It is well known and acknowledged that Senator Joe Biden opposed forced busing of public school students to achieve racial integration when that issue was in the forefront. What may not be as well remembered is, at the time forced busing was opposed by BOTH Blacks and whites. Whites opposed it because in many cases (if not most cases) they had chosen what neighborhood to live in largely based on the neighborhood school, and busing totally defeated that serious choice that the parents had made. Blacks didn't like their kids bused to remote schools, thus increasing travel times and putting their kids in unfamiliar and unwelcome environments, on the very dubious basis that doing so would somehow make their learning experience better or just generally make American greater. The Blacks called, Bullshit, and they were right. Busing was bad public policy, and on this point Joe Biden was right. (One might ALSO remember that Congress NEVER authorized or demanded school busing to achieve racial integration because it was both outside Congress' legitimate powers and the people didn't want it. It was rogue Federal District Court Judges who were driving these buses, so to speak).
During the debates a few months ago, Senator K. Harris (R-CA) dramatically described how SHE was one of the students who was bused. (She being of some sort of unique, mongrelized, not really white not really Black racial identity - Indian/BlackJamaican).
So what? There was no claim that the busing was a major contributor to her later academic or professional success; the claim would have been preposterous and insulting to both of her parents. There was no claim by Harris that busing was good public policy, because it wasn't and still isn't. There are no studies anywhere that confirm any academic improvement for the Blacks who were bused or any actual benefit to either Black or white students of the time. If it had achieved anything culturally or socially, would race relations be as awful as they are today?
But the Media are reporting that this silly, pointless remark by Harris was some sort of major salvo, where she damaged Biden's chances in the campaign. The L.A. Times reports,
“She proved she is somebody who can throw and land a punch,” said Brian Brokaw, a longtime Harris strategist who ran an independent political action committeesupporting her presidential bid. “One of the attributes you want is somebody who doesn’t shy away from a fight and taking on people in power. That’s something she has demonstrated time and time again.”
What punch? Again, had she made the claim that she personally benefitted from busing, or that it was good public policy she would have had those claims shoved right up her ass - which is why she didn't overtly make them.
Are they stupid, dishonest, or subversive? Inquiring minds want to know.
During the debates a few months ago, Senator K. Harris (R-CA) dramatically described how SHE was one of the students who was bused. (She being of some sort of unique, mongrelized, not really white not really Black racial identity - Indian/BlackJamaican).
So what? There was no claim that the busing was a major contributor to her later academic or professional success; the claim would have been preposterous and insulting to both of her parents. There was no claim by Harris that busing was good public policy, because it wasn't and still isn't. There are no studies anywhere that confirm any academic improvement for the Blacks who were bused or any actual benefit to either Black or white students of the time. If it had achieved anything culturally or socially, would race relations be as awful as they are today?
But the Media are reporting that this silly, pointless remark by Harris was some sort of major salvo, where she damaged Biden's chances in the campaign. The L.A. Times reports,
“She proved she is somebody who can throw and land a punch,” said Brian Brokaw, a longtime Harris strategist who ran an independent political action committeesupporting her presidential bid. “One of the attributes you want is somebody who doesn’t shy away from a fight and taking on people in power. That’s something she has demonstrated time and time again.”
What punch? Again, had she made the claim that she personally benefitted from busing, or that it was good public policy she would have had those claims shoved right up her ass - which is why she didn't overtly make them.
Are they stupid, dishonest, or subversive? Inquiring minds want to know.
