Dear Cynthia Nixon,

[Stare Decisis]

When the time is right a pro like Biden will go right after his opponents but do so in a way that preserves his dignity.

You should not be offended by Joe's unwillingness to insult.

Joe cares. But he also believes in honor.

His example is something we should all aspire to: A world where kicking someone's ass doesn't require you to be one.

[ucrdem]

1. Very nicely put.

Biden is a former vice president, not a Twitter fiend, and to expect him to toss out nasty little bon mots like a Fox News host is quite ridiculous.

[OneBro]

3. Nixon didn't suggest the Biden should "toss out nasty little bon mots."

Nixon wrote that Biden should "Please consider how this falls on the ears of our [LGBTQ] community."

In response, Biden reportedly wrote "You're right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn't be given a silent reaction on the world stage," he said. "But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President." https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/28/politics/joe-biden-mike-pence-decent-guy-criticize-respond/index.html

Frankly, I don't think there's anything decent about Pence, and Nixon did no wrong in pointing out the unforced error.

[Pachamama]

2. You are so much more polite than I would be

[still_one]

4. On a comparable level Sanders said similar things about trump supporters. He wouldn't characterize

someone who wouldn't vote for an African American Candidate in the midterms as racist, solely because they were black, using the excuse that instead it was because the "felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American"

Forget get the fact that Biden was way ahead of many, including President Obama on gay rights

Some want to slam Biden, then to be consistent you might as well slam Obama and Sanders. Of course while we are at it we need to go after Klobuchar for the way she treated her staff, Warren for the Native American word parsing, the maturity of Beto instagramming the cleaning of his teeth, etc. etc. etc

Is Pence anti-gay and homophobic? Absolutely. Does Biden agree with Pence on those views? Absolutely NOT.

Cynthia Nixon, please tell us how to win elections, you did so well in yours.

While we are at it let's get a few more candidates running in our primary, many duplicating each other on the same issues, jump on anyone of those candidates if they say something that isn't inflammatory against the opposition, and see what happens?

I am more and more convinced we are going to have a brokered convention, and while some may think that is a good thing, let's see how well that works out for us in 2020

We don't need trump or the f**king republicans, we have each other

I just changed my candidate preference from Harris to Biden, not because I am against Kamala Harris, actually I like both Harris and Biden, plus some other candidates, but after entering this earlier election cycle for 2020, and viewing some of the attacks on each other going on, I am convinced that our best chance to avoid a brokered Convention is Joe Biden.

I also, think he can reach into a lot areas of the country that some of our candidates won't be able to do, and if he decides to run, and wins the nomination, and selects a woman for his VP, I think we would have a winning ticket.

Perhaps it would serve Nixon better if she looked at where Biden is on the issues. Context is important, and he was reacting with sadness that the current VP was greeted with silence in Germany. He was NOT endorsing Pence, or Pence's anti-gay phobia. That is a false narrative that some are trying to push, and it is bullshit

[betsuni]

5. +1

[oasis]

6. +1 and then some.

[R B Garr]

10. THANK YOU! LGBT had nothing to do with what Biden

was talking about in his foreign policy speech. Bigotry had nothing to do with it. He was saying that Pence was decent in the sense that he wasn’t an overt Trumpanzee and he was still met with unprecedented silent hostility.

I’m so glad he explained that to Nixon.

Agreed that we have enough people arguing over Democratic socialism.

[peggysue2]

11. Excellent response, still_one

This is a false narrative, one of many we and our candidates will need to field. Joe Biden responded directly to Nixon in an appropriate manner explaining exactly what he meant and intended with his comments.

That should close the matter so we can get on with the job of winning in 2020.

Btw, I agree with your assessment. If Joey Biden jumps in and chooses a young, eyes-on-the future VP candidate (preferably a woman), we will win this thing and get the country back on track. The stakes are enormous.

[Vinnie From Indy]

27. Nicely put!

Cheers!

[WeekiWater]

7. I don't find honor or dignity in calling Pence a decent guy.

"societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage and family." Pence

Pence voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act saying that the law “wages war of freedom and religion in the work place.”

He does not want people to be able to serve openly gay in the military. He said he doesn’t want to see the military become a “a backdrop for social experimentation.”

“Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage.” Pence

Go look at his conditions for reauthorizing the Ryan White Care Act. His conditions were as bigoted as they come and included facilitating gay conversion education.

Whalen a Governor, he signed the Religious Freedoms Restoration Act.

I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we don’t help to foster positive images of our oppressors. I don’t think there is any honor in defining bigots and oppressors as decent persons.

You can like Biden without finding a way to stand up for everything he does. I love Biden. Not big on Cynthia at all. I’m sorry he promotes the idea that a bigot and oppressor is a decent person.

Seems even Biden now agrees.

[CrossingTheRubicon]

8. Cynthia Nixon is barking up the wrong tree.

Joe Biden advanced LGBTQ rights and got ahead of the issue in the Obama administration.

Pense is the culprit here, not Biden.

Alas, we seem to live in a world of cheap-shot Twitter insult artists.

[NurseJackie]

9. Calling out bigotry is not an "insult".

You should not be offended by Joe's unwillingness to insult.

Calling out bigotry is not an "insult". Remaining silent about it is the insult.

[still_one]

15. This was Biden's response..............................

"You're right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn't be given a silent reaction on the world stage," he said. "But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/28/politics/joe-biden-mike-pence-decent-guy-criticize-respond/index.html

[NurseJackie]

16. I saw that... he hit all the right notes.

[still_one]

19. I am really concerned, that we are headed for a brokered convention. Going after Biden because of

his judgement and actions during the Anita Hill hearing, is appropriate. Going after Biden because he has a tendency to say the wrong things at times is also appropriate, and one would hope he finally gets that message, as one would hope our other candidates get that message also, because they are all under a microscope.

President Obama was a master in thinking before speaking

I also have no issue with Biden or any of our candidates/potential candidates being critisized for making statements that are viewed as insensitive or flat out inappropriate. One would hope lessons are learned from this.


I am still not sure who I am going to vote for in the primary. I would love to vote for my Senator, Harris, but I will be looking at a lot of things before super Tuesday, especially in regard to how to avoid a brokered convention, and which of our candidate has the best chance to win in a general election, and that candidate better be able to win a few red and some purple states, or it won't happen.

We can definitely over play over-play our hands,

I see Washington Governor Jay Inslee just entered the Democratic race today.

[NurseJackie]

21. I see that as a "vanity" campaign that's intended to "shape the debate".

It's difficult for me to believe that there's any realistic way he can make any headway. He's 2nd tier or lower, in my opinion and probably won't meet the criteria for attending any official debates. Unofficial town-halls and editorial-writing will be the way he adds his voice to the debate or in shaping the message.

[still_one]

23. At least according to the polls today, and it is way too early, I think your assessment is wrong.

He will definitely be in the 1st tier debates, unless the current polls change drastically.

[NurseJackie]

24. Time will tell.

[still_one]

25. Absolutely

[forklift]

12. Cheap shots are stupid

Against Biden, they are idiotic.


I wish the younger generation of Democrats learns how to debate one's opponents on policy rather than cheap shots directed against someone from your own party. Dignity of the opponents should be respected.

[still_one]

20. against any of our candidates like that is unwise.

[Orangepeel]

13. Did I miss something?

The only thing from Nixon that I saw referenced was one that said, “@JoeBiden you’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader “a decent guy.” Please consider how this falls on the ears of our community. @DrBiden”

That is a respectful and appropriate comment, to which Biden appropriately replied that she was right and there is nothing decent in being anti-LGBT.

Did she say something else?

[Jakes Progress]

17. Even Biden walked it back.

But the hyper partisan nature of this forum is doing exactly what the republicans like. If almost anyone, even another Democratic candidate called pence a decent person, some of those here defending "their guy" would be all over them. As just pointed out, Biden himself realized how stupid and hurtful his remark was and walked it back.

Right now, I'm a Warren fan. If and when she says stupid things I will recognize that I'm not voting for a perfect embodiment of the Buddha here on earth. And if she says enough dumb things to make me think she will cost us the election or that indicate she is not ready for he job, I will switch. We have some running now that I will not support in the primary because of their history. We don't need to alienate other Democrats. That is a troll's job.

[still_one]

22. Good point, but with social media the way it is, and the piling on that occurs that is not how it

evolved into.

This was Biden's response shortly affter:

""You're right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn't be given a silent reaction on the world stage," he said. "But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/28/politics/joe-biden-mike-pence-decent-guy-criticize-respond/index.html

[obnoxiousdrunk]

26. +1 . n/t

[Scurrilous]

14. ...

[Gothmog]

18. Joe is a good man and I would likely support him if he runs