Biden’s ‘MAGA Republicans’ Speech: Divisive Escalation or Necessary Truth-Telling?

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President Joe Biden’s Thursday night speech calling out “MAGA Republicans” for allegedly threatening democracy prompted a wide range of reactions from all corners of American politics. 

On Friday, Biden sharply criticized what he called an “extreme ideology” threatening “the very foundation of our republic” — referencing widespread death threats against election workers, threats against FBI agents following the Mar-a-Lago raid, politicians’ statements predicting “riots” over a potential indictment of former President Donald Trump, and primary election victories by backers of 2020 election fraud theories. “Not even a majority of Republicans are MAGA Republicans,” Biden said, “But there's no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans. And that is a threat to this country.”

Most voices from the right widely criticized Biden’s remarks as divisive, “catastrophic” and “dehumanizing.” Some, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), compared Biden to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Voices from the left often supported Biden’s comments and criticized the right’s reactions. Meanwhile, some voices criticized Biden’s use of the “institution” of prime-time presidential speeches, which are usually reserved for major policy initiatives or military actions.

Many critiques centered around the “hellish” red lighting; the backdrop — Philadelphia’s Independence Hall — was lit in both red and blue, but camera framing often only included shadowy red lighting behind Biden. 

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On Thursday night in Philadelphia, Joe Biden used his presidential perch, flanked by two United States Marines, to give one of the most menacing and divisive campaign speeches in recent memory.

In his soul-crushing "soul of the nation" speech, the president threw half the country back into Hillary Clinton’s basket of deplorables. Anyone who refuses to go along with his radical agenda that’s bankrupting the country is a threat. Anyone who stands up for religious liberty is an extremist. Anyone who is a voice for voiceless and vulnerable unborn babies is a danger to democracy.

Republicans are in a rage over President Biden’s speech in Philadelphia, in which he flatly declared that the American democratic experiment is in serious danger due to Donald Trump and the Republicans who remain allied with his political project.

So here’s a question for those Republicans: What exactly in Biden’s speech was wrong?

Many objections have been general: Republicans say his speech disparaged millions, that it was angry, or divisive, or political, or hateful, or depicted Republicans as the enemy.

President Joe Biden last night used the backdrop of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to accuse his political opponents of betraying American democracy. The complaints from GOP leaders are loud. How dare Biden use this birthplace of the republic to speak that way about former President Donald Trump and his tens of millions of supporters?