OMAHA, Nebraska, March 1, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Former Vice President Joe Biden experienced blowback from homosexuals for having referring to current Vice President Mike Pence as “a decent guy.”
On Thursday, Biden appeared with former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Forum for Global Leadership at the Omaha campus of the University of Nebraska. He discussed Pence’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference of European leaders in February. Biden claimed that President Donald Trump had supposedly alienated allies in various statement. In contrast, Biden said of Pence: “A guy who’s a decent guy, our vice president … stood before this group of allies and leaders and said, ‘I’m here on behalf of President Trump,’ and there was dead silence,” Biden recalled.
In Omaha, Joe Biden calls Mike Pence “a decent guy, our vice president.”
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) February 28, 2019
When Wall Street Journal reporter Reid J. Epstein tweeted about Biden’s comment, social media was ablaze with denunciations of Biden and Vice President Pence. Some social media users highlighted Pence’s record of upholding traditional marriage and countering the LGBTQ agenda, which has included his reported support of conversion therapy, something he denies.
Karen Pence, Pence’s wife, was excoriated by LGBTQ advocates, Democrats and progressives because she teaches art at a Christian school that recognizes the traditional meaning of marriage and validates the scientific understanding of the sexes.
.@JoeBiden you’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader “a decent guy.”
Please consider how this falls on the ears of our community. @DrBiden https://t.co/Cw2beknTj7
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) February 28, 2019
Once social media was aflame with condemnations, Biden retreated from his earlier praise of Pence. When lesbian actress and activist Cynthia Nixon, who lost a mayoral bid in New York City, tweeted, “Joe Biden you’ve just called America’s most anti-LGBT elected leader “a decent guy,” Biden backpedaled. “You’re right, Cynthia,” he wrote. “I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage.” He added, “But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President.”
Others commenting on Twitter made a series of unsubstantiated accusations against Pence. Twitter user Adam Best wrote: “Mike Pence believes in gay conversion therapy and allowed an HIV outbreak to happen in Indiana. No, Joe Biden, Pence is not a decent guy. He’s scum.” Another tweet said: “Nice to see Joe Biden reach across the aisle to join hands with Mike Pence so that together they can electrocute a gay teenager.”
You’re right, Cynthia. I was making a point in a foreign policy context, that under normal circumstances a Vice President wouldn’t be given a silent reaction on the world stage.
But there is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 28, 2019
One Twitter user alluded to the circulating rumors that Biden is bound to announce his presidential candidacy within a few weeks. Ryan Witt tweeted, “Nothing better exemplifies why Joe Biden has zero chance of winning the Democratic Primary.”
Nothing better exemplifies why Joe Biden has zero chance of winning the Democratic Primary.
— Ryan Witt (@ryanwitt) February 28, 2019
In 2017, after Hillary Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump, Biden said he regretted not standing for election himself. If he does announce, he will join a crowded field of fellow Democrats who are announced or presumed candidates. They include: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.