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Joe Biden opened his first public speech since he was criticized by several women for being the target of jokes about the controversy. He also criticized President Donald Trump, saying that he was a racist supporter and lived in the past. (April 5)
AP, AP

WASHINGTON – Joe Biden was banned from politics after several women said the former vice president had made his comments unwanted.

The candidate's likely answer to the presidency of 2020?

Washington lacks leaders who wish to develop close and respectful relationships, which forge the political consensus needed to tackle the country's major problems.

"Democrats and Republicans, we knew each other well," he told a group of workers Friday during a speech in Washington. "If I know your husband or wife and you're a senator or congressman and I know they have breast cancer, or I know you have an opioid-addicted son or daughter, or I know you just lost your brother or sister It's hard not to love you if I know you (and) make a personal connection. "

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Biden promised to do a better job respecting the personal space of people, committing to be more "attentive and respectful" video released Wednesday on Twitter.

However, in his address to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – a predominantly male audience who warmly welcomed him – Biden twice joked about the subject and did not directly address the allegations of physical contact abusive.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and the President of the Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Lonnie Stephenson, greeted each other on stage at the conference on the construction and maintenance of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which held on April 5, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images)

Instead, Biden tried to contrast with President Donald Trump, who, he says, has spent more time dividing the country and attacking his opponents than assembling the nation.

"We can work together to compromise but when we do not even know each other, what's going on?" Said Biden in his speech. "We are attacking each other, we are attacking each other based on their motives." You in the pocket of the unions. You are in the pocket of the big one. You are in the pocket of that. "It's hard to reach consensus and compromise when you can not even talk to each other, and Democrats and Republicans can do better."

In return, Trump mocked Biden's response and said that he was not considering Biden, who is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks, which would be a major hurdle to his reelection .

"I do not see it as a threat," the president told reporters at the White House on Friday. "I think it's only a threat to itself."

A number of former female staff members and prominent Democratic women rushed to defend Biden. One of them, former Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan, recalled in 2000 that Biden, then a Delaware senator, had comforted her following the death of her husband , Mel, in a plane crash.

"Joe took both of my hands in his and looked me in the eyes for a long time before he spoke," Carnahan wrote in a series of tweets recounting her deep sorrow. He said simply: "I know, I know." For a brief moment, we were two souls bound by a loss that changed our lives. "After that, Joe often stopped to ask how I heard you. "

"It's his empathy and encouragement, more than my colleagues, that gave me the strength to meet with me every day, and yes, I sometimes have a slap on my shoulders or even a kiss in my head. " she continued. "Joe has a deep desire to share the lives of others – their grief, their pain and their joy."

But Biden's lack of excuses did not satisfy others.

"When women talk about the daily indignities we face – hugs too close, shoulders rubbed – a huge obstacle is the fear that we will be accused of reacting too much. writes the feminist author Jessica Valenti tweeted Friday morning before the speech. "Biden proves that fear is correct."

Lucy Flores, one of the women who accused Biden of inappropriate contacts, said on a Friday tweet that Biden "has not at all thought about how his inappropriate and unsolicited contacts make women uncomfortable. "

"Shining light on something as serious as consent degrades the conversation that women around the world are bravely trying to have."

The allegations against Biden lie in the middle of #MeToo, a movement made up mostly of women who denounce inappropriate behavior. This resulted in the resignation and downfall of more than 100 artists, executives and politicians, including Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Kevin Spacey.

Former Minnesota Democrat Senator Al Franken announced his resignation in 2017 as a result of charges of sexual misconduct. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., Also resigned, along with Trent Franks' representative, R-Ariz, who resigned after reporting that he had discussed with staff employees the possibility that he might be in danger. they could be substitutes for his wife's baby.

Trump has been accused of having relationships with several women and making unwanted advances to others. In an "Access Hollywood" tape that surfaced in the last few weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump was heard making obscene comments and bragging about groping his genitals. Trump denied the allegations.

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