In South Carolina, Biden finds shelter from the storm

COLUMBIA, S.C. — For nearly 90 minutes on a sweat-soaked stage in South Carolina on Friday night, it was almost as if Joe Biden had put the uproar surrounding his comments about segregationists behind him.

Speaking at a gathering of 21 presidential candidates here, the former vice president did not mention the controversy from the platform. Nor did his rivals confront him about it directly at Rep. Jim Clyburn’s annual fish fry event, a reflection of their reticence to criticize Biden in front of a crowd that adored him.

Even Sen. Cory Booker — the New Jersey senator who had been forcefully calling for Biden to apologize this week — delivered a conciliatory message on stage.

“We all must make sure that we may be in the midst of a primary,” Booker said, “but when the primary’s over, we become a united force.”

The evening served as a reminder of how difficult it remains for any of Biden’s rivals to mount a sustained attack against him.

In South Carolina, voters “either don’t know about [the controversy surrounding segregationists], or it doesn’t bother them," said Antjuan Seawright, the ubiquitous local Democratic strategist who was set to host an after-party at a nearby steakhouse.



https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/22/joe-biden-south-carolina-fish-fry-1376705