Joe Biden has praised segregationists & James Eastlands for 40 yrs. But it’s MUCH worse. Joe & Strom Thurmond are co-authors of mass incarceration & Crime/Drug Bills in 82/84/86/88.

Joe’s friendships w/Old Jim Crow IS what created New Jim Crow. Want context? Receipts? A thread:

“If you have a piece of crack-cocaine no bigger than a quarter, we passed a law thru leadership of Sen. Thurmond & myself that says u go to jail for 5 yrs. No probation. Judge doesn’t have a choice”

Biden praises Strom 2nd time & lauds death penalty 4 major drug dealers/2

In same 1991 speech Joe Biden lauds his creation of civil forfeiture laws & flat-time sentencing. His goal is shami Bush as not as tough as he & Strom.

“We changed the law so that.. the gov’t can take everything you own. Your car, your house, bank account... Everything”/3

At Strom’s own Institute 1988, Joe shows INCREDIBLE deference:

“Intro could’ve been shortened to
‘Joe Biden works 4 Strom Thurmond’”

“I’ve been so conditioned, I still refer to him as Mr. Chairman & I’m the chairman! IDK when I’ll grow up to realize [it]

1986: Biden explains process & how he agreed w/Strom on “probably 95%” of “striking changes” in sentencing. Wow.

Did Joe fight like hell for other 5%? No.

“The key was, let’s take the 5% we disagree on & put them on the shelf”
This is how friendship becomes policy.

1983: Reagan didn’t want Drug Czar & vetoed Thurmond-Biden Crime bill. Biden’s chastising of Reagan was even stronger than Strom:

'I am not surprised at veto, however, because this administration has always been strong on rhetoric about crime but weak on substantive action”

It’s hard to get mind wrapped around fact Joe Biden was to right of Reagan and Bush on mass incarceration, but time for truth is now. Reagan, as evil as he was, wanted to stop Crack-cocaine sentencing disparity at 20-1. Biden led charge for 100-1. This 1989 clip speaks for itself

“Strom said if there has to be a Dem as President, it might as well be you”


In 1988 at Strom Thurmond Institute, Joe Biden tells about endorsement from Strom Thurmond. So there’s that.

Biden never had > one Black colleague as Senator. His 99% white bubble was filled w/bigots. Those dynamics informed Obama comment of “1st mainstream African-American who is articulate & bright & clean & a nice-looking guy”

To Joe, Obama was “the exception”. Jesse Jackson wasn’t.