Whoa! 68 days from the November midterm elections, and President Joe Biden just dropped a neutron bomb on the GOP. Standing behind a podium in front of the cradle of American democracy, Biden laid down a stark choice, you’re either for our democratic system of democracy, or you’re against it.
I do not use the “FDR Moment” phrase lightly. In 1940, FDR was up for reelection. And he was running against a strong anti war, and even a pro fascist sentiment in some parts of America. His opponent, Wendell Willkie actually said shit like, A vote for Roosevelt is a vote to put your sons underground. And in a rare example of presidential courage, Roosevelt refused to back off, saying. I do not look for war in Europe or the far east, but if we do not defeat them there, then we will have to defeat them here! Roosevelt won.
But it wasn’t 1940 that reminded me of FDR, it was actually 1941. After being reelected, Roosevelt still faced a strong headwind from anti-war, pro fascist elements in the country. But on December 8th, the day after Pearl Harbor, FDR took off the kid gloves. We were now at war with people who shared no values with us, they only wanted our submission. You were either for democracy, or you were against democracy. Full stop.
And that’s what Biden did tonight. I’m 65 years old, creaking towards 66. And for all of my life, democracy is the only system of government I’ve known. And the same is true for the rest of you. But Biden made it crystal clear tonight that democracy was not guaranteed, it must be protected and nurtured. And that at this moment, there were dark forces hell bent on demolishing it. It’s time to pick a side.
But tonight, for once Joe Biden went there. He directly called out Donald Trump as the motivating force of the anti-American, pro authoritarian movement in America. And with that announcement, he reverted to his mantra of the night.
Biden’s speechwriters deserve a raise, because they were brilliant. Time after time, Biden referred to the MAGA GOP in his crucifixion of the party. He continued to pillory the MAGA GOP for wanting to take away your personal choice, your right to vote, your right to marry whom you want.
But what was brilliant in the speech was the lengths Biden went to separate the MAGA GOP from the base Republican party. He spoke passionately about the moderate GOP Senators he was able to work with in order to get critical portions of his agenda through. He went to great lengths to separate the two.
Basically, what Biden did in this speech was two things. He drew a clear line in the sand between being on the side of democracy, and the side of authoritarianism. And then he paved that nice soft off ramp for moderate GOP voters and independents to make the choice to side with the angels. I don’t know how Biden could have put it more perfectly.
I love Joe Biden, he’s in the perfect place at the perfect time .
Yeah……those two moderate GOP Senators Uncle Joe worked with, Manchin and Sinema, can be a real pain in the ass, but he STILL managed to get er done.
*smirk*
He was in the Senate a long, long toime – long enough to have worked with some actual moderate republicans. Because there used to be some. I’m onlt 77, younger than Joe, but old enough to remember that.
It was plain spoken, understandable truth. Joe Biden is not and never has been gifted at oratory, like FDR, JFK, Reagan (much as I hate saying it) or Obama. What he IS however is genuine and real and he worked with his team to craft a speech that was pure Joe Biden. “Uncle Joe” – the guy who will look you in the eye and break it down into simple terms for you.
I also think President Biden has taken a cold, hard look at recent history. Way too fucking many tens of millions of Democrats got caught up in a spell during Obama’s victory speech from Grant Park on election night in 2008. If you really think about it, he DID try to convey the message that the real work was only beginning. But people felt so great, especially after eight years of Bush 43 they didn’t absorb the message. Obama couldn’t have known that as he was speaking McConnell had gathered key Republicans to secure agreement they would do everything in their power to, even if it meant fucking over the country and the free world make Obama a one-term President but he wouldn’t have been surprised. He knew what was coming, as I suspect only the first non-white President in our history could do in that moment.
I never expected him to be as liberal as so many assumed he would be, but I was prepared to continue working on behalf of his agenda and to motivate others to keep up the same energy that got Obama that big margin of victory. But people in general left too much of the work up to him. And even though he was re-elected and got a lot of good done it could have and should have been so much more. A big part was that as has been the case in my lifetime Democrats pretty much sat on their asses in the midterms.
Biden has decided to grab the bull by the horns and rally not just fellow Democrats, but Independents and the same GOP voters that swung our way in 2018 to summon 2008 and 2018 energy. And again he’s making the point, not in soaring rhetoric that’s spellbinding but in plain language that it’s not just about one piece of legislation, or one election but an ongoing and forever process to protect democracy because there are ALWAYS people here in the U.S. working hard to destroy it. And right now and for at least one more election cycle (probably two or even three) they are way too fucking close to doing so.
I couldn’t help but think of that scene near the end of The American President, when the fictional President Shephard unexpectedly takes the podium in the WH briefing room, and after a really cool minute of “in your face” (kind of what Biden just did) says “America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve got to want it bad, because it’s gonna put up a fight.”
I say again…if Obama was JFK, then Biden was his LBJ. In many ways, I see the latter as the anti-LBJ, an old-school politician who ended a war (rather than expand one like Johnson did) and gathered enough strength to take the fight to the enemy. And do we ever need that now.
It’s not well known (although it should be) but there was a conclave at Camp David at one point where LBJ and his top advisors gathered to discuss the ramp up he’d already authorized in Vietnam, and whether to move forward with recommendations from the military to kick things up to a whole new level (basically, the full-on, major war it turned in to) or pull the plug. At one crucial, and it turned out to be decisive point LBJ wanted his two top advisors, Clark Clifford and Robert McNamara to present the case for winding down/leaving (Clifford) or staying and kicking things up into high gear (McNamara). Both made compelling arguments, sort of like a summation by opposing attorneys do in court before a judge in a Bench Trial has to take the case under review and render a decision. But here’s the thing – BOTH Clifford and McNamara believed (strongly in fact) that not only should we get the fuck out of Vietnam (or at least wind down to the “advisors” level we had under Eisenhower and early in JFK’s term) but that while LBJ would take an initial & pretty strong political hit it would blow over before the next election.
McNamara told Clifford afterwards (while everyone waited to see what LBJ would decide) he was GLAD Clifford had presented the case for leaving and that he’d made a better case. That he believed LBJ would see the light (and McNamara, contrary to popular belief didn’t think we were making headway in Vietnam politically or militarily and that it had been and would remain a lost cause) and Clifford was stunned. Because McNamar had made a case like a brilliant attorney who didn’t believe in his client or case but was getting a fuckton of money to win so as attorney’s do put on a hollow but convincing display of passionate belief in his case. LBJ didn’t realize that McNamara had long harbored grave doubts about Vietnam – he’d carried out LBJ’s directives without question from the get-go and Johnson had no idea how he really felt.
As we know, LBJ went with the decision to go all-in and turned a skirmish that had turned into a significant engagement into a full-scale war. Had McNamara made his case for staying and ramping up the effort but then done what he could have and should have and told LBJ that despite a good case for ramping up he’d never believed the indications on the ground supported a conclusion we could “win” history would be very different. Our country wouldn’t have torn itself apart over that war, and LBJ could have focused his considerable political skills on implementation of Civil and Voting Rights. He’d have run in 1968 and again, with his ability to work the levers of power (as no one else ever has) to greatly curtail the appalling, infamous “southern strategy” that became the bedrock of the GOP. He’d have kicked Nixon’s ass. Not as bad as Goldwater but he’d have still won. It’s epically tragic in so many ways, including the impact on SCOTUS which although it didn’t do Nixon any favors (despite his getting four picks) and did give us Roe did its share of other damage.
There has to be a lot of research behind this speech. FDR had Pearl Harbor, that was obvious. Biden is working against an internal enemy. Obama would never have made this speech. He was too willing to try to work with the enemy. Biden doesn’t have that obligation. The gloves are off. He also doesn’t have to show up to any particular politicians rally. They can distance themselves while Biden sets fires. Go Joe, burn em all down.
In fairness, did YOU ever think the GOP would sink this low? I’ll freely admit I didn’t, even though it’s obvious that was the logical conclusion to where they’d been going all along. But never mind all that…all that matters is what we do here and now. Uncle Joe gets that.
I agree completely. One of my main feelings about Republicans is that of disappointment. They have failed to support and respect our great country and it’s wonderful political traditions that are now in jeopardy because of a lust for power.
Obama might never have made this speech but Hillary most certainly would have.
Oh, wait. In a way she did–when she referred to Trump’s supporters as “deplorables” back in 2016.
She was SOOOOOOO ahead of the times–just as she was attacked when she noted that the attacks on not only her but also Bill were part of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” (she did that back around 1995 or so).
While it is a travesty that this speech never got an airing on the major networks, it may ultimately not matter. Uncle Joe’s team has shown an intimate understanding of the Internet and how to use it whereas the Republicans are still trying to scrape up sofa change to keep ads going. As many have said, Roevember is coming and Dark Brandon tapped that energy hard here.
Biden knows how it feels to have your heart ripped out in the worst possible way at the worst possible time. His wife & young daughter killed & his two young sons seriously injured at Christmas time. Suffering teaches lessons that no one wants but you are faced with a stark choice, i.e., either get off the canvas and go forward or give up. He may not look the part of a warrior, but he wouldn’t be standing there if he wasn’t one.
As the assassin said in Sicario, telling the female officer she needed to move back to the states and find a town where law and order still mattered, because Mexico had become ” a land of wolves, and you are not a wolf “. Joe is up for this.
For all those Dem reps who don’t want Joe to campaign with them – up yours! If we Dems would stick together like the GOP does, we might gain some ground. This man has accomplished so much in spite of all the BS, Manchin and Sinema aiding and abetting the R’s, a suffering economy that he isn’t responsible for but is lifting up, on and on, and he deserves to be respected and given the honors he deserves.
😀
I really like Biden 2.0
TY Biden for creating 10 MILLION new jobs since taking office !