Biden is authentic. That shows in his remark on segregationist senators

To the editor: Good grief! What a firestorm over former Vice President Joe Biden’s comments about the way things used to be. (“Joe Biden’s nostalgic remark about segregationist senators draws criticism,” June 19)

His point was that “back in the day,” members of Congress who were vehemently opposed to each others’ ideas on most issues found a way to agree on at least one or two once in a while. In other words, compromise is far more desirable than knee-jerk obstructionism.

Tone deaf? Maybe, but the alternative is for Biden and every other candidate to pre-analyze every sentence they speak to ensure it cannot be misconstrued and will offend no one. At that point, we’ll have a bunch of talking robots to choose from.

Janice Blake, Manhattan Beach

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To the editor: What makes Biden prone to gaffes is also what makes him appealing. He’s authentic and rhetorically spontaneous — not overly rehearsed, but genuine.

Nevertheless, his touchy interactions with women and his underscoring of his past ability to cooperate with the staunchest of segregationists do not play well in this age. Perhaps it’s best for Democrats to nominate someone more in tune with the 21st century.

Ben Miles, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: You neglected to mention that the two “conservative” arch-segregationist senators Biden was able to work civilly with were Democrats. He didn’t actually have to cross the aisle, did he?

Dorothy Bouse, Rancho Palos Verdes

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To the editor: At the height of World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said, “If Hitler invaded hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.”

Did this make Churchill a Satanist? Of course not.

Long ago, then-Sen. Biden worked “across the aisle” with colleagues who advocated segregation. Does this make him a racist? Same answer.

Richard Jackson, Arroyo Grande

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