By these standards, Biden’s bragging about his working relationship with his segregationist (and racist) former colleague in the Senate, James Eastland of Mississippi, could be a problem for him. Although there hasn’t yet been polling on this, all sorts of Democrats are highly concerned about racial justice. That of course includes black Democrats, who are a big part of Biden’s base. And while this part is more subjective, my sense is that using Eastland as an example and Biden’s phrasing (“he never called me ‘boy’”) would be a story no matter which candidate made the remarks.

That doesn’t mean Biden will fall 5 points in the polls overnight or something, and some surrogates are already defending his remarks. But like the Hyde Amendment controversy, this is an example of the sort of mistake that could contribute to a gradual erosion in Biden’s support.