For years now, Joe Biden's team has refused to allow him to interview with The Breakfast Club and has offered to send a "surrogate" to speak on his behalf. I assume he recently agreed to speak with Charlamagne, because he wouldn't have to appear in studio, and this was a safer option. The following is what I learned from the 18 minutes we saw of the interview.
· Biden came ready to fight and was combative off rip
· Charlamagne pointed out that right-wing media questions his cognitive health, and Biden's response to that statement made me question it even more
· It was obvious that he set out to hit certain talking points, and he didn't complete a thought in regards to any of them
· Joe Biden can't pronounce African-American, and quite frankly, that worries me
· Biden wanted to work in the projects in High School to understand the community
· Biden doesn't believe the '94 crime bill increased mass incarceration. He blamed it on everything from drug legislation, to the institution of mandatory minimum sentences, and the many Black legislators that backed the bill. Everyone else is responsible, but his involvement is in no way negative, nor did it negatively impact the Black community.
· From this interview, I have no idea what his political platform is, or what his agenda for the Black community is, and I'm not completely sure he does either.
· He's got a 'Manifesto for Black America', that is different from his 'Lift Every Voice: The Biden Plan for Black America', which; What?!?!
· Biden believes that if the President had listened to him in January in regards to COVID-19, then there would be 36,000 fewer people DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!
· He's a bit delusional when it comes to polling data as if he didn't learn that polls can be misleading from 2016's Hillary Clinton debacle.
· He believes that if he throws a 'Come on Man' into conversation with Black media, he'll be more relatable.
· Biden treats Trump's name as if it's 'Candyman', refusing to say it and referring to him only as "This Guy", and "Him/He".
· Public Defenders should be paid the same as Federal Prosecutors
· No one should go to jail for marijuana, instead they should be sent to mandatory rehabilitation because it's cheaper to send them to rehab than prison. I’m not sure if his argument is in favor of rehabilitation to lower recidivism rates, or rehab to save money, and that’s a problem.
If nothing else, this interview made me more sympathetic to those that say they don't vote because you have to choose between the lesser of two evils. Joe Biden doesn't seem to be coherent or competent, which isn't far from the current occupant of the White House, however we need change and progress. I understand having a Black agenda is and has been a hot topic, and I'm not opposed to a candidate having one, but if it isn't fully fleshed out and if it isn't realistically able to be executed, what's the point of having one? The dig about “If you have trouble deciding between me and Trump, then you ain’t Black” made me want to scream Fuck You at my television. Don’t play with me Joe Biden. I didn't learn much from this sit-down and I'm cringing already thinking about the upcoming debates. I think ANYONE would be better than our current option, but having Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee is disheartening and terrifying. Was this interview helpful for you in learning more about Joe Biden's platform and plan for the Black community? If it was, how, and if it wasn’t, what do you need from him in order to guarantee your vote?
T.Nicole