Scathing and optimistic, lucid and idealistic: Joe Biden gave an offensive speech on Thursday 1er September, in Philadelphia, to call on his compatriots, beyond their differences, to defend American democracy. Two months before the mid-term elections, the president has targeted the “MAGA Republicans” (acronym of “Make America Great Again”the slogan of Donald Trump), who, according to him, do not represent a majority within this historic formation. “It is obvious that the Republican Party is dominated, driven and intimidated” by this fringe and by the former president, said Joe Biden, calling the latter for once by his name. “They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies. »
Behind the President, in addition to the American flag and the Marines on duty, an ominous red light illuminated the brick walls of Independence Hall, the building where the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution were adopted. As if the fire was already licking the foundations of democracy. “The MAGA forces are determined to bring this country back, said Joe Biden. Back to an America without the right to choose, without the right to privacy, without the right to birth control, without the right to marry the person you love. They promote authoritarian leaders and fan the flames of political violence. »
In his inaugural speech, on January 20, 2021, Joe Biden already mentioned the fragility of American democracy and the need to act to “restore the soul and secure the future of America”. He also quoted “the rise of political extremism, white supremacism, domestic terrorism”. But over the next eighteen months, the president mostly focused on legislative projects of a socio-economic nature, as if they were enough to restore normality in public life. The dramatic report established Thursday evening is also, in hollow, that of an American separatism, of the deep detachment of a fringe of the population, focused on questions of identity, intoxicated by lies of mass destruction on the supposed electoral frauds in 2020 or vaccines.
“Half-Fascism”
With the approach of the midterm elections, Joe Biden has decided not to claim only the recent good news, on the legislative front and that of the economy. Despite his wavering popularity, he chose to lead the offensive against the Republican base won over Trump and conspiracy theories. It is a question both of mobilizing the Democratic base, of sensitizing the undecided to the magnitude of the issues, and, finally, of reversing the very nature of this vote. Historically, the “midterms” express support for or rejection of any administration that has been in place for two years. But Joe Biden wants to add a referendum dimension to it: for or against Trump, who has been in judicial turmoil since the search of his home in Mar-a-Lago on August 8.
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