Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris of California continued to criticize Joe Biden’s recent comments about segregationists, in an interview that aired Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
Correcting a question about why she was critical of Biden’s past work with lawmakers that held different values, Harris said, “Praising and coddling individuals who made it their life work and built their reputation off of segregation of the racists in the United States. That’s a problem. I would not be a member of the United States Senate if those men that he praised had their way. I wouldn’t.”
Fellow presidential candidates and others have hit at Biden heavily for recent comments he made about his ability to get along with Democratic Sens. James O. Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia, both known segregationists. Biden further stated that he became a favorite of Eastland, whom he said often referred to Biden as “son,” but never as “boy,” a derogatory term for black men.
Harris further stated regarding Biden’s use of the word, “We cannot be ignorant to the history of race in this country. Certainly anyone who is a leader should not be. That is a very loaded term, loaded with a history that includes extreme racism, violence, discrimination, prejudice, you name it. All of that, it’s a very loaded term. I think it is very important that we all who are leaders profess to be leaders, that we choose our words carefully, understanding the significance and the power of our words.”
