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“Today we celebrate not the victory of a candidate, but the victory of a cause, the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been respected.” “We have learned once again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And in this moment, my friends, democracy has won.”
He revisited the idea over the next three years. He gave a speech in Munich that focused on international tensions between democracy and authoritarianism, without pointing out how similarly divided the United States was. He hosted an international summit at the end of 2021 on the premise of strengthening democracy. Russia’s attempt to seize Ukraine a few months later only reinforced that point. A re-election ad released in September shows Biden walking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, again framing his presidential role in terms of defending democracy. .
This is a genuine concern for the president, the idea that Donald Trump and his Republican Party are happy to see democracy eroded in order to consolidate right-wing power. It also helps to frame re-election around Trump, rather than making it a referendum on himself. But given that the phrase “defending democracy,” no matter how legitimate, is also an abstraction that people worried about paying their bills may not make a priority, this focus It is somewhat sparse.
But in Thursday’s State of the Union address, Biden expanded on the debate in a subtle way that involved a more visceral and powerful motivator for Democratic votes: abortion.
This speech also began with a focus on democracy. He likened the moment to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, delivered at a time when “freedom and democracy were under attack around the world.”
“Right now, we are facing an unprecedented moment in the history of our commonwealth,” Biden said. But this moment was more difficult than 1941, he added. “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under attack as much as they are today here at home.What makes our time so unusual is that freedom and democracy have come under attack simultaneously at home and abroad. That’s what I’m doing.”
He moved to recommend that Congress approve additional aid to Ukraine. He then changed the subject on January 6, repeating that “threats to democracy must be protected” and accusing the “lies” of portraying the rioters as patriots.But don’t miss the juncture he inserted at the beginning: Democracy is under attack — as it is. freedom.
Later in his speech, he set an example, calling on Congress to pass the Voting Freedom Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which protect against efforts to restrict voting access. He has previously touted the link between democracy and voting rights, such as when he pushed for a similar bill in his first year in office. He went even further. He said Republicans “hope that if their preferred candidate loses, they can refuse the final count and ignore the will of the people.” Freedom to vote, and thus democracy, was impeded.
During his State of the Union address, he sharply advocated freedom of choice in a similar way.
“Let’s respect free and fair elections! Restore faith in our institutions!” he said. “And let me be clear: there is absolutely no place for political violence in America. History is watching. And history is witnessing new attacks on freedom.”
He noted that there are women in the exhibit, including one whose efforts to have a child through in vitro fertilization were thwarted and another who was forced to leave the state to abort a fatally ill fetus. It pointed out. He blamed state laws and decisions that make choices harder for these women.
“Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor, Mr. Trump, have promised to pass a national reproductive freedom ban,” he said. “God, what freedom will you take away next?”
Freedom to choose medical care. Freedom to choose leadership. Draw a through line.
After his speech, he returned to this connection.
“My whole life, trying to transform my age from being perceived as weakness to being perceived as wisdom, has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. ” he said.
He talked about his personal history. after that:
“I see a future that protects democracy, not undermines it,” he said. “I see a future where we restore the right to choose and protect, rather than take away other freedoms.”
Freedom and democracy are under threat from President Trump. A theme from the beginning, it has been expanded to address new threats, threats that have proven to be extremely powerful to Democratic political success.
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