Was ‘Uncle Joe’ Biden the Best Choice for a Sexual Assault PSA?

November 20, 2017

WRITER

Lady Gaga released a public service announcement last month about sexual assault, talking about her own experience as a survivor and reminding people to support and help victims in their own lives. Sounds great so far … but her decision to team up with former Vice President Joe Biden is a head-scratcher.

Biden has a well-documented history of infringing the personal space of women and girls in public with kissing, massaging and nuzzling, earning him the title of “creepy Uncle Joe.” In a time when men are being exposed left and right for assaulting, groping and harassing women, Biden is looking worse and worse.

Joe Biden is groping women again “It’s disturbing”

“Joe Biden, We Need to Talk About the Way You Touch Women,” Gawker wrote in 2015. Daily Beast writer Erin Gloria Ryan was blunt this week with an opinion piece headlined “Dear Lord Would Joe Biden Be a Terrible Candidate for These Times.”

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

DOC: Really? Really?

Joe Biden is doing a public service announcement against sexual harassment. Joe Biden, the former vice president is on a public service announcement talking about inappropriate behavior. No, no, no. Not promoting it. I mean, saying it's wrong. Never should you raise a hand to a woman, ever.

Joe creepy old man rubbing up on every woman he sees Biden is doing a public service announcement. Really? Really? You have lost your mind. He is doing it with Lady Gaga, because that makes a lot of sense too.

All right. Let me set the stage for you, before we play this quick public service announcement from Joe Biden. Joe Biden is seated in what looks like a hotel room with Lady Gaga. And she's rubbing his shoulder, and they're all close. And keep that in mind, that's what's actually happening, while they're saying this. Here's the public service announcement. Joe Biden and Lady Gaga.

JOE: I heard you're not only a great friend, but a fierce advocate. Lady Gaga has been the voice for people who have been forgotten, people who have been abused, until it happens to you.

Well, it happened to her. And she's shown enormous courage. And we want to make it real clear, it's on us. It's on everyone to intervene to stop abuse when they see it, and when they hear about it, to intervene. It's, no man has a right to raise a hand on a woman for any woman, other than self-defense, ever, period.

VOICE: And that's not to leave out the men as well. I am a sexual assault survivor, and I know the effects, the aftermath, the trauma, psychology, physical, mental. It can be terrifying.

DOC: Uh-huh.

VOICE: Waking up every day feeling unsafe in your own body. But we're here to remind you that it's important to reach out to someone in your life that you can trust, and to know that they will be there to help you. There will be someone to listen. Because you know what, it's on us.

(music)

DOC: Really?

What's next? Hillary launching a public service campaign about the dangers of Libya? Is that your next PSA? That's the next liberal PSA that's coming? Is Colin Kaepernick going to explain proper US flag code? Are Corrine Brown and William Jefferson teaming up for an anti-government corruption PSA? Is that what's coming tomorrow?

Joe Biden on a PSA discussing what is inappropriate behavior around women is like Harvey Weinstein in a campaign promoting carpal tunnel awareness and water conservation.

It's like Jeffrey Dahmer discussing the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. It's like Monica teaching proper techniques for laundering formal wear. Joe Biden warning against sexual harassment assault is like Al Franken warning against sexual harassment and assault.

It's like Larry Craig discussing the ills of public displays of affection. It's like Bill Cosby and George Takei promoting dating safety tips.

It's like John Boehner being against lobbying in DC. It's like Glenn Beck launching an anti-obesity campaign.

Did I take that too far? I think I took that too far. I took that too far.

VOICE: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You did.

DOC: I think I took it too far.

Really? I'm expected to believe Joe Biden in this? And other people are as well?

Where the hell are you progressives calling him out for this? It's not hard to find all of the inappropriate behavior.

Simply go to YouTube. Type in "creepy Joe Biden." Type in Joe Biden gropes kids. Joe Biden gropes women.

It's all over the place. He clearly has done things to make them feel uncomfortable. Touching them. Saying things that makes them feel uncomfortable. And he somehow gets a pass?

This is the problem. A lack of consistency. I don't care what you think about either side is where you fall, but if you are not being consistent from person to person, and situation to situation, and applying the same logic and beliefs in this, then you're part of the problem. But I got to disagree with crazy creepy Joe and Lady Gaga. This is not on all of us. It's not on all of us to prevent sexual assault. It's on the people who sexually assault.

You take responsibility for you. I will take responsibility for me. Don't blame everybody else. Don't blame society. Don't blame toxic masculinity or any other BS term you come up with. Blame the people responsible. Hold them accountable.

Let the punishment fit the severity and nature of the crime. And if they are punished, they're remorseful, they make amends, forgive them and move on.

These are not worse crimes. It's not worse now. This is not some liberating age, where we're finally getting beyond this. It is a witch hunt. Beyond just calling people out for doing bad.

By the way, when Lady Gaga said that, I couldn't help, but think, we're here in this hotel room to fight against sexual abuse and sexual assault. We're here, promoting the cause of women and how creepy people like Joe shouldn't be creeping up on women. In this hotel room, that's what we're doing. Join me on Twitter. It's @DocThompsonshow. Got a bunch of calls. We're stacking them deep. We're going to get to them next, on the Glenn Beck Program.

VP debate recap: A Vance victory

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This might have been the most consequential VP debate in recent memory.

For those of you who missed the debate, it was a decisive victory for J.D. Vance and the Trump-Vance team as a whole. Vance presented a calm, collected, and considerate side of the Republican party that compliments Trump and helps to make their platform more palatable. Meanwhile, Tim Walz had a lackluster, though certainly not catastrophic, night. He had a few embarrassing gaffes and came across as overly nervous, but like Vance, kept it civil.

Both VP candidates entered the stage as relative unknowns to most Americans, and by the end, both men had given an accurate representation of their characters. Here is a brief recap just in case you missed the debate:

J.D. Vance looked great

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Vance came out of the gate swinging, with a stellar opening statement that helped set the stage for the rest of the debate. He delivered a concise yet compelling recap of his life, which framed him as everything Walz claims to be: a relatable veteran from humble beginnings who earned his position through hard work and service. He then went on to deliver a clear and palatable defense of Trump's platform and mission while cooly drawing attention to the failures of the Biden-Harris administration.

Overall, J.D. Vance looked incredibly presidential. He presented himself not just as a capable vice president, but as a strong successor to Trump and as a valid replacement if anything should happen to the former president between now and the end of his hypothetical second term. Vance also successfully dispelled the notion that he is "weird" as Walz called him, and if anyone looked strange during the debate, it certainly wasnot Vance.

Tim Walz's gaffes

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While Tim Walz certainly didn't have an awful night, he did not stack up well against Vance. Walz had a major gaffe around halfway through the debate when asked to explain the change in his position on assault weapon bans. Walz then claimed that he had befriended school shooters during his time in office. While that was clearly not the intention of what he was saying, it was embarrassing nonetheless.

Another weak moment was when the moderators asked Walz to explain a claim he had made regarding being in Hong Kong during the infamous Tiananmen Square protest in 1989, which has since been proven false. Walz gave a long-winded, rambling answer about taking students to visit China and how Trump should have joined in on those trips, before being called out by the moderator for dodging the question.

Vance fact-checked the fact-checkers

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One of the conditions of the CBS debate was that the moderators would not fact-check the debaters live, but instead rely on after-the-matter fact-checking. But, CBS couldn't keep to its own rules. While Vance was describing the migrant crisis that has swelled during the Biden-Harris administration, one of the CBS moderators, Margaret Brennan, chimed in with a "fact check." She claimed that the Haitian migrants in Ohio have legal status, to which Vance clapped back by calling Brennan out for breaking the rules of the debate, then proceeded to correct her, explaining that they only had legal status due to overreach by the Biden-Harris administration.

Dockworker strike: Everything you need to know

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At midnight on September 30th, dockworkers across the East Coast went on strike, effectively cutting the country's import and export capabilities in half.

Don't go out and panic buy a pallet of toilet paper and instant ramen just yet. It's going to take some time for the full effects of the strike to be felt and hopefully, the strike will be good and over by then. But there are no guarantees, and this election cycle could get significantly more insane as we draw near to the election. And even if the strike is settled quickly, it shows growing cracks in our infrastructure and industrial capacity that needs to be addressed if America wants to maintain its global dominance.

Here is everything you need to know about the dockworker strike:

What do the dockworkers want?

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As with most strikes, pay is the driving factor behind this situation the country now finds itself in. The longshoremen want more pay, and with rising inflation who can blame them? After all, working the docks is hard and dangerous business, and fair compensation only seems... fair. But when you compare the wage of a dockworker, which is around $100,000 to $200,00 a year to the average income in America of $56,000, suddenly they seem significantly less sympathetic.

How much money are they asking for? For most Americans, a three percent raise is considered high, but the unions are asking up to 15 percent, depending on location. On top of that, they are asking for a 77 percent raise over the next six years. The West Coast dock workers recently made off with a 36 percent raise and were considered lucky. These increases in costs are just going to be transferred to the end consumer, and we'll likely see a jump in prices if these terms are accepted.

The other major ticket item is protection against automation. Autonomous ports are quickly becoming a reality, with major ports in China that are capable of handling vast amounts of cargo being run by a single office, not an army of dock workers. Naturally, the longshoremen are concerned that their jobs are at risk of being replaced by machines that can work harder, longer, for cheaper, and without risk of injury.

How will it affect Americans?

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Don't panic yet!

It is going to take some time for consumers to feel the effects of the strike and it is possible that a resolution could happen at any time.

Week one should be pretty much business as usual. It might be a good idea to stock up on fruit and other perishables, but there is no need to go COVID-lockdown-crazy yet.

Week two is when you'll first start feeling the pinch. Fresh fruits and veggies will become scarce, along with other imported goods like shoes, toys, and TVs. Prices will start to creep up as the shelves will start to look a little sparse. The supply of tools, lumber, and other hardware materials will also begin to dry up.

By week three, the cracks in the system will really start to show. Entire industries will begin to slow down, or even stop. Factory workers will get furloughed and sent home without pay. Stores will have to ration items, prices will be sky-high, and online orders will come to a standstill. At this point, the strike will have escalated into a full-blown crisis, and even if it was resolved immediately, it would still take weeks to restore everything to working order.

At the four-week mark, the situation will have developed into a national security crisis, and as Glenn describes, a poly-crisis. Small business will be closing their doors, entire brands will be out of stock, and everything that remains will be so expensive it is unaffordable. By this point, the holiday season will be drawing near and there will be a rush on any sort of gift or decor items left. At this point, irreparable damage to our economy will have occurred and it will be months if not years before it can be mended.

While that sounds bleak, with the election just around the corner, it seems unlikely that the Biden-Harris administration will let it get that bad. That being said, their administration has not been characterized by good decision-making and reasonable policy, so there are no guarantees.

What can be done?

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The big question is "Why hasn't Biden already done something?"

President Biden, who ran on the image of a blue-collar, union-worker, has been uncharacteristically absent from the issue. Despite his earlier involvement in a train strike, Biden has declared that involvement in union fights is not a presidential issue unless it getsreally bad.

So where's the line? At what point will he step in? He has to understand that an economic crisis right before the election will reflect poorly on Kamala.

Join Glenn TONIGHT for BlazeTV's exclusive VP debate coverage!

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Join Glenntonight for Vice Presidential debate coverage you do not want to miss!

Tonight is the first (and only) Vice Presidential debate, and it will be hosted by CBS News. But don't be reliant on CBS News or any other mainstream media channel for their biased coverage. Join the BlazeTV live stream tonight to get the uncensored truth alongside top-quality commentary from Glenn and the rest of the world-class panel.

Glenn is joined by Megyn Kelly, Liz Wheeler, Allie Beth Stuckey, Steve Deace, Jill Savage, Dave Landau, and more to cover the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate. Blaze Media subscribers gain access to live chat with the fantastic panel of hosts! If you subscribe today by visiting BlazeTV.com/debate you will get $40 off of your annual subscription with code DEBATE. This is the largest discount ever offered, so take advantage NOW!

See you TONIGHT at 8 PM ET for an event you do NOT want to miss it!

POLL: Can the VP debate affect the election?

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The first (and likely only) Vice President debate will be held on CBS News on Tuesday, October 1st.

The debate takes place at 9 p.m. Eastern Time and will be the first time we see J.D. Vance and Tim Walz face off in person. Typically, the VP debate is little more than a formality, and rarely does it affect the election in any significant way. But this is no ordinary election. The stakes are higher than they have been in years, and Trump and Harris are still in a razor-thin race, according to the polls. Both Vance and Walz are relative newcomers to the national stage and still have room to make an impression on the American people, and with the race as tight as it is, that might make all the difference.

So what do you think? Can this VP debate make an impact on the election? Are you going to tune in? And what sort of questions and issues need to be brought up? Let us know in the poll below:

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