Biden's forceful defense of democracy is not diminished by minor flaws

Last week, Joe Biden went on the offensive with a forceful speech in Philadelphia denouncing “MAGA Republicans” — hard-core followers of Donald Trump — as a threat to democracy and the rule of law in the United States. This came shortly after Biden’s remarks characterizing the ideology of Trumpism as akin to “semi-fascism.” Are these urgently needed warnings, or demagoguery to whip up support for Democrats in the midterms? Is the president showing leadership, or polarizing instead of unifying? Perhaps the best answer is that he’s a flawed messenger for vitally important truths.

Let’s leave aside the optics, in which the placement of red, white and blue lights on Philadelphia’s Independence Hall led to Biden appearing against a backdrop of red, which a chorus of critics on the right said gave his presentation a menacing authoritarian aura. Let’s also leave aside the possible impropriety of U.S. Marines appearing in the background for a political speech. When you spend that much time on the visuals, maybe you don’t have particularly strong points on the substance.

And on substance, the speech hit many appropriate notes, celebrating America’s “extraordinary experiment of self-government” and its principles of equality and democracy which have made America “a beacon to the world.” While the omission of liberty is regrettable, these words signal an unequivocal embrace of American patriotism — and distance Biden’s Democrats from progressives who see oppression, violence and racism as America’s essence.

To this patriotic spirit, Biden contrasted “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans,” whose extremism “threatens the very foundations of our republic.”

Biden also stressed that he considers himself the president of “all America” and that he isn’t talking about all Republicans, only about those who reject the rule of law, refuse to accept an electoral defeat, and cheer a violent attempt to reverse that defeat. He noted that “blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy.”

Where is he wrong? Yes, hard-core Trumpists have in fact spent nearly two years defending an unprecedented attack on the peaceful transfer of power and peddling wild conspiracy theories. Yes, Republican election deniers and conspiracy peddlers are running for a variety of state offices that would give them a disturbing amount of influence. Yes, a scary number of Republicans, including members of Congress, have been “predicting and all but calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets” if Trump is prosecuted.

One could split hairs over the term “semi-fascism,” but it doesn’t seem extreme.

That said, I think it was a mistake for Biden to link “MAGA Republicans” to the assault on women’s right to choose abortion. That sounds like he’s demonizing the “legitimate political differences” he acknowledged in the same speech. Rep. Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who had lost her bid to run for reelection because of her commitment to holding Trump accountable, is also a strong opponent of abortion rights.

The speech would have been stronger if, when discussing the danger of normalizing political violence, Biden had at least briefly mentioned 2020 riot apologists on the left while also stressing that today, such normalization is far more mainstreamed and dangerous on the MAGA right. Lastly, it would have been stronger if Biden didn’t have the baggage of past hyperbole such as comparing fairly modest red-state election reforms to a new Jim Crow.

But these flaws detract little from an essential message: Acceptance of election results and rejection of political violence are the guardrails of democracy. Without them, we all lose.

n OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY CATHY YOUNG, a culture studies fellow at the Cato Institute, are her own.

By Cathy Young

Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.