Joe Biden joined Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition Convention in Chicago (watch above). While it was planned in advance, the event was well timed for Biden to try to do some clean up after Thursday night’s debate. Biden’s exchange with Kamala Harris about whether Biden opposed busing has prompted questions about what Biden’s past position on busing truly was. Today he said:
“I heard and I listened to and I respect Senator Harris. But, you know, we all know that 30 seconds to 60 seconds on a campaign debate exchange can’t do justice to a lifetime committed to Civil Rights. I want to be absolutely clear about my record and position on racial justice, including busing. I never, never, never opposed voluntary busing,”
He then went on to say:
“Reverend Jackson, we spent a lot of time working together over the years. on a lot of issues that matter. And I know.. and you know, I fought my heart out to ensure that civil rights and voting rights are enforced everywhere. These rights are not up to the states to decide. They’re our federal government’s duty to decide. It’s a constitutional question to protect the civil rights of every single American.”
Want to read more about Biden’s history on the bus issue? The Washington Post chronicled his past positions on it back in March saying, “Biden’s tough talk on 1970s school desegregation plan could get new scrutiny in today’s Democratic Party.”
Meanwhile while at the G20 summit today, Donald Trump was asked what he thought about the exchange between Biden and Harris.
President Donald Trump on Saturday defended former Vice President Joe Biden’s performance in the first Democratic presidential debate and said Sen. Kamala Harris got “too much credit” for her searing attack on Biden over his history on race and busing https://t.co/G8sW3DQYGv
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 29, 2019