My Own Uncomfortable Encounter With Joe Biden In 2007

I met then senator Joe Biden when I was on a family vacation in 2007. I had no idea who he was. My family and I were actually touring the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. Even as I write this, I hesitate to share it because this isn't a political statement at all. It's my own first-hand experience. I know I'm going to get hate for this.

I wasn't too interested in politics at the time, but my dad was. He was a like a kid in a candy store, touring D.C. He really wanted to see a real House of Representatives meeting. So, we stood waiting for an elevator to take us up to where the action was. Normally, you have to use the stairs, but since my two-year-old sister was with us, we were allowed to use the elevator for her stroller.The elevator we were to use was right next to the private elevator for senators and other people in politics.

Barack Obama had already announced he was running for President of the United States. My dad was a huge fan at the time. We heard an elevator ding, and much to my dad's surprise, there was Barack Obama. My dad's face lit up like I've never seen before. My dad's excitement made everyone else excited. Obama chatted with us for a second, commented on how big our family was, took a photo with us and left.

As we were talking to Obama, Joe Biden came off of the elevator and just stood there. At first I thought he was security or something...I had no clue who he was. He was talking to me and kept telling me how beautiful I looked and how pretty he thought I was. He told me that I had the same name his daughter had. He kept putting his arm around me and on my back. He didn't act this way to anyone else. Joe Biden stayed with my family after Obama left and he talked for some time.

We all started to feel a little uncomfortable. My dad's face turned from excited to a little uneasy when he started to hear some of the comments Joe Biden was making about my appearance. He asked me how old I was and I kept telling him I wasn't old enough to vote yet. My dad inserted himself between us and asked if he'd take a photo with our family. He agreed, we snapped the picture and then my dad moved us all along.

My dad turned to us and said, "do you guys know who that was?" Us kids and my mom both replied, "no! who was that?!" My dad said, "that's the guy who is going to run as vice president with Barack Obama!" My mom's next comment was, "he's pretty creepy."

Then my dad said, "yeah, did you hear what he was saying to Ashli? That was really weird. It made me uncomfortable." I didn't think anything was weird about it at the time. I was a naive 17-year-old girl.

I remember my parents talking about how creepy he was for some time after that. My dad also pointed out how affectionate he was with me and how far away he stood from my mom when we took the photo.

They still bring it up when we talk about our trip. So, why am I telling you this? I'm sharing this story because I experienced first-hand strange behavior in the short time I met Joe Biden at the Capitol in front of my whole family. When I heard that other people were coming forward talking about how he invaded their personal space too, I believe it, because I experienced it. I don't lose sleep over it and it didn't effect my life in the least. I'm just saying that I'm not dismissing the allegations that are out there right now because of my own experience with him.