There's a story which has recently made news--in
mainstream media outlets, but which has also, certainly, been promoted by conservative outlets.
The story has, I believe, been inaccurately reported. It has--very quickly, and very unfortunately--taken on the character of an urban myth.
The matter involves this: the claim that in a recent interview with a radio host on a Black-oriented Philadelphia station, President Biden said that he was "the first Black woman to serve with a Black president."
The New York Times--a paper whose journalism I admire tremendously; my day would not be complete without reading the Times--employed the quote, in a news story by reporter Michael D. Shear, on July 4th.
Mr. Shear wrote: "Mr. Biden made the mistake...as he tried to deliver a line that he has repeated before about having pride in serving as vice president for President Barack Obama."
The widely-read Times columnist Maureen Dowd subsequently cited the "first Black woman" quote from Mr. Shear's story, in a July 7th column.
The reported quote--in that it appeared in the midst of questions about Mr. Biden's
mental acuity--has felt particularly inflammatory.
I have listened, many times (with headphones), to the part of the interview in which Mr. Biden is alleged to have made the above remark. Here is a recording of what he said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp6q_acgbMQ
I will not say this with 100% certainty--but will claim something close to certainty: that President Biden did not say what has been reported.
My argument about this issue in large part comes down to two words. The first is the word "to" (as used in the reported quote, "to serve").
The word "to" connects the first phrase, "the first Black woman," to the next part of the sentence, "to serve with a Black president."
The "to," I believe, does not belong in the sentence; I am simply not hearing it in the audio of the interview.
The second word is "serve." In listening to the President's remarks, I believe the word, as used by Mr. Biden, was likely, in fact, the word "served"--past tense.
It is true that Mr. Biden has a tendency to rush through some of his sentences, and, sometimes speaks in a kind of shorthand. I think he was doing both, during this particular moment in the interview with the Philadelphia radio host.
To be sure: the comments Mr. Biden made were a bit disjointed. Yet I think those focusing upon them should have taken far greater care in listening to--and reporting upon--what he said.
In presenting, below, what I think Mr. Biden was in actuality saying, during the radio interview, I have, as suggested above, removed the crucial (and I believe inaccurately included) word "to" from the phrase "to serve," as it appeared in the Times report. I have also replaced the word "serve" with "served."
Please note, as well, that near the start of the remarks in question, Mr. Biden used the phrase "as I said"; he was clearly, at this moment, seeking to repeat, summarize, part of his previous remarks.
Indeed, as Michael Shear wrote in his Times story: "Earlier in the interview, [Mr. Biden] boasted about appointing the first Black woman to the Supreme Court and picking the first Black woman to be vice president."
So: here is what I believe the President said, and was attempting to say, in his shorthand style. I have interpolated one phrase, in italics and within brackets (for purposes of clarity, regarding what I believe was Mr. Biden's clear intention), and have made note, also in brackets, of a moment in the audio recording which is garbled.
Here are the remarks:
“By the way, I'm proud to be, as I said--[the person who chose] the first vice president, first Black woman. Served with a Black president. I'm proud of the [audio briefly unclear] first Black woman to the Supreme Court.”
Do I think Mr. Biden said he was the first Black woman to serve with a Black president? No.
Do I believe that the Times report--and other news and opinion outlets addressing Mr. Biden's comments--got the story wrong? Yes.
