-preservation.

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

So Biden had in Pittsburgh about a 600 audience attendance. Seems things are really going smoothly for him. With that kind of turnout, he’s has nothing to worry about...lol

-1 ( +9 / -10 )

This is great news for Trump 2020. This is seriously the best the Democrats can muster up?! MAGA!

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Trump dumped by the firefighters

Firefighters Union, let’s be specific. The organization is different than the individuals. The Unions will always go for the Democrats, but it’s members are all individuals and think individually and not monolithically.

This is great news for Trump 2020. This is seriously the best the Democrats can muster up?! MAGA!

It would seem so.

-3 ( +8 / -11 )

Trump campaign has made $45 million from selling their red hats.

Great, they got my money too.

Well Biden already stripped his campaign of class -just wonder where the #MeToo voices went......?

Once Biden goes full in, you’ll hear from them and Alyssa Milano again, trust me.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

Clever move by Joe to basically declare that it is Biden v Trump already. In a nutshell, Joe is telling the Rest of the Field that they are running for Veep.

Bold move. We shall see if it works.

Ooh, insulting unions - great idea for winning over working-class voters, Trump!

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Biden is just another moth-eaten creature (wolf in sheep's clothing) from the swamp whose message is well past its sell-by date. Biden vs Pence is not the election that would bode well for the country's future.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Ooh, insulting unions - great idea for winning over working-class voters, Trump!

The Union itself doesn’t speak for its individual members.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

@Crazy Joe

Ooh, insulting unions - great idea for winning over working-class voters, Trump!

My own experience as a member of an American union is that the leaders are often professionals and in it for themselves. They got salaries. We punched timecards.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The Union itself doesn’t speak for its individual members.

So, here it doesn't, but when it's the CPB union backing a stupid idea, it does. Got it.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

So, here it doesn't, but when it's the CPB union backing a stupid idea, it does. Got it.

The difference is, the CBP is trying to curtail illegal immigration as a US law enforcement body, it has nothing to do with supporting Individual candidates or taking a political position. Nice try though.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

"Everybody knows it. The middle class is hurting," Biden said. "The stock market is roaring, but you don't feel it."

if Biden or one of his clown dem comradesget elected, youll really be feeling the pain. these people havent a clue how a free market economy works

0 ( +9 / -9 )

The political party that wants rich white men out of the White House is pushing two rich white men as their top candidates...

Bernie is Jewish though.

Besides, he's not an establishment candidate.

The real establishment candidate after Biden in this race is Buttigieg. He's the darkhorse ace-up-the-sleeve to watch for.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

He's also a phony.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Biden is just another moth-eaten creature (wolf in sheep's clothing) from the swamp whose message is well past its sell-by date.

100% facts, and so is Warren and Sanders. The rest of that pack is too left and weird (well so is Bernie, but he is old)

Trump will eat the leftie newbies on the scene in the debates, Biden might put up a fight, but his past politician flip floping will do him in as he tries to be this honest and pure candidate, Warren will last 1st round then she be gone

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

Trump will eat the leftie newbies on the scene in the debates

What do you mean? Offer a running commentary ( post trash on Twitter ) about the candidates while the debates are happening?

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Trump campaign has made $45 million from selling their red hats.

*Great, they got my money too***.**

So did the Chinese workers who made them. MCGA

2 ( +8 / -6 )

this is the best the Dems can do? Suppress Bernie despite his popularity saying he is too old (Biden same age BTW) and lose the same way they did in 2016. Good luck with that

4 ( +7 / -3 )

this is the best the Dems can do? Suppress Bernie despite his popularity saying he is too old (Biden same age BTW) and lose the same way they did in 2016. Good luck with that

Both are a socialist and a joke, one doesn’t really want to and the other is so dull he’ll never get even close the Presidency.

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

When unions started they were absolutely necessary to protect workers from gross exploitation. As time went on the unions became more like a business and they jumped on the greed bandwagon as well (not all unions did so). Then over time the unions became more and more irrelevant which is sad.

I am an engineer but long ago I was a tradesman and belonged to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). I still remain thankful and proud to say I was a union craftsman and the training, benefits, and wages provided by the IBEW were excellent.

I am not particularly a Biden supporter but I would say I am also a union man and I think with the suppression of wages and other issues we see the unions are now more necessary than at any time in my lifetime.

I am waiting for John Hickenlooper to start to come out and speak. He is a moderate Democrat with a good track record in the State of Colorado and a former business owner who has maintained a good balance between social responsibility and understanding that tax revenue ultimately comes from businesses (in the form of business or personal taxes). The one issue I disagree with Mr. Hickenlooper on is the issue related to sanctuary cities (he is pro sanctuary cities/I am against). Other than that I believe he is the best candidate the Democrats have to offer but I fear he may suffer the same fate as Jim Webb (who I supported) did in the 2016 election.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Biden's the union man, is he? Then what's up with...

A 12-nation trade deal backed by Obama and Biden, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, was opposed by labor and became an issue in the 2016 presidential race, when Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, used it to criticize Democratic policies. As president, Trump pulled the United States out of the pact.

Anyway, Trump is the jobs man. Biden is the Jeb of the Democratic party.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

The real establishment candidate after Biden in this race is Buttigieg

You know what? Even considering he's gay and is married to a man, by golly, he probably IS the most establishment candidate after Biden!

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Newt Gingrich thinks Buttigieg will be the nominee. It is, in fact, entirely possible!

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Personally Biden isn't my favorite Democratic candidate. But you know what? He'd make a d### good president, just like a dozen other Democrats currently running. If he ends up with the nomination I'll be more than happy to campaign and pull the lever for him.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Uncle Joe should have been the one running for the Democrats in the 2016 election instead of Hillary. I'm not sure on whether Biden's missed his chance or not, but he'd make a better president than Trump. At least a Biden wouldn't be running about on the international stage kissing the behinds of the likes of Putin and Kim.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

@Tokyo-Engr

Im familiar with the IBEW also, I agree, great training and bennies, and a long history in the USA. Whats interesting is that many US governors invite, wine&dine japanese companies and provide tax subsidies for these Japanese companies. These J companies have figured out that states with low union memberships are the place to set up. They dont like the UAW or IBEW or others because they demand higher wages and are possibly seen as adversarial to their more strategic plans. Your thoughts? I think allot of these Dems, and even Repubs, who worship Toyota, Nissan etc for their low hanging fruits they offer (but often turn out to be hard ceiling wages and non management positions, same as many NJ in Japanese companies experience) are selling us out.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Joe is an old fart let the millennials through, the baby boomer generation have been a disaster culminating in the electoral college election of a screaming orange moron.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

I'm gonna enjoy the circular firing squad that will be the Democratic nomination process. Joe has a lot of baggage, from his 'inconvenient' votes in the Senate to finances to his non-apology to Anita HIll to his amazing proclivity to say stupid (but amusing) mistakes about things. Plus, remember his previous two runs at the White House, I think he garnered about 2% in both contests altogether before dropping out.

It's kinda sad because I'm a bit nostalgic for old time Democrats like Joe.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Personally Biden isn't my favorite Democratic candidate. But you know what? He'd make a d### good president, just like a dozen other Democrats currently running.

You've got to be kidding. The only decent Democrat running is Tulsi Gabbard. If Trump starts screwing up and she is the Democratic nominee, I'll vote for her.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

The difference is, the CBP is trying to curtail illegal immigration as a US law enforcement body, it has nothing to do with supporting Individual candidates or taking a political position. Nice try though.

You claim the CPB union presidemtvdoeajs for the union members. How is it different here? Your answer described what the CPB does, but did not elucidate any distinction how the union speaks for individual members in that example but not with the union backing Biden.

Nice try indeed.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

*president speaks

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Madverts: the electoral college election of a screaming orange moron

Watch the "screaming orange moron" get re-elected. Probably in a landslide.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

@Joe Blow

Bernie is Jewish though.

Haven’t you heard, Joe? Jews are now officially white. (Tell that to some Sephardim!)

-5 ( +1 / -6 )

If Trump starts screwing up

What would that look like?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

What would that look like?

The past two and a half years.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Add in the rest of the motley crew loonies going for the Dem nomination and this is gonna be fun!

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Did you even watch the speech? He can’t even do public speaking despite being a public serving for 45 years.

-5 ( +4 / -9 )

If Trump starts screwing up

What would that look like?

If he started an unnecessary war, or started tearing down what barriers we have on the southern border like "Beto" O'Rourke would do, or failed to get us out of bad trade agreements... so far so good!

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

Whether Trump wins a second term or not, it will still turn out to be a temporary glitch of populism in the history of the country. Order will be restored sooner, or later.

Order, as in the corrupt establishment we've been enduring for decades? No thanks. Drain the swamp!

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

The latest CNN polling data gives Biden a 24 point advantage over Bernie at 39 and 15 respectively. The rest of the field are all in single digits with either stagnant numbers or losses in their ratings.

This just might be an example of the Democratic voter base clutching at a straw, with Biden being that straw. The reality is that the majority of Democratic voters are over 50, the majority of Democratic voters classify themselves as moderate to conservative and the majority of Democratic voters do not have a college degree. Within those specific demographics Biden clearly dominates, with as much as a 37 point lead over Bernie.

This could quite possibly be an indication that the Democratic Socialist agenda espoused by many of the candidates and promoted by a supportive media, is not as universally accepted among the American Democratic Party electorate as was hoped.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Trump is running scared of Biden. My prediction is that Biden will win the Dem primaries. Mainly because he is the most electable. And he can counter Trump better than most.

For those Dems who want a more progressive platform, you need to think about the best strategy for that. Elect Biden as a solid president and work on getting the Senate back. At that point you can look at progressive policies, but not before.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Biden has “electability”?

Has any Biden supporter here wondered why his two previous runs for the nomination failed? It makes good reading. Obama chose him solely on the basis of being a white man posing as a friend of the working man. He certainly didn’t choose him for brains.

Biden will certainly screw up as he fumbles to make excuses for his past failures. All will be revealed. If the Democrats go with him instead of someone without a history, they’ll lose.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The dems are like crackheads without a pipe now. Here's their base: illegal aliens, minors (Nancy's proposal), and felons (gee--thanks uncle Bernie. Beautiful suggestion--not!)

Very pathetic.

Exactly.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Anoymous

Biden has “electability”?

Yep.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/democrats-think-biden-is-electable-but-hes-not-everyones-first-choice/

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@Longtermer

Thanks for the reply. Yes the IBEW is a great union. You touch on a very interesting point. Both political parties have had no trouble selling out the working man (a major reason why the U.S. ended up with Trump). It is a big issue related to globalization and it is a difficult question.

On one hand the unions provide a good wage, benefits, and in the case of the IBEW an excellent apprenticeship and training program. Yes; labor costs are higher but generally the quality of work is better and the workers are receiving a wage where they can actually buy a house and send the kids to college. They can also consume some of what is manufactured.

On the other hand the U.S. system tends to compel states to compete against each other for the factories, etc. This system results in tax breaks being given to corporations as a reward for relocation and also an incentive for manufacturers to move to lower cost states. An example is Boeing opening the 2nd manufacturing facility for the Dreamliner in South Carolina. A factor (not the only one) in this decision was using non union labor in the South Carolina facility (lower cost).

With regard to the foreign manufacturers an argument can be made that it is better to have the jobs in the U.S. rather than having the vehicles made in Japan (Or Korea) and sent to the U.S. In the mid 2000's I did a project for Kia Motors where I helped with the design of part of the manufacturing line (this work was in Ulsan) and then went to Kia Motors Georgia for the final phase of the work. The Georgia plant was a non union plant and the wages were not union wages but were pretty good. The workers were happy to have the jobs and the amount of applicants was pretty staggering.

I agree that both political parties have sold out the American worker (long ago) and as stated above we now see the consequences.

In all reality I do not see this getting any better as those lobbying forms on K Street in Washington DC (often full of those who were previously US elected officials or their staff) are allowed to continue doing business. That is the U.S. version of amakudari and it does no good for the average worker.

The modern day politician only cares about keeping the re-election coffers full and getting re-elected, which is sad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

https://www.factcheck.org/2019/04/bidens-campaign-kickoff-claims/ disputes at least 3 of Biden's claims.

Biden said “we have the most productive workers in the world.” NOT TRUE. Data is old, but Norway and Ireland have higher productivity. Current data, using different measures says US workers are 5th.

He claimed that “all of” the tax cuts signed into law by President Donald Trump “went to folks at the top and corporations that paid no taxes.” NOT TRUE. 6% are paying more. The rest are mostly paying less or the same amount.

Biden claimed that General Motors “did nothing” regarding severance for 14,000 employees it announced would be laid off or relocated NOT TRUE. They are getting severance.

Typical politician, the real truth isn't sufficient to make their points.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This is great news for Trump 2020. This is seriously the best the Democrats can muster up?! 

Nah, they're gonna muster up Mayor Pete!

Biden's biggest problem is likely to be his and his son's financial and political dealings in Ukraine

Nah, his biggest problem is two things - he's white and male, which the DNC doesn't want, and then even if he somehow beats Mayor Pete for the nomination, he's got all these videos and pictures of him sniffing hair and otherwise appearing to be creepy.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

In all reality I do not see this getting any better as those lobbying forms on K Street in Washington DC (often full of those who were previously US elected officials or their staff) are allowed to continue doing business. That is the U.S. version of amakudari and it does no good for the average worker.

This is very enlightening Tokyo-Engr. Interesting how this question is never given to candidates during debates; would make for a very interesting show ) I think its because of these deeper involvements and reasons for allot of the problems in the US economy.

Yes, I have heard the reason that Japan was so able to invade the US during the 80s was because states were selling out and competing against each other. This should be further explored and debated.

You see very little, if any, US manufacturing in Japan. I dont believe that US products are ALL inferior, its just that many are shut out of this market.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

An election campaign based on policy from both sides without the character bashing and smearing would be good, or is that too radical?

That would be too radical, haha

Yeah, zichi, that would be nice. Can't remember the last election campaign that didn't have any character bashing or smearing. Well, actually, China and North Korea have those on a regular basis, though technically they're not really elections....

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Andrew Yang 2020!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

One year and nine months until the swamp leaves D.C., and it can't come too soon.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Andrew Yang 2020!

Yes! Can't wait to get my $1,000 a month! What about Mayor Pete? Don't like him?

One year and nine months until the swamp leaves D.C., and it can't come too soon.

Nah, it's gonna take longer than that. The Deep State is pretty entrenched. We have got rid of some swamp creatures already including Paul Ryan and John McCain. Still have to get rid of Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, Eric Swalwell...

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

"I am a union man!". What a joke. Hes been in "public service" since the age of 29 - a professional politician. Can you imagine how out of touch he has become with the real world?

I'd love to see him in debate with President Trump!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

But we must admit: Joe is extremely "hands on".

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Zichi,

well, have you talked to any actual firefighters? Theyre overwhelmingly voting for Trump.

The "firefighters union" can say what it likes. They dont control the votes of the unions members.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

zichiApr. 30  07:47 pm JST

(REf:Red MAGA hats):Great, they got my money too.

The hats and the American flags used in the last Trump campaign were made in China.

Not according to Snopes:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-hat-china/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

well, have you talked to any actual firefighters? Theyre overwhelmingly voting for Trump.

Nope, that's been shown to be incorrect.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The more the right is freaking out about Biden, the more I would like to see him win, just for the schadenfreude.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@strangerkand,

get back to me after nov 2020.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Biden lies about tax cuts.

https://www.factcheck.org/2019/05/video-bidens-false-claim-on-tax-cuts/

Americans are adults with adult problems that need real solutions. We don't need lies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Biden doesn’t have a chance, this is too easy for Trump.

https://www.factcheck.org/2019/05/video-bidens-false-claim-on-tax-cuts/ 

Americans are adults with adult problems that need real solutions. We don't need lies.

Lies are what the Democrat party does best.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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