I'm not racist my best friend is black
Except he apologized and acknowledged that he shouldn't have said it.
More like, "I have a long & profound history with the black community, so one gaff isn't going to make racially-conscious voters suddenly hate me."
Funny how all of this anti-racist energy only comes out when a political opponent is under fire. That's another reason why Biden's original support was so stable: it's hard to take the "scandals" seriously when they're coming from a group that only cares when it's politically expedient. In all other cases, it's just
identity politics.
Bernie fans have an excuse for every single thing the man does. It's okay for Bernie to oppose bussing, but not Biden. It's okay for Bernie to celebrate segregationists, but not Biden. It's okay for Bernie to make ignorant comments, but not Biden. It's a huge accomplishment that Bernie was within 10 miles of MLK one time 50 years ago, but it doesn't matter that Biden was VP to the first black president.
The double standard is as exhausting as it is transparent. We already have a president with a hypocritical, cultish following. People don't want another one.