House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) has suggested that the GOP should reconsider how they invite presidents to give the State of the Union address claiming that Biden’s recent speech was “divisive” and “hyper-partisan”. But this is simply another example of the extreme right wing projecting on the Democrats, especially when pretty much everything that comes out of Trump’s mouth certainly fits the “divisive” and “hyper-partisan” description. Just this last week, he promised a “bloodbath” in the country if he is not reelected and made the following comment about undocumented immigrants:
I don’t know if you call them people. In some cases they’re not people, in my opinion. But I’m not allowed to say that because the radical left says that’s a terrible thing to say.
The GOP seems perfectly okay with the apocalyptic and clearly racist messages that Trump sends, and yet derides Biden when he succeeded in defying concerns about his age and delivering a rather engaging speech. During the SOTU address, he touted the economic recovery that the U.S. is experiencing, he promised to support women’s reproductive rights in the face of state laws that are banning abortion, he called for a minimum tax rate for billionaires, he promised to continue working for affordable health care and cheaper drug prices, he promised support for the people in Palestine, and more. (Read more about the SOTU at this link.) While these are positions that the extreme right wing–which has taken control of the GOP–is not onboard with, they are generally popular with the majority of the people across this country. And if you want a true example of a “divisive” and “hyper-partisan” speech–beyond Trump–look no further than the rather creepy rebuttal delivered by Republican Senator Katie Britt following the State of the Union.
The fact is that the right wing projects its own negative actions onto the Democrats while trying to present the GOP as the better option for the country. And sadly, they are particularly good at this particular bait-and-switch type messaging, while the Democrats struggle to successfully communicate their accomplishments. Biden did a particularly good job with the State of the Union this year, and much of what he said could act as a launching point for bringing some semblance of unity back to the country. Don’t believe the misinformation from the extreme right, and watch the speech yourself if he you have not seen it yet. And while I myself still have reservations about Biden, and I don’t consider myself a Democrat, his record so far is pretty good and he is the much better choice to lead the nation going into the next presidential term.