Biden 'is a tyrant': Furious Republicans tear into President's speech

2022-11-03

Biden ‘is a tyrant’: Furious Republicans say President’s ‘patronizing’ speech saying democracy is ‘not the rule of monarchs’ and the midterms a battle with MAGA ‘dark forces’ won’t divide Americans and distract from his dire record

Republicans say Biden’s Wednesday night speech was another bid to divide and distract Americans
‘He is a tyrant,’ Republican Congressman Andy Biggs tweeted after the remarks at Union Station in D.C.
Biden said ‘democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of monarchs or the moneyed
He said next Tuesday’s vote is a decision on a a ‘republic’ where ‘reality is accepted’ or ‘dark forces’
Kevin McCarthy said speech was proof ‘he can’t talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living
Senator Tom Cotton said Biden thinks ‘democracy’ can happen when ‘Democrats having complete power’

Republicans have reacted with fury at President Joe Biden’s ‘divisive’ and ‘patronizing’ speech’ they say was a bid to divide Americans, try and distract them from his poor record and pit the midterms as a battle between the Democrats and ‘dark forces’ in then Republicans.

‘He is a tyrant,’ Republican Congressman Andy Biggs tweeted after the remarks at Washington D.C.’s crime-ridden Union Station where Biden said ‘democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of monarchs or the moneyed’ and warned of election deniers continuing Donald Trump’s Big Lie’ to try to overturn the 2022 election.

The president said next Tuesday’s vote is a decision on ‘whether we’re going to sustain a republic, where reality’s accepted’ or the ‘dark forces that thirst for power’ and a battle between ‘autocracy and democracy’.

He also tied the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi to Trump and his refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 presidential election, January 6 and MAGA Republicans.

‘This institution, this intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans, and nonpartisan officials just doing their jobs, are the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol, and even violence,’ he said.

‘We the people must decide whether the rule of law will prevail or whether we will allow the dark forces and thirst for power put ahead of the principles that have long guided us,’ he said.

The GOP said his remarks were a desperate attempt to trying and divert Americans’ attention away from his failure to address inflation, crime and the border. They also tore into his complaints of ‘autocracy’ when many of his policies, including his massive student loan forgiveness plan, were done without putting it to Congress.

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said: ‘President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite—because he can’t talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living. The American people aren’t buying it.’

Senator Tom Cotton said Biden thinks ‘democracy’ can only be achieved by ‘Democrats having complete power’ as the party looks set to lose the House and have an uphill battle to hold onto the Senate in the midterms.

President Joe Biden delivered a ‘divisive’ speech Wednesday night that got under Republican lawmakers’ skin with less than a week until Election Day as he linked the attack on Paul Pelosi to former President Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and labeled the 2022 midterms as a battle between democracy and autocracy.

Senator Tom Cotton said Biden thinks ‘democracy’ can only be achieved by ‘Democrats having complete power’ as the Party scrambles to try and hold onto power on Congress

Tennessee Representative Mark Green weighed-in on the ‘divisive speech’ by writing on Twitter: ‘Try as he might, President Biden can’t distract the American people from the truth.’

Biden began his remarks by drawing a connection between the attack on Paul Pelosi to Trump’s refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 presidential election, and warned ‘dark forces with a thirst for power’ will threaten democracy in the midterms.

‘They only care about attacking Trump. That’s it,’ Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted about Democrats following Biden’s remarks.

‘Joe Biden just proved to Americans that he doesn’t care that you can’t afford gas, can’t afford food, that our borders are invaded, and you’re victims of crime just like Paul Pelosi,’ she added.

‘Trump didn’t cause our problems, Biden did.’

Poll after poll shows that Americans’ top concern going into the 2022 midterms on November 8 is the economy, including inflation and gas prices.

Democrats, however, latched onto social issues like abortion rights to try and garner more support and avoid Republicans taking control in Congress.

‘Americans are fed up with Joe Biden,’ Arizona Representative Andy Biggs tweeted on Wednesday evening.

Arizona Representative Andy Biggs said Biden’s speech was ‘patronizing’ and called the president a ‘tyrant’

MTG said Americans are ‘victims of crime just like Paul Pelosi’ due to rising crime in U.S. cities and blamed Biden for ‘our problems’

Some Republicans said the attacking nature of the speech was a deflection from his inability to defend his record and save the flailing economy before Election Day

‘Instead of listening to their concerns, he responded by holding a national address to patronize them,’ Biggs added. ‘He is a tyrant.’

Biden didn’t call out Trump by name during his speech Wednesday, but said he saw next week’s election as a referendum on the former president’s claim that he won two years ago but was thwarted by voter fraud.

The former president continues to claim he is trying to ‘unite’ the country rather than further ‘divide’ Americans, but Representative Darrell Issa said ‘no one is buying’ it.

‘American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election ,’ Biden said in a speech at Washington D.C.’s Union Station.

‘And he’s made the big lie, an article of faith in the MAGA Republican Party,’ Biden said. ‘The great irony about the 2020 election is that it’s the most attacked election in our history. And, yet, there’s no election in our history that we can be more certain of its results. Every legal challenge that could have been brought was brought. Every recount that could have been undertaken was undertaken. Every recount confirmed the results.’

Biden attempted to pivot the conversation back to the protection of American democracy at a time voters say they are most worried about the economy and the high cost of living due to inflation. Crime remains another top concern.

Republicans accused him of trying to change the topic at a time voters give Biden low marks on how he has dealt with the economy and as the GOP sees a surge in momentum in the polls ahead of next Tuesday’s election.

‘Americans deserve a president focused on stopping inflation, crime, and illegal immigration, rather than demonizing his political opponents and desperately trying to distract from his disastrous record,’ Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee tweeted, calling Biden ‘out of touch’ with Americans.

Biden began his remarks by recounting last week’s attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Pelosi, and tied it into the violence that swarmed the Capitol building on January 6th during the insurrection.

He blasted the rising rate of violence in the country, citing dark forces at work.

‘We the people must decide whether the rule of law will prevail or whether we will allow the dark forces and thirst for power put ahead of the principles that have long guided us,’ he said.

President Joe Biden tied the attack on Paul Pelosi to former President Donald Trump and his refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 presidential election

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is escorted to a vehicle outside of her and husband Paul Pelosi’s home in San Francisco on Wednesday

Biden called on Americans of all political backgrounds to show their support for Democracy in the Nov 8th election when Republicans are predicted to take control of at least one chamber of Congress.

He pointed out at least 300 candidates on the ballot next week are refusing to say if they will accept the results of the election.

‘We the people must decide whether we will have fair and free elections, and every vote counts. We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic, where reality’s accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred,’ he said.

He painted the midterm election as a battle between democracy and autocracy.

‘Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of monarchs or the moneyed, but the rule of the people. Autocracy is the opposite of democracy. It means the rule of one, one person, one interest, one ideology, one party,’ he said.

‘This year I hope you’ll make the future of our democracy an important part of your decision to vote and how you vote,’ he said.

‘What we’re doing now is going to determine whether democracy will long endure,’ he warned.

Republicans blasted him for trying to bring a distraction from voters’ economic concerns.

‘President Biden is trying to divide and deflect at a time when America needs to unite—because he can’t talk about his policies that have driven up the cost of living. The American people aren’t buying it,’ House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter.

‘Desperate and dishonest. Joe Biden promised unity but has instead demonized and smeared Americans, while making life more expensive for all. While Republicans remain focused on the issues that matter most to voters, Biden and Democrats are flailing in the final days because they have lost touch with the concerns of families struggling to get by,’ Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement.

Biden spoke from the Columbus Club in Union Station, a few blocks from the Capitol building – the site of the January 6th insurrection where Donald Trump supporters tried to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.

His remarks come as Democrats fear defeat at the ballot box in the Nov. 8th election. Republicans are favored to win the House. The Senate is more competitive.

Biden noted this is the first election since that violent day on Capitol Hill.

He also acknowledged early voting has begun in many parts of the country and used it to point out that election intimidation has already begun.

President Biden’s speech came six days before the midterm election and he tried to set the election as a choice between democracy and autocracy

In his speech Biden tried to make the election a referendum on Donald Trump’s (above) ‘Big Lie’ that he actually won the 2020 election

Nancy Pelosi is pictured in December 2019 at a dinner with her husband Paul; Biden opened his speech by talking about the attack on Paul last week

David DePape, 42, is accused of breaking into Pelosi’s home and attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer

‘Instead of waiting until an election is over, they’re starting well before it. They’re starting now. They’ve emboldened violence and intimidation of voters and election officials. It’s estimated that there are more than 300 election deniers on the ballot all across America this year. We can’t ignore the impact this is having on our country. It’s damaging, it’s corrosive, and it’s destructive,’ he said.

He also warned that the results of many contests may not be known until a few days after the election.

‘We know that many states don’t start counting those ballots till after the polls close on November 8th. That means in some cases we won’t know the winner of the election for a few days until a few days after the election. It takes time to count all legitimate ballots in a legal and orderly manner. It’s always been important for citizens in the democracy to be informed and engaged. Now it’s important for a citizen to be patient as well. That’s how this is supposed to work,’ he said.

Biden’s speech was handled by the political arm of the party and not by the White House.

It comes amid a fear of political violence in the wake of the attack on Paul Pelosi, who remains in the hospital after being beaten by a hammer. Speaker Pelosi was seen Wednesday going to visit him.

Threats against members of Congress rose in the wake of Trump’s election and Speaker Pelosi was a target of his MAGA supporters on January 6th.

Meanwhile, in the runup to next week’s election, several Republican candidates have declined to say whether they would accept the results of their contests.

And Trump continues to spread the false claim he won the 2020 election. Meanwhile, a majority of Republican nominees on the ballot this November for the House, Senate and key statewide offices — 291 in all — have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election, according to a Washington Post analysis.

Union Station, the location of Biden’s remarks, has become a hotbed of crime in the nation’s capital, with a Starbucks closing in July over safety concerns and homeless setting up tents outside the entrance.

There was also a shooting outside of the station’s Shake Shack in September.

The location of the speech was deliberately chosen to raise comparisons from the January 6th insurrection.

‘He’ll be making this speech from Capitol Hill…because on January 6th we saw violence geared towards subverting Democratic processes there. So it is an appropriate place to make these remarks tonight,’ White House adviser Anita Dunn told an Axios panel early Wednesday.

She said the president ‘will be very clear tonight that he is speaking to people who don´t agree with him on any issues, who don´t agree on his agenda, but who really can unite behind this idea of this fundamental value of democracy.’

Biden often talks about the fight for the ‘soul of the nation’ and has said democracy is on the ballot.

But polls show the economy is the top concern for voters ahead of the Nov. 8 election that will decide the control of Congress.

A Gallup poll out on Monday found that 49% said the economy was their top issue, followed by abortion and crime at 42% and 40%.

Trump’s MAGA supporters at the Capitol on January 6th

President Biden spoke to a crowd of about 150 young Democrats, many of whom waited a few hours to get into his remarks

Biden’s target audience for his remarks, however, could be his own Democrats.

An NPR/PBS/Marist survey found that enthusiasm is down among Democratic voters compared to Republicans.

Black voters, Latinos and young voters – all key Democratic voting groups – are among the least fired up about the election.

Meanwhile, older voters, Trump voters, white evangelical Christians and rural voters — all major Republican groups — are ready to vote.

Democrats see preserving democracy and abortion rights as motivators for their base.

Since the Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case, which overturned Roe v. Wade, Biden and his surrogates has emphasized reproductive rights are at a risk and point to Republican efforts to pass laws outlawing abortion.

Biden mentions both issues on the stump frequently. He even brought it up in Wednesday interview on the Smartless podcast when he talked with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett.

‘People have to vote,’ the president said. ‘Look, the best example is the Supreme Court in the Dobbs decision said there’s a line from one of the justices saying, ‘Women have a right to vote. We’ll see if they do.’ You saw what happened in Tennessee. Women showed up and vote. Women are out registering men for the first time significantly for this new election.’

Biden also voiced his worries about election deniers.

‘I worry about the states that have the election deniers in them, making it harder practically for them to vote. That’s what I worry about the Supreme Court decisions on voting that are coming down, that are gonna be coming down,’ he said.

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