For those who have followed politics closely – or have worked with former Vice President Joe Biden – his calling a young college student, Madison Moore (a member of the protected classes), a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier” should come as no surprise. He is crude and pugnacious – a street-level tough guy. A bit of a bully.
When he was a Senator from Delaware, his slashing personality did not go beyond his home state. Just as people outside of Arizona did not see the late Senator John McCain’s unstable personality and anger management issues. As Vice President, Biden was not in the foreground where all the heated action and confrontation takes place. Although there was that time he referred to Obamacare as a “big f***ing deal” before the President addressed the nation.
New Hampshire was not the first time that Biden lost his cool and showed his street-thug personality.
He had previously called another voter a liar at a Biden campaign event. In that case, it was a “white male.”
I mention the gender, etc. because that is what prevented it from becoming a bigger news story. White males are not among the protected classes in the Democrats’ and medias’ political correctness world.
Like a barroom braggart, Biden once challenged President Trump to a bit of fisticuffs in the parking lot to show his machismo. Although the offer was rhetorical, it gives you an insight into Biden’s pugnacious personality.
This time, Biden’s wrath was directed to a young female college student, also not among the Democrats’ protected classes. Even at that, the media gave it only passing reference. They often made a joke of it or excused Biden’s behavior as a joke. Despite the fact that Moore said that she felt totally humiliated by being called a liar on national television by the former Vice President of the United States, much of the press reported that there were no “hard feelings” and that the audience laughed. Even Moore giggled, they said – as if they never heard of a nervous laugh.
The young lady got into the altercation with Biden when she inquired about his electability after that poor showing in Iowa. That is a question that many are fairly asking. So, the question, itself, was not particularly out of line or offensive – except, obviously, to Biden.
The knee-jerk response was interesting in and of itself.
First of all, calling a woman dog-faced is a classic sexist pejorative. It stems from referring to less attractive women as “dogs” and tangentially “bitches.” In these days of political correctness and the #MeToo movement that is a huge no-no.
One can only imagine if President Trump had called a young voter – or even worse, Nancy Pelosi — a “lying, dog-faced pony soldier.” That might have gotten her to opening yet another impeachment inquiry.
The reference to “pony soldier” comes from the pejorative used by Indians to describe the U.S. Calvary. Biden loves the phrase. In 2018, he attributed it to a line in a John Wayne movie. Well not exactly. In the 1952 movie, the Indian chief said, “The pony soldier speaks with a tongue of the snake that rattles.” Not exactly Shakespeare, but you can understand Biden’s paraphrasing – even if he did have to reach into past centuries as his reference point.
No matter how underplayed, spun or even ignored by the political supplicants in the media, it is certainly not going to win votes for Biden from the younger voters and women in general. And we can probably start a betting pool to predict when Biden will start attacking protected classes or start bullying voters for asking questions he does not like. Should not be long.
So, there ‘tis.