MSNBC host Joy Reid said that Joe Biden is a “nostalgia candidate” whose campaign would be better served by remaining locked in “the Obama box.”
Following a debate that was highlighted by a tense exchange about race between Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris, Reid said that Biden needs to stick to the past decade and stop hearkening to a time when candidates pivoted to appeal separately to the black and white electorates.
“This is a another problem of Joe Biden being a nostalgia candidate, being essentially a candidate from the past, because back when he was practicing politics — even Jimmy Carter had to do it — you had to pivot to make sure that you got racially anxious white voters on board and that you also signaled to African Americans that you’re on board,” she said, noting how Bill Clinton ran his campaign that way.
The 76-year-old Biden has gotten into hot water with Democrats this month after he hailed working with two notorious segregationists as evidence of his ability to collaborate with people he disagreed with.
Harris, who is black, pointed that story out during Thursday’s debate. She said that although she doesn’t believe the former vice president to be racist, she did take the anecdote personally and found it to be “hurtful.”
Harris, 54, also hit at Biden’s opposition to forced integration of American schools through busing back in the 1970s.
Reid said that Biden shouldn’t be going that far back in time to summon “nostalgia” among voters, rather, he should focus on his eight years of serving in President Barack Obama’s administration.
“The problem for Biden is that whenever he says something like that, he reminds people of that,” Reid said. “And that is not a future-going campaign if you’re constantly reminding people of the past.
“He’s supposed to be a nostalgia candidate, where the nostalgia is locked to the eight years of Barack Obama, but he is allowing it to break out of the Obama box, and that’s not good for him,” she added.
