Former VP Joe Biden leads the 2020 Democratic field despite misconduct allegations
Two more women have reportedly come out against former Vice President Joe Biden saying that he engaged in unwanted and inappropriate behavior.
Biden responded to the allegations in a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday.
“In my career, I’ve always tried to make a human connection, that’s my responsibility I think. I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say you can do this…whether they’re women, men, young, old it’s the way I’ve always been it’s the way I’ve tried to show I care about them and I’m listening.”
He acknowledges that “social norms have began to change, they’ve shifted, and the boundaries of protecting personal space have been reset.”
FOX Business' Charles Payne believes that the former vice president seems to be a double standard when it comes to allegations of inappropriate behavior in the #MeToo era.
“In the very beginning of the #MeToo era, this was enough to destroy someone’s career. The fact that you touch someone without their permission, that you held them somewhere unfamiliar without their permission. People have been upset about this, particularly in the Democratic Party.”
He added that for Biden, the same people who have been the first to condemn those who committed sexual assault or harassment in the past have looked at his allegations very differently.
“It’s been a whole lot of these same celebrities that have been at the forefront of the #MeToo era who are pushing that, saying, well maybe Joe gets a pass?”
Liberal commentator Danielle McLaughlin said that despite the allegations, Biden's presidential ambitions haven't been affected.
“Whichever poll you look at, he hasn’t even announced, and he’s head and shoulders above the rest of them.”
CivicForumPAC Chairman Ford O'Connell said that while the allegations against the former vice president are “one of the worst kept secrets in politics,” they are “under the microscope solely because his polling numbers are quite resilient” and that “someone wants to knock him down a peg.”
"Obviously, I don’t know whether they did or not, the inside job, but the two biggest beneficiaries are Bernie [Sanders] and [Sen.] Kamala Harris,” he added.
According to the latest poll by Real Clear Politics, Biden is still leading against Sanders and Harris by seven points.
McLaughlin believes that the reason Biden continues to lead within the Democratic field of candidates is that Democrats are starting to look at allegations on a case-by-case basis. One case where she believes Democrats may have made a mistake is former Minnesota Democratic Senator Al Franken, who resigned in January 2018 after being accused by several women of inappropriate touching and kisses. McLaughlin feels that Democrats will not make the same mistake with Biden.
“I think Democrats are starting to think that maybe they pushed [Al Franken] out too quickly....I think that maybe that actually helps Biden, that they might go a little bit easier on him, they might circle the wagons" because "they care about getting Trump.”
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O'Connell adds that even if Biden makes it past the allegations, "he’s going to be battling the past…you’re talking about Anita Hill, you’re talking about the 1994 crime bill, you’re talking about the only Democratic candidate who voted for Iraq. Basically, Joe Biden is battling the past more than he’s battling the rest of the Democratic field.”
Ultimately, voters will have to make a decision whether they choose to "listen to the noise" or not and they are going to have to look at the "value" of the allegations, McLaughlin noted.
"Was it sexual assault, was it sexual harassment, or is this just a guy stuck before the #MeToo era who had empathy, who was a little bit touchy feely.”