The many lies of Joe Biden

If there is one area in which you can clearly see the dishonesty of the press, it is in fact-checking.  In fact, much of the fact-checking is deceptive – part of an overall disinformation campaign by the media.  It is true that President Trump does say things that are demonstrably not true at times, but a very high proportion of his so-called lies are subject to interpretation or matters of opinion — and you know how those on the left view their opinions as fact.  Others are jokes and sarcasm which his enemies interpret literally.

You will notice that the media fact-checkers spend truly little time – close to none – in fact-checking Joe Biden.  Now I am not one of those professional so-called fact-checkers  — nor do I have big staff to dig out every out-of-context statement to add to the pile of alleged fibs by Trump.  But I think Biden has done some pretty serious lying – deserving of some fact-checking.  So, here are some of my favorites.

To show that the man has a lifelong habit of telling whoppers, we can begin with his college days.  Biden presented writings in college that he claimed to be of his own creation – in one case five pages of plagiarized material.  In fact, he lied.  The plagiarism was so serious that it got him a rebuke from the school – and almost expelled.

Then there were these (with some help from PolitiFact and others):

1. When running for office shortly after graduating, Biden claimed that he was in the top quarter of his law class.  Totally a lie.  He actually finished off near the bottom.
2. He claimed that he earned a full scholarship to the University. He did not.  He did have a very small grant of the type many students get.
3. He claimed that he was declared the best student in his Political Science class.  He was not – and never so recognized.
4. When making his first bid for President of the United States way back in 1988, Biden resorted to his old habit of plagiarizing – lifting the works of President Jack Kennedy, Massachusetts Senator Bobby Kennedy, Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey and British Labor Party Leader Neil Kinnock. The plagiarism and the lies were so serious that they forced him out of the race.
5. Over the years, Biden told audiences – especially black audiences — that he had participated in all sorts of civil rights activities – as an activist and organizer for demonstrations, sit-ins, boycotts, voter registration drives and as a black church trainee. None of the stories were ever corroborated – and eventually Biden had to issue a correction.  He said: “During the 1960s, I was in fact very concerned about the civil rights movement. I was not an activist. I worked at an all-black swimming pool in the east side of Wilmington, Delaware. I was involved in what they were thinking, what they were feeling. But I was not out marching. I was not down in Selma. I was not anywhere else.” 
6. Biden has repeatedly lied about the tragedy that took the lives of his first wife Neilia and their daughter by saying that they were the victims of a drunken truck driver. The truck driver was not drunk, and it was Biden’s wife that blew a stop sign and drove into the path of the truck.
7. Biden apologized to the daughter of the truck driver for his mischaracterization of the event but repeated the bogus account again in 2007 – and was again forced to retract his statement.
8. Biden tells a romanticized story of how he saw Jill’s photo and fell immediately in love with her. Jill was married at the time they met — and both Jill and her husband worked on Biden’s campaign.  Some have accused Biden of being the “other man” that broke up the marriage.
9. More recently, Biden told a black audience that he had begun his academic career at a black university. Totally untrue.
10. He said that the GOP budget was a plan to end Medicare in 10 years.   Not even close.
11. In several recent appearances, Biden denied that he had any plans to end fracking for oil despite several recorded statements in which he said that very thing. He has even lied within a lie when the campaign issues videos of Biden saying firmly that he will not end fracking … period – but tells some audiences that he will end some now, stop issuing new permits and eventually end it altogether.
12. Biden told an audience that he had been shot at in 2007 while visiting Iraq. When later challenged, he admitted that he had “misspoke.”  (That reminds me of Senator Richard Blumenthal thinking he had fought in battles in Vietnam when had not.  And Hillary Clinton saying she came under fire when she landed in Bosnia.  News videos showed her accepting flowers from a young girl in native costume.  Maybe Clinton mistook a prick from a rose stem for a volley of bullets.  But I digress. )
13. Biden promised to give a statement before Election Day on whether he favors or is opposed to packing the Supreme Court. He has not – and all indications are that he will not.
14. In a CNN Townhall meeting, Biden angrily rejected a question from a member of the Boilermakers Union. Biden said he was endorsed by the Boilermakers.  Totally untrue.
15. During the debate, he said 18,000 prisoners got clemency from the Obama administration.   Untrue.
16. Biden once claimed that he was arrested “on the streets of Soweto” South Africa when he tried to visit Nelson Mandela in prison. He said Mandela thanked him for the effort.  Biden had to retract his story when it was proven it never happened – none of it.
17. He declared the hearings to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barret are unconstitutional. Not true.  Biden needs to read the Constitution.
18. Biden claimed that the Trump administration ended all funding for community policing. Totally untrue.
19. To further his argument for delaying the Barrett hearing, Biden said that the Supreme Court has no sessions until next year. Not only is that untrue, but the Court is also entering its busiest season with arguments being heard on Obamacare just days after the General Election.
20. Perhaps Biden just lost his mind, but he actually said that if Trump has done his job ALL those who died would be alive. He even repeated his statement for emphasis, “All the people.  I am not making this up.”  Yes, you are, Joe.
21. Biden claimed that “no President before Trump was racist” – assuming that Trump is. Biden forgot about all those Democrat presidents with deep racist histories and policies, including the much-revered Democrats Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt to name a few.
22. In reaching out for black voters, Biden said “the NAACP endorsed me every time I ran.” They did not.
23. Biden claimed that the Obama administration never locked migrant kids in cages. In fact, the cages were built by the Obama administration for the retention of children – and others.
24. Biden claims he came out against the Iraq war from the beginning. In fact, Biden voted in favor of the war when President Bush sought congressional support – and did not express opposition for several years.
25. Biden said that Trump would “carpet bomb” the Middle East. Fact is, Trump is removing U.S. forces and has secured an unprecedented three treaties between Israel and Arab nations.
26. Biden’s more recent campaign slogan “Build Back Better” was copied from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fight against Covid-19.
27. Biden talks about himself as “a teacher” or “professor.” He did have an association with a college for a short while, but never as a classroom teacher.
28. Most famously, Biden told another whopper when he said he knew nothing of his son’s business dealings. Recent evidence shows that he had meetings with Hunter and top executives of the corrupt Burisma Holdings.  Leaked emails show that Biden is likely “the big guy” who would get a 10 percent cut of some deal.
29. Biden claims that all that Ukraine stuff has been investigated and debunked. His unspecified investigators cleared him and his son completely.  In fact, the last information was just released and there has been no investigation of Hunter – or Joe – in terms of any Ukrainian dealings.  There are also lingering questions about money from China and Russia.
30. Biden recounts a dramatic story about his visit to Afghanistan to honor a Naval officer who had rappelled down a ravine while under fire to retrieve a fellow soldier. “This is God’s truth.  My word as a Biden.”  The Washington Post wrote that “every detail in the story appears to be incorrect.” They further wrote that, “In the space of three minutes, Biden got the time period, the location, the heroic act, the type of medal, the military branch and the rank of the recipient wrong, as well as his own role in the ceremony.
31. To create a connection to the working person – and to get votes in Pennsylvania — Biden often talks about being “brought up” in Scranton, Pennsylvania in a working-class family.  They had moved to Delaware when Biden was 10 years old.
32. Biden has claimed to have given up the ambition for “making a fortune” to be in public service. It is true that he has been on the taxpayer payroll virtually his entire post-college life – but public service has made him a very wealthy guy,  he is reported to have a net worth of more than $10 million dollars as of 2016.

This could go on almost endlessly.  And this list does not include his many flip-flops on issues – such as fracking, abortion, gun control, the Iraq War, confirming Supreme Court justices in an election year, etc., etc., etc.

Biden has built his entire public image and reputation on lies.  He is, in fact, a hot-tempered Irish politician with a penchant for the blarney.

So, there ‘tis.