President Biden had one of the most outrageous and dangerous speeches of any President in my memory. It was eerily reminiscent of Hitler riling up the masses against the Jews as enemies of the state – very belligerent and authoritarian in image and words. (I understand making analogies to Hitler violates the Godwin Rule, but the analogy is defensible in this case.)
The White House billed it as an “address to the nation” – and emphatically insisted that it was not a political or campaign speech. That was a lie. It was a highly partisan political speech drafted and presented to turn half of America against the other half in order to influence the 2022 midterm elections. If that were not the case, he would not have ended with “vote …vote … vote” after a full-blown mendacious attack on the entire Republican Party – from its leaders to its voters.
The second lie is that his provocative and venomous words were only meant for former President Trump (who is not on the ballot) and those Democrat strategists define as the MAGA people. I am not a MAGA person even by Biden’s definition, but it was clear he had folks like me in his broad-brush smear – accusing all who identify as Republicans on working to violently overthrow the American Republic in favor of a Trump-led dictatorship. Utter nonsense. It is soooo outrageous that I find it impossible to comprehend how any intelligent and fair-minded person could believe it.
Democrats and their media flunkies pump up this propaganda on a 24/7 news cycle. So, it comes as no surprise that the most radical elements of the media are praising this speech as if it was in the same league as Washington’s farewell speech or Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address (or even the Gettysburg Address). You got my comparative impression in the first paragraph of this commentary.
I am not sure what Biden’s handlers were thinking in arranging the setting for his speech. He stood in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia as it was flood-lighted in red and blue (very little noticeable white). For the television audience, Biden’s background was all red with dark shadows. (Honestly, it looked to me like a movie set in which the devil was emerging from the gates of Hell.)
In the background were the obligatory flags – but this time with military guards as the props. It is no wonder that folks on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” described it as a “wartime speech.” It was indeed. Biden was declaring war on millions of Americans.
I was also struck by the absence of Vice President Harris in the background – Biden’s prop-of-choice. Instead, he walked onto the stage holding hand with First Lady Jill. Considering the nature of the speech, It smacked of a Juan and Evita Peron entrance.
Biden’s enemies of the state are the “MAGA people”. In Biden’s (and the Democrats’) personal political dictionary, MAGA Republicans are mindless and evil — and who belong to a political cult-of-personality. They are folks armed and ready to rise in violence all across the nation in a civil war.
Biden employs ruthless fearmongering to claim that the entire future of the American Republic depends on defeating the MAGA forces (Republicans) by winning any office anywhere at any time in the foreseeable future. He did not say that in so many words, but the implications were clear. The only way to save the Republic in these perilous times – by the left’s description – is to elect only Democrats. (I hope you did not miss the irony of the Democrats’ claim that the only way to save the Republic is if you give them one-party autocratic rule.)
Biden claimed – and the White House reiterated – that his highly condemnatory remarks were only directed at Trump (who he actually named this time) and those he defined as “Maga Republicans.” That is another boldfaced lie. By association and implication, Biden clearly spread his political smears over the entire GOP. After condemning those he called MAGA Republicans, he said that THEY dominate and control the entire GOP. That is the broad-brush of slander.
And if Biden was too subtle, his political colleagues and media sycophants made his intentions very clear. While they all sang from the same song sheet, one in the choirs stood out. He was Joe Scarborough’s favorite branding expert, Donny Deutsch.
According to Deutsch, Biden had finally embraced the right theme … the right tone … the right strategy. Smear and malign the entire GOP – or as he said, brand Republicans as insurrectionists and a danger to the state – every one of them. Republicans are evil … crazy … dangerous. All of them. He says Democrats need to scare the voters. Exactly what Biden’s speech was all about.
Deutsch credited Biden for saying that he is not talking about every Republican as a ploy. He called Biden “clever” on that point. He knows Biden did not mean the exception. In the Democrat playbook, there are no exceptions.
Also, on “Morning Joe” was Washington Post writer and MSNBC stooge Eugene Robinson. He was quick to repeat his opinion that the Republican Party must be “crushed” – a word he has used frequently. That is how autocrats talk about opposition.
I know a lot of people who believe that the 2020 election was stolen away from Trump. None of them are insurrectionists. None of them believe in violence. None of them are likely to even attend a protest if Trump were indicted.
They are good patriotic citizens who have an opinion – right or wrong. And their opinion is of little consequence outside of barroom discussions since the 2020 election is over and Biden is the President. But the left – and Biden – attacks them for having an opinion. If you even believe that the election was rigged, you are automatically a dangerous and violent insurrectionist who will take up arms. That is a huge misrepresentation of reality – and a huge lie.
A serious debate on the issue of the Republican Party would reveal some objective realities. It is not a party of insurrection or violence. It is not a threat to the Republic – and in fact, the Republic and American democracy, itself, have not been threatened by the Republican Party. The Capitol Hill riot was bad, but it never posed a threat to the Republic. The political tremors of that day never reached the pillars or foundation of the Republic. Other than a short delay in the certification, the Republic was undamaged. And it stands as solid today as it has for 233 years.
If there are a small number of nutcases on the right-wing fringe, that is a reality of politics – just as there are a small number of nutcases on the left-wing fringe. But I sincerely doubt that there will be any widespread violence if Trump gets indicted. And there certainly will be no civil war.
Biden’s speech was a great disservice to national unity and to civil discourse. It was a product of a desperate effort to cling to – and expand – political power. It was autocratic propaganda of the worst kind … unpresidential … and un-American … period.
So, there ‘tis.