President Joe Biden speaks Thursday at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Alex Wong / Getty Images
| Joseph Biden used the backdrop of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to give the most important speech of his presidency. For the first time since taking office, President Biden acknowledged that our democratic self-government was under ferocious attack by a Republican Party saturated with fascism. His acknowledgment followed almost two years of increasingly futile attempts to ignore the extremism a growing number of Republicans have adopted. Calling out an enemy is neither partisan nor merely politics. It is a part of defining the battle space. |
Biden confirmed that Republicans whom he characterized as MAGA Republicans were semi-fascists who had rejected the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. Biden called out these MAGA Republicans for trying to turn the clock back on our country and nullify the votes of millions of Americans who did not share their views. They have made their choice and now openly embrace violence. Nonetheless, Biden tried to maintain some semblance of bipartisanship by splitting off the violent MAGA Republicans from other Republicans and claiming most Republicans still upheld democratic values.
Some of the same Republicans Biden tried to appease were quick to fault Biden’s speech for being partisan and unfair to Republicans. Conservative writers like Ross Douthat criticized Biden for listing his administration’s accomplishments and noting Republican opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage as implicit criticisms of Republicans. According to Douthat, opposition to Biden’s agenda, abortion, and same-sex marriage are policy issues on which Republicans can legitimately disagree with Democrats. They are fundamental pillars that underlie democracies. Denying people autonomy over their bodies or the right to marry whom they wish are more than simple policy issues.
Moreover, being opposed to specific issues is not solely anti-democratic. In addition, democracies are based on the methods one uses to promote or oppose issues. Too often, within the last few decades, Republicans have been willing to lie, distort, or use other dishonest means to dispute issues with which they have disagreed. Douthat cited Biden’s accusation of Republican acceptance of violence to achieve their ends without mentioning the violence associated with George Floyd as one example of Biden’s unfairness to Republicans. But this same example shows how Republicans have become dependent on distortion. According to law enforcement agencies, 97 percent of the George Floyd protests were peaceful. Moreover, agents provocateurs or operatives associated with extremist groups like the Proud Boys were associated with inciting violence in those protests where violence occurred.
As crucial as the speech was, President Biden did omit some things that could have made it more robust. First, President Biden outlined only one tactic for defeating the semi-fascists: splitting off MAGA Republicans from Republicans. It is a reasonable tactic, but it does not clear how effective it will be. And because of the gains, the semi-fascists have made in stacking state houses and putting in place the mechanisms needed to undermine future elections.
Second, President Biden did not say enough about why MAGA-Republicans have rejected democracy and have become enamored of fascism. What problems do they have with democracy, and how do they believe fascism would be able to address those problems? Do they, for example, suppose that fascism is fairer or will provide more equality? More understanding of what MAGA Republicans want might suggest a strategy for Democrats to use in negotiating with them.
Coups and civil wars are more nuanced now. They do not require tanks rolling down streets. And civil wars do not require armed men firing on forts. Popular leaders at the head of a dominant party that can seize or subvert key institutions are enough. To effectively foil coups or civil wars, one needs to recognize their imminence before too many vital institutions have been captured.