Biden urges voters to protect democracy ahead of midterm
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Sulaiman
- . November 3, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 1:05 am
Warning that American democracy is in danger, President Joe Biden called on the country on Wednesday night to use their votes in upcoming midterm elections to “stand up against lies, violence and dangerous ultra MAGA election disruptors who are trying to succeed where they failed in subverting the 2020 elections”. He declared “Silence is complicity”.
Biden made his remarks from Washington’s Union Station, which is blocks from the U.S. Capitol, just six days before polls close on November 8.
In the final round up to crucial midterm elections, president Biden singled out “ultra MAGA” Republicans, which is a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” or MAGA slogan, as he called them a “driving force of the Republican Party”.
President Biden also highlighted the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband last week in their California house, as he said that Trump’s false claims about rigged elections have “fueled the dangerous rise of political violence and voter intimidation over the past two years.” He added, “There’s an alarming rise in the number of people in this country condoning political violence or simply remaining silent. In our bones we know democracy is at risk, but we also know this: It’s in our power to preserve our democracy.”
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Mentioning the siege on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters, Biden remarked, “I wish I could say the assault on our democracy had ended that day. But I cannot.”
“As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America, for governor, Congress, attorney general, secretary of state, who won’t commit to accepting the results of the elections that they’re running in.” He continued, “That is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it’s un-American. As I’ve said before, you can’t love your country only when you win.”
President Biden’s comments have been criticized by some Republicans. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who will be speaker of the House if the GOP retakes control of the chamber, tweeted, “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.”
