I hate almost everything about the vast majority of politicians. But besides the corruption, the constant lying, the sexual immorality, the narcissism, and the incompetence, I cannot stand the pandering.
Whether it be Hillary Clinton changing her accent, or Jill Biden butchering the Spanish language — si se pwadweh! — or the very-Irish Beto O'Rourke answering debate questions in Spanish, politicians just love pretending to be just like you...and by that, I mean the stereotypical caricature of what you mean to them.
And it's just...worse for black voters. Remember when Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke...differently in front of black audiences?
And then there's the fried chicken routine. Pete Buttigieg proved he's a friend of black Americans by sucking up to Al Sharpton — one the nation's most prolific race hustlers and weight-loss gurus — over a plate of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and collard greens. Hillary Clinton — yes, her again — told The Breakfast Club that she always carries hot sauce with her. And then there's Elizabeth Warren, who hates black people so much she reportedly passed on fried chicken and sweet tea.
But none of them are as bad as Joe Biden. Yes, the Joe Biden who played "Despacito" for a Hispanic audience last election. I guess he couldn't find his sombrero and had to improvise.
Well, this week, his social media team happily shared a video of him joining a black family in their home (we presume he was invited...) to talk about basketball over styrofoam boxes of friend chicken.
Joe Biden got a hamburger, of course, because, you know. He's white.
And the funniest part? Apart from the casual racism and the sheer awkwardness of the whole situation? You never see Joe Biden eating. Probably because it wasn't blended into a paste.
But what really worries me is that there are people out there who fall for this. Republican, Democrat, it doesn't matter. There are people who see one video of a politician randomly descending upon a normal American family, pretending to share a meal with them, and leaving again with proof of their "I'm just like you" status.
And we're supposed to be impressed? Excited? Grateful?
No, they're not like you. They just need you.
Follow Ian on X (@ighaworth).
