Globe to Biden: Apologize for 'Chains' Comment

Even in an election season marked by rhetorical excess and incivility, Joe Biden needs to apologize for his infamous "put y'all back in chains" comment last week, writes the Boston Globe in an editorial. "In the fight for civility and substance over pointless hyperbole, Biden may not be the worst offender," write the paper's editors. "But he’s an offender nonetheless, and he should apologize."

The White House often excuses Biden's gaffes and excesses—it's just "Joe being Joe," is a common refrain—but the Globe says that liberals would have a fit if many of Biden's lines were said by someone like Paul Ryan. Even though President Obama has already defended Biden's comment, saying his "phrasing" was just a distraction from an important issue, Politico notes that the Globe's piece is the first by the left-leaning outlet to call for an apology and wonders if the tide is turning against Biden on this one. (More Joe Biden stories.)