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Julio Rivera: Trump Beats Biden on Issues Important To Blacks

The First Step Act enacted commonsense reforms intended to make the justice system fairer.

Former Vice President Joe Biden Ran Headfirst Into a Public Relations Buzz-saw recently during an interview on the Nationally Syndicated Radio Show "The Breakfast Club."

During an Interview with Charlamange Tha God that was running a little too long for Biden, who needed to end the interview promptly, a monumental gaffe was committed by ol' Sleepy Joe, that was not only the biggest one of the 2020 campaign season for the former Delaware Senator, but one that may have been the biggest one in his career.

After Charlamagne Tha God, who is black, asked Biden to come back on the program again as he challenged: “It’s a long way to November. We’ve got more questions.”

Biden dove into perhaps the most cringe worthy interview response in recent history when he said:

“I tell you if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” he said.

The internet was immediately set on fire with rapid responses, memes, tone-deaf defenses from desperate liberals watching their 2020 hopes disintegrate, and scores of Trump supporters toasting what may have been a fatal blow to Joe's White House aspirations.

But at the core of Biden's comment his belief that he is better suited to serve the Black Community. Is that an accurate assessment? Let's Examine:

School Choice: Biden Vs Trump

At the outset of his Presidential Campaign, Former Vice President Joe Biden faced scrutiny over his record on busing and race issues, and old comments from 1977 resurfaced in which he said, that non-"orderly" race integration policy would cause his kids to "grow up in a racial jungle."

In his questionable quote, which appears to come from a congressional hearing related to anti-busing legislation, Biden put emphasis on making sure to "insure we do have orderly integration of society," adding he was "not just talking about education but all of society."

He added: "Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle with tensions having built so high that it is going to explode at some point. We have got to make some move on this."

Biden's opposition to federally mandated busing would also come back into the spotlight during the early Democratic primary debates, when on June 27th of 2019, California Senator Kamala Harris took aim at him on the issue.

"There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day," Harris said. "That little girl was me. So I will tell you that on this subject, it cannot be an intellectual debate among Democrats." - Sen. Kamala Harris

In the debate, Biden lied about not opposing voluntary busing programs, only the busing ordered by the Department of Education. But a subsequent report from the New York Times would reveal Biden to be one of the Senate's most vocal advocates opposing court-ordered busing as well.

Reviewing thousands of old documents from the 70's, The Times reported that Biden teamed with infamous segregationist Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina on an amendment that would take away the federal government's ability to withdraw funding as a punishment for school districts that did not sufficiently integrate their student bodies.

Biden also attempted to help end court-ordered busing, bringing forward legislation to curb the federal Department of Justice from litigating cases that could result in court-mandated school busing.

Biden also worried at the time that court-ordered busing would lead to a "race war" and create resentment among black and white students.

"You take people who aren't racist, people who are good citizens, who believe in equal education and opportunity, and you stunt their children's intellectual growth by busing them to an inferior school, and you're going to fill them with hatred," Joe Biden commenting on a busing plan that would transport white students from suburban neighborhoods to inner city schools.

Conversely, President Trump has been CHAMPIONING EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM as he has called on Congress to pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act which will give 1 million children across the country the freedom to attend a school of their choice.

The Trump Administration’s school choice plan, which boasts more than 120 Congressional sponsors, bolsters existing State scholarship programs and encourages more States to pursue education freedom policy.

This bill would create a $5 billion annual tax credit for donations to state-based, locally-controlled scholarships that would help underprivileged families pay for expenses including tuition, dual enrollment, out-of-district transportation, tutoring, and apprenticeships.

According to Whitehouse.gov, the President feels that "No parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school or one that is not a good fit.

Criminal Justice Reform: Biden vs Trump

Another Issue where there President Trump and Former Vice President Biden Differ on is Criminal Justice reform. One related matter that came up early in the democratic primary is a “tough on crime” law passed 26 years ago — that was authored by Biden.

According to many criminal justice reform activists, the 1994 crime law passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton, which was supposedly intended to curb decades of rising crime rates, was a main contributor to mass incarceration in the 90's.

The law is said to have led to more prison sentences, more prison cells, and more aggressive policing — the kind that disproportionately hurts black and brown Americans.

At the time, Biden bragged that “the liberal wing of the Democratic Party” was now for “60 new death penalties,” “70 enhanced penalties,” “100,000 cops,” and “125,000 new state prison cells.”

The law imposed also harsher prison sentences federally, and encouraged individual states to do the same. It also provided funds for states to build more jails, funded 100,000 more cops, and backed grant programs that encouraged police officers to carry out more drug-related arrests — an escalation of the failed "war on drugs."

In sharp contrast to former Senator Biden, In December 2018, President Donald J. Trump signed into law the First Step Act, which marked the first major reforms to the criminal justice system in over a decade.

The First Step Act enacted commonsense reforms intended to make the justice system fairer and help inmates successfully transition back into society by providing prisoners with a second chance through rehabilitative programs, fair sentencing, and smart confinement.

As a result of the First Step Act, over 16,000 non-violent inmates, that would otherwise been sentenced to jail-time, were enrolled in a drug treatment program offered as part of a new robust drug treatment strategy managed by the Bureau of Prisons. The First Step Act also provided an opportunity for sentencing relief for certain non-violent defendants who received mandatory minimum sentences before the passage the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. 721 defendants received sentence reductions, 573 of which have resulted in inmates being released.

President Trump said of the Act: "Americans from across the political spectrum can unite around prison reform legislation that will reduce crime while giving our fellow citizens a chance at redemption"

Now, these aren't the only issues in this election that are important to Black Americans, so make sure to log on www.reactionarytimes.com for more election coverage, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube for more Accurate and UnSpun Content!

Julio Rivera

Julio Rivera is a small business consultant, political activist, writer and Editorial Director for Reactionary Times.  His writing, which is concentrated on politics and cybersecurity, has also been published by websites including Newsmax, The Hill, The Washington Times, LifeZette, The Washington Examiner, American Thinker, The Toronto Sun, PJ Media and many others.

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