A tale of two presidents.

October 28, 2022

[No audio version tonight; ran out of time!]

          The presidents of the U.S. and Russia gave major speeches on Wednesday, but the media is distracted by Elon Musk’s forced purchase of Twitter, so neither presidential speech got the coverage it deserved. Putin’s was second-page news in much of the media, but Biden’s speech was effectively ignored. Biden’s speech isn’t on the NYTimes front page (or even in its general news section); instead, it is the twenty-first listed story in the Times “Politics” section. Ah, well! I guess it wasn’t “newsworthy” because Biden was talking about the positive economic news released on Wednesday, i.e., that the U.S. economy grew by 2.6 percent during the third quarter of the year.  See The Hill, Biden sharpens economic message in trip to Syracuse. The text of the speech is here.

          The third quarter increase in GDP reverses two-quarters of contractions and may—or may not—be enough to ward off a recession. But it is, at the very least, a relevant data point in an election where Republicans have made “inflation” and “the economy” their number one issue. Biden used the development to remind voters that Republicans have no plan to fight inflation or improve the economy.

Republicans used to always have platforms [that said] “This is what they’re for.” Well, they can’t tell you what they’re for, but they’ll make sure they tell you what they’re against.

Well, they can’t tell you what they’re for, but they’ll make sure — they’ll tell you what they’re against.  They’re going to give the power we just gave to Medicare to lower drug prices back to Big Pharma to raise prices instead.

The cap on — the $2,000 cap on prescription drugs for seniors, gone if Kevin [McCarthy] has his way.

The $35-a-month cap on insulin for diabetes for seniors — gone.

Savings on healthcare premiums — the $800 a year for literally millions of Americans under the Affordable Care Act — gone.

          As Biden noted, reversing the above policies or slashing social programs will hurt the economy, increase the deficit, and squeeze tens of millions of Americans who need those programs to deal with the effects of inflation. It was, in effect, Biden’s closing argument in advance of the midterms, an argument that ended with a message of optimism about America’s future:

          We just have to remember, for God’s sake, who we are.  We are the United States of America. There is nothing beyond our capacity.  And we’re the only nation in the world that has come out of every crisis better than when we went into the crisis.  And, folks, we’re going to do it again.

          Putin likewise gave a closing argument regarding the US midterms—in support of the MAGA extremist agenda. In a truly twisted speech, Putin tried to woo social conservatives in the US and around the world. As reported by the NYTimes, Putin said,

[t]here are at least two Wests. One, he said, is a West of “traditional, mainly Christian values” for which Russians feel a kinship. But, he said, “there’s another West — aggressive, cosmopolitan, neocolonial, acting as the weapon of the neoliberal elite,” and trying to impose its “pretty strange” values on everyone else. He peppered his remarks with references to “dozens of genders” and “gay parades.”

          Putin’s language would fit comfortably in a rally led by Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kari Lake, or Ron DeSantis. See NYTimes, Putin Says Russia Is Battling ‘Strange’ Western Elites. While the overlap of Putin’s Christian nationalism and anti-LGBTQ hate speech should give the GOP pause, it will not. Instead, it will encourage and embolden the extremists in the GOP. They will force their leadership to introduce reactionary legislation as political theater to feed the grievance machine that sustains the MAGA base.

          Putin’s speech was also filled with lies and revisionist history that will fool no one—but that will be parroted by Republican isolationists who believe that the US should turn its back on the global alliance that has maintained the infrastructure of peace since WWII.  Putin asserted that the only way to guarantee peace in Ukraine is for it to be absorbed into Russia. He said,

[I]t is a “historical fact” that Ukrainians and Russians are fundamentally “one people” that were wrongly separated into “different states.” . . . [and that] Ukraine has “lost its sovereignty”. . . .

See Institute for the Study of War, Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 27.

          So, on a day when two presidents gave closing arguments (albeit to different audiences), the American president challenged the forces of division and hate, while the Russian president summoned them. That speaks volumes about America and Russia—and Democrats and Republicans.

Election Resources.

          Reader Stephen G. sent two links to helpful resources for the midterms. The first is a spreadsheet that allows you to easily identify engagement opportunities for specific candidates, states, or issues. Per Stephen, “Phone bank. text bank, write letters – everthing is on this list. There is something for everyone. Got an hour or 90 minutes to spare, you’ll find a GOTV activity that works for you!” Link to spread sheet here: HERE

          The second contains a wealth of information on issues, messaging points, and resources. See Democrats Deliver. If you find yourself in need of a summary of the accomplishment of Joe Biden, the Democratic legislative agenda, or overall “messaging points,” Democrats Deliver is a terrific resource! It is a bit difficult to describe the utility and quality of this resource, so I urge you spend a few minutes exploring the site. For example, if you click on “What a difference a president can make,” you will be directed to this comprehensive list of Joe Biden’s accomplishments: What A Difference A President Makes PDF.

The real-life consequences of Ye’s antisemitism.

          The recent antisemitic remarks by Ye are already seeping into the social media of his followers. I won’t link to those posts to avoid amplifying them, but a prominent college athlete and California politician have promoted social media posts that repeat or endorse Ye’s antisemitic statements. It is difficult to overstate the influence of Ye on generations of young people. That is why it is so important to unequivocally condemn Ye’s conduct—to limit its spread. But as Yair Rosenberg writes in The Atlantic, the real danger of Ye’s influence is that it gives permission to others to voice preexisting bigotry. As Rosenberg writes,

Ye’s meltdown momentarily focused attention on anti-Semitism that society prefers not to notice. What he was saying was not new; it was just impossible to ignore. Much like his kindred spirit, Donald Trump, Ye has demonstrated a perverse propensity for exposing the ugly underbelly of abiding bigotry that we’d like to think we’ve overcome.

          Speaking of the ugly underbelly of abiding bigotry, the GOP members of the House Judiciary Committee have yet to remove their Twitter post that praises Ye, which says, “Kanye. Elon. Trump.”

Republicans double-down on their mockery of John Fetterman’s disability.

          The media coverage of John Fetterman’s debate with Dr. Oz was a disgrace. See Dan Pfeiffer, The Message Box, The Infuriatingly Lazy Coverage of the Fetterman-Oz Debate. Pfeiffer describes the many ways in which the media failed in their journalistic duties; indeed, they failed so badly that they effectively became surrogates of the Oz campaign. Pfeiffer writes:

[T]he press should spend more time reporting on the campaign and less time trying to influence it with hot takes designed to drive clicks and retweets. By raising the wrong questions and focusing on meaningless optics, many in the political press did the bidding of the Oz campaign.

          Republicans were gleeful with the media’s focus on Fetterman’s disability to the exclusion of Oz’s career-ending gaffes during the debate. Indeed, Republicans decided to amplify the media’s focus on Fetterman’s disability. Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, mocked both Fetterman and Biden (a stutterer) by saying that, together, they couldn’t couldn’t “get a full sentence out.” See Raw Story, ‘Maybe they can get a full sentence out’: Ronna McDaniel mocks Fetterman and Biden campaigning together.

          If the GOP or McDaniel had a conscience, she would be suffering the moral indignation and censure that has met Ye’s antisemitism. The Nazi’s didn’t start their genocide by killing Jews; they started with state-mandated euthanasia against children with disabilities. McDaniel’s decision to mock two men with disabilities is a slippery slope—and a disturbing window into the darkened hearts of Republican leadership.

Concluding Thoughts.

          On Wednesday, the insurrectionist who helped attack Officer Michael Fanone on January 6 was sentenced to 90 months in prison, less than the statutory maximum of 96 months. When I heard about the sentence while driving an errand, I was annoyed and disappointed. We have seen the video of rioters savagely beating Officer Fanone and have heard this compelling testimony that he thought he was going to die. He has been forced to quit work because of permanent disabilities. And yet, the man chiefly responsible for that beating was not sentenced to the maximum term. In my mind, it was just another example of the judiciary not taking the January 6th insurrection seriously enough.

          And then I read Joyce Vance’s essay on Substack, Civil Discourse, In Praise of the Federal Judiciary. Vance explains why the sentence was appropriate and just under the federal sentencing guidelines. More importantly, she highlights the comments that federal judge Amy Berman Jackson made in connection with the sentencing. As Vance notes, Judge Jackson spoke boldly about this fraught political moment, calling out those who have perverted the narrative into one in which Officer Fanone is “the bad guy” and the rioters are “the good guys.” Judge Jackson acknowledged that the threat of January 6th remains, saying,

The dark shadow of tyranny unfortunately has not gone away. Some people are directing their vitriol at Officer Fanone and not at the people who summoned the mob in the first place.

          In measured and judicious terms, Judge Jackson pointedly called out Trump for his role in “summoning the mob.” Some day soon, Trump will be defending himself in a federal court on a multiple-count indictment. That courtroom is likely to be in Washington, D.C. Judge Jackson’s fair but resolute view of what happened on January 6th should give us all hope that when Trump is finally brought to the bar of justice, he will be held to account. But most importantly, Vance notes that we must all be “Judge Jacksons.” Vance writes,

It’s essential to help people see how important it is to vote for democracy in this election and to vote against people who believe in the ongoing insurrection or are willing to turn a blind eye to it. We can all be Amy Berman Jacksons in our own right, finding ways to make sure people understand what’s at stake. The Judge’s words today are a good place to start in your conversations. This is no time to look away from the truth.

          That is a powerful place to end this evening. Vote, and be a witness to the truth. If we can do that with consistency and courage, we cannot fail.

          I will be in touch over the weekend. Stay strong!