'Far left karma': Biden trolled as he once called aging fellow senator 'poor son of a b***h' unfit for job
!['Far left karma': Biden trolled as he once called aging fellow senator 'poor son of a b***h' unfit for job](https://dxltb3n5j8l6j.cloudfront.net/706044/uploads/0bac9450-45c8-11ef-bbe2-e37d9dedfce9_1200_630.jpeg)
WASHINGTON, DC: In the mid-1990s, President Joe Biden, then a senator from Delaware, made a rather tasteless remark about a fellow senator, Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island.
Biden's comment came as Pell was showing early signs of Parkinson’s disease. Reflecting on Pell's condition, Biden reportedly said, "That poor son of a b***h," according to Tom Galvin, a former White House reporter who wrote about it in an op-ed for Politico.
Context of Joe Biden's remark and Claiborne Pell’s legacy
Joe Biden's remark occurred during a conversation about Claiborne Pell’s capability to continue serving. Pell, at that time, was in his late 70s, while Biden is now 81. Galvin recalled asking Biden if he planned to replace Pell as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “I asked Biden if given Pell’s diminished capacity, he’d make a move to replace him."
Biden's response, as Galvin remembered, was blunt: "Pell was no longer up for the job, but like so many of his elderly colleagues, Pell couldn’t imagine a life outside Congress."
Galvin, now a communications strategist, expressed his surprise at Biden's comment. He believes the conversation took place after President Bill Clinton's 1994 State of the Union address. Galvin chose not to report on it at the time because he had "no intention of writing about Pell," who publicly confirmed his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1995.
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Despite his illness, Pell continued to serve until early 1997, when he retired after six terms in the Senate. He lost his position as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee when Republicans took control of the Senate in 1994.
Claiborne Pell is best known for his sponsorship of the federal education program initially called Basic Educational Opportunity Grants, which began in the 1973-74 school year. These grants were renamed Pell Grants in his honor in 1980. Pell passed away on January 1, 2009, shortly after his 90th birthday, the New York Post reported.
![View of members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as they listen to testimony during a hearing, Washington DC, September 10, 1987. Pictured are, fore, from left, US Senators Paul Sarbanes (1933 - 2020), (future US President) Joseph Biden, and committee chairman Claiborne Pell (1918 - 2009). They were listening to Secretary of State George Shultz speaking on an ongoing situation in Central America. (Photo by Howard L. Sachs/CNP/Getty Images)](https://pisco-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/71d88eb6-5dd7-459f-8b3a-cb869a3a3770.jpg)
Joe Biden slammed on social media
The revelation of Joe Biden's comment about Claiborne Pell has sparked a wave of criticism, especially given the concerns surrounding the President's own mental acuity.
"Are you saying that President Biden, the empathy president, has a history of having no empathy? Say it isn’t so," one posted on X.
"It’s a myth that he’s ever been a gracious guy," another chimed in.
"Democrats deserve Biden’s arrogance during these dark days," someone else remarked.
"That far left karma," a comment read.
"What goes around, comes around," another offered.
Are you saying that President Biden, the empathy president, has a history of having no empathy? Say it isn’t so 🤦♀️
— ❤️DawgGirl82Forever (@nhopkins60) July 18, 2024
Democrats deserve Biden’s arrogance during these dark days.
— Moral Authority Complex (@EhOHSeeLogic) July 18, 2024
What goes around, comes around.
— Sir Latarian Hoöd-R@t - The Boy, The Legend ™ (@RealLatarian) July 18, 2024
Joe Biden's defiance over concerns about his health
Joe Biden himself faces scrutiny over his health as he gears up for a potential 2024 re-election campaign. Concerns about his cognitive fitness intensified after a June 27 debate performance where he appeared to struggle. The White House has since disclosed that Biden was seen by a Parkinson’s specialist, framing it as part of a regular checkup.
Dr Tom Pitts, a neurologist based in New York, has publicly voiced concerns about Biden's health. Pitts told NBC News Now’s “Top Story with Tom Llamas" earlier this month that Biden exhibits "classic features of neurodegeneration," including word-finding difficulties, a shuffling gait, and loss of arm swing due to rigidity.
Pitts explained, "He has the classic features of neurodegeneration, word-finding difficulties, and that’s not, ‘Oh, I couldn’t find the word', that’s from degeneration of the word retrieval area."
Dr Pitts has called for both Biden and former President Donald Trump, who is 78, to undergo a comprehensive neurological test to assess their cognitive performance.
Despite these calls, Biden has remained defiant, refusing to step down from the race. The White House maintains that Biden does not need a fresh medical exam. Recently, he conveyed to Democrats that discussions about his future candidacy should cease.
According to NBC News, Biden has been personally reaching out to prominent allies, insisting that the conversation about his future is over. "We think we’ve got a good plan to fight through this," a senior Biden aide told the outlet.
During a campaign event in Detroit, Biden addressed the issue directly, telling his supporters, "You made me the nominee. No one else. Not the press, not the pundits, not the insiders, not donors. And I’m not going anywhere."
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