Joe Biden is effectively on his way to becoming the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee and that has rankled some on the left who are selectively digging into his past.
The former vice president was suddenly in the center of a heated social media debate as his decades-old vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia resurfaced as an argument against his nomination.
As Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday and cleared the way for Biden’s inevitable nomination, his progressive supporters became the prize in a Democratic and Republican tug-of-war. But many on the left declared they could not shift their allegiance and just vote for Biden in November, or back President Trump’s reelection, setting off a battle that apparently soon turned into trending hashtags such as #NeverBiden and #DemExit.
Other trends that soon began to surface on social media, including #ClarenceThomas and #Scalia, unleashed a torrent of attacks against Biden’s support of Scalia back in 1986 and concerns about who he would nominate for the High Court if he is elected.
Biden voted to confirm Scalia. He’d pick someone just as bad.
— J Gudy (@j_gudy) April 9, 2020
I’m sorry, but Biden voting for Scalia back in 1986 is not even a minor issue.
Scalia was confirmed 98-0. He portrayed himself as moderate, charming, and easy to work with. He was an appropriate pick in 1986.
34 years later, we know how it turned out. But that’s not on Biden.
— Arun (@WookieChew23) April 9, 2020
Supreme Court’s already screwed for 30 years, that’s not changing unless you have someone willing to do something radical like packing the court and Biden’s not going to
Plus he voted for Antonin Scalia and opened the path for Thomas, why would you trust him on picking justices?
— Jerry Duncan Idaho (@DSA_Arrakis) April 9, 2020
“We have to vote Biden to save the courts!”
*Biden is directly responsible for 2 of the worst SC nominees and is complicit with the GOP packing the courts for decades*
OMG stop looking for things to complain about!
— 4PM Curve Flattener (@PotionKnights) April 9, 2020
The full Senate debated the nomination of Scalia in 1986 and he was quickly confirmed, with a unanimous vote of 98–0.
OMFG. Some anti @JoeBiden folks are complaining that Biden voted to confirm Scalia. Antonin Scalia was confirmed in 1986. The Senate vote was 98-0.
— Janice Hough (@leftcoastbabe) April 8, 2020
“We have to vote Biden to save the courts!”
*Biden is directly responsible for 2 of the worst SC nominees and is complicit with the GOP packing the courts for decades*
OMG stop looking for things to complain about!
— 4PM Curve Flattener (@PotionKnights) April 9, 2020
Scalia, who died in 2016, was considered a conservative, consistently voting in favor of free speech and a strong opponent of abortion and affirmative action. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 by President Trump.
The connection between Biden and Scalia, and then-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct by Anita Hill, also began to appear in tweets condemning the Democrat who was a Delaware senator at the time.
Having Joe Biden as a candidate means we have been defeated. Who wants to vote for a man accused of rape, who put Scalia & Thomas on SCOTUS, who is against #MedicareForAll, who opposed abortion, who opposed gay marriage, who voted for the Iraq war? #NotMeUs
— Dutschke (@Scooterstation) April 9, 2020
Yeah the dude that grilled Anita Hill sure is going to pick a progressive judge. lmao.
— Darion G (@RaptorJesuss) April 8, 2020
Biden literally helped install Clarence Thomas and loved Scalia. Read a goddamn book.
— Ronni Goes Green Party 🌻💚 (@LovesTheBern) April 8, 2020
Biden, who was Senate Judiciary chair when Hill testified against Thomas, was criticized for decades for his handling of the hearings. Last year as he stepped into the 2020 race, he addressed the controversial piece of his history, though he also said he didn’t think he “treated her badly.”
“As the committee chairman, I take responsibility that she did not get treated well. I take responsibility for that,” Biden said in an interview with “Good Morning America.”
Biden’s campaign also noted last year that he reached out to Hill to express “regret” over his past actions.
Many Twitter users pointed to the likelihood that the man elected in November will go on to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the court.
Before you Biden haters abstain from voting this year or vote for a third party, remember you’re not voting for Biden.
You’re voting for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement.
— Eden Dranger (@Eden_Eats) April 8, 2020
I saw a tweet saying that we’re not just voting for Biden – we’re voting for RBG’s replacement.
This is absolutely right. If we let Trump win, the regressive will have a 6-3 majority in the courts for the next 40 years.
We cannot let that happen.
— Arun (@WookieChew23) April 9, 2020
Biden voted for Scalia, and is directly responsible for getting Thomas confirmed. Why in the hell should we trust him at all over the Supreme Court?
— J. Michael Moncus🌹 (@hangedman1984) April 9, 2020
The left’s double standards and hypocrisy were mocked by observant Twitter users.
Conservatives: Despite Trump’s checkered past, we trust he’ll nominate a Scalia clone because we aren’t stupid.
Leftists: Biden voted for Scalia in 1986 as part of a 98–0 vote therefore we cannot vote for him in 2020.
— AdotSad (@AdotSad) April 8, 2020
“We have to vote Biden to save the courts!”
*Biden is directly responsible for 2 of the worst SC nominees and is complicit with the GOP packing the courts for decades*
OMG stop looking for things to complain about!
— 4PM Curve Flattener (@PotionKnights) April 9, 2020
Wtf kind of defense is this?
If you don’t want more Scalias, vote for the guy who voted for Scalia. 🤦 https://t.co/4L2hLx1bKA
— Biden’s Hairy Leg 🦵🌹🌻🦺 (@BernieWon2016) April 8, 2020
Not voting for Biden because he voted to confirm Scalia and therefore allowing the person who nominated Kavanaugh to win again is so painfully, quintessentially Democrat that it hurts.
— National Security Counselors (@NatlSecCnslrs) April 8, 2020
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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