Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden got some words of advice from comedian Stephen Colbert this week on how to approach women moving forward: knock off the “wet whispering.”
Complaints regarding Mr. Biden’s behavior by former Nevada Assemblywoman Lucy Flores became fodder for the liberal comedian Monday night despite Mr. Biden’s spokesperson claiming “right-wing trolls” were exploiting the situation.
Mr. Colbert told his audience that although he personally likes Mr. Biden, he could “see why someone might find [the Democrat’s behavior] inappropriate.”
“He has done this publicly for 40 years,” the comedian said while showing images of Mr. Biden up close and personal with various women.
“Generally, the only people who come up from behind, put their arms around you, smell your hair and kiss your head are dead husbands teaching you pottery,” Mr. Colbert said while referencing an iconic scene involving Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in the 1990 movie “Ghost.”
“It’s like the A.S.R.M. stereo whispering that people like,” he continued. “I demonstrate it all the time in my long-running segment ’Stephen Colbert Wet Whispers You to Serenity.’”
The CBS star then likened Mr. Biden’s behavior — explained by the Democrat’s supporters as an attempt to calm nerves during an introduction — to slurping soup and smacking lips in a woman’s ears.
“Are you relaxed yet? No? You actually seem more tense than when I started,” the comedian joked while speaking into microphones. “Here, let me kiss the top of your head. Nothing? I know what you need. More soup.”
Bill Russo, a spokesman for Mr. Biden issued a statement on Monday blaming “smears and forgeries” on “the dark recesses of the internet.”
“Neither then, nor in the years since, did he or the staff with him at the time have an inkling that Ms. Flores had been at any time uncomfortable, nor do they recall what she describes,” the Democrat’s team added. “But Vice President Biden believes that Ms. Flores has every right to share her own recollection and reflections, and that it is a change for better in our society that she has the opportunity to do so. He respects Ms. Flores as a strong and independent voice in our politics and wishes her only the best.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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