Joe Biden speaks to the UN General Assembly--and to us.

September 25, 2024

President Joe Biden delivered his final speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. It was a poignant moment like no other in the UN's history: an American president who stepped aside, speaking to assembled world leaders at a moment when the world is teetering between democracy and autocracy. President Biden used his half-century of experience on the world stage to urge those leaders not to despair in the face of unprecedented challenges.

The video of President Biden’s speech is here, Biden makes final UN speech as president, and the text of the speech is here: Remarks by President Biden Before UN Assembly.

President Biden traced the arc of his career, beginning as a 29-year-old US Senator. His message was one of perseverance and hope:

Back then, we were living through an inflection point, a moment of tension and uncertainty.  The world was divided by the Cold War.  The Middle East was headed toward war.  America was at war in Vietnam, and at that point, the longest war in America’s history.

Our country was divided and angry, and there were questions about our staying power and our future.  But even then, I entered public life not out of despair but out of optimism.

The United States and the world got through that moment.  It wasn’t easy or simple or without significant setbacks.  But we would go on to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons throughout the — through arms control and then go on to bring the Cold War itself to an end.  Israel and Egypt went to war but then forged a historic peace.  We ended the war in Vietnam.

President Biden then reflected on his election as president at a time of crisis:

Then I came to the presidency in another moment in a crisis and uncertainty.  I believed America had to look forward.  New challenges, new threats, new opportunities were in front of us.  We needed to put ourselves in a position to see the threats, to deal with the challenges, and to seize the opportunities as well.

I know — I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair, but I do not.  I won’t.

As leaders, we don’t have the luxury.

President Biden was speaking not only to world leaders assembled at the UN, but to all Americans who look at this moment of challenge and opportunity. He is speaking to us: We do not have the luxury of despair. There is work to do. It may take a long time to finish. It won’t be easy. And it may be that success is defined as enduring so that we can pass the torch to the next generation.

In standing before the UN as a president who selflessly stepped away from power to help preserve democracy in his own nation, Joe Biden towered over the world leaders who think of little else other than holding onto power.

Near the end of his speech, President Biden said,

Every age faces its challenges.  I saw it as a young man.  I see it today.

But we are stronger than we think.  We’re stronger together than alone.

Words to live by. Every day.

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Kamala Harris promises to carve out exception to filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade

In a significant policy announcement (and departure from Joe Biden’s policy), Kamala Harris promised to support an exception to the Senate filibuster to allow passage of a bill codifying the protections for reproductive rights previously recognized in Roe v. Wade. See Politico, Kamala Harris backs ending filibuster for abortion rights legislation. [Note to experts on the filibuster: I am using the term in the popular sense, to describe a cloture vote.]

There is a great deal of confusion surrounding the filibuster and what it means to create an exception to the Senate rule. Indeed, the Politico headline, above, misstates what Kamala Harris proposed. She did not propose to “end” the filibuster for abortion rights legislation, but merely to create an exception in a rule that is riddled with exceptions.

Before discussing the hypocrisy that surrounds the opposition to creating an exception to the filibuster, let’s skip to the most important part first: Despite popular belief to the contrary, it is possible to create an exception the filibuster with only 51 votes in the Senate. The complicated procedure is known as the “nuclear option,” but has been used in the recent past. Mitch McConnell created an exception to the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations when he wanted to jam Trump's reactionary justices through the Senate nomination process.

So, the important point is that Kamala Harris can restore the protections of Roe v. Wade with a 50-member Democratic caucus (which would include independents who caucus with Democrats). But for safety’s sake, Democrats should aim for 52 or 53 votes to pass the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal legislation. We must therefore focus our efforts on defending every seat (Senators Tester (MT) and Brown (OH)) and capturing new seats (Colin Allred (TX) and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL)).

Let’s get some common misconceptions out of the way. See, the excellent article by The Brennan Center, The Case Against the Filibuster | Brennan Center for Justice (October 30, 2020).

• The filibuster rule is NOT in the Constitution. Indeed, there is a strong argument that it is unconstitutional.

• The Senate filibuster rule did not exist for the first 129 years after the Constitution was ratified. Even then, it was used for the first several decades of its existence to speed the passage of legislation, not to block it.

• The filibuster does not “protect the rights of the minority.” To the contrary, the Constitution presumes that action by the Senate requires only a simple majority, with exceptions for super-majorities for treaties, convictions after impeachment, and overriding vetoes by the President The filibuster denies the rights of the majority expressly recognized by the Constitution.

• The Senate is designed to be an anti-democratic institution by giving disproportionate representation to small states. Layering on an additional undemocratic feature (the filibuster) grants extreme power over all legislation to 20% of the population. The filibuster thus does violence to the vision of the Framers of the Constitution.

• Exceptions to the filibuster were recently created in 2013 and 2017 to allow federal judicial nominations, including Supreme Court justices, to be enacted by a simple majority. Budget bills are not subject to the filibuster.

Since 1960, the increasing use of the filibuster has drastically reduced the productivity of the Senate. See the report by The Brennan Center.

In short, the filibuster is an antidemocratic, unconstitutional, productivity-killing tool that has been used to suppress voting rights and deny protection of rights to American citizens in the minority by exalting the partisan interests of the political party in the minority in the Senate—which was never the intention of the Framers.

Kamala Harris’s proposal to create an exception to the filibuster is a major policy announcement that will help move women closer to their rightful status as equal citizens under the Constitution. That should have been the headline story today. But unbelievably, the NYTimes ran with this headline: Manchin Won’t Endorse Harris After Her Call to End Filibuster Over Abortion Rights.

What?! The Times subordinates the major policy announcement that will promote the equality of all women to the political story of a has-been Senator who won’t be around to vote on Kamala Harris’s proposal on the filibuster. Shameful and disgraceful journalism at its worst! You really must make an effort to be that bad. The Times doesn’t care about women’s equality but is hot and bothered about what Joe Manchin is thinking. Did I say shameful and disgraceful? Unbelievable!

And for everyone who will write to me to say that the reporters don’t write the headlines, the Times editors and publishers are responsible for the headline writers. Apparently, the editors and publishers want trashy, clickbait headlines. Did I say shameful and disgraceful?

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Trump has crossed another line

Trump gave a speech on Monday that broke a new barrier: He blew past racist, antisemitic, and misogynistic barriers to plumb the depths of “creepiness.” In addressing the issue of reproductive rights, Trump appeared to be trying to “hypnotize” women by telling them that everything was fine, that their eyelids were growing heavy, and that they will cluck like chickens when he is elected. (For those who missed my tone, that last sentence used the literary device of sarcasm.)

See Talking Points Memo, Behold Trump’s New Creeptastic Quotes On Abortion. See also Aaron Rupar, Public Notice, Trump's pitch to women is getting weirder and weirder.

As noted in TPM and Public Notice, Trump said the following in an effort to convince women that he isn’t responsible for denying them reproductive freedom:

“I always thought women liked me. But the fake news keeps saying women don’t like me.”

“You will no longer be abandoned, lonely, or scared.”

“You will no longer be in danger.”

“You will be protected, and I will be your protector.”

“Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free.”

“You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”

Trump's comments are patronizing, offensive, weird, and creepy. When added to the comments of JD Vance and GOP candidate for the Senate Bernie Moreno (that women over 50 shouldn’t care about reproductive rights), it is incontestable that the GOP platform is anti-woman. But that fact has been clear for some time.

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Opportunities for Reader engagement

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Thanks to readers who contributed to Senators Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown

Readers of this newsletter responded with incredible generosity to my pitch to “close the gap” on Monday’s fundraiser for Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown—who face two of the toughest fights for reelection in the Senate. Senate Circle is still tallying the contributions and I will report back. But it is not too late to make a joint contribution to be split 50-50 by Senators Tester and Brown at this link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2024_mt_oh. (For amounts less than $100, just fill in the desired amount in the “additional contribution box”).

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Canvas with Vote Blue in NY, NJ, & PA

 Vote Blue NYC  is sending buses to congressional swing districts in NY, NJ & PA every Saturday and Sunday through Election Day.  No prior experience is necessary. Buses leave from Union Square East,  NYC. Training and lunch are provided on the bus!  This past weekend, local grassroots groups knocked on 22,000 doors in New York State. Sign up for the Vote Blue NYC mailing list to stay informed about upcoming buses and schedules, and click here for more bus information.

This weekend the buses are going to New York CD-4 (Valley Stream/LI) to support Laura Gillen, New Jersey CD7 to support Sue Altman: (Click here to sign up), and New York CD17 to support Mondaire Jones

(Click here to sign up).

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Concluding Thoughts

The 24-hour marathon of post-carding and presentations hosted by Markers for Democracy, Downtown Nasty Women’s Social Group (DTNWSG), and Team Min has concluded. I hope that the leaders and participants are getting some well-deserved rest. For those of you who missed it, the event was amazing—further evidence of why we should be confident about our prospects going into November.

The events featured dozens of speakers—including Nancy Pelosi, Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, among others. It was an uplifting event that demanded incredible logistical and technical skills. No one can doubt the power and effectiveness of the grassroots groups that have emerged to defend democracy from the threat of MAGA extremists.

The even better news is that the 24-hour marathon was one of hundreds of such events in the past month sponsored by dedicated grassroots organizations across the nation. Those events motivate and inspire volunteers to help get out the vote. There is no parallel effort in the Republican Party. While we cannot rely on Republicans to defeat themselves by lack of organization and apathy, we should take confidence from the fact that the Democratic grassroots base is energized and inexhaustible!

During my brief remarks (with Jessica Craven and Lucian Truscott), I made the point that “We aren’t going back.” No one involved in the 24-hour marathon will quit after November 5. The post-2016 grassroots movement has awakened the next generation and reactivated the generations that fought for civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights.

Having joined the fight, none of us are going to quit. With dedication, patience, and perseverance, we will keep democracy strong until future generations relieve us. That is our sacred obligation. And over the last 24 hours, Markers for Democracy, DNWSG, and Team Min demonstrated the commitment it will take to honor that obligation. Job well done!

Talk to you tomorrow!

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Daily Dose of Perspective

The image below shows the Fireworks Galaxy and an open star cluster cataloged as NGC 6939. Although captured in the same frame, the star cluster is within our home galaxy (The Milky Way), while the Fireworks Galaxy is located far outside of the Milky Way.

The Fireworks Galaxy is 22 million light-years from Earth, while the open star cluster is 5,900 light-years from Earth. They appear to be roughly the same size in the photo because the Fireworks Galaxy is 7,200 light years in diameter, while the open star cluster is only 17 light years in diameter.