In Wilmington, everyone knows Joe Biden. And among those who have met him, most admit it: he is a good guy
whether we agree with him or not. The Democratic candidate for the American presidential has forged close ties with this city of 71,000 inhabitants, the most populous in the small state of Delaware, where he has spent his entire political career. People are very attached to him, it is as if he is part of the family, describes Cassandra Marshall, patron of the local Democratic Party. We see it all the time. At the supermarket, at the cinema, at the train station, at the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and even at Rehoboth beach, where he has a house… He’s everywhere.
Joe Biden was elected senator from Delaware six times – the first at the age of 29 – before becoming vice president under Barack Obama. An experience which earned him a certain popularity with the black community (58% of the population). Tyron Bailey, a 59-year-old janitor, met in a working-class neighborhood, says nothing but good: Joe Biden, he’s our man! I met him during my first job at Janssen’s supermarket, where he used to be. Everyone called him by his first name.
Joe here, Joe there. ”I was filling the bags with groceries and he gave me $ 50 tip. Regardless of the color of his skin, he loves everyone. I have already voted for him twice.
“Delaware’s favorite son! “
Martin Willis, another African American from a residential suburb, is an early fan. The 54-year-old engineer attended the Democratic convention as a delegate and traveled three times to the state of New Hampshire (northeast) to campaign for the candidate. He’s Delaware’s favorite son! He would not have been elected senator without the support of the black electorate. The fact that he was a lifeguard in an inner city of Wilmington in his youth has played a big role.
The swimming pool in this area is now named after Biden, as does Wilmington station.
For Martin Willis, it’s Joe Biden’s ability to feel right at home in all walks of life – from poor neighborhoods to upscale galas hosted by the DuPont de Nemours, the town’s wealthiest family, who created ‘a global chemicals giant – which got him elected in Delaware. This state has made the art of compromise its trademark: the “Delaware way”. But it’s a double-edged sword. When compromises are synonymous with cronyism or a lack of transparency in the decision-making process, the “Delaware way” becomes a pejorative label.
But in a country where the political class is rejected as a whole and where even the current President, Donald Trump, continues to present himself as the enemy of the establishment, Biden’s experience can be cringe. Even in Wilmington. He’s a nice guy, recognizes Gianni Esposito, owner of a pizzeria where the candidate went after launching his campaign last year. But at 77, he should go home to rest. He worked his whole life for the government, he made a lot of money, his family is rich.
For this trader who arrived in the United States twenty-three years ago, politicians just talk, they don’t do anything. They only think about themselves and their friends. To the little people, they give the crumbs.
Conspiracy theories
Other Wilmington residents are even more vehement. Jeff, who comes to collect signs with the effigy of Donald Trump at the Republican office – one has already been stolen from his lawn – believes that Joe Biden is controlled by dark forces
, a vocabulary recently used by the President candidate for re-election. This white sexagenarian does not however fully subscribe to the arguments of Trump, who accuses his rival of being a marionette of the radical left
. Joe Biden is probably not as radical as the President says he is, Jeff believes, in a hurry to get in his car. You know, the President says a lot of things… but I think Kamala Harris (Joe Biden’s running mate) is radical and that she too is controlled by these dark forces.
This kind of talk, encouraged by many popular conspiracy theories in the United States, scares Erik Anderson very much. The 29-year-old engineer, who works for chemical giant DuPont, falls into the category of progressives. He who voted for Socialist Bernie Sanders in the primaries will do everything to prevent the President from being reelected. I will vote more against Trump than for Biden
, he explains. On November 3, many Americans will follow suit.
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