Former Vice President Joe Biden drew condemnation on Wednesday for remarks many interpreted to “confer” the status” of a sexual object” on a 13-year-old girl.
Biden, the 2020 Democrat frontrunner, purportedly met a voter’s granddaughter in an Iowa coffee shop and, upon learning the girl was 13-years-old, turned to her brothers to tell them their only “job” was to “keep the guys from your sister.” The comments were first reported on social media by The Boston Globe’s Liz Goodwin.
Joe Biden meets a voter’s granddaughter in an Iowa coffee shop and asks her age. She says she’s 13. He addresses her brothers. “You’ve got one job here, keep the guys away from your sister.”
— Liz Goodwin (@lizcgoodwin) June 12, 2019
The remarks quickly stirred rebuke from some on the left for what was interpreted as Biden conferring on the girl “her status as a sexual object” to everyone in the room.
“Seriously. Imagine how a female candidate would talk to that 13-year-old girl,” Dana Stevens, a movie critic for Slate, said on social media. “Think what Hillary might have said. This guy hears her age & immediately turns to the men in the room to confer about her status as a sexual object.”
Seriously. Imagine how a female candidate would talk to that 13-year-old girl. Think what Hillary might have said. This guy hears her age & immediately turns to the men in the room to confer about her status as a sexual object. J F C https://t.co/VkTSYypcxr
— Dana Stevens (@thehighsign) June 12, 2019
Stevens followed up her original comment by saying if a presidential candidate “talked about her daughter” the same way “he would get a lot more than a finger wagged in his face.”
My daughter is 13 & if a presidential candidate talked about her in this way right in front of her he would get a lot more than a finger wagged in his face. https://t.co/VkTSYypcxr
— Dana Stevens (@thehighsign) June 12, 2019
Others seemed to agree that Biden had strongly overstepped with his remark.
This dude literally can’t help himself. His sexism is as ingrained and involuntary as breathing.
— Stephanie Wittels Wachs (@wittelstephanie) June 12, 2019
In the interest of any candidates who might need it, here’s a list of things you could talk to a 13 yo girl about that aren’t veiled sex jokes:
-her favorite books
-what classes she likes
-what she thinks about voting
-what she thinks about the environment
-who her heroes are— Jessica Ellis (@baddestmamajama) June 12, 2019
Ugh, not for me. This is a disturbing mindset that keeps repeating.
— Amy Siskind ️ (@Amy_Siskind) June 12, 2019
Ugh. The Biden campaign also has one job it seems — keeping Joe away from voters.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) June 12, 2019
The controversy over Biden’s comments in front of the 13-year-old seems to indicate the former vice president still has issues to face regarding his treatment of women.
Earlier this year, Biden was accused of inappropriate touching by Lucy Flores, the Democrat’s unsuccessful 2014 nominee for lieutenant governor of Nevada. In a widely circulated op-ed, Flores alleged Biden inappropriately touched and kissed her during a campaign event. Following the revelations, seven more women came out to accuse Biden of unsolicited touching.
Despite issuing a public apology and promising to be more “mindful” about respecting the personal space of others, Biden has repeatedly made light of the accusations on the campaign trail.
Flores has said those jokes prove the 76-year-old Biden has “not reflected” on his behavior made women feel.
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