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| After four women claimed inappropriate behavior, Joe Biden makes a plea to change. |
Biden is considering a run for the President of the United States is saying that "he didn't mean to" touch people inappropriately. He made a video explaining why he interacts with constituents.
The response comes as Biden and his team gear up to announce his plans for the 2020 presidential race this month. Biden alluded to those plans in the video on Wednesday, strongly suggesting he would be launching a bid.
"Folks, in the coming month I'm expecting to be talking to you about a whole lot of issues, and I'll always be direct with you," he said.
He continued later in the video, "I've never thought of politics as cold and antiseptic. I've always thought it about connecting with people, as I said, shaking hands, hands on the shoulder, a hug, encouragement, and now, it's all about taking selfies together. You know, social norms have begun to change, they've shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset, and I get it, I get it."
"I hear what they're saying, I understand it, and I'll be much more mindful, that's my responsibility. My responsibility, and I'll meet it," he said.
Social norms are changing. I understand that, and I’ve heard what these women are saying. Politics to me has always been about making connections, but I will be more mindful about respecting personal space in the future. That’s my responsibility and I will meet it. pic.twitter.com/Ya2mf5ODts— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 3, 2019
The Republicans and their propaganda machine we know as Fox News are running on the #CreepyJoe memes. They're so fucking clueless. They nominated a man who has five children from three different baby mamas. They nominated a man who has a history of saying sexually offensive remarks towards women. They nominated a man who is trying to hid his tax returns, his school grades, his outtakes from The Apprentice and his visitor records at the White House.
They nominated a man who slept with prostitutes, porn stars and once bragged he would grab women by the pussy. They have a man who said over 9,000 lies throughout his campaign and imbecilic presidency. They are ones to talk.
Biden's supporters are calling out the far-right and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for a deliberate hit job.
Sanders who ran a campaign in 2016 is now running again for 2020. Many are concern that Biden and Sanders being nominated as the Democratic contender will assure Donald J. Trump a second term.
No serious candidate has emerged to the front runner status. All the well-known candidates are running too early.
Biden's camp dove into damage control mode Friday after Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman, penned an essay detailing a 2014 encounter during which the former vice president made her feel "uneasy, gross and confused" when he came up from behind her and kissed the back of her head. After a series of carefully-worded statements attributed to his spokesman, Biden on Sunday released a statement of his own addressing the allegation.
"In my many years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort," Biden said in a statement that was released shortly before Flores appeared in her first television interview. "And not once -- never -- did I believe I acted inappropriately. If it is suggested I did so, I will listen respectfully. But it was never my intention."
He added, "I may not recall these moments the same way, and I may be surprised at what I hear. But we have arrived at an important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences, and men should pay attention. And I will."
Flores responded to Biden's comments on Wednesday afternoon, writing that she was "glad" that he "acknowledges that he made women feel uncomfortable with his unsolicited gestures of encouragement."
But Flores also pointed out that Biden has not yet apologized for the behavior in question.
"Given the work he has done on behalf of women, Vice President Biden should be aware of how important it is to take personal responsibility for inappropriate behavior," Flores wrote, "and yet he hasn't apologized to the women he made uncomfortable."
Flores tweeted out her statement about two-and-a-half hours after Biden posted his video.
When a second woman came forward on Monday claiming Biden made her feel uncomfortable at a 2009 Connecticut fundraiser, his team pointed to his response from Sunday. Biden's team again pointed to that statement when two more women told the New York Times on Tuesday that Biden made them feel uncomfortable by the way he touched them.
With two more women coming forward, Biden and his circle of advisers knew they had to address the allegations in a more direct manner than simply a statement, people familiar with the matter said, which led to Wednesday's video.
Caitlyn Caruso told the Times that Biden put his hand on her thigh during an event about sexual assault at UNLV in Las Vegas. Caruso, 22, said she was 19 at the time and told the Times that the incident happened after she finished telling her story of an assault.
Another woman, D.J. Hill, told the Times that in 2012 at a fundraising event in Minneapolis, Biden placed his hand on her back then started dropping it down her back.
Hill, 59, said it made her "very uncomfortable" and told the Times that her husband noticed the incident and intervened by cracking a joke and putting his hand on Biden's shoulder.
On Monday, the Hartford Courant reported Amy Lappos of Connecticut said Biden touched her and rubbed his nose on hers during a 2009 political fundraiser in Greenwich.
"It wasn't sexual, but he did grab me by the head," Lappos told the newspaper. "He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth."
The allegations against Biden come amid #MeToo, a movement started nearly a decade ago that went viral in 2017 as women in Hollywood and across the country began sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault. It’s led to the resignation or downfall of more than 100 entertainers, executives and politicians, including Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Kevin Spacey.
While Biden and his aides had initially hoped to avoid giving the story surrounding his conduct oxygen, they knew it had become untenable and his written statement was no longer sufficient. Some friends and former advisers appealed to him throughout the day Tuesday and Wednesday that he had to add his explanation and contrition to this.
Biden made the decision, acknowledging that he had to "reclaim his record and explain his humanity," one person close to the former vice president said. Biden was eager to put context around the allegations, which were beginning to cloud his likely presidential bid, another person close to Biden said.
While Biden's team says they realize it doesn't put an end to the subject, it changes the conversation and puts it in his voice. They realize he will be asked about this again and again, but now he will be less defensive.
"Any reasonable person watching this can understand him and see how human he is," a Democratic strategist who urged Biden to speak about this said.
After the release of the video Wednesday, three more women told the Washington Post that Biden had made them feel uncomfortable in his interactions with them. In response to the new allegations, a spokesperson for Biden pointed to his statement on Sunday and his video message.
Two people close to Biden said his timeline for a presidential run is unlikely to change -- at least as of now.
At the end of the video released Wednesday, Biden reiterated he would be more thoughtful going forward.
"I will be more mindful and respectful of people's personal space, and that's a good thing, that's a good thing," he said. "I've worked my whole life to empower women. I've worked my whole life to prevent abuse, I've written, and so the idea, that I can't adjust to the fact that personal space is important, more important than it's ever been, is just not thinkable. I will. I will."
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