Joe Biden Is Supposed To Be Anti-Trump, But He’s Also Divided

Joe Biden’s mission is to restore the rules and work across the aisle to heal the country’s toxic political culture — in other words, to Not Donald Trump.

The past week has proven him failed to deliver on that promise. In particular, his speech in Atlanta served as a microcosm for a disappointing leadership year that appreciated his popularity.

The president compared those opposed to changing the Senate’s filtering rules to pass Democratic voting rights bills, to notorious racists like Bull Connor, George Wallace and Jefferson Davis. In doing so, Biden is using Trump’s method of promoting opponents and referring to political opponents as “enemies of the people” and “human scum.”

That’s not to say the president should never talk tough. I recently applaud Biden for his powerful rhetoric attacking the Capitol rioters on January 6. In that case, Biden’s words resonate with illiberal far-rights who have incited and engaged in an attack on democracy.

However, a few short days later, Biden extended his condemnation to implicitly include Republicans As if Mitt Romney, who Hero stood up for his party and voted twice to impeach Trump. (Sadly, this is a trend. Back in 2012, Biden told African Americans that Romney would put them on “back in the chain” if he is elected president.)

Biden is also reinforcing the dangerous claims of his predecessor, by continuing to promote the idea that our elections are stolen. “And so President Biden goes down the same tragic path as President Trump – casting doubt on the credibility of the US elections,” Romney said.

It is easy to imagine a scenario where voters of both parties believe – as they have been told by the last two presidents – that every election they lose is rigged, or by the Party. Republicans disenfranchise minority voters or by the magic voting machine of Hugo Chavez.

Furthermore, conventional wisdom is that Republicans benefit from fewer turnout and Democrats benefit from higher turnout. does not hold water, no matter how many times it is repeated by freelancers.

The truth is that election Voter turnout in 2020 is at a record level, which is why the focus should not be on access to polls, but instead, How votes are counted and certified. Instead of HR 1, Democrats should focus on Reform of the Number of Voters Act.

While it may or may not be a good idea for states, such as Georgia, to narrow down the number of ballot boxes or designated time periods for early voting, it does not equivalent to “Jim Crow 2.0”.

It’s also fair to question not only questionable constitutional authority, but also the prudence of federalized elections, as Biden wants to do with the voting rights legislation he is advocating. After Trump’s presidency, it seems counter-intuitive to give the federal government than jurisdiction over elections.

Imagine a scenario where a president (think Trump) has more leverage over how an election is conducted and state leaders (think Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger) have less leverage. Yes, this is a downhill argument, but if the goal is to address the weaknesses in our system that Trump has exposed, then the idea of ​​electoral federalization is a step in the wrong direction.

Besides, killing the filibuster (which has existed for hundreds of years in one form or another) is a funny way to restore the norm.

Believing that the senate should require more than a simple majority may be right or wrong, but the legislature has been used and defended by Democrats such as Barack Obama, Chuck Schumer, and Joe Biden. Furthermore, the fact that Biden was unable to convince 50 Democrats to scrap the caucus only proves that his main legislative obstacle is not Republicans voting, but his inability to do so. ability to persuade his own secret meeting.

Like Biden, Trump tries to remove the derision, pressuring Mitch McConnell by calling him “a fool” and “a fool” for refusing to do so. As for McConnell’s merits, he didn’t budge.

Of course, if Biden gets his way and Republicans win back the Senate in November, Democrats should expect McConnell to take full advantage, as he has in the past. “You’re going to regret this,” McConnell warned as Harry Reid cast his ballot for presidential candidates excluding those entering the Supreme Court in 2013, “and you might regret it soon enough.” a lot more than you think.” Of course, They did.

By viewing its opponents as enemies, undermining the effectiveness of elections, seeking to give the federal government more control over state elections, and pressuring his party has to get rid of the bad stuff, Biden is following the path of the 45th president.

Biden’s only mission is not to be Donald Trump. By that standard, it’s hard to judge the first year of his presidency as a catastrophic failure.