The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Joe Biden’s Blood-Red War Speech

Posted on | September 2, 2022 | 1 Comment

Everybody noticed the optics of the speech Thursday night in Philadelphia: The “blood red” lighting, the Marines standing at attention:

It didn’t take long after Biden finished his rancid, combative remarks in Philadelphia for the reviews of the latest divisive screed from “Mr. Unity” to come in, and they predictably were not favorable from those among the 70 million Americans he declared were hatefully working to bring about the end of democracy . . .
Meanwhile, even CNN talent was unnerved by the display. Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny took issue with the staging of the Marines behind Biden for such a political speech, calling it a “break with White House traditions.”

As many observers remarked, Biden essentially declared war on the 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump in 2020, declaring them a “clear and present danger” and a “threat to the country.” Thirteen times he used “MAGA” to define these enemies:

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.
Now, I want to be very clear . . . very clear up front: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology. . . .
But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country. . . .
And here, in my view, is what is true: MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. . . .
MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards — backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.
And they see their MAGA failure to stop a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections. . . .
That’s why respected conservatives, like Federal Circuit Court Judge Michael Luttig, has called Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans, quote, a “clear and present danger” to our democracy. . . .
There are far more Americans — far more Americans from every — from every background and belief who reject the extreme MAGA ideology than those that accept it. . . .
MAGA Republicans have made their choice. They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies. . . .
We must be stronger, more determined, and more committed to saving American democracy than MAGA Republicans are to — to destroying American democracy. . . .
Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated. And that’s where MAGA Republicans are today. . . .
MAGA Republicans look at America and see carnage and darkness and despair. They spread fear and lies –- lies told for profit and power.

“Kulaks! Wreckers! Saboteurs! Trotskyists!” It’s not an exaggeration to compare Biden’s rhetoric demonizing opponents to the way totalitarians like Stalin demonized their enemies, and this was clearly more than an attempt to excite his party’s “base” for the November midterms.

Bonchie at Red State gets very close to it: “It sure feels like Biden wants to provoke some kind of violent response.” William Jacobson sees the same thing: “Understand that Joe Biden is trying to provoke conflict, he wants it, his handlers want it. They launched this campaign about a month ago. It’s calculated.” Biden’s motive can best be understood by reference to Sun Tzu in The Art of War: “When the enemy is close at hand and remains quiet, he is relying on the natural strength of his position. When he keeps aloof and tries to provoke a battle, he is anxious for the other side to advance.” (Emphasis added.) Biden’s insulting language was part of an effort (along with the raid on Mar-a-Lago) to provoke “extremists,” to cause some right-winger to engage in a violent act that then can be used to say, “See? We told you they were dangerous!”

We are now less than 10 weeks away from Election Day, and what Biden wants is for some fringe kook to go off on a rampage that will serve to dramatize the “clear and present danger” theme he rolled out.




 

Category: Joe Biden

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One Response to “Joe Biden’s Blood-Red War Speech”

  1. The Symbolism of Philadelphia : The Other McCain
    September 4th, 2022 @ 3:37 pm

    […] Joe Biden gave a speech last week in which he gave lip service to things that Democrats don’t actually believe in, e.g., the Constitution and the rule of law, as a pretext to accuse Republicans — all 74 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump — of being a “threat to our democracy.” […]