Tells student who said she’d been to a caucus: “No you haven’t, you’re a lying, dog-faced pony solider. You gotta be honest”

In a truly bizarro world moment on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Joe Biden (D-DE) told a woman who asked about his electability following his failure in Iowa that she is a “lying dog-faced pony soldier.”

I kid you not.

After a New Hampshire voter asks @JoeBiden why they should trust he can turn his campaign around, he asks if she’s ever been to a caucus before; when she says yes, Biden snaps: "No you haven’t. You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier." pic.twitter.com/3uxOAu0Ues — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 9, 2020

I’m not sure he “snapped” at her, as there seems to be some levity here, starting when she said her question was “mean” and Biden took off his jacket. But . . . the optics are not good.

The Hill reports:

The woman, who said she is an economics major, asked the Democratic presidential candidate how he explains his standing after Iowa, where the former vice president emerged in fourth place. “Good question. Number one Iowa is a Democratic caucus. Ever been to a caucus?” Biden asked the woman. She reportedly responded that she had. “No you haven’t, you’re a lying, dog-faced pony solider. You gotta be honest,” Biden responded to laughter, using a joke his campaign said he has made before. As the clip of the interaction began making the rounds, Biden’s campaign rushed to point out the line was a joke he had made multiple times and was met with laughter.

Biden initially asked the student if she had ever caucused before, and I guess she said yes (I didn’t see or hear what she said), and then I believe he replied, in a joking way: “you’re a lying dog faced pony soldier”???? Which is not a phrase I have ever heard????? ??? — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 9, 2020

The internet, of course, has to internet, so it’s lit up like crazy with Biden defenders stressing the levity leading up to the comment (levity that, to me at least, is clearly present), but it’s hard not to notice that the same people who a moment earlier were laughing loudly when Biden took off his jacket had switched to a subdued nervous laughter following the “you’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier” line.

Apparently, this is a line from a John Wayne movie. Or something.

Like Olivia notes, it's a joke that was met with…. drumroll… laughter in the room and from the questioner. It's from a John Wayne movie and he's made it plenty of times before. Sorry to ruin the fun twitter! https://t.co/XIbn8wF53W https://t.co/5D0Kk06RGK — Remi Yamamoto (@RemiMYamamoto) February 9, 2020

[UPDATE: Slate has located a 2018 video of Biden using this line:

. . . back to original post.]

Even if Biden was using the line in a joking manner (presumably to avoid answering the very reasonable question posed), the optics here are not good.

The Biden campaigns defense is “he calls people dirty pirate hookers all the time… it’s fine… some people laugh.” https://t.co/mRAtsE9mn6 — Cassandra Fairbanks ? (@CassandraRules) February 9, 2020

He’s lashed out at voters before, infamously telling one man that he was “a damn liar.” While this time doesn’t have the same “feel” to it, the optics are not good.



