#Joe Biden needs to do better in calling out the rioters

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Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden
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Naturally, all the folks who’d been downplaying and/or defending the violence of the anti-cop demonstrations across America are happily seconding Joe Biden’s claim that yes, it is terrible — and it’s all President Trump’s fault.

In fact, Biden’s remarks fall far short: The left is plainly driving the chaos — the fires, the looting, the attacks on police stations and courthouses — but he simply denounced violence “on both sides,” repeatedly singling out “white supremacists,” “white nationalists,” “right-wing militias” and so on, with nary a mention of antifa.

Let alone a breath about the extremism of the leaders of Black Lives Matter.

The horrors “are images of Donald Trump’s America today,” Biden declared. But they were also images of Barack Obama’s America — years of deadly violence after black deaths at police hands. Two cops were assassinated in New York after Eric Garner’s death; Ferguson, Mo., burned after Michael Brown’s death. A sniper killed five policemen in Dallas during a Black Lives Matter march.

Throughout, opportunists saw their moment, and radicals fomented chaos. And it’s only going to get worse until local officials start refusing to allow it.

“We have a president who fans the flames rather than fighting the flames,” Biden claimed. But Trump has warned his supporters against vigilantism, telling Fox News Channel, “I want to leave it to law enforcement.”

Biden says he has no “soft spot for rioters” but makes no similar call for his backers to put away their weapons. And many Biden staffers have donated to get rioters and looters out on bail, with running mate Kamala Harris tweeting her support.

You need to do better, Joe.