I was tired, cranky, sweating in line at a Stop 'n Shop in a poor part of New Haven to cash in my returned-bottle receipts. Somehow, the talk turned to the recent debate and the impending election. The woman ahead of me, a fiery Black lady of middle age, shot back that she was staying with Joe.
"People are afraid of a little age. 81. So what! Look at all the good things he's done. He's not perfect, but who is? I am staying with him. He's a good man."
And someone brought up Obama's name. I said you could be sure he'll be more in his ear than ever if he continues.
She: "That's just fine. I won't let people try to replace JOE!"
I have to say, this Democrat was moved. Her love for him shook me to the core. Until I realized what was really happening. The Black community was so thrilled to finally have a person of color in office that they naturally loved his "this is a big effing deal" sidekick, Uncle Joe. The Barack Obama legacy pervades even through the darkest of illness-cum-ego-cum-loquaciousness that defines Joe Biden Redux. And as I write, I realize I might be missing some new soundbite or image caught by CNN or Fox. Remember the frozen look as he walked off stage? Obama had to lead him off, like he would have done to his dad or our grandpa. None of us bought that Uncle Joe was just taking in the crowd, taking in the moment.
None of us bought it, but one community in particular was not holding it against him: African Americans. And it goes deeper even than Obama. Our sick history of slavery in this country means any man who represents the antithesis of that will be a savior. Trump does not represent that. His MAGA love-ins are whiter than Biden's teeth.
Biden is rightfully bragging about his ongoing support by the Congressional Black Congress, as he relishes what could be near full support from the 45 million Blacks* in a country of over 300 million. That is a good chunk of the electorate to have on your side. Joe knows it. Jill knows it. And Trump definitely knows it.
* 2022 statistics, more or less
Photo: By The White House - President Joe Biden crosses the Edmund Pettus Bridge with civil rights leaders to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Bloody Sunday on Sunday, March 5, 2023, in Selma, Alabama. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) https://www.flickr.com/photos/191819781@N02/52752304975/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=129795898
When I saw him the day after the plane and helicopter crash at Reagan I knew exactly why he was in town. "Lester Holt?" He turned, looked down at me and smiled, "Yes." "I'm a big fan," I said. He thanked me, I smiled, and left him. I have never been able to ask a celebrity for an autograph or picture. I immediately regretted it, but I also knew he was lost in his own thoughts at that moment. He was standing outside the bodega at DC Union Station. Days later he made news with the announcement of his departure from NBC Nightly News. Suddenly, his quiet introspection, gazing outside an open store, made sense. I believe in that moment his quasi-retirement flooded his thoughts. There is no way this was his choice. TV lore is ripe with stories of the old dog favored for the younger model (Tom Llamas, in this case). But Lester is a musician at heart, so when the bosses came to him and said numbers were down, he knew just how to play this. A classy exit. In ...
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