President Biden was right about MAGA Republicans
And the rightwing is BIG Mad
Issue #129 OpEd September 5, 2022
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On Thursday, September 1, 2022, President Joe Biden gave a seminal speech in front of Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Called the “Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation,” Biden called out Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans as representing “…an extremism that is threatening the very foundations of our republic.”
He also implored people to vote in the November midterms, which historically have lower voter turnout and Congressional losses for the party currently in power.
Without mentioning that America is still a very long way from being “a perfect union,” Biden reminded the audience that both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were written and presented from the same space where he chose to make his speech.
The foundational premise of Biden’s speech was that equality and democracy itself are under assault, and it does us no good to pretend that they are not.
Biden was very clear that he was not talking about all Republicans, he was targeting only Trump and MAGA Republicans. He repeated that disclaimer more than once.
But that didn’t stop everyone on the right from complaining that Biden was “attacking half of the country.” Nikki Haley whined that Biden was talking about “us.” They are actually characterizing themselves as MAGA Republicans.
There is a BIG difference between stating the facts and repeatedly engaging in actual “hate speech” against individuals and groups of people.
They said that they never called anyone or any group names like Biden did when calling some of them fascists and as Hillary did by calling them “deplorables.”
Republicans from Newt Gingrich forward have “forgotten” how many times they have called Democrats fascists, socialists, communists, tyrants, and authoritarian.
Even before Donald Trump entered politics, he declared that Barack Obama was not a “real” American; he and Melania both promoted their racist “birtherism” smear against Obama constantly.
Of course, in addition to Barack Obama, he smeared Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, John McCain, people with disabilities, and many others. Yet, he recently rhetorically asked (talking about himself and sounding like a 4th grader as usual), “Why are people so mean?”
Then as Trump was descending his golden escalator to declare his presidential candidacy in 2015, he characterized Mexicans as drug dealers, rapists, and criminals.
One of his first acts as president was to issue a “Muslim Ban.”
While in France, where he couldn’t even walk 1/4 mile along with other world leaders to the American Cemetery (he used a golf cart), he called the WWI dead losers and suckers. He also disparaged Gold Star families, even as they mourn their children killed in battle.
He called Democrats vicious and horrible people.
He called Haiti and most African nations “shit-hole countries.”
He blamed all Asians for COVID-19, repeatedly calling the virus the “China Flu.”
He called for his supporters to “hang Mike Pence,” his own vice president.
He’s called for his supporters to use violence against anyone who says anything against him, even at his own rallies.
He’s called Joe Biden an enemy of the state and non-Trumpers of any party enemies of the people, just as Stalin did when referring to anyone who did not mindlessly follow his lead.
He’s called the FBI and the DOJ employees “violent and vicious” for just doing their jobs executing a legal search warrant.
It is because of his violent rhetoric that members of Congress, Dr. Fauci (who has served seven presidents and administrations of both parties), Democratic governors and other state officials who happen to be Democrats, and even just regular people working the polls need round-the-clock security to protect their very lives.
Then there is the “Big Lie” that Trump won the 2020 election which has still not gone away. Many far-right MAGA Republicans who won their primaries for governors, Congresspeople, and Secretaries of State continue to perpetuate the “Big Lie,” and worse, have pledged to overturn any future election that does not go their way.
Two years later, Trump is still demanding that he be installed as president immediately AND that the 2020 election be redone.
Trump says he’ll probably run for president again in 2024, not realizing the irony that if he indeed “won the 2020 election,” he could not run again because a person can only be president for two terms. That doesn't matter to him because his goal is to be a dictator for life and the actual facts never matter.
A majority of Republicans voted against certifying the election on January 6 and still say that the insurrectionists were simply exercising their 1st Amendment rights.
Twice the Republicans failed to convict and remove Donald Trump from office during both of his impeachment trials. As a matter of fact, Mitch McConnell declared that the Senate would acquit Trump before the 2nd impeachment trial even started.
Republicans in general, Republican Secretaries of State, and Republican-led state legislatures will refuse to concede any election they lose in the midterms, and will cast doubt about the validity of any election they do not win.
Many Republicans are threatening political and physical violence if Trump is indicted on any of the several areas for which he is under investigation. Trump’s supporters are calling for political violence, and a new civil war, and are waiting for the proclamation for them to exert their “2nd Amendment Rights” to actually kill Democrats.
The Republicans can’t run on what they thought a few months ago were winning issues: inflation, gas prices, a recession, and so on. So they are doubling down on cultural issues such as reproductive rights (including contraception), civil rights, LGBTA+ rights, voting rights, CRT, “socialism,” “woke-ism,” teaching science and civics, destroying the FBI, the DOJ, and Dr. Fauci, and on and on.
Especially knowing that Republicans will continue to do anything and everything they can to suppress the votes of Democrats and undercount any Democratic votes, it is incumbent on us to vote in November in such massive numbers that the local and state election results cannot be challenged.
We cannot let our disagreements with Joe Biden, some Democratic policies, and what we think hasn’t been done so far keep us from the polls.
As I have stated many times in this publication, our very democracy is on the line this November. No matter what else you feel must be done, none of it will have a chance if the Republicans regain power and continue their efforts to destroy our country.
Did you watch Biden’s speech to “Save the Soul of Our Nation?” What did you think? Let us know in the comments!
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Yes, he was absolutely right and I’m glad he said it. It needs to be said often and by as many people as possible. As you point out, there is a big difference between speaking the truth, as Biden did when discussing the very real danger posed by MAGA Republicans, and the hate speech and name-calling by right-wing extremists directed at anyone who doesn’t share their bigoted views and support their efforts to use any means necessary to force all of us to live in accordance with their beliefs. I wrote an article about two of the most dangerous lies Republican politicians continue to spread that I think you would appreciate and agree with: https://medium.com/illumination-curated/two-of-the-most-dangerous-lies-republicans-continue-to-spread-5299ea92be0e?sk=687bcb2ad505ccf7c7e93eb9c4dd1bc0. If you like it, you are welcome to share it, quote from it, or use it in any other way to help people realize how important it is to vote blue this November!