A Woman’s Exhausted Blow-by-Blow Take On the Biden Town Hall Event
by Anna Arroyo
2020 is relentless. Here we are, watching old white men on TV answering the same questions over and over. That being said, I did tune in to the Joe Biden Town Hall — though I was a little late. However, I was just in time to hear Biden say, “It’s not all about me, not about I.” One thing Joe has going for him is he is not a deranged egotistical maniac that feels the urge to constantly talk about himself.
Biden & COVID
Diving right into COVID and pandemic response, Biden asserted that the words of a president matter. Remember when they actually did? He resurrected Trump’s comments from the last debate, you know, when he made fun of Joe for wearing a “big” mask. Lol, @ Trump’s insecurities and ‘shortcomings.’ On a more serious note, it was refreshing to hear *actual* scientific studies being referenced. Like, specific ones! Masks work, y’all!
Republicans and trump Tax Cuts
Then there was a predictable question about tax cuts from a Republican. Judging by what he was wearing, I don’t think he’s someone who is truly benefiting from these tax cuts he seems to be so in favor of. When will GOP voters realize the GOP doesn’t give a flying fuck about them? I digress…back to the Biden Town Hall.
Biden on the Black Vote
The question of how Biden can earn the votes of Black folks under 30 is brought up by a young Black voter. Biden’s response was…scattered. At one point he was talking about cybersecurity laboratories, then HBCU funding, something about Obama, and then he did talk about redlining which made me miss Elizabeth Warren. By the end of the tangent, the young man was asked by the moderator if he had heard all he needed to hear. His response was an uncertain, “Ummmm…I think so.” AWKWARD.
Rosanne Barre?
A woman who appears to be a relative of Rosanne Barr brought up the infamous crime bill from 1994. Biden pushed for rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration for drug use and decriminalization of marijuana (no legalization?). He seemed reluctant to show much regret and instead blamed most of the failings of the bill on how individual states handled it. I am still distracted by the fact I swear I’ve seen this Rosanne looking lady on TV somewhere, but I am drawn back in when Biden says “most” cops don’t “like” bad cops. I don’t have enough time to get into THAT.
Joe on Packing the Courts
It didn’t take too long, but the issue of court-packing was brought up, which was not a surprise for this Biden Town Hall. I gotta hand it to the GOP, they are masters of deflection. It is very frustrating to see them bring this up with Biden constantly after the courts have been being packed to the god damn brim with conservative ass hats for the last four years. Regardless of how you feel about the issue, Biden still does not take a stance.
Taking the High Road
There was a question from a disaffected Republican about partisanship. How will Biden “take the high road?” Personally, I think this is stupid. The GOP has been taking a gargantuan dump on this country by lining their own pockets and using every cheap trick in the book to disenfranchise regular people. Despite this, we still get scenes like today when Dianne Feinstein gave Lindsay Graham a hug?! While they’re ramming through another SCOTUS seat?! The left has proved time and time again they are being held to a different standard. I was too annoyed thinking about all this to actually listen to Biden’s response. I am certain though the phrase “reach across the aisle” was used at least three times.
The politicization of the DOJ was addressed, and it was nice to hear a presidential candidate affirm that he would not use the department as his own personal lawyer. Wow, it really does feel like a long time since we had a semi-functioning government and that one thing…I forget what it’s called. Oh yeah. Separation of powers.
What the Frack?
Fracking is brought up. I will be honest, I’m not 100% sure what fracking is. I still don’t know what it is because at this point I had to take my dog out. I also realized that there was still over half an hour left in this thing so I had to make myself a drink.
Does Trump’s foreign policy deserve some credit? Biden swiftly answered, “not much.” I know it feels like 5 years ago, but didn’t we kill an Iranian general with a drone strike back in January? I’m also not sure how much applause is necessary for The Don consistently getting down on some Russian and North Korean dong.
Joe Gets Clear on Being Queer
The mother of a trans child asked what Biden will do to protect LGBTQ rights. He basically said, he’ll just make executive orders. This is reassuring after the Trump administration took away healthcare coverage for the LGBTQ community. I am SO PROUD because Biden also immediately brought up the fact that trans women of color are being murdered at much higher and disproportionate rates. It’s about time we have this discussion on a national stage.
Overall, I think Joe held his own. He wasn’t perfect, but he was himself. He was decent. Could we hope for much else at this point? In the post Biden Town Hall coverage, they really chastised him for “dodging” the question on court-packing. Again: the double standard. How many god damn questions has you-know-who dodged in the last four years? Frustrating, right? Well, fear not, because Election Day is upon us. We can fix this. Fucking vote.
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