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Biden Warns That MAGA Republicans Pose ‘Clear and Present Danger’ to Nation
It was fitting for Joe Biden to deliver Thursday night’s Independence Hall speech at a venue lit by gas lights. Backed by a blood-red background and two military men shrouded in darkness, the president condemned half the nation as insurrectionists who pose a “clear and present danger” to the United States.
The language was deliberate as it was divisive. “Clear and present danger” is a legal doctrine created by the Woodrow Wilson-era Supreme Court to curtail the free speech of Americans. At the time, an antiwar activist was jailed for advocating draft resistance during World War I. In Schenck v. United States (1919), Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., wrote for the majority:
The question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that the United States Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree. When a nation is at war, many things that might be said in time of peace are such a hindrance to its effort that their utterance will not be endured so long as men fight, and that no Court could regard them as protected by any constitutional right.
Thereafter, courts employed the “clear and present danger test” to limit citizens’ First Amendment rights. That is, until Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) replaced it to address only “imminent lawless action.”
Notably, Biden resurrected this extinct phrase to attack his political enemies just as the authoritarian Wilson used it to attack his detractors. He floated a legal pretext to silence Republicans heading into the midterm elections. The administration has already directed tech companies to ban dissenting voices on social media, so such a move would be in character. Not to mention using the FBI to raid Trump’s home and the DoJ to harass Trump’s legal team.
The speech, titled “Soul of the Nation,” was an attempt to reframe the November elections as a battle between the virtuous bearers of light (like himself) and the sinister, Ultra MAGA semi-fascists. His serial message-switching between good-vs.-evil rhetoric and bipartisan unity was jarring.
“Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic,” Biden said, adding they “are determined to take this country backward … promote authoritarian leaders and fan the flames of political violence.”
“For a long time, we’ve reassured ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed. But it is not,” Biden said between coughs. “We have to defend it. Protect it. Stand up for it. Each and every one of us.”
Having dropped back to a 38 percent approval rating, the president and his allies are obviously sweating the election looming two months away. Joe “he’s gonna put y’all back in chains” Biden has thus reverted to form, spreading hatred and division in the name of “preserving democracy.”
But a one-party state isn’t democracy. It’s an oligarchy at best and authoritarianism at worst.
Published in General
I think Democrats have calculated that to remain in power they have to run against Trump. All this as I see it is meant to make him the center of attention during the stretch run of the midterms, hope he and Republicans take the bait, and it all motives Democrats and Trump loathing independants to turn out in large numbers again. I think we need to keep the focus on inflation, the recession, and how absolutely [REDACTED] and corrupt everything is under their leadership.
Thank you Jonah for bring clear. We had no idea where you’d come down on this speech..
Show of hands: how many of us saw this coming? Ahhh, just as I thought: all of us.
The people who fund the Dispatch, Bulwark and Lincoln Project
Not all if us.
“Are you now, or ever have been, a member of the Republican Party?” What is it about late August and September that seems to be the history inflection point — the start of the US war on external terror, the start of the US war on internal terror, the US bugout from Afghanistan, the German/Russian invasion of Poland, the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths, the destruction of Jerusalem? Candles flicker before they go out. Was last night a flicker or an extinguishment?
Democrats just can’t hide their inner KKK. ‘Soul of a Nation’? An obvious dog-whistle for ‘Birth of a Nation’.
Oxymoronic? Or simply moronic? The Great unifier? I often thought that the more loudly someone proclaims to be something, they are least likely to be that. This is the Acme of that thought.
Spoiler: He doesn’t.
When asked for his reaction to PedoHitler’s Nuremberg rally, he demurred that he didn’t watch it. But then went on an anti-Trump Jan. 6th rant.
Who is the extremist?
Because nothing says “I’m against fascism” better than calling for mass arrests.
I didn’t watch it – the background staging was too spooky for me…….Republicans are going to run with that one when it’s ad time – just add a pitchfork and some horns……
The Fascist President of the United States, ole Joe Biden from Scranton.
This is what a real American Fascist sounds and acts like. He really is mainlining Hitler/Mussolini/Mao/Xi/etc in his own bumbling way. The only difference is that he’s not as competent in his attempts at tyranny.
It needs to be said, he is un-American. A dangerous embarrassment. The end of his Presidency cannot come soon enough. I’ve said it before, Harris will be an improvement. Nasty Pelosi would be better than this ugly, small, nasty, perverted, corrupt, disgusting husk. As Glenn Reynolds says, the cabal that foisted this man on us has a lot to answer for.
Yeah, yeah, I know, my above criticisms of him show we’re not fully fascist, yet. I’m not sure how that’s reassuring. He and his Administration are Hell-bent on overcoming any remaining hurdles.
Anyone supporting this disgusting person and his contemptible Administration is Un-American. It is not hypocritical to “Other” them, because that is what they are attempting to do to any Americans who disagree. They are an occupying power.
The questions that needs to be asked every Democrat politician include: “Are you a fascist authoritarian like the President of your party?” Is the Democrat party fully fascist now, or just a little?” “Do you reject the fascistic demonization by the Biden Administration of American citizens?” “What will you do to curb the fascistic instincts of the Biden Administration?”
Is she trolling?
Holy crap!
She is insane
Never go full Jen Rubin
She is the Madame Defarge of the Never Trump movement
Never before has the John Gill comparison been so apt.
More importantly someone is applauding it. Many someones.
Since she deleted it, probably not.
See, this is how Never Trump really feels about us Trump voters. Millions of us should be arrested.
Also funny, her name has “pro privacy” in it, and she support Biden.
This is deeply creepy and quite depressing…until I reminded myself that when Hitler balled up his little fists and give a bug-eyed rant about an enemy, it was one that represented less than 1% of the population of Germany. The geniuses behind last night’s blood-red backdrop somehow thought it was a good idea to declare half the country —74 million Americans—“our” enemy.
EDIT: That’s a lot of “mass” for Rubin’s Mass Arrests.
Moderator Note:
Expressing your desire to kill people is not acceptable on Ricochet.[redact]
So the Marine Corp is doing Democrat campaign events? Do they official rollup to the DNC now . . . you know, like the FBI does?
ding! ding! ding! We have the correct answer. It is a smart strategy for Biden to make the election about Trump, but it would work better if he did as the “happy warrior” instead of this “Dark Biden” character. I think the correct response for GOP candidates is to quickly mock Biden and pivot to the economy. As always “it’s the economy, stupid” is the correct strategy for the party not in power.
The Babylon Bee addressed Biden’s speech:
https://babylonbee.com/news/biden-condemns-fascism-in-speech-while-also-debuting-attractive-new-mustache
Anyone scared yet?
The American Fascist Party, who without irony refer to themselves as “Democrats”, are now unmasked.
And she is using a platform that pretty much has a direct pipeline to NSA so that all of her privacy can be safely stored in Utah.
Good point.