The former vice president’s crime-fighting record was once a signature strength. In the current Democratic Party, it might be a liability.
Joe Biden spent much of his career carving out an image as a tough-on-crime Democrat. But few who watch the second presidential debate are likely to get that impression from him.
By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. But Symone Sanders, a Biden campaign advisor who touted his new crime bill in a web video, said critics are creating a false impression about Biden, the legislation and the time it was born — during a high-crime era when “there were mayors across the country — black mayors, clergy folks — white and black people were calling out for change and they were begging their elected officials to do something.
Biden once prided himself on being so tough that he chided President Bush in 1989 for doing too little to stop “violent thugs.” Even President Reagan was too soft in Biden’s estimation —
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