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Home Front: Politix
Biden's quip on Indian accents drawing scrutiny
2006-07-07
They say the main thing standing between Joe Biden and the White House is Joe Biden’s mouth. The would-be presidential candidate proved it again on a recent trip to New Hampshire, where C-Span cameras caught him telling an Indian-American activist that Indian-Americans are the fastest-growing immigrant group in Delaware. In fact, Biden said, “You cannot go into a Dunkin Donuts or a 7-Eleven unless you have a slight Indian accent.”
To quote Orrin Judd: "Forget hair plugs, get him a hair shirt."
Posted by:Fred

#13  Remember Interior Secty James Watts? Made an ethnic joke and the Congressional Dems wouldn't settle for anything less than his resignation. Once again, another demonstration of 'one set of rules for us and a seperate set of rules for everyone else' or as George Orwell would put it 'four legs good, two legs better'.
Posted by: Unolush Omiting9393   2006-07-07 12:39  

#12  If I recall correctly
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-07 11:57  

#11   It could be worse.

He could win.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-07 11:45  

#10  Hey, so the guy's afflicted with Foot-in-mouth disease. It could be worse.
Posted by: mojo   2006-07-07 11:37  

#9  That's why Hispanics provided the initial motivation to Ron Unz and the votes to outlaw bi-lingual education in Caliphornia. They underswtand the implications for their kids.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2006-07-07 10:29  

#8  
I've seen polling data--can't take the time to Google it down right now--that shows a solid majority (60-70% range, IIRC) of Spanish-speaking parents oppose bilingual education because they want the kids to learn English.


Xaht happesn when a boy gets bilingual education? Because he spends more time speaking Spanish than English (he also uses Spanish at home) he ends being quiite bad at English. What happens later? be it at univerity or at the work place he will be hampered by his mediocre knowledge of English specially if he has been taught say mathemtics and physics in Spanish so he doesn't know the English technical words.

Who gets the job? Not him, but the sons of English speaking liberals a la JF Kerry.
Posted by: JFM   2006-07-07 10:25  

#7  I've seen polling data--can't take the time to Google it down right now--that shows a solid majority (60-70% range, IIRC) of Spanish-speaking parents oppose bilingual education because they want the kids to learn English. I don't doubt there are immigrant subcultures where the use of English is resisted or disfavored (e.g., the folks Barb meets on life squad runs, little old Italian grannies in Northeast Ohio, and so on), but I don't know that that's an accurate generalization for all immigrants, or even all Mexicans.
Posted by: Mike   2006-07-07 09:28  

#6  FT - from my experience on my volunteer rescue squad (responding to wrecks and fights), they don't know English right up until the cops talk about going jail - then they know some.

Guess it's magic. Do you think if cops told all non-English-speaking people they meet that the cops are taking them to jail, those people would magically start speaking English on the spot?

It's a miracle!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-07-07 09:19  

#5  
"...C-Span cameras caught him telling an Indian-American activist that..."

And just what, exactly, does an Indian-American have to be an activist about?

"...screaming obscenities at the Mexicans who live here 15 years and canÂ’t learn English."

It isn't that they "can't" learn English, most of them won't learn English. It's because we accommodate them by putting everything in Spanish.

Also they usually know a lot more English than they will admit to. A joke: What does a wetback and a cue ball have in common? The harder you hit them, the more English you get out of them!

Also, the ones that are just here for the bennies couldn't be bothered, because they don't plan on staying, or they live in one of the Little Mexico™ Barrios! Just like being at home.

More middleclass neighborhoods and school systems have been destroyed by the blight of illegal aliens, than you can imagine.



Posted by: Fur Trapper   2006-07-07 08:39  

#4  Joe's almost right - you can go into a 7-11 without a South Asian accent, but you probably need one to work there.

Somebody named Brian posted this on a blog somewhere yesterday: "HereÂ’s this guy (running a mini-mart) from India, who came to the U.S. LEGALLY, with a BA from Pakistan mind you, screaming obscenities at the Mexicans who live here 15 years and canÂ’t learn English. He says it took him six months for conversation, and another 2 1/2 years for full English fluency. And you know what? I bet heÂ’s not the only shopkeeper who feels the same way."
Posted by: glenmore   2006-07-07 07:41  

#3  In all fairness, he's just trying to come up with original quotes this time around, instead of ripping off British politicians.
Posted by: Swamp Blondie   2006-07-07 02:15  

#2  Never trust the spawn of a car salesman. Seriously.
Posted by: crosspatch   2006-07-07 01:51  

#1  Definitely needs to sharpen his pander before the big show
Posted by: Captain America   2006-07-07 01:30  

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