The Philadelphia speech marks a watershed: polls certify an America split in half. And the president seems to be thinking of a reappointment for 2024
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NEW YORK – The scenography was solemn: Philadelphia’s Independence Hall where the greatest self-government experiment the world has ever known began. Behind Joe Biden a huge stars and stripes flag and two marines, whose presence did not go unnoticed. Why the American president in prime time (but they only passed it on Cnn e Msnbc) was a hybrid of launching the election campaign for the midtermtherefore a partisan political event, and a speech to the nation.
I’m here, Biden said, to speak as directly as possible to the country about the dangers it is going through: Donald Trump, and the Maga republicans, threaten the foundations of our democracy. A natural follow-up to the words of last week, when he defined the forces that animate the extreme right following the former president as semi-fascist. Progressives speak of a long-due speech, and with them the Republicans who have long since distanced themselves from the party. In an article on The Atlantic David Frum, ex speechwriter Bush writes: Whatever was true 4, 5 or 6 years ago, Trumpism in 2022 cannot be considered an anomaly of US politics. What started as a detour became mainstream. Facing this reality is the way to prevent it from doing worse damage.
Trump responded with his usual demeanor: (Biden) threatened America, even with the possible use of military force. He must be crazy, or suffering from late stage dementia! The right-wing media went wild. Il New York Post: Speech designed not to uplift but to offend; Infowars: Biden declares war on patriotic Americans; Gateway Pundit: Disgusting. PJ Media: Gloomy and menacing. The Federalist: He says Trumpism is killing us, but Leftism is killing us.
According to a Quinnipiac survey, the country is so divided that 69% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats think democracy is in danger, but because of the other side. The things Biden says for are facts. It is true that throughout the United States Trump and his are getting supporters of the Big Lie theory that Biden lost the election are elected, and that Senators like Lindsey Graham speak of riots in the streets if Trump is indicted, playing with the fire of political violence.
But those puzzled by Biden’s speech wonder if he is right to credit Trump as his opponent. The former president is always at the center of the scene. Yesterday new details were released on what the FBI found in Mar-a-Lago on August 8: eleven thousand pages of government documents, 18 top secret, 54 secret and 31 confidential and 48 empty folders marked as confidentialwhich raise disturbing questions about where their content has gone.
There is also electoral strategy in Biden’s choice to play a re-edition of the 2020 challenge. As invigorated by the legislative and electoral successes of the summer, the president remains unpopular – and yesterday he never mentioned the elephant in the room, inflation – but polls simulating a direct challenge with Trump give him a clear winner. According to political scientist Ian Bremmer, Biden is wrong to hope for Trump, whose ability to damage the republic or wrest significant elections. Regardless of the challenger, Biden performed another operation in Philadelphia: reciting the list of successes – climate, infrastructure – he wanted to tell the not small part of the party that would like to step aside, that he is still the best candidate for 2024.
September 2, 2022 (change September 2, 2022 | 22:49)
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