Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
Joe Biden seems to be mounting a third campaign for president.
If Biden wins, he will be 78 at his inauguration; eight years older than Donald Trump was in 2017. This election, however, Biden’s “old school” misogyny may be more damaging to his campaign than his age.
Biden says that his close contact is his way of showing people he cares. Not everyone agrees.
First, former Nevada candidate for Lieutenant Governor Lucy Flores told New York Magazine that Biden came up from behind and kissed the back of her head at a campaign event in 2014. She said the interaction made her feel "uneasy, gross and confused.”
On Monday, Amy Lappos told the Hartford Courant that Biden made her feel uncomfortable when he touched her face and rubbed noses with her at a 2009 Connecticut fundraiser.
Caitlyn Caruso, a sexual assault survivor, was just 19 when she met Biden at a UNLV event about sexual assault. On Tuesday, Caruso told the New York Times that at the event, Biden put his hand on her thigh and hugged her “just a little bit too long.”
D.J. Hill met Biden at a Minneapolis fundraiser in 2012. Hill told the New York Times that she and her husband were taking a photo with Biden when he began sliding his hand down Hill’s back, making her “very uncomfortable.” Hill said her husband noticed her discomfort and put his hand on Biden’s shoulder to stop him.
Alexandra Tara Reade said that Biden touched her several times in 1993, when she was a staffer in his U.S. Senate Office. In her mid-20’s at the time, Reade said she was quickly pushed out of Biden’s office when she mentioned that the contact made her uncomfortable.
On Wednesday, Biden acknowledged the allegations in a video in which he promised to be "more mindful" about others' personal space.
Just hours later, three more women told the Washington Post similar stories involving Biden.
Sexual assault victim Sofie Karasek appeared onstage at the Oscars with Lady Gaga when Biden acted inappropriately towards her. A photograph of the incident is widely available online.
Vail Kohnert-Yount, a former White House intern said Biden “… put his hand on the back of my head and pressed his forehead to my forehead while he talked to me. I was so shocked that it was hard to focus on what he was saying. I remember he told me I was a ‘pretty girl’.”
Ally Coll was a young Democratic staffer when she met Biden at a reception in 2008. She told the Post that Biden squeezed her shoulders, leaned in close to her and complimented her smile, lingering “for a beat too long.” She now runs the Purple Campaign, a nonprofit devoted to combating sexual harassment.
The allegations against Biden come as the #MeToo movement has led to the downfall of numerous politicians accused of inappropriate behavior, including Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI).
This is not the first time Biden’s “hands on approach” has been mentioned by the media. A 2015 “Daily Show” segment, titled: “The Audacity of Grope” featured host Jon Stewart calling out then-Vice President Biden for getting too handsy with women.
The clip featured a CNN segment in which Biden placed his hands on the shoulders of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter’s wife, Stephanie. An anchor was heard saying, “Biden left his hands on Stephanie Carter’s shoulders for an estimated 28 seconds.” The segment continued, showing more instances of Biden getting too close with women, including Biden whispering in the ear of Senator Chris Coons’ young daughter.
Most surprising are the women rushing to Biden’s defense.
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) recently leaked a confidential letter that sparked one of the most contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings ever. On Monday, Feinstein defended Biden as “a warm, tactile person. He reaches out and he touches and it’s like this and that. It’s hardly sexy.”
During the same hearings, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declared that failing to perform “a thorough investigation into these serious and credible allegations would be a dereliction of Congress' duty to demand zero tolerance of sexual harassment and abuse.” After the accusations against Biden were published, Pelosi told reporters that she did not think Biden’s behavior was “disqualifying.”
Biden has not yet officially filed to run for President. It’s likely that he will announce his candidacy later this month.
Polls show Biden to be the current front runner. But the stories are still coming.
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.