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A4 THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARcH 22, 2019 OPINION editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN circulation Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager PRO-CON Does Biden have the best chance to beat Trump? AP Photo/Andrew Harnik Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at the International Association of Firefighters in Washington, D.C. PRO: In a Democratic race with mostly progressive candidates, Biden clearly is the best CON: Biden should stand down and support the best woman in the race T esque oath named for the Union Civil ALTIMORE — For the first time since the four-term reign of Pres- War General William Tecumseh Sher- ident Franklin Roosevelt, Dem- man. When his name was mentioned ocrats have a chance to pick a real pro- as a GOP candidate, he declined say- gressive and could well make history by ing: “I will not accept if nominated nominating a woman. and will not serve if elected.” Now a moderate like Joe Biden And Hillary Clinton, who twice ran is close to entering the Democrats’ unsuccessfully against Obama, has already crowded field, but his poli- repeatedly said she does not intend on cies smack more of the moderation of throwing her hat in the ring. Barack Obama, the man he served as Most people say they take her at her vice president for eight years. word, but they are aware of the famous At this point, the nation needs the quip by Democratic Rep. Morris “Mo’ progressive promises of free health Udall, a candidate against Sen. Henry care and higher education, not the “Scoop” Jackson and Georgia Gov. same old, same old. Biden has done well with Jimmy Carter in the 1976 pres- women voters over the years idential campaign. “The only and likely would do well again cure for presidential fever is next year with moderate women embalming fluid.” who voted for him and Obama At this stage in the 2020 in 2008 and 2012. campaign, it doesn’t seem By staying out of the race, likely Udall’s quip will be Whitt Biden could set the stage for heard again. Flora well-qualified women like Sens. Vermont’s Bernie Sanders is Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klo- the oldest candidate at 77, but buchar, Kirsten Gillibrand and recently gave a two-hour speech to Kamala Harris. 15,000 supporters in a Brooklyn park As president, such a woman would and didn’t miss a beat. Biden is a year not shy away from raising tax rates on wealthy individuals and corpora- behind at 76. tions or repairing the damage done None of the women in the Demo- the country by four years of Donald J. cratic primary come close, with Eliza- Trump. beth Warren the oldest at 69. “The value of having multiple Watching her campaign perfor- women candidates is that they force mances in person or on TV, she seems us to think about women candidates considerably younger. in a way that is not monolithic,” noted The second-oldest women candi- Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center date is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar for American Women and Politics. at 58, but a candidate’s age doesn’t The women already running for appear to be a major concern this time president may soon be joined by around. others. May the best man or woman win. Popular talk-show host Oprah Win- Whitt Flora is a former Washington cor- frey has been mentioned repeatedly respondent for the columbus Dispatch and over the last few weeks, but signifi- Space Aviation and Technology Magazine. cantly has never issued the Sherman- AMPA, Fla. — Politics are getting Biden was “a staunch defender of Middle pretty weird when The New York American interests” and that “he could lead Times, the nation’s leading champion the Democrats to victory over Trump, but his of liberalism, trashes former Vice President political style might affirm the assumptions Joe Biden, the only progressive who stands behind Trumpism.” a real chance of routing Donald Trump in a That charge was a particularly low blow Democratic presidential field chock full of against the man who was Barack Obama’s vice recently anointed celebrity politicians. president for two terms. Yet that’s exactly what the august Times did In other words, The New York Times actu- recently when it argued that Biden was racially ally argues that Biden might be too electable biased because he once was “an ardent” oppo- because he supports Middle American values nent of busing to desegregate Delaware’s that a majority of Americans likely believe in. racially segregated schools. Those who find comfort in middle-class Delaware, nicknamed the First State, values and supported Trump in 2016 were because it was the first of the original 13 to rat- hoodwinked. ify the Constitution, did drag its feet on deseg- Many annually saw refunds on their federal regation, but finally approved busing taxes. This year they found they owe for racial balance in 1967. the IRS. Trump’s gangbusters econ- omy was largely inherited from Obama. The governor then was Charles Terry, known as the “Great Divider” Trump’s unwise tariff wars, contin- ued export of quality jobs overseas, because of his hardline stance against and failure to rein in prescription drug fair housing and keeping the National costs and other health care services may Guard on the streets of Wilmington Wayne have made billions for his uber-wealthy long after the rioting that exploded Madsen pals, but have placed the economy on a after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther house of cards. King Jr. In 1968, Biden, a Democrat, Biden gets that. Biden would restore supported liberal Republican Russell Peterson for governor. Peterson defeated Terry. stability in the economy and markets with- out constantly embarrassing America with The case against forced busing eventu- ally dissolved in 1974 when the Supreme clown-like antics on the international stage. Court held that students in Detroit’s 53 sub- Biden doesn’t even need to respond to “low urban school districts could not be bused into IQ” taunts by someone who refuses to release Detroit to offset that city’s largely black school their school and college grades. It is also likely enrollment. that Biden would continue the best policies of Bradley v. Milliken (the state’s governor Barack Obama while, at the same time, avoid- ing some of Obama’s mistakes. at the time) held that school districts were not One other plus for Biden: He cut his con- compelled to desegregate unless it had been gressional eye-teeth by serving on the House proven that they had drawn specific lines to Energy and Commerce Committee chaired by prevent desegregation. The Times, in its recent blast against Biden, Michigan’s John Dingell — a man who knew argued that his stance against forced busing how to mold bipartisan coalitions to support of school children would help him attract “the key legislation that helped all Americans. white, blue collar workers who rejected Hillary The New York Times aside, what’s not to Clinton in favor of Donald Trump.” like? It noted that Biden believes he could have Wayne Madsen is a journalist whose opin- won that crucial sector in 2016, “and he thinks ion pieces have appeared in European and American newspapers. he can win them now.” And it argued that B
