I watched the ABC-News interview with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Sunday and I have to admit I was disappointed at the lack of research shown by David Muir and Southeastern Louisiana University alumnus, Robin Roberts who lobbed softball after softball at the Democratic nominees.
Muir, for example, asked Biden to respond to Trump charges that Biden, if elected, would “defund” police departments, a claim that Biden naturally denied on its face.
He was being truthful, of course. His record in the Senate underscores that in spades.
In 1981, for example, the General Accounting Office released a report commissioned by Biden which called for more extensive use of the use of CIVIL ASSET FORFEITURE, a provision that law enforcement agencies across the country have abused well beyond its intended use, Jefferson Davis Parish being a prime example of such abuse. Read more HERE.
Under that law, if you so much as lend your vehicle to a friend who then uses it to transport or even possess a small quantity of marijuana, you can lose your car to the local law enforcement agency which can use it in undercover raids or sell it outright. The same goes for your residence, should your teenager be caught with an illegal drug in your home.
In one instance in northern California, a family owned several hundred acres of prime forest land. Unbeknownst to the owners, a small, remote corner of their property was used to grow marijuana by trespassers. They lost their entire property to asset forfeiture when the growers were busted because the burden of proof is on the property owner to show that he was not part of the ongoing drug operation/possession. In other words, the innocent until proven guilty concept is turned on its head.
Radley Balko, an award-winning investigative reporter, in his 2014 book Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces, writes that in 1989, when President G.H.W Bush pushed his Byrne grant program, which infused federal cash into local police programs, many Democrats, including Biden, said the bill didn’t go far enough.
Biden, who then chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Associated Press that Bush’s bill, “quite frankly, is not tough enough, bold enough, or imaginative enough to meet the crisis at hand.”
Among other things that both the Reagan and first Bush administrations advocated was defunding….not the police, but treatment centers for addicts. Treatment centers, they claimed, just did not work. And the Biden-led Democrats agreed. That issue should have come up Sunday night.
Thus, was born the SWAT assault teams that, originating in Los Angeles, proliferated to the remote corners of the country, found in virtually every municipal and county law enforcement agency – with or without the proper training.
Originally intended for riots and dealing with hostage situations, the use of SWAT teams became so commonplace that Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio employed one in a raid that rendered embarrassing results. With ramrod attached, an urban assault vehicle with none other than actor Steven Seagal at the controls, knocked down a residence in order to bust an apparent community-threatening cockfighting operation. Seagal justified his participation by saying he didn’t like animal abuse. The chickens seized in the raid were euthanized. Problem solved. Euthanizing chickens: how humiliating.
None of these examples were addressed in Sunday night’s so-called tough interview. I would have liked to have Biden explain that as well as his verbal abuse of Anita Hill in the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings back in 1991.
For the reasons above, I would have preferred a stronger (and yes, younger – we’re the same age) candidate like Corey Booker or Mayor Pete, but I’m forced to go with the hand I was dealt.
So, even with those negatives – and they certainly are that – I can still see no way out of the mess we’re in today other than supporting his candidacy over a pretender, a shop-worn failure such as Donald Trump.
There is an online service (I suppose one could call it a service) called Quora which fields questions from readers on a multitude of subjects, the most popular ones being about The Beatles and Donald Trump, mixed in with the deeply personal ones involving sexual encounters, overcoming bullies, etc.
One that caught my eye as recently as last Friday was this: “Why is Donald Trump criticized so mercilessly? Is he really that bad?”
I cite this particular one not because of the question, but because of the responses provided by several readers. There are several good explanations but the first one is by far, the best.
You can read all of them HERE.
It’s worth your time to read them all.
Louisiana Voice 
Yes, Tom, totally worth reading. A completely amoral monster.
I watched the interview, as well, and did not consider it journalism’s finest hour. In addition to pitching softballs at Biden, Kamala Harris was allowed to duck at least one question about her position when she was a prosecutor.
I found myself wondering, “Is it the goal of this program to counter the propaganda presented and perpetuated by Fox, or what?” I have not seen what, if anything, Trump has said about it, but he could legitimately claim it was a fluff piece. Notwithstanding all that and what Tom presents here, Biden is an actual human being who could not have picked a better running mate. President Trump is an ogre who picked Casper the Friendly Preacher as his total lapdog and worshipful V. P. The choice could not be clearer.
We have all seen the media make and break politicians based on what they choose to report and how they report it. I would like to see what used to be the MSM try to be objective. I guess, in today’s bizarre world, that’s asking too much.
I hope to not view a moment of the Republican Convention because there would be nothing to learn and everything to become angry about. I will rely on Colbert to hit the salient points.
Mr. Winham: thank you for saying it ALL best! I watched a little of the “interview” and thought I was seeing a re-run of the DNC Convention highlights. I have decided that I am voting against Trump for reasons that I have concluded from watching him not govern, break our traditions and laws AND personally benefit at every turn AND LIE all of the time about everything for his entire term. I used to try and find one good thing has done or said for America. I have given up on that. And, sadly, the things that his followers think he has done so well, make me sick and sick that they like what he does. I still say that no nation can survive being governed by lies and liars and Trump has created an entire lying (what used to be Republican) political party. So, while Biden/Harris have flaws and have made prior miss-steps, they are still good people, capable of admitting mistakes and taking actions to right wrongs…I have hope and will vote!
Stephen, I am disappointed that you believe Kamala is a good choice. She is anything but.
Were Biden to win, which is unlikely, Kamala would be President within two years…we all know that. She has not been a good district attorney not attorney general. Nor Senator. She has been inconsistent, and if for no other reason than her handling of the Planned Parenthood situation when they were exposed for selling baby parts. I thought you were a wiser person than that. I had hoped Aimee Klobachar (?), who I found to be reasonable and level headed would have been a wiser choice. You seriously believe she is a better person than Pence ?
And all the media will ever do is throw softballs to Kamala and Joe. Why not lay it on the table; Hey Kamala, how about your arrangement with Willie Brown ? Hey Joe, what year is this ? What office are you running for ? Who is your wife this week ?
And Tom, is that accurate about the people losing their property when someone else grew mj on their land ? Did they give permission ? It is unlikely unless there are other factors – that is why drug mules often use rental cars. And dogs seized in dog fight operations are destroyed as well. Problem solved. Corey Booker (https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/21/politics/cory-booker-brett-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-allegations/index.html) really ?
Yes, Zoe that is accurate. Read the book. Better yet, do a little research on asset forfeiture. It’s one of the most abused laws on the books. It’s a money tree for local law enforcement agencies.
Good lord, Zoe, that CNN link you sent is a pretty lame argument against Booker, even by your standards. Booker showed remorse for a crass act that just about every high school boy has tried at least once. Kavanaugh not only has shown no remorse, he’s outright denied they occurred despite three women coming forward. And the assaults he is accused of are a bit more serious than Booker’s.
So, in effect, you’re comparing apples and oranges, both admittedly a bit rotten but apples and oranges nonetheless.
My advice to you, Zoe, is if you can do no better than this, just abstain from the discussion until you can make valid points. You’re starting to get a little boring and more than a little self-righteous.
Tom, I agree with you on the points made in your post. If these were different times, Biden may not have been the nominee. But given the current state of affairs here in the U.S., his the most rational choice.
Not being in thrall to Putin outweighs any negatives of his potential presidency. Other issues can be addressed once Putin’s fingers are out of the mix.
“Softball after softball”
If many times I disagree with the lamentations posted here…this particular one hits the nail on the head. I can’t help but wonder why the DNC, in its divine wisdom, chose to have Robin Roberts convict this “hard hitting” interview with the Democratic candidates.
Did anyone in the DNC miss the Jussie Smollet interview? Was I the only viewer who correlated the Smollet “love fest” with this glossed over campaign
ad, complete with its “you ain’t black” flip flop?
I certainly understand the “orange man bad” consensus among those on the left. The MSM and all their allies have gone overboard for three and a half years to attempt to discredit the President in every way imaginable. Trump’s “style” on the podium certainly leaves much to be desired, but many of the outlandish “claims” by those on the left are not only untrue, but actually leave many voters wondering, if the Democratic approach is so great, why is slander of a sitting President is even necessary. The Russian hoax was just that ( along with its FBI insiders and DNC bought and paid for
“white paper” ), the bum rush against Justice Kavanaugh was fraught with lies and dream sequences beyond all reality, and, if not for COVID-19, the economy would be at an all time high unprecedented in American history. ( its still doing remarkably well, in spite of the Democrats savaging of the current administration )
Why then is Joe Biden floundering and apparently in need to a bevy of soft questions and a complete lack of a balanced review…if he is so…competent? If Joe can’t manage to stand fast to a litany of “real” questions tossed in by Robin Roberts (who I like personally…but who lacks any journalistic integrity),
how will he stand up to the President in a live debate with no teleprompter?
I imagine we’ll discover the answer to that question in November.
DJ, I agree that CNN is lame. My point was, this hypocrite did the very same thing Kavanaugh was accused of. Of the three women, not one was reliable and all were discredited (could not remember year, location, or even if they saw Kavanaugh) Ms. Ford’s best friend even testified that there was no such incident.. And didn’t Mr. Booker have an incident in the men’s bathroom in an airport (with a man)? The accusations against Kavanaugh were not credible. If you disagree, you have not followed the story. Booker showed remorse – of course, he got caught. Your surmise of my comment is it is not based on any facts. As usual, you dismiss what you do not agree with even without a single fact to support your assertions. Kavanaugh allegation was more serious ? It was the exact same thing. Ford alleged he groped her. Kavanaugh did not. Booker did. You should listen to your own advice before you criticize others .I have never seen a valid point or non-emotion based statement from you.
Denyard, Biden ties to China mean nothing to you ? Trump has been hard on Russia. That is a fact. Biden, well, there is a bit we do not know yet, but his relationship with Ukraine and China and his son needs some explaining. Biden has been around for what, 45 years. What exactly has he ever done for us citizens ? I would love to see a list, and not about beating up “Corn Pop” or kids rubbing his hairy legs, or his full scholarship or his finishing at the top of his class etc.
And Outlaw there is no way Biden will get on a stage with Trump, because Trump will expose him for what he is; a has been who has no accomplishments, has left Presidential campaigns twice (his own fault) is on cusp of senility and does not even know what his platform or own thoughts are anymore. He is a pawn for someone…we just do not know who yet.
And Tom, I understand a little about asset forfeiture and am appalled that one could lose property because of a crime of another. That is not justice. I am not opposed to using drug money to help pay for drug enforcement but America must not steal from innocents. I have seen a lot of bad from drug misuse, and wish the world would get serious in enforcement; extremely harsh punishment for drug dealers, cartels etc. and substance abuse assistance for users, who are often just weak people..
Hey, you asked, okay?