By Dave Goldiner
New York Daily News
First came the black teenager with a hoodie, and now the “gay waiter.”
Joe Biden stumbled again over the weekend when he tried to show off his folksy style, but wound up using a tired stereotype that fell flat with a key constituency.
Speaking in honor of Pride Weekend, Biden told a predominantly gay audience at a Seattle fundraiser that things have changed in America when it comes to openly insulting LGBT people.
The Democratic frontrunner asserted that just five years ago, people in polite society might think it was OK to poke fun at a “gay waiter” in a restaurant, even in gay-friendly Seattle.
Biden said if someone made homophobic comments today, “that person would not be invited back.”
The remark drew groans, first of all because it showed that BIden is probably off by at least a decade about when it became unacceptable to mock gay people.
And second, LGBT crowd did not appreciate the use of a tired stereotype like the “gay waiter” to make a point, even a well-meaning one.
Biden, who enjoys strong support among gay Democrats, went on to discuss his own evolution when it comes to gay marriage.
He also recalled his recent visit to the Stonewall Inn, the site of a gay rights uprising 50 years ago.
“Think of the incredible, physical, moral courage it took to stand up and fight back,” Biden said to applause.
It was the second time in as many days that Biden showed his well-documented propensity to strike a sour note on the campaign trail.
On Friday, Biden was addressing a mostly black audience at Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH group in Chicago.
Biden was hoping to regain momentum with black voters after Sen. Kamala Harris trounced him in the Democratic debate by forcing him to defend his position on busing to achieve school desegregation.
In ticking off his well-known history of support for the civil rights movement, Biden also sounded tone deaf when he used a nearly decade-old stereotype to make his point.
“We’ve got to recognize that the kid wearing a hoodie may very well be the next poet laureate and not a gangbanger,” Biden said.
Like the “gay waiter” remark, there were two problems with the “hoodie” comment. First of all, it appeared to be rooted in the 2012 murder of Trayvon Martin. By using it, Biden made himself seem a bit out of touch with the modern era of #BlackLivesMatter.
Worse, some black analysts thought Biden should have found a more positive way of making his point that the sky should be the limit for any black teenager.
Sen. Cory Booker, another Democratic presidential rival, said Biden needs to figure out a way to criticize society without using the same stereotyped language as bigots do.
“Our nominee needs to have the language to talk about race in a far more constructive way.” Booker said.
Opinion polls show Biden’s popularity is sinking among Democratic voters since his unimpressive performance in last week’s first debate, but analysts say it will take some time to see if he will recover.
