Darvio Morrow, writing for Newsweek, has written a very interesting, very thought-provoking commentary on Hunter Biden’s pardon, for criminal acts that many Black people are in jail for… and most assuredly will stay there while Hunter goes free.
Here is the key segment:
To be honest, I don’t care that the President pardoned his son. I never believed him when he said that he wouldn’t do it. And if I were in his position and Hunter was my son, I’d at least consider doing the same.
What I do care about, however, is the fact that President Biden was the author of the laws that locked up many Black men for doing some of the same crimes that Hunter was just pardoned for.
As a senator, Biden was one of the authors of the law that his son violated, the prohibition against drug addicts owning guns. He has repeatedly bragged about his involvement in creating virtually every major crime law of the 1980s and 1990s. His push to create a federal “drug czar” and went so far that even Ronald Reagan vetoed it.
Moreover, one of the most egregious acts of the Biden legislative legacy was the outrageous sentencing disparity between those in possession of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Now consider that Hunter was seen multiple times on tape smoking crack cocaine and wasn’t even charged with possession, while thousands of Black and Hispanic Americans were harmed by the disparate sentencing that Joe Biden supported.
Supporters of the President argue that Hunter would not have been prosecuted if he wasn’t Joe Biden’s son. Even the President alleged that in his explanation letter. Eric Holder, former Attorney General in the Obama administration, said on X, “Had his name been Joe Smith the resolution would have been – fundamentally and more fairly – a declination.”
Well, if Hunter Biden was Hunter Smith from inner city Chicago or Cleveland, he would probably be in prison for multiple years. Hunter Smith would have already been a felon, because he would’ve been convicted for possession of crack cocaine. Then, if Hunter Smith was caught with a gun, he would’ve been convicted again as a felon in possession of a firearm (which carries severe penalties). If you are a felon, you are not even allowed to be in the same room as a person with a gun, let alone purchase one and lie on the form when you do it.
Does Mr. Morrow make valid points? I’d say so.
Do you have any doubt that Republicans will use Biden’s pardon of his son to convince Black voters, that when it comes to crime and punishment, there is a disconnect between what Democrats say and what they do? I know I would.
Even if Democrats claim that a Republican President wouldhave done the same thing – which I’m sure they will – the counter argument will be that, in this regard, it means there is no difference between the parties. And if Republicans, who get a very small percentage of the Black vote, can establish parity with Democrats on this (or any) issue, it is a win for them.
Bottom line? The Republican Party, albeit slowly, has already started making inroads among Black voters. It logically follows that, if Joe Biden’s pardon of Hunter is seen as described above, that movement is likely to keep going, maybe even accelerate.
Call me a pessimist, but I can’t help thinking Democrats are less than overjoyed about this.
