Time is a funny thing. The "switch" you're talking about was in the mid-1960s, galvanized by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. James Eastland was in elected government

Time is a funny thing. The "switch" you're talking about was in the mid-1960s, galvanized by the 1964 Civil Rights Act. James Eastland was in elected government from 1928 until 1978. Joe Biden's Senate career started in 1973. So while they did have 5 years of overlap (long enough for the quote to have been heard), it's been 95 years since James Eastland's political career started.