After CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King complained on Wednesday about having to cover former Vice President Joe Biden’s questionable behavior toward women, she doubled down on Thursday, mourning the “sad conversation” taking place about the 2020 Democrat’s handsy tendencies. The other hosts joined in, even giving testimonials about Biden’s character.
“And this story just continues, Ed. Now he’s getting criticized because he didn’t exactly apologize,” King lamented following a report from correspondent Ed O’Keefe about the ongoing controversy. She sorrowfully declared: “But the whole thing, I just think, is a very – very sad conversation to me, that Joe Biden finds himself in this place at this particular time.”
Fellow co-host Norah O’Donnell jumped to Biden’s defense: “Yeah, you know, you always remember the person.... that comes to your family member or friend’s funeral or calls you. And that’s what a lot of people say about Joe Biden, is that he’s that first person who calls and shows up at a family member’s funeral.”
Co-host John Dickerson agreed, proclaiming Biden’s “core strength” to be “his empathy, his fellow feeling on the campaign trail.” The host argued that, “campaigning is a lot about hugging and touching and reaching and doing all of those things.” O’Donnell chimed in: “Connecting.”
Dickerson fretted: “And that is in his bones. And so, to tell him that the thing that’s in his bones you can no longer do, will just make campaigning harder.”
Neither of them explained how giving someone you just met a shoulder rub or smelling their hair – both things Biden is accused doing – had anything to do with normal interactions on the campaign trail.
Discussing the topic again in the 8:00 a.m. ET hour, O’Donnell hoped the story was over: “So do Biden’s advisers....do they feel like they’re close to being able to move on from this issue?” Referring to a social media video of Biden vowing to respect people’s personal space, O’Keefe replied: “We notice he acknowledges it, he says he’s going to do better, he doesn’t explicitly apologize to these women. That was part of the debate, is there really anything to apologize for or are you just going to explain yourself?”
King asserted: “Not when he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.” She quickly added: “And most of the women, it seems, Ed, are saying that they would still vote for him. That they don’t think it disqualifies him from being a presidential candidate.”
Just imagine a Republican about to launch a presidential campaign being caught up in a similar scandal, would journalists be so quick to dismiss the news or repeatedly whine about having to cover the story?
Here are transcripts of the April 4 discussions about Biden:
7:12 AM ET
(...)
GAYLE KING: And this story just continues, Ed. Now he’s getting criticized because he didn’t exactly apologize. I guess I’m from the generation of, if you’re offering compassion and empathy to someone who’s told you a sad story that, that really is okay. But the bottom line, Norah, as you pointed out, he said gets it. But the whole thing, I just think, is a very – very sad conversation to me, that Joe Biden finds himself in this place at this particular time.
ED O’KEEFE: And it’s definitely sparked a generational divide. That we’ve seen this, talking to Democrats.
KING: Yeah, I guess I’m that generation.
NORAH O’DONNELL: Yeah, you know, you always remember the person – when you’re ill or sick or someone in you family that’s died – that comes to your family member or friend’s funeral or calls you. And that’s what a lot of people say about Joe Biden, is that he’s that first person who calls and shows up at a family member’s funeral.
JOHN DICKERSON: And what makes this hard as a political matter is that’s his core strength, his empathy, his fellow feeling on the campaign trail.
KING: Exactly.
DICKERSON: Despite what a person on the piece said, campaigning is a lot about hugging and touching and reaching and doing all of those things.
O’DONNELL: Connecting.
DICKERSON: And connecting. And that is in his bones. And so, to tell him that the thing that’s in his bones you can no longer do, will just make campaigning harder. So it’ll be interesting to watch.
KING: Nancy Pelosi said something interesting yesterday – I know we’ve gotta go Megan – she said we should all act like we have colds. So we should all just keep each other at arm’s length.
O’DONNELL: What does that say for our –
KING: That makes me kind of sad. I’m with you, Norah.
O’DONNELL: What does that say for the future?
KING: I’m with you.
(...)
8:07 AM ET
(...)
NORAH O’DONNELL: So do Biden’s advisers – I know you’ve been talking to them – with this video, do they feel like they’re close to being able to move on from this issue?
ED O’KEEFE: Well, I think earlier this week there was a thought that if there was nothing more serious alleged by anyone, then they would be alright. So now they’ve released this video. We notice he acknowledges it, he says he’s going to do better, he doesn’t explicitly apologize to these women. That was part of the debate, is there really anything to apologize for or are you just going to explain yourself?
GAYLE KING: Not when he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.O’KEEFE: Which is what he did.
KING: And most of the women, it seems, Ed, are saying that they would still vote for him.
O’KEEFE: Right.
KING: That they don’t think it disqualifies him from being a presidential candidate.
O’KEEFE: Yeah, as one of them said, this doesn’t explicitly disqualify him, but we should have a robust debate about his 40 years of public service and some of the things that he did in the past as a senator.
(...)
