President Biden on Friday delivered a ferocious condemnation of Donald J. Trump, his likely 2024 opponent, warning in searing language that the former president had directed an insurrection and would aim to undo the nation’s bedrock democracy if he returned to power.

On the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Mr. Trump’s supporters, Mr. Biden framed the coming election as a choice between a candidate devoted to upholding America’s centuries-old ideals and a chaos agent willing to discard them for his personal benefit.

“There’s no confusion about who Trump is or what he intends to do,” Mr. Biden warned in a speech at a community college not far from Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where George Washington commanded troops during the Revolutionary War. Exhorting supporters to prepare to vote this fall, he said: “We all know who Donald Trump is. The question is: Who are we?”

In an intensely personal address that at one point nearly led Mr. Biden to curse Mr. Trump by name, the president compared his rival to foreign autocrats who rule by fiat and lies. He said Mr. Trump had failed the basic test of American leaders, to trust the people to choose their elected officials and abide by their decisions.

“We must be clear,” Mr. Biden said. “Democracy is on the ballot. Your freedom is on the ballot.”

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  • Thunderbird4@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    -> You’ll be shot in the head if you don’t eat your Brussels sprouts.

    -> No, cookies and ice cream or nothing!

    Life and especially politics is full of compromises. Everybody compromises on something on every vote. You know what the stakes are, and you know what the consequences of inaction are.

    Unfortunately, “not Trump” IS a good enough reason, and you have the choice to come to terms with that fact before November, or during a Trump presidency/dictatorship.

        • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          aggressively petition our leaders

          This implies the working class has any impact on policy. The only ones with political influence are the donor class. When your single voice has the same impact on politicians as people like Jeff Bezos, then maybe. But you have no voice or representation in politics.

          The whole ‘push him left after the election’ hasn’t worked out so well, as Biden continued to shift to the right.

          • CileTheSane@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            This implies the working class has any impact on policy. The only ones with political influence are the donor class. When your single voice has the same impact on politicians as people like Jeff Bezos, then maybe. But you have no voice or representation in politics.

            You think that would improve in any way if Trump gets elected?

            I agree, it sucks that Dems don’t have to actually try right now. But the fact is Trump has openly said he would be a dictator (“just for one day”) and has openly demonstrated his unwillingness to ever give up power. When people tell you who they are, believe them.

            There’s no sense in “teaching Dems a lesson” to run a better candidate if it leads to a very real possibility of the Dems never being able to run a candidate again. Unfortunately right now the only 2 options are:

            1. teach the Republicans a lesson that they have to run reasonable candidates with reasonable policies or they will lose hard, then pressure Dems to run better candidates or the at least somewhat reasonable Republican candidate will win. Or:
            2. burn it all down and hope something better rises from the ashes (and that you and your loved ones survive).
          • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I mostly agree with that, but biden has shown that he can be swayed by public opinion. I wish he would hurry the fuck up when it comes to Israel, but he’s slowly moving to a harder stance.

            • GodlessCommie@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              When has he been swayed by opinion? He ignored cries for defunding police by doing the exact opposite. He’s ignored demands for healthcare, wages, housing. He won’t come around on Israel until all of Gaza has been cleansed. Then shrug his shoulders proclaiming he’s done the best he could

          • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Let me present a more charitable interpretation then.

            “Give me a better candidate or I’ll let fascists dismantle democracy.”

            Better?

            • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
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              1 year ago

              no, this is still a strawman.

              if you are going to argue with me, argue with what I’m saying, not some caricature you make up.

        • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
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          1 year ago

          >The system is bullshit but the best we can do is stave off fascism for another election,

          the system is already fascist. it doesn’t matter if you vote for the architect if the crime bill and the patriot act

    • Aceticon@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Sounds like the mental gymnastics people in Dictatorships, Slavery or Servitude use to justify going along with what their masters want.

      Better be the master’s trusted slave than the slave that gets beatings all the time, eh?!