But far from breaking, the fever intensified. Trump, though defeated, consolidated his grip over the GOP; and MAGA Republicans who ran on a platform to not only decertify the last election but the next one as well, went on to win primary after primary across the country. The threat these candidates pose is quite real and demanded a response. And Biden did not mince his words.
After almost two years of playing Uncle Joe, of naively believing he could somehow stay above the fray - while in the process allowing himself to become a political piñata - Biden had had enough. Smokin' Joe took off his gloves and delivered a glancing blow to the most illiberal movement in the history of the Republic.
He was tough, he was frank, and he was brutally honest. And he apparently hit a nerve. We know this because not ten seconds after he finished his address, the very same MAGA Republicans he was talking about went apeshit on social media and accused him of being divisive. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. And the "establishment" Republicans Biden was counting on to exorcize this malignancy from their ranks, once more were unable to resist the urge to bow at the altar of Trump. It was as pitiful as it was predictable.
For those of us who were wondering when this president would finally get the memo that the '70s are over and aren't coming back, it was a speech that was long overdue. Obama was the adult in the room, the consensus maker that would break the Washington gridlock. And all he got for his troubles was the scorn of his opponents and the disillusionment of his base. Biden wasn't about to repeat his former boss's mistake. Like Vince Lombardi, he's apparently decided that the best defense is a good offense. Frankly, I didn't think he had it in him. Turns out I was wrong.
And for those nervous Nellies out there who thought Biden should've been a bit more conciliatory in his remarks, who still cling to the naive belief that it's possible to reason with autocrats, I would ask you this question. If you see an oncoming train do you wait until it's five feet away before you sound the alarm? Or do you blow the trumpets loud and clear so that everyone will hear? No, if history has taught us anything, it's that those who do not confront evil when they see it will ultimately be consumed by it.
If anything, I thought Biden was being too conciliatory when he said MAGA Republicans don't represent a majority of the GOP. Really? Tell that to the Republican voters in Arizona who chose Kari Lake to be their gubernatorial nominee. Or the Republican voters in Wyoming who gave the boot to Liz Cheney, one of the most conservative members of Congress. Or the 147 Republicans who signed on to an amicus brief that, had it been successful, would've overturned the results in four key swing states, thus giving the election to Trump. The sad truth is that the John McCain wing of the GOP is all but extinct. The metamorphosis is complete. The Party of Lincoln is now the Party of Trump.
In just over two months, the electorate will go to the polls to determine which party gets to run the country for the next two years. We already know from a recent poll that the top concern voters have is the threats to democracy. Last night was Biden's chance to address those voters: the Never Trumpers who remain frightened about what might happen should he and his minions regain power; the independents who more often than not decide elections in swing states; and the base of the Democratic Party which has had a long history of failing to show up in midterms.
Biden did his best to light a fire under all three. Time will tell how effective he was.
Comments