Rick Heath: Nearly 50 years later, Biden should give tragic accident a rest

To The Daily Sun,

Here we go again, reaching back to a tragedy of nearly 50 years ago for the political purpose of “Poor Joe.” I speak of the heartbreaking catastrophe that was the car accident killing his wife, Neilia, and infant daughter Naomi and seriously injuring his two sons.

Every time Joe is in an election cycle where he is neck-and-neck with the opposition, he somehow finds his way back nearly 50 years to this horrific tragedy, announces, “You know my story” and somehow connects his political foe to his personal painful memory. This time he compares having the taxpayer-funded, blue-ribbon health insurance that all U. S. Senators are given to the failed “Affordable” Care Act.

Somehow, he wants us to believe that a health care program that was ill-planned and forced on those of us who WERE happy with our PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS and PLAN, that wasn’t in place when the tragic accident happened. And that those struggling thru such a tragedy WITHOUT health care WAS AND IS President Donald Trump’s fault.

I am of an age that I recall the accident. It was very sad. The intersection was poorly signed and theory was that Mrs. Biden may have thought it was a four- way stop. It wasn’t. Another possible theory was that, with three small children in the car, she may have been distracted. Either way the TRUCKDRIVER was NOT DRUNK or otherwise impaired. In a 2007 interview Joe eluded to the driver as, “he drank his lunch instead of eating it.” But that he “never pursued it.” Much later he apologized to the driver’s family. The driver was NOT drunk nor was he charged with ANY fault in the accident. “My wife and three children were out Christmas shopping; a TRACTOR-TRAILER BROADSIDED THEM and killed my wife and killed my daughter…” he said at a 2007 speech, 35 years after the tragedy. Still sounding like the onus was on the trucker… not the poorly signed intersection… even then.

All families have tragedies they have to deal with. I am NOT saying the pain goes away and I am NOT saying we ever forget such a loss. But to the listener of his latest “tragedy” political ad, it is one of those life experiences we don’t need to hear used so gratuitously. It most certainly does NOT honor his family loss.

Rick Heath

Moultonborough