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Responding to criticism over his remarks about friendships with segregationist colleagues, @JoeBiden cites his civil rights record and then says, “Apologize for what? Cory [Booker] should apologize. He knows better. I don’t have a racist bone in my body.”
Perhaps @JoeBiden should read up on the considerably racist history of the “racist bone” defense before he cites it again as supposed evidence of his lack of racism. wapo.st/2P50moe
The “Cory should apologize” bit is too rich. First, there was no thought as to how that came off. But most importantly: Booker didn’t even come close to calling Biden a racist. He said Biden should immediately apologize “for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans.”
This is @CoryBooker’s statement in full. If he called @JoeBiden a racist here, it must be in invisible ink. Biden either never got the full context of Booker’s remarks—the reporter did characterize them rather sloppily—or he willfully misinterpreted what he’d already read. 
I say again: what is Biden’s point here? That by citing the “civility” he enjoyed with white supremacist colleagues, he got stuff done for the country? So, what did he get accomplished with their help? Certainly none of the civil rights victories that he listed. So, what then?
Biden is straining to get voters to believe in the value of his one selling point to date: his alleged ability to work across the aisle. Where was that magic during the Obama years? He was the president of the Senate! Did he rescue Merrick Garland? What about other judge picks?
Also, Biden crows about his bipartisan bonafides, but Booker and Harris are working with Republicans today—a party voting to undermine civil rights and backing an openly racist @POTUS. He wants to talk about his skills for working with bigots? Try being black and having to do it.
I say this again: this is not about wounding the Democratic field. It is a primary. This is the time when we, as the press and as voters, should vet the candidates. The notion that we should give Biden a pass for fear of Trump is foolish. Lowering our standards is how we’ll lose.
