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1/Controversial 'busing' era in 1970s is being framed through the lens of 2019. High unpopularity of busing (most whites & many blacks) resulted in a liberal candidate for VA GOV losing his race to the R in a squeaker after he had led handily earlier. Why? On election day, he was
2/described as the "pro-busing" candidate by the then-host of The Today Show (#1 a.m. show) just as people were going to vote. (Back then, no early voting and few absentees) Richmond, VA was ground zero for busing & school consolidation. #1 issue. Candidate lost area by
3/massive %, higher than anybody had projected. Lost statewide by 15,000 votes out of 1 million +. Candidate tried to get immediate correction b/c it actually wasn't true--he'd finessed the topic. Didn't happen. Candidate wanted to sue host Frank McGee, but pointless.
4/Even after Agnew resignation, Saturday Night Massacre, Watergate revelations in weeks before election day, busing overrode everything. VA & DE were both conservative states back then. Everything had to go right for a D to win. When @JoeBiden wrote the busing letter to Eastland
@JoeBiden 5/it was 1977--a year before his first reelection when another win for Biden was not assured. So he (& many other Ds) had a choice--be a profile in courage and lose, or oppose busing in whole or in part & win to fight another day on stronger ground.
@JoeBiden 6/The lens of 2019 presents this as a choice between Good vs Evil. But it was more complicated than that. Busing caused cancellation of many extracurriculars and children left home very early & got back home very late. No unanimity in black community on busing as there had been
@JoeBiden 7/for Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act, and Open Housing law. I'm not asserting Biden made the right decision, just sharing my own knowledge about that difficult era. So easy today to say what a pol should have done--but so out of touch with the real politics of that time.
