With that in mind, I thought I'd stray from the usual fare to share a story about how Biden first was elected to the US Senate in Delaware. It might be because of a union mobster and hit man known as Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran.
Sheeran's life story is told in a book called "I Heard You Paint Houses," in which the Irishman confesses to having killed Hoffa. That was the first thing Hoffa said to Sheeran when Pennsylvania crime boss Russell Buffalino introduced Sheeran. Painting houses, by the way, was a mobster's polite way of discussing murder. He first earned how to kill during WWII, where he would slaughter German POWs.
Sheeran was President of Teamsters Local 326, based in Delaware, and supported Joe Biden in '72 when he first ran for the US Senate against incumbent Caleb Boggs.
It was a close race and Boggs decided to run ads in Delaware's two newspapers on the weekend before the election. A lawyer Sheeran liked wanted to make sure those newspapers never got delivered.
Here's how the Irishman explains it:
"I told my friend the lawyer and the guy he had with him that they could count on me to get it handled. I always had a lot of respect for that lawyer and thought Biden was better for labor anyway. I told him that once we put up the picket line I would see to it that no truck driver crossed the picket line. The Teamsters would honor the informational picket line of the other union, whatever name they used.Incidentally, Biden won that race by just 3,162 votes.
"The line went up and the newspapers were printed, but they stayed in the warehouse and they never were delivered. The newspaper company called me up and wanted my men to go back to work. I told them we're honoring the picket line. He asked me if I had anything to do with the blowing up of a railroad car that had material that was going to be used in the printing of the newspaper - whether it was paper or ink or some other supplies, I don't know. But no people got hurt in the bombing. I told him we're honoring the picket line, and if he wanted to hire some guards to keep an eye on his railroad cars he should look in the Yellow Pages.
"The day after the election the information picket line came down and the newspaper went back to normal and Delaware had a new United States Senator. ...
"There have been things written about this incident and I am always mentioned in them. They say this maneuver is what got Senator Joe Biden elected. Especially the Republicans say that if those newspaper inserts from the Boggs side got delivered inside the newspapers it would have made Joe Biden look very bad. The Boggs ads coming as they almost did that last week there would have been no time for Biden to repair the damage. I have no way of knowing if Joe Biden knew if that picket line thing was done on purpose on his behalf. If he did know he never let on to me."
Incidentally, a month later tragic struck when Joe Biden's wife and 18 month old daughter were killed when their car was struck by a tactor trailer. Biden was 30.
ReplyDeleteBiden should have run for President.
Following our Presidents first trip overseas, I am saddened. He is behaving like the quintessential ugly American. He displays rude, boorish behavior. He speaks like a punch drunk boxer. He acts like a belligerent four year old. His narcissistic behavior is spotlighted next to other world leaders. He is an embarrassment to the office of the President, the United States of America and most importantly the people of this great country.
ReplyDeleteHe represents us all and as big a disaster as he is here in America, his behavior overseas must be making our allies shaking there collective heads in disbelief that the great country of the United States in the 21st century, could be represented by such a buffoon.
He is the prime example of the old saying that money can't buy you class.
Before anyone attacks my comments by mentioning either H. Clinton or Barak Obama, remember that neither of them are President. We only have one President at a time and in this time it is Donald Trump. He is an embarrassment to the entire nation.
'their"
ReplyDeleteThat dike Killery has the charisma of an autistic leper and more baggage than a Kardashian going on trans pacific cruise her defeat was inevitable, look for me to run in 2020.
ReplyDelete"He is an embarrassment to the entire nation."
ReplyDeleteI'd say he's an embarrassment to the entire world.
I doubt he wants it at this point in his life but Biden could and would beat Trump in 2020. I would prefer as younger Democrat to run, a new generation, if you will. As an old white guy, I would like to see the torch passed to new Dem's. Some senators out there that look and sound good.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, before the crazy hate begins. I would venture a guess that many, many Republicans in and out of office would prefer a different Republican than Trump to run in 2020.
Without wanting to sound like a maniac, I am coming to believe more and more that Trump may resign before the 2020 election. We may very well see a President Pence running in 2020.
Hillary would have fucked over Joe Biden the same way she fucked over Bernie Sanders.
ReplyDeleteAll you have to do is go back to Wikileaks to see how she and Debbie Wasserman-Shultz undermined the Democrats in the 2016 primaries. Hillary felt entitled to be President and no Democrat was going to get in her way. Period.
1:13 I'm sure Al Franken or Chelsea Clinton will make a serious run against Mike Pence in 2020.....
ReplyDeleteSome people think everyone is as crazy as they are. There will be no more Clintons running for President. Whether they like it or not, most Dem's wish them well but not as a Presidential candidates. Al Franken, and some other silly options the alt-right are throwing out won't happen.
ReplyDeleteAll this deflection cannot change the inevitable, Trump will drag the party down except for the hardcore Trump, right or wrong voters. The guy is a trainwreak. All the changing of subjects and deflection cannot change that.
I'm sure Elizabeth Warren will make her run in 2020.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'm no fan of Hillary, I suspect from the earlier post that Sal Panto is sock puppeting under my nom de comment with that unimaginative slur of the former Senator from NY. Lest there be any confusion, there is only one Doh Biden. Give it a rest Sal, tom18017, roverfan73.
ReplyDeleteThis book, which is soon to be a Scorsese picture, is excellent and contains a lot of sordid mob tales involving our general region. Sheeran was an associate of Bufalino, a major boss who called Kingston, a borough in NEPA, his home.
ReplyDeleteIt's fairly surprising - or, perhaps not - how many prominent politicians got a boost from organized crime or regional political machines. Hell, even Truman, with his squeaky clean image, came up through the Pendergast Kansas City machine. I think their influence was just viewed as a necessary evil by ambitious young candidates, unfortunately.
You probably haven't heard it here first, but here is a prediction: Trump will not be able to take the pressure of the investigations around him and, when they get too close to him and he is in danger of being impeached or worse, he will resign. He will declare "victory", claim he is the best President we ever had and blame the "liberal media" (a sop to his base) and Democrats. Then Pence will issue a Presidential pardon (like Ford did for Nixon) for any crimes Trump may have committed and he will walk off into his delusional sunset having destroyed our democracy. Either that or he will die of a "heart attack".
ReplyDeleteMore FAIRY tales, a symptom of a society that chooses to live in fantasy and can not face reality. the Democrats do not at this time have a candidate that can win the presidency. They may have one, but it certainly isn't any of the old nags we see at the moment.
ReplyDeleteBernie, embarassments are both left and right as in the imaginary world that I live in when one party is in it is there parties turn to steal from Americans as a whole. This has been the designs for many years and there was one that was a humanist or trying to be one and he was assasniated and the truths are still untold?
ReplyDelete4:34 I'm betting on Maxine Waters. Warren has this issue that she can't decide if she's white or native American.
ReplyDeleteThe Silence of the Lamb, Bernie O'Hare, on the subject of the recent Islamic terrorist bombing in Manchester speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteYeah, how dare I fail to fly over to Manchester, do some independent research, come back her and post an independent report. Or I could do what MM did and just puke up some hateful rant so that bigots like you can join in and someone can assert that Somalis only have IQs of 68. In case you haven't noticed, this is a blog called Lehigh Valley Ramblings. It is not Manchester Ramblings. Even today's post about how Biden was elected is a departure from what I usually cover. I am not going to hold forth on a tragedy about which I can offer nothing that already hasn't been covered in numerous news sources. Now go back to your world of hate. You don't have to read this blog and I would prefer that you don't. But I can tell you that I will be deleting your OT rants from this point.
ReplyDeleteBernie. What I can't get my head around is why 16 years after 9/11 we can't see that Muslim immigration is the problem.
ReplyDeleteIf they weren't here none of this would happen.
2:24 pm "..after 9/11 we can't see that Muslim immigration is the problem."
ReplyDeleteAll the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. None of them were immigrants. They were here on temporary VISA's which Donald Trump has not attempted to ban.
Follow up (Correction)-- Fifteen of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia, and the others were from the United Arab Emirates (2), Egypt, and Lebanon.
ReplyDeleteStill same diff... none of those on his ban list either
2:47 So 9/11 was Trump's fault ?
ReplyDeleteI believe the left is all up in arms about a limited visa ban by President Trump at the moment. I don't understand the point you're trying to make here. I suppose banning people that believe in a specific religion is "Unconstitutional" according to the Muslim Apologists?
Who controls our borders? The Government of the United States or an Imam in the Middle East ?
"So 9/11 was Trump's fault ?"
ReplyDeleteNever said that. Point is if you're in favor of banning all Muslims why were the nations they came from not included on Trump's naughty list?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete"Bernie. What I can't get my head around is why 16 years after 9/11 we can't see that Muslim immigration is the problem."
ReplyDeleteWhat I can't get my head around is what Muslim immigration has to do with a story about how Senator Biden originally was elected. It takes me time to write stories. When you use them as an excuse to rant on whatever else is bothering you, you insult both me and the time I spent. I am not going to allow this thread to be hijacked. Stick to the topic. If you have nothing to say on that topic, then don't say anything. OK?
Bernie, Hillary Clinton would have shafted Biden as much or more as she did Bernie Sanders. All of John Podesta's leaked emails about the Clinton Campaign showed just what a crooked, lying candidate she was and she wasn't about to let anyone get in her way for the Nomination. Anyone.
ReplyDeleteI remember just days before Vice President Biden was to make His decision on running or a flurry of news was reported that V.P. Biden was opposed to The Bin Laden raid. Coincidence I think not
ReplyDeleteSo let's get this straight. You idolize a politician who was elected by denying the First Amendment rights of his opponent, through intimidation and thuggery, and yet you despise Donald Trump. Makes perfect sense in your hypocritical world.
ReplyDeleteSigned, Anonymous Coward.
Instead of getting this straight, you want to twist it. At no time here or anywhere have I ever idolized Joe Biden. Nor would I have supported this thuggery, nor is there any evidence that Biden would either. It is simply an interesting story, but you are full of hate for me and twist everything as a result. The only part you got right is that I do think Trump is a horrible person and president, but I detest no one.
ReplyDeleteTrump is certainly a disgrace. Something more and more thinking Republicans are realizing everyday.
ReplyDeleteJoe Biden is a plagiarist. Donald Trump is making the snowflakes melt. After a dramatic left hand turn we are now on the ROGHT path.
ReplyDeleteThe ROGHT path?
ReplyDeleteI believe "ROGHT" is alt-right for stupid.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Alt right, that sassy little twink Milo Youanoppolous makes me hard AF!
ReplyDeleteTraditional campaign chicanery....upon which this democratic republic was built. Warms the heart.
ReplyDelete