Google “Joe Biden website” and one of the first non-ad results you’ll find is the link to JoeBiden.info, which is supposedly promoting “Joe Biden for President 2020” — but while you’ll certainly find information about the Democratic presidential frontrunner at the site, it’s not the kind of information the former vice president is hoping to push out to voters. That’s because JoeBiden.info is a parody site created by a self-described “closest to a libertarian” man who continues to be amazed at how many actual Biden supporters fall for the overtly anti-Biden site.
“Uncle Joe is back and ready to take a hands-on approach to America’s problems!” the parody site announces at the top of its homepage. “Joe Biden has a good feel for the American people and knows exactly what they really want deep down. He’s happy to open up and reveal himself to voters and will give a pounding to anybody who gets in his way!”
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After a series of infamous photos and videos of Biden getting a bit “creepy” with people of all ages, the site highlights some winning quotes from Biden, including this gem about his former running mate: “I promise you, the president has a big stick.” And then there’s this other line about Barack Obama back in 2007: “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
Or how about “Joe’s Legislative Accomplishments” provided by JoeBiden.info that are sure to charge up the Democrat base:
- AGAINST Gay Marriage: In 1996, Senator Joe Biden voted for the Defense of Marriage Act which defined marriage as between a man and a woman. This law also prevented states from recognizing same sex marriages.
- FOR Mass Incarceration: Senator Joe Biden authored and voted for the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 which initiated the “3 Strikes and You’re Out” policy which has resulted in many people spending life sentences in jail for minor crimes. He nicknamed it the “Biden Bill.”
- AGAINST Abortion Rights: In 1982, Senator Joe Biden initially voted for a constitutional amendment which would have allowed states to overturn Roe v. Wade – the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion.
- FOR Iraq War: Senator Joe Biden, who at the time was chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted for the resolution to authorize military involvement in Iraq. The Iraq war resulted in the death of 4,424 US military members and cost taxpayers $2.4 trillion.
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As reported by CNBC, the Biden parody site has been outranking Biden’s real campaign site for at least a couple of weeks. While not all searches for Biden will result in JoeBiden.info popping up as the first non-ad result, the searches “Biden 2020 website” and “Joe Biden info” still do (screenshots below). The search for “Joe Biden website” now pulls up CNBC’s report first, followed by the parody site second. “Biden 2020” pulls up the parody site second, just after the “Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign” Wikipedia entry.
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A disclaimer on the site says it’s not funded by any “candidate, committee, organization, or PAC.” Instead, it all appears to be the work of one guy who says he put it up as a stunt before Biden officially announced.
CNBC chatted with the man behind the site — an American citizen who describes himself as “closest to a libertarian” — and he expressed surprise at just how viral the parody site has gone. He also expressed surprise at how many Biden supporters have actually believed it was real.
“I get thousands of Biden supporters coming to the site every day who fail to realize that it is a parody — asking for volunteer information, donation information, suggestions on how to handle the [Anita Hill] situation, or criticizing his use of ‘All men are created equal’ — no joke,” he told CNBC.
