Please Don't Try to Tell Me Joe Biden Is a Good Man

It is simply not true.

ABC News

Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot about how “Joe Biden is a good man.”

It’s one of the standard phrases used to describe him, along with words like “decency” and “empathy,” and it has become inescapable amid the frenzy over whether he should drop out of the presidential race.

“Joe Biden Is a Good Man and a Good President. He Must Bow Out of the Race,” a Thomas Friedman column blares. “President Biden is a good man who capped a long career in public service with a successful presidential term. But I hope he reviews his debate performance Thursday evening and withdraws from the race,” laments Nick Kristof. “I love Joe Biden. I know he’s a good man. I know his heart is good,” Maria Shriver says. “He is one of the kindest and most compassionate people I have ever met. He is a fundamentally good man. Truly,” insists Democratic operative Lindy Li. “I love that guy. He’s a good man,” says Van Jones.

When I see people saying this—declaring so confidently that Joe Biden is a wonderful human being—I can’t help but think about another phrase I’ve become familiar with. Like “Joe Biden is a good man,” it contains five words. It is “EDITORS NOTE: Image depicts death.”

The phrase is one that Getty Images, the photo wire service used by journalists all over the world, attaches to pictures that contain images of dead bodies. And since I have been covering Gaza so often, I see these words all the time. These four are just from the last week. I’m not including the pictures, but you can get an idea of what they show from the descriptions.