The 2020 candidates are going to have to get a lot more creative if they want to sink “Creepy Uncle Joe,” because a new poll shows that lady Democratic voters apparently have little concern about him being a handsy guy, reports Fox News.
The Quinnipiac University survey of California voters not only shows that voters do not see the former Vice President’s alleged penchant for inappropriate touching to be a serious issue, but he also remains the 2020 frontrunner. In fact, a full 67% of women, 71% of Democrats, and 55% of Republicans do not think Biden’s touchy-feely nature should sink his 2020 chances.
“‘Let Biden be Biden,’ say California voters, clearly unconcerned about former Vice President Joe Biden’s tactile embrace of supporters,” Quinnipiac Polling assistant director Tim Malloy said.
Despite that, Malloy noted that Biden does have a problem with younger voters, who overwhelmingly felt his behavior should keep him off the 2020 ticket. “There is one noticeable generational split,” he said. “The youngest of voters are far more inclined to say, ‘hands off.'”
The poll also showed that 26% of Democratic voters in California would support Biden as the 2020 nominee, followed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 18%. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) trails Sanders by just one point at 17%.
Last week, as many as seven women came forward to accuse Joe Biden of inappropriately touching them in professional settings, often by caressing their shoulders and planting an unwanted kiss on their neck or head.
“He made me feel uneasy, gross, and confused,” Biden accuser Lucy Flores wrote in The Cut. “The vice-president of the United States of America had just touched me in an intimate way reserved for close friends, family, or romantic partners — and I felt powerless to do anything about it.”
This week, a sexual assault survivor described her encounter with the former Vice President when she was 18, saying he got way too close for comfort upon first meeting him to the point that she could smell his coffee-affected breath.
“When he came to the stage, he leaned in and gave me coffee-scented words of encouragement. Then he held my hand and pointed at me as he said something to the crowd,” Lilly Jay wrote of her encounter in Slate. “Holding hands with the vice president felt a little odd — when was the last time I had held hands with anyone? But I didn’t experience it as intrusive or unsettling.”
Though Lilly Jay found Biden’s behavior more paternal and less predatory at the time, she admits to having different thoughts upon hearing more women come forward with their stories.
“I experienced, in a very small dose, the kind of doubt, the queasy sense of having been duped that I once felt so strongly as a survivor,” Jay wrote. “I believe [Lucy] Flores and [Sofie] Karasek, and I believe they felt humiliated and distressed by Biden’s physical contact. It was me who I doubted. The feeling of questioning my own experience was a familiar one.”
Last Friday, Biden made light of the situation by publicly mocking himself while speaking at an event hosted by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Earlier that day, he apologized only for not being more understanding, not for his behavior.
“I’m sorry I didn’t understand more,” said Biden. “I’m not sorry for any of my intentions. I’m not sorry for anything that I have ever done. I have never been disrespectful intentionally to a man or a woman. So that’s not the reputation I’ve had since I was in high school, for god’s sakes. … The fact of the matter is I made it clear that if I made anyone feel (uncomfortable), I feel badly about that. It was never my intention. Ever.”