Sparks fly as Kamala Harris challenges Joe Biden’s record on race

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., attacked former Vice President Joe Biden over his record on race during Thursday night’s Democratic debate, sharply criticizing him for his fond recollection of serving with “civility” in the Senate with two segregationist senators.

“I do not believe you are a racist,” Harris said, turning to Biden. “And I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground.”

Harris, the only African-American woman in the 2020 presidential race, said it was “personal” and “hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on segregation of race in this country.”

Speaking at a fundraiser in New York City last month, Biden waxed nostalgic for the times of political fellowship when he was a senator in the 1970s and 1980s, contrasting it to today when political rivals are considered “the enemy.” To emphasize his point, Biden cited his ability to work with staunch supporters of racial segregation like the senators James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia, who Biden said was “one of the meanest guys I ever knew.”

“I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland,” Biden said and then, imitating a Southern accent, added that the senator “never called me ‘boy,’” a racial epithet used against black men. “He always called me ‘son.‘”

Harris also accused Biden of working with them to oppose busing. Read more

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Sparks fly as Kamala Harris challenges Joe Biden’s record on race

Sparks fly as Kamala Harris challenges Joe Biden’s record on race

Sparks fly as Kamala Harris challenges Joe Biden’s record on race

Sparks fly as Kamala Harris challenges Joe Biden’s record on race