Biden’s big gaffe, the Iran deal, and Dominic Cummings.
ahhh i have no energy
Good morning everyone! Hopefully you had a good Memorial Day weekend and if not, it’s probably because holidays have no meaning to you anymore. Sorry for no audio today, I’m feelin’ under the weather and gave up late in the night! Let’s look at what we’ve got:
Biden’s appearance on The Breakfast Club with Charlamagne tha God was filled with awful gaffes: and the largest of which made headlines after Biden said that “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
In more positive Biden news, his campaign has said they’re ready and willing to reconsider the Iran deal: doing so would be a welcome return to where we were in terms of foreign policy.
Top Boris Johnson advisor, Dominic Cummings, has made a ton of people very angry: as a result of his 250 mile trip to his parents’ home during the coronavirus lockdown.
I’m so tired. Aren’t you? Well, let’s get to it anyway.
ELECTION 2020
Biden the Gaffe Machine Strikes Again During “You Ain’t Black” Controversy
Joe Biden has always been a gaffe machine. The guy just can’t seem to keep his foot out of his mouth, so on some level, it shouldn’t be surprising that his performance on The Breakfast Club with Charlagmane tha God was filled with awful moments. Let’s take a look at just how bad things got.
Biden Fucked Up
Folks like to hone in on one moment during this interview, which we’ll get to in a second. However, we’d like to point out this particular train of non-thought that Biden jumped along for some moment, while Charlamagne uncomfortably nodded along: “right now we’re in a situation where it’s like...you know, that carnie show goes through town once and you find out there’s no pea (pee?!) under one of those three shells that gets pushed around. Next time it comes back, what’dya do? Next time it’s back, you ain’t playing, you gotta figure it out!” Believe it or not, that’s Biden trying to explain how Trump won in 2016.
The real jaw-dropping moment for many was when Biden said that “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
It was especially problematic as Charlamagne tried to nail down the details of how a Biden presidency would help the black community.
Biden’s aides tried to play it off as a misunderstood joke, Biden of course apologized nonetheless because god, you’ve gotta, and some hot takes were made, including Nikole Hannah-Jones tweeting out, “there is a difference between being politically black and being racially black. I am not defending anyone, but we all know this and should stop pretending that we don’t.” She later deleted the tweet.
But...How Much of it Was a Gaffe?
Some have pointed out how this may hint at a larger problem: it’d be easy to write this off as a one-off classic Biden slip-up where he repeated the kind of joke he may have heard in closed company, but what if it was more than that?
The American left has an obsession with identitarian politics. Don’t get it mixed up here, we absolutely believe that identity plays an important part in any coherent political thought. That said, thinking of the black community as a monolith is not a great thing to do, strategically or morally.
Taking supporters for granted isn’t good either. Even in jest, it hints at a very real presumption among many Democrats that the black vote is a given, but as Charlamagne tha God later said, “they’ve got to make some real policy commitments to black people.”
Bottom line: it was a dumb mistake, but it also feels very rooted in the kind of thought that permeates the Democratic party in a pretty awful way. Forcing black voters to back you because you’re the lesser of two evils isn’t great, especially not when you take that support for granted, and it’s a serious learning lesson Biden and all Democrats need to learn from.
FOREIGN POLICY
The Biden Campaign Signals Wanting to Return to Iran Deal
In better Biden news, his campaign has signaled that they’re willing to go back into compliance with the Iran deal as long as Iran is. That’s a big deal and would potentially, if doable, reverse some of the most catastrophic damage imposed by the Trump administration.
The Iran Deal
During Obama’s tenure, he was a key part of the diplomatic effort to create peace by creating a deal with Iran. Also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the JCPOA would see Iran decrease its investments in nuclear capabilities within a certain timeframe. The agreement also involved China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, alongside the European Union.
Trump screwed that all up in May of 2018. Many saw this as a stupid decision, and instead of the decision, Trump’s administration imposed strict sanctions against Iran. Many saw this as goading Iran into another war in the Middle East and our sanctions have since caused major issues for Iran’s handling of the coronavirus. We fucked ‘em, basically, for no real reason.
However, Biden’s campaign may turn that around and reinstate the U.S. involvement in that agreement. This should probably be the bare minimum for any Democratic president down the line, but hey, we’ll throw Biden a bone when he earns it.
Bottom line: no war with Iran, plz.
OVERSEAS
People Are Super Pissed at Top Boris Johnson Advisor, Dominic Cummings
England. La dee da, cheerio and whatnot aside, it’s always interesting to measure their political atmosphere against ours. This has been especially interesting in light of our matched buffoons in leadership: Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. Like Trump, Johnson’s choice of staff has led to some questionable decisions. The latest of which is Dominic Cummings choosing to visit his family during the pandemic.
Oopsies!
Cummings drew fire for traveling between London and Durham in late March, right before falling ill to the coronavirus and making a “second outing” in the area while there.
Johnson’s response: let Cummings speak! He allowed Cummings to go public with a detailed and unapologetic explanation for why he took the journey and ignored the lockdown.
This has drawn a lot of outcry. People think it’s hypocritical to tell citizens to stay at home at all costs while someone with major political clout is allowed to travel freely. Regardless, Johnson has offered Cummings his support, which may impact how people see Johnson in the end.
Bottom line: can you even imagine this shit in the U.S.? Trump can just do whatever he wants, and so can his aides, provided he actually likes them. God, I wish there was just an ounce of outrage here. Yell at a Trump aide on the streets like people have been yelling at Cummings! Please! Someone!
END OF THE LINE...
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The Bread Line
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