३ नोव्हेंबर, २०२२

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred."

Said President Biden in his speech last night. 

I'm reading the transcript. He's talking about the midterm elections and he's saying the main issue is — not the economy, not crime, not abortion — but democracy itself, as if we can vote for democracy.

We participate in democracy when we vote. But how do you vote for democracy? Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?

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.

Is that on the ballot? I'd like "a republic where reality is accepted," but my President is raving about "dark forces." I presume he means that anyone who questions the accuracy of the voting procedures and vote counts is failing to "accept reality" and maybe also that people who think like that are part of the "dark forces."

As for the "thirst for power," isn't every candidate thirsting for power? I'd say yes, and that's a "reality" I simply "accept," but I don't think the elections next week are about which candidates are thirstier. It would be silly — and not reality-based — to vote based on which candidate seems less thirsty and less dark. It's like we're in a comic-book movie. Biden purports to call us to well-grounded sanity, but he speaks a language of free-floating fantasy.

Biden proceeds to blame Trump: "American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election."

Every legal challenge that could have been brought, was brought. Every recount that could have been undertaken, was undertaken. Every recount confirmed the results. Wherever fact or evidence had been demanded, the big lie has been proven to be just that, a big lie.

I agree that the result should be accepted for the good of the country, but not that following the available legal procedures proves that the conclusion reached in those procedures is the same as what we'd get from longer, more nearly perfect procedures. It's an American tradition to go on inquiring into the results of concluded legal proceedings, even as we are also realistic about the practical need to accept court judgments and move forward.

This isn't the first time the Hitler-coined term "the big lie" has been used against those who still question the results of the 2020 election. If Biden really wanted to call us to sanity and calm reasonableness, would he speak to us this way?

With democracy on the ballot, we have to remember these first principles. Democracy means the rule of the people.... Autocracy... means the rule of one, one person, one interest, one ideology, one party.... Make no mistake, democracy is on the ballot for all of us.... Because democracy is on the ballot....

He keeps saying it, "democracy is on the ballot." It's not true, but I guess his people liked the sound of it. It would make more sense to say "democracy is the ballot."

"Democracy is on the ballot" is a way to say — without saying — that you ought to vote for the Democratic Party candidate. But Biden keeps it superficially nonpartisan: Just vote and then peacefully accept the results that emerge from the existing legal process.

A vote is not a partisan tool to be counted when it helps your candidates and tossed aside when it doesn’t... We don’t settle our differences, America, with a riot, a mob, or a bullet, or a hammer. We settle them peacefully at the ballot box....

 And don't be violent:

There’s an alarming rise in the number of our people in this country condoning political violence, or simply remain silent because silence is complicity.... All of us who reject political violence and voter intimidation, and I believe that’s the overwhelming majority of the American people, all of us must unite to make it absolutely clear that violence and intimidation have no place in America.....

I agree, of course. But questioning the announced results of elections is not violence. It is part of freedom of speech, and active, non-violent protesting is part of the American tradition. I lived through an especially vivid example of that here in Wisconsin in 2011, when protesters stormed the state capitol and chanted "This is what democracy looks like." Democracy wasn't just the election and the announced legal result, it was all the pressure the losing side could exert. 

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, that will not commit to accepting the results of the election that they’re running in. This is a path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful, and it’s un-American....

They only need to commit to refraining from calling for violence. The rest — the protests, the dogged sticking to a losing position — is absolutely not unlawful — it's free speech — and absolutely not un-American. 

Biden ends with an idea that — at long last — translates "democracy is on the ballot" into something that does make sense:

This year I hope you’ll make the future of our democracy an important part of your decision to vote and how you vote. I hope you’ll ask a simple question of each candidate you might vote for. Will that person accept the legitimate will of the American people and the people voting in his district or her district? Will that person accept the outcome of the election, win or lose? The answer to that question is vital. And, in my opinion, it should be decisive.

"Democracy is on the ballot" = Vote against any candidate who would not make the promise to accept the results of the election.

So I get what he's saying. I wouldn't base my vote on the failure of a given Republican to take an oath foisted on him by Democrats, but perhaps the President's words will motivate some voters.

१२८ टिप्पण्या:

Ficta म्हणाले...

"Democracy is on the ballot". Translation: "We're planning to cheat again".

Sebastian म्हणाले...

""Democracy is on the ballot" = Vote against any candidate who would not make the promise to accept the results of the election."

So, Kemp should get 99% of the vote?

But of course, per the Althouse theorem, progs don't believe what they profess to believe.

Anyway, slight slight of hand in prog rhetoric now: democracy is about denying election denial but democracy is also about more than elections: "our democracy" = prog policy and power. Goes back a long way. W. Novak wrote a good book about it: New Democracy.

Mr Wibble म्हणाले...

"reality is accepted" says the party which spent four years insisting that the Russians hacked the 2016 election.

"the law is obeyed" says the party which locked down businesses and schools and forbid public gatherings, enforced by the police, but then permitted- nay, outright encouraged- massive protests and riots.

"Your vote is truly sacred" unless you're a military voter mailing in an overseas ballot.

mikee म्हणाले...

This from the guy who insists Antifa doesn't exist. I will accord his statements last night the exact attention they deserve, none.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Then why didn’t the Dems take affirmative actions to make our elections secure and transparent?

Answer: Because the Dems benefit from cheating!

Paper ballots, voter ID, limited absentee, etc. should be mandatory.

Christopher B म्हणाले...

"American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refused to accept the results of the 2020 election."

Who is in the Oval Office right now? Did I miss something?

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Pretty funny coming from a guy who stole the last election.

Am I going to be jailed for this thought crime?

Humperdink म्हणाले...

Stacey Abrams (D-Denier) was unavailable for comment.

Humperdink म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Ron Winkleheimer म्हणाले...

All this talk about unquestioning acceptance of the election results and cautioning that it could take days to determine who actually won makes me think they are going to commit massive amounts of fraud. And start arresting people who object.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

My guess is that dems are planning massive fraud and Biden's preparing the battle space.

The line about not learning the results for several days suggests that every such race will be won by dems. Everything within the margin of cheating will go left after a few days.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

I don't know if there is a bottom to the chutzpa barrel, but the Democrats are looking hard for it.

gilbar म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted

Or, as he said before.. We Choose TRUTH over Facts

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

The Dems constantly use the strawman of how Trump lost all his election lawsuits. That proves nothing.

Cheating has to be stopped before it happens. The legal system is notvreally built to handle election cases. I filed an original writ of mandamus in the Nebraska Supreme Court in the Democrat primary for Governor. The Court just sat on it. Courts don’t want to be involved! That I can tell you!

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Everybody on the right favors going along with the vote. The question is the counting. That's where the fraud happens.

gilbar म्हणाले...

Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?

yes! that is EXACTLY what he is saying. Anyone that refuses to vote democrat, is a TRAITOR to the party

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

“Autocracy... means the rule of one, one person, one interest, one ideology, one party...”

Says the guy who issues Executive Orders left and right.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Biden said "battle" for "ballot" once but corrected himself. I don't know if dementia amplifies or diminishes Freudian slips.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

I’m so tired of trying to make sense of these stupid speeches. Every democrat running uses this weird extreme and yet frustratingly nonspecific language. It’s annoying. They want to yell at us but have nothing of substance to say. Tim Ryan’s town hall the other night was more of the same:

“I’m against late term abortion.”
“So you agree with Ohio’s ban after 22 weeks?”
“No I’m not.”
“And you voted for the House abortion bill that could not even pass with D majority?”
“It’s important to reverse Dobbs.”
“But there’s no limits in that House bill!”
“I’m against late term abortion.”

Even the audience groaned at the absurdity of this election. Joe’s vocabulary is full of big scary phrases and amorphous assertions and kindergarten name calling but the fury truly signifies nothing. No solutions. No specifics. No promises. It’s obvious his plan is to keep doing nothing about the border and crime and inflation and leave his plan to kill off fossil fuel companies in place ensuring more misery dead ahead.

Enigma म्हणाले...

I'd love to see Biden's comments about the innumerable lefty peaceful-and-violent protests against Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, and G.W. Bush.

Also note the deleted White House tweet yesterday: "Seniors are getting the biggest increase in their Social Security checks in 10 years through President Biden's leadership."

1. Nixon set COLA adjustments to Social Security in 1972
2. Biden's 'leadership' caused inflation, so yeah...Biden is the 'inflation leader.'

Reject projection. Accept reality.

Robert Roy म्हणाले...

I like how the solution to keep democracy and prevent autocracy, or only one party being in power, is to vote to continue giving Democrats both houses of Congress along with having the White House.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

2020 riots that caused over a billion in damage... The law was trashed on behalf of leftist rage.
But leftist rage is reality and it's sacred. Right, Crook biden?

How is the rule of law exists - after the Soros democrats defunded and demoralized the police?

No cash bail & catch and release, and open borders - and a wink and a nod at all antifa arson?


Tank म्हणाले...

"It's like we're in a comic-book movie."

Ya.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

What was all that stuff in the Constitution about procedures when the legitimacy of the counting was questioned? It doesn't seem like a well worked out plan but the possibility is right there in the Constitution, as if it's American.

Rit म्हणाले...

The short version of Biden's screed: We may have to destroy democracy in order to save it.

Achilles म्हणाले...

Joe Biden pushed the Russian Collusion hoax for 4 years.

Then the Democrat party mailed in 20 million votes to steal the 2020 election.

And they want to complain about Trump not accepting the results?

Accepting Joe Biden and his obvious corruption is not good for the country. They wouldn't accept the 2016 election and claimed Russians hacked it with zero evidence and spent 4 years undermining the Trump presidency.

These people are looting the treasury and trying to start a nuclear war as we speak. They are running the economy into the ground on purpose.

You are wrong Ann.

Joe Biden is an illegitimate president and he is a clear threat to our freedom of speech, our natural rights of self defense and to a free Republic.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

RH 7:36 - nails it.

Biden preps with the left's - keep "counting" until the left wins scenario. and you will be called an "election denier" if you dare question the results.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

"Democrats Worried Republicans May Take Lead Beyond Margin of Cheating" Babylon Bee.

Earnest Prole म्हणाले...

As I noted yesterday, "Democracy Hangs by a Thread" is professional Democrats’ dopey version of Republicans' dopey "Flight 93 Election,” but the polling cross-tabs reveal only a tiny percentage of their hard-core base actually believes this lame formulation.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

If you want Voter ID - you are a racist, an election denier, and a dark force.

Got that?

Temujin म्हणाले...

Oy. He follows The Red Speech with this.

The idea that 'democracy is on the line in this election' has been the theme of the left and far left networks and publications for sometime now. From Joe & Mika in the am to Don Lemon or whomever is closing out CNN at night these days...for months. From Jennifer Rubin at WaPo to 'name your writer' at The Atlantic. A vote for Democrats saves democracy. A vote for Republicans will be the end of democracy. Democrats can own the media, control speech through Big Tech, and send out hundreds of executive orders- but somehow manage to not be autocrats. Republicans, just by their very existence and questions they may have about election integrity, or FBI integrity, or DoJ integrity are the autocrats.

Your questions equal the end of democracy, in the eyes of the Far Left, which is today's Democratic Party. When your speech is censored, and you are reviled or threatened, or even jailed for your questions, well...it's probably past time to do something about it. That is, if you truly believe in democracy and freedom. Next Tuesday, I believe Joe Biden will get his answer.

As an aside, I've never in my lifetime seen a worse version of the Democratic Party than the one on display all across the country today. And I've never seen a less competent, less honest, less corrupt administration than the one sitting in as President and Vice President today, along with the 'team' they've put together. We are at the bottom, folks. This coming Tuesday is just the beginning of a massive and needed purge that will go on for another 2-4 years.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Did he happen to say why the DOJ is holding secret meetings with only left-wing “voting rights” groups? What fresh BS from hell are they planning now? I’m starting to warm to the idea of a national law that all voting and counting take place on Election Day. Fuck these “count until we cheat enough” farces!

Old and slow म्हणाले...

They are planning to cheat on an unprecedented scale. And God help anyone who protests.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

The entire leftwing apparatus - including Crook Biden- stayed silent when Kavanagh was almost murdered... when Lee Zeldin was almost wounded or worse by a crazed leftist with a knife.
After the congressional baseball game shooting... after Rand Paul was attacked.

and on and on...


The Pelosi hammer event - almost feels staged. The timing is spot on.

Achilles म्हणाले...

What the democrats are scared of is that Arizona is going to be run by Kari Lake after this is all over and she is going to actually investigate the 2020 election.

The democrats are scared of actual audits of the 2020 election.

And they censor people who question it.

People who block transparency and use censorship have never been the good guys at any point in history.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Refuses to pledge to accept what the media call the result. Presumably because questions remain. Which way is reality?

The dem reality is that you can't defeat them. Any means possible.

The right's inclination is for methods of voting that make fraud hard. Solid chains of custody, no computers. So that any surviving fraud isn't in the hundreds of thousands of votes.

It doesn't have to be perfect but it has to be small.

clint म्हणाले...

Apparently, my vote is only sacred if I vote for his team.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

If I had to guess - and it's only a guess - people like Bill Kristol, Jen Rubin and Max Boot - are all on the receiving end of the military industrial complex funding.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

It's funny how the left pretend or claim to despise Putin - yet cannot see the totalitarian Putin under biden's old-man mask.

Lloyd W. Robertson म्हणाले...

Maybe the official line is: since leading Dems have never to our knowledge actually tried to stop certification in the January after an election, and Trump at least expressed the wish to stop it, we now know how to distinguish good from evil. Dems: 2020 street protests, many unlawful and unconstitutional efforts to remove Trump from office or handicap his 2020 campaign, smearing of many people who vote for restrictions on immigration, and America-first trade and security policies: good. Street crime and homeless encampments insofar as they achieve social justice: good. Trump evil. Dem words that may or may not lead to violence: good. Trumpian words that may or may not lead to violence (presumably protected by the Constitution): evil.

Those poor Jan. 6 protesters, who deliberately did not bring their guns, some of them I guess mentally ill, are carrying a heavy weight for the Dem and woke agendas. All evil, all the time.

phantommut म्हणाले...

Not to worry. In six days questioning election results will once more be patriotic.

M म्हणाले...

“ Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?”

Don’t be coy. You know that’s what he is saying. Nearly every major Democrat politician has said that publicly since the hate spewing Obama emboldened them into thinking they were going to get another shot at an eternal “Camelot”. Your party now states publicly that anyone who doesn’t agree with them is a delusional, dangerous traitor.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

The national Democrat party needs to be RICO'd. And promptly.

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

"Paper ballots, voter ID, limited absentee, etc. should be mandatory."

You should append "just like Europe".

tim maguire म्हणाले...

Temujin said...This coming Tuesday is just the beginning of a massive and needed purge that will go on for another 2-4 years.

The sad thing is, it won't really help. Any time one party holds all the cards, they make a hash of things and the voters punish them in the following election cycles. At the end of 2024, the Republicans will have it all, and they'll screw it up so that by the end of the decade, the Democrats will have it back. This whipsaw seems to get worse over time--it's gaining momentum instead of losing it.

The voters will continue to do their part by making sure no one criminal cabal rules for too long, but that's the best we can hope for for the foreseeable future.

Wince म्हणाले...

I'd like "a republic where reality is accepted," but my President is raving about "dark forces."

"But doesn't it make you nervous when you're dealing with all those evil forces?"

Mrs Whatsit म्हणाले...

Isn't the phrase "dark forces" racist?

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

Biden - a dark force. biden - a crook - who is allowed to be a crook. biden - a totalitarian puppet for the most corrupt forces controlling our lives.

tim maguire म्हणाले...

rhhardin said..."Democrats Worried Republicans May Take Lead Beyond Margin of Cheating" Babylon Bee.

I'd love to see a breakdown of races won by less than 1%. We like to talk about the margin of cheating, but, if there is one, data mining should be able to find it.

Kevin म्हणाले...

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.

Agreed!

But I do not think those words mean what you think they mean.

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

Election fraud in Pennsylvania -- and how to stop it

Big ballot-harvesting operation busted in Orlando, Florida

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred."

How I wish this part was true.

Butkus51 म्हणाले...

Maybe we should get Taylor Lorenz's view of things.

Cappy म्हणाले...

I signed up for The Dark Forces, but was too light skinned.

Saint Croix म्हणाले...

It will be interesting to see if the Democrats will accept the votes in the midterm elections, or if they fight against the people's will.

wendybar म्हणाले...

The White House’s adventures in wonderland

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2022/11/03/commentary/world-commentary/u-s-elections/

Mike Sylwester म्हणाले...

A big reason why Hillary Clinton lost in the 2016 Presidential election is that too many Black men did not vote.

A big part of the Democrats' solution is to enable the continual harassment of Black men to make sure they do vote.

The voting period is extended as long as possible -- two or more weeks -- before Election Day, and ballots are mailed to their homes.

This arrangement enables Democrat activists ("ballot harvesters") to visit the Black men persistently and repeatedly to make sure they fill in and hand over their ballots to the activists, who will deliver them in bulk to the drop boxes.

The Black men do not even have to fill in the ballots. They simply can give the blank ballots to the activists, who will do all the rest.

Of course, Black men are not the only subjects, but they are the primary subjects.

Rory म्हणाले...

"thirst for power"

Joe Biden first ran for office when he was 27 years old.

Unclebiffy म्हणाले...

Can someone please remind me who stated, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism". Does that rule no longer apply? If not, why not?

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Reality is that Biden is mentally unfit for office.

Breezy म्हणाले...

Given the latest polls, the country will erupt if the repudiation of the Dems is not stiff and severe. Any hint of vote tally manipulation will reap a whirlwind, and prove Trump correct, IMHO.

Jake म्हणाले...

Are we a Republic or a Democracy?

Gahrie म्हणाले...

Could you imagine the meltdowns if Trump had made this speech (switching Democrat for Republican and vice versa) before the 2020 election?

And Trump would have been telling the truth.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

"My guess is that dems are planning massive fraud and Biden's preparing the battle space."

I am dreading this election. And that too is part of their strategy, I think. Maybe they can get some of the people they consider their enemies to turn away from politics.

William म्हणाले...

Some women aren't truly women. Women who are in favor of abortion restrictions aren't truly women. They're not like transgendered women. Those are true women. They have demonstrated the courage and mettle that are rightly used to define women. There's no greater proof of true femininity than the willingness to tuck or amputate one's penis.....If you can follow that reasoning, you can see how important it is to deny the validity of the election of anyone who denies the validity of the past Presidential election. Such people do not deserve to be even on the ballot, much less win an election. Democracy dies at the voting booth.

Howard म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Howard म्हणाले...

Without reading other than maybe a sentence or two of this post not even the entire post hahaha certainly none of the links I certainly didn't look at Biden speech why would I expose my brain to such toxicity? Anyways based on my Evelyn wood speed skimming of almost nothing the conclusion I am trying is that Biden is making a preemptive concession speech.

Meade म्हणाले...

“…and your vote is truly sacred.”

But is my vote truly sacred? Isn’t it your RIGHT to vote that is truly sacred? Not your vote itself which is wholly secular. And like our other sacred 1st amendment rights, it includes the right to remain silent, to not vote, to not worship Big Government.

Kirk Parker म्हणाले...

"...to not worship Big Government"

Hey, look over there--Meade has stopped clapping!"

n.n म्हणाले...

The democratic/dictatorial duality is the second best system in form and practice to a constitutional republic that curbs authoritarian impulses in ethical societies with no less than diversity (e.g. racist, sexist, ageist) enhancements and single/central/monopolistic solutions that are first-order forcings of progressive prices that are inequitable but inclusive.

gspencer म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether the rule of law will prevail"

Ya mean like the law/s on illegal entry into our country?

gspencer म्हणाले...

"less corrupt administration"

I think you meant "more corrupt." Long, long ago Biden figured it out that he could steal using government and live like a king. Without work. I don't think he was ever not corrupt.

n.n म्हणाले...

economy, not crime, not abortion

Not availability, not affordability, not even life.

but democracy itself

You or your neighbor can vote for [elective] abortion (and summary judgments), slavery (and redistributive change), and diversity (inequity and exclusion) in a progressive authoritarian cum dictatorial model. Nice... ah, pun intended, I think. Or was that "ok"?

Big Mike म्हणाले...

We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred.

I already did, I voted early and I voted straight Republican.

gilbar म्हणाले...

Houston’s AOC, Lina Hidalgo, Is on the Rocks
Her left-wing policies as Harris County judge aren’t popular among her urban Hispanic constituents.


So, how long?
before democrats start DEMANDING a wall, to 'save democracy' from all these right wing hispanics?

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

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

Yes I shall, and that is why I shall vote Republican. Joe and his team have pretty much trampled on the things I love about America--freedom of speech, freedom of thought, individual liberty, the rule of law (How are things at that southern border? Why are they letting street thugs out of jail?). It is OK to ask questions about a closely-fought, difficult election. Why are there no answers, only dismissals of the questions? There are more totalitarian ideas promoted by Democrats than by Republicans. The Democrats want you to love Big Brother.

My vote is not sacred. In fact, my vote is irrelevant. I live in Chicago.

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

If they're going to cheat enough to steal it (again), why would they bother to "battlespace prep?" Why not just ignore the crazy people accusing them of fraud and get on with the business of implementing their agenda, you know, like, governing?

robother म्हणाले...

I just checked my mail in ballot, and sure enough, Democracy is on the ballot: next to many names, there is a D, stands for Democracy. Next to other names there is a R, stands for Right Wing Extremist. I'm sure that to Brandon, it really is that simple.

Sally327 म्हणाले...

I'm curious about the polling or focus group testing that has resulted in the Democrats finding this to be a successful, winning message, the warnings that our form of government is at risk and under attack and could be lost forever. It seems to presuppose a clear understanding on the part of the populace as to what our form of government actually is AND a firm approval and commitment to that form of government.

Or maybe they are counting on the opposite, no clear understanding or commitment but a willingness to heed the call and defend the parapets against the unseen massing enemy.

wendybar म्हणाले...

WHEN are Progressives going to START following the laws?? Immigration?? This is the most lawless administration I have ever witnessed in my life. They need to take a good long look in the mirror, because EVERYTHING they are accusing others of, is EXACTLY what the left is doing...

Vonnegan म्हणाले...

"Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?"

Yes. My neighbor has a sign in her yard "VOTE BLUE. SAVE DEMOCRACY". That is exactly what they mean. Votes for Democrats are the only ones that should count, because the Republicans are evil. It's going to increase the cheating (or at least support for the cheating), because now they feel motivated by something virtuous and not just naked power.

Interestingly, that's the house where we vote on Election Day (we vote in the garage - it's weird enough to be featured on local news every few years). She'll take the sign down on Election Day, obviously, but it's still really tacky for her to have signs at all, IMO. Not illegal, I'm sure; just not appropriate. She usually doesn't have signs, so I assume she really, really believes this one. That disturbs me.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Have Americans ever been this cynical about government? Or had as much reason to be? Maybe during the Vietnam era, maybe during the Great Depression, maybe never.

If you think all votes are sacred, wait until there's a recount. Bush v. Gore. Franken v.
Coleman. The whole point then is to make sure that all your disputed votes are counted and questionable votes for the other candidate are rejected and discarded.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

They plan to keep counting everywhere they need to keep counting next week. They are going to cheat again, and with the DoJ fully engaged to support this, I am pretty certain it will work.

They may lose the House- it is harder to cheat at the congressional district level since Republicans do as much of the vote counting there as Democrats, but statewide races are easy to target since Democrats control the large cities in pretty much all the states, and a good number of the suburban counties.

Joe Smith म्हणाले...

For the last time, voting is not SACRED!!!

If it was, and if lefties truly believed it, they would (like me) support the death penalty for voter fraud.

Václav Patrik Šulik म्हणाले...

Cards on the table, I lean (slightly) to the left of center and am pledged to no party. I am bothered by a lot of what I see in the Trumpistas, the MGTs, and Matt Gatz'.

Nevertheless, the Democrats can't claim the high ground when you have Chuck Schumer threatening to unleash the whirlwind on the Supreme Court if it doesn't rule the way he wants. With the Jane's army attacking crisis pregnancy centers. With assassins targeting GOP Members of Congress. With assassins stalking Supreme Court Justices. With election deniers like Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and Stacey Abrams (among many other Dems). I could go on and on and on.

Biden's speech definitely earns the "Civility Bullshit" tag. He may even be worse than Donald Trump.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

"Democracy is on the ballot". Translation: "We're planning to cheat again".

Exactly. The "election denier" trope is so obviously preparation for the defense of massive fraud.

At some level, I hope they do cheat. Things have to be seen to be understood. And it's going to take more than just 2020 to make most Americans see what's going on.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

If you are over the age of 40, you remember a time when the vote counting was done routinely by, at the latest, the next morning. At worst, you had races where the difference was only a few hundred votes that required a recount, or were delayed to count a few hundred to a couple of thousand absentee ballots that could arrive with a properly dated postmark, but those instances were almost always limited to local races, or to congressional districts. Any statewide race where the margin was over a 1000 votes, while triggering a recount, was never overturned by late arriving votes or mistakes in the original tally. Now it is routine for the vote totals to change by tens of thousands over the course of the two-four weeks following election day. The only explanation for this change in ability to count the votes accurately that first night is flat out electoral fraud as the target number for ballot stuffing sometimes misses the need for enough votes that first night.

Karen of Texas म्हणाले...


https://mises.org/wire/murray-rothbard-versus-progressives-1

"The maintenance of some democratic choice, however illusory, is vital for all varieties of social democrats. They have long realized that a one-party dictatorship can and probably will become cordially hated … and will eventually be overthrown, possibly along with its entire power structure.

Rothbard noted that the social democrats’ devotion to democracy also serves as a pretext for an attack on those who assert the “absolute” inviolability of the right to free speech and a free press. This assault on free speech, Rothbard presciently pointed out in 1991, constitutes an agenda for eventually using the power of the State to restrict or prohibit speech or expression that [neocons and social democrats] hold to be “undemocratic.” This category could and would be indefinitely expanded to include: real or alleged communists, leftists, fascists, neo-Nazis, secessionists, “hate thought” criminals, and eventually … paleo-conservatives and paleo and left-libertarians."

Sound familiar?

"The final part of the Rothbardian strategy is, thus, to get those on the right to grasp a simple insight—long ago assimilated by the left—that politics is war."

Trump understands this. Love him or loath him or somewhere in between, he nevertheless engages with the Left on their terms - as icky as that is for those who think politics can be played...nicely.

"We are engaged, in the deepest sense … in a “religious war” and not just a cultural one, religious because left-liberalism/social democracy is a passionately held worldview, religion in the deepest sense, held on faith: the view that the inevitable goal of history is a perfect world, an egalitarian socialist world, a Kingdom of God on Earth…. It is a religious worldview toward which there must be no quarter; it must be opposed and combated with every fiber of our being…. And the metaphor is properly military. The looming struggle is far wider and deeper than over indexing capital gains. It is a life-and-death struggle for our very souls, and for the future of America…. The war for reaction will require above all courage, the guts not to buckle at the all-to-predictable smear response of the media, the pollsters, and all the rest…. And above all we need what the left fears above all: An adherence to the military metaphor, to the concept of us vs. them, good guys vs. bad guys, to Taking America Back. We must aim, not only for rolling it all back, not only for saving us from the Leviathan State and nihilist culture, and not only for restoring the Old Republic. For eventually we must drive the wooden stake through the heart of the Enemy, to kill once and for all the monstrous dream of the Perfect Socialized World."


I encourage you to read the entire article. It's quite interesting.

I also encourage you to view "Uncle Tom II" if you haven't already done so. It's relevant to the topic at hand.

https://www.uncletom.com

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred."

1: If Democrats actually held that my vote was truly sacred, then they would be strongly in favor of every single currently pushed vote security measure.

This is not the criminal justice system, where person X being found innocent does not make you found guilty, or vice versa. Voting is a zero sum game.

Every single invalid vote allowed steals an honest vote.

It is far better for someone to lose their legal vote because they screwed around and didn't follow the rules, than it is for an illegal vote to be allowed in that takes away the legal vote of someone who did everything right.

If you lose your vote because you couldn't be bothered to register ahead of time, or to fill out your ballot properly, then you can potentially learn a lesson from that, and do better in the future.

If you lose your vote because someone else was allowed to steal it by putting in a fake vote, there's nothing you can do to fix that.

I want a republic where every legal vote is truly sacred. But the Democrats are fundamentally opposed

Which, BTW, tells you which side is engaged in the vote fraud & election stealing. its' the people who dont' want rules to cut it down

Big Mike म्हणाले...

My guess is that dems are planning massive fraud and Biden's preparing the battle space.

+ 1

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred."

Yes, let's accept reality:
1: The covid shots are not vaccines. vaccines keep you from catching a disease. The Covid shots neither keep you from catching it, nor keep you from passing it to someone else
Theere is absolutely no legal, moral, or ethical justification for a Covid "vaccine" mandate

2: Covid is not a threat to kids. Mask mandates at schools do not prevent the transmission of Covid. There is absolutely no justification for not having full time in class schooling, with no mask mandates and no "social distancing" requirements

3: Cutting oil production by cancelling the Keystone Pipeline and not leasing Federal lands for oil and gas exploration and drilling drives up prices, and drives up inflation

4: The Biden Admin totally screwed up in Afghanistan exit

5: The Biden Admin totally screwed up the run up to Putin'sinvasion of Ukraine

6: "Men" and "women" are "sexes". All "Gender" is bullshit. If you have a penis, your'e a male. If you have a vagina, you're a female. No male can get pregnant. Mothers get pregnant and give birth. Mothers breast feed

7: There is no such thing as "non-binary". If you have working vagina and penis, then you're a hermaphrodite. Otherwise, you're whatever sex your genitals determine.

8: Giving "gender affirming" drugs to children is child abuse. So are any "gender affirming" surgeries

9: Defining "diversity" based on skin color is racist. Treating people differently based on the "race" is racist. Treating people differently based on their sex is sexist.

The Democrats are evil racist and sexist pigs. CRT is racist trash

There's more, but I'm tired

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

"We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred."

The law is obeyed?

If the law was owed, Joe, you never would have taken the office of President, because the changes in election law that your side abused to squeeze you into office were entirely illegal.

Your entirely immigration policy is based on ignoring US immigration law

Your "student loan bailout" is entirely illegal, lacking any justification. it's defenders' ONLY argument is "you don't have standing to sue to block this illegal action"

The Democrats approach to crime can be summed up as "ignore the law, and never enforce it"

So, yes Joe, We the people must decide whether we’re going to sustain a republic where reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is truly sacred. And the only way we can do that is to vote out of office every single Democrat we can get

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

He keeps saying it, "democracy is on the ballot." It's not true,

Actually, it IS true.

Democrats want to destroy democracy. They want to destroy free speech, free discussion, and an informed electorate 9see that Intercept article you blogged about).

Every single candidate screaming about "voter suppression" is campaigning to destroy elections by letting in enough illegal votes to overwhelm the actual legal voters' choice.

So vote GOP like every future vote depends on it

Because it does

hombre म्हणाले...

"...reality is accepted, the law is obeyed, and your vote is sacred."

"War is Peace - Freedom is Slavery - Ignorance is Strength." As my t-shirt says, "Make Orwell fiction again." It can only be done by getting rid of all the crap this old fool and his handlers stand for.

At least somewhere in War is Peace - Freedom is Slavery - Ignorance is Strength. he acknowledges we are a republic.

We are being primed for a monumental election theft! The stakes are too high for the Democrats to allow themselves to lose and they have all the money.

LA_Bob म्हणाले...

Howard said, "...Biden is making a preemptive concession speech."

You may be right, and I certainly hope so. But if there is a Red Wave of anything like the magnitude some forecast, Biden will become the Election Denier in Chief on November 9.

I mean, after a speech like that, how can he not claim the Republicans stole the election.

Oh, sorry. It's Biden. He can say just about anything.

RMc म्हणाले...

Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?

(RMc puts his left index finger on his nose, and points at the screen with his right index finger)

RMc म्हणाले...

Is he trying to say a vote for a Democrat is a vote for democracy, and a vote for a Republican is a vote against democracy?

(RMc puts his left index finger on his nose, and points at the screen with his right index finger)

Original Mike म्हणाले...

I got another one of those odious "we know your voting record and we're telling your neighbors" letter. "…whether or not you vote is public record."

Despicable strong arm tactics. And this is why the dems want ballot harvesting. They'd be showing up at my door forcing me to vote "the right way." I do fear for our democracy, and I'm looking at you, Joe.

hombre म्हणाले...

What Karen of Texas wrote (9:33). Good stuff.

Amadeus 48 म्हणाले...

I am clear about one thing: neither Biden nor Trump is a political philosopher in any meaningful sense. They are both purely transactional.

Lurker21 म्हणाले...

Biden and Company aren't literally communists or socialists, but there's a Leninist feel about his speech. "Democracy" is a progressive movement. It's advanced when progressive forces win. Defeats for progressive forces are defeats for "Democracy," even if a majority of the population wants something else.

We have been in a political twilight zone where the two parties are each supported by about half the population, so true mandates are rare. In those circumstances, it's easy for Democrats to assume that some fiddling with the votes to make sure that the forward-looking progressive vanguard triumphs is warranted by the gravity of the situation.

Biden reminds me of this famous tweet:

1. Identify a respected institution.
2. kill it.
3. gut it.
4. wear its carcass as a skin suit, while demanding respect.

DarkHelmet म्हणाले...

Pretty sure that the official name of the Democratic Party is "Dark Forces and Thirst for Power." It certainly should be.

There are a lot of liars in the world. There are liars on the left, liars in the center and liars on the right. Human beings in general are willing to lie from time to time, but feel at least a little bit bad about it. Certain human being lie most of the time and feel no shame about it whatsoever. Bill Clinton comes to mind. Why tell the truth when a lie is more useful and more fun?

But the left-leaning parties of the last two hundred and fifty years have institutionalized lying as an essential tool of politics. As with so many other evils it flowered in the French Revolution, was raised to a controlling imperative by the Bolsheviks and is now simply the ocean in which modern leftists swim. In the tradition of Marx and Freud, the universities teach simultaneously that truth and reality are subjective . . . and that they have all the correct answers. When you think about it, if there is no objective reality then lying is quite impossible. You can't deliberately say the wrong thing because there is no right thing. So lying with abandon is not ethically compromising.

It all boils down to one thing: some people will do or say anything to get and keep power. And those are the very people who should never, never, never have power.

Leland म्हणाले...

Based on a quick look at comments above, Biden seemed to give the right speech. I fully agree with the first quoted part of his speech used as te headline. I just think to achieve that objective requires voting against this President’s agenda. I’m done with the 2020 election discussion. Biden has been President for 2 years, why is he and Democrats still scared about a violent revolution? I get being scared of a revolution at the ballot box, but that is democracy and as they say, they should accept that fait.

My observation is this election is not about abortion. It is not about 2020. It is not about any particular politician. Afghanistan began an inversion in public preference for Democrats over Republicans. FJB chants shortly followed along with high inflation. Economic momentum carried us through 2021, but began sliding to the abyss in 2022. People earn less in real wages and “justice” no longer seems related to increasing crime. This is motivating democracy today, and the Democrat on the ballot represents all these negatives that need to go.

Mike म्हणाले...

The senile old geezer resident in the Oval Office is speechifying and raving and yelling at the clouds again. The audience for Joe's shtick is limited and getting smaller with each repetition.

But then to borrow from Macbeth--Your typical Biden speech is "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, and signifying nothing."

As for Biden's claim that "all legal challenges [to the 2020 election] were heard", most of the challenges were never actually heard. Courts don't want to get involved in elections, and virtually all of the legal challenges were dismissed on standing grounds--before a single hearing on the merits.

cassandra lite म्हणाले...

This is such a weird argument to make when the polls show that your party is about to get hammered, I can only conclude that he's urging us to accept the results of widespread cheating in vote counting and harvesting he knows is coming.

Spiros म्हणाले...

Mail in ballots need some sort of stamp or watermark. Imagine a ballot harvester (pro Biden) collecting hundreds and even thousands of votes. He goes home and removes the completed ballots from the envelope and puts in one of his one counterfeit ballot (pro Biden of course!). How hard can it be? The ballots themselves can easily be photocopied and the envelope opened with steam.

rcocean म्हणाले...

Remember David Brinkley. Just before he retired, said "Bill Clinton doesn't have a crative bone in his body, he's a bore". That's what I think about biden x100. leaving it aside that he's a liar and corrupt. Biden's always been a Goddamn bore who never says ANYTHING interesting.

I salute Althouse for having the fortitude to read Biden's speech transcript and analyze his speech. I couldn't do it. For example, The constant use of the word DEMOCRACY, which means NOTHING, sets my teeth on edge. Biden isn't a uniter, he's a divider and always has been.

PM म्हणाले...

Looking ahead, Kamala's been woodshedding with a fluff team for her re-entry into the public consciousness. Seems frightening at first, but when you think about it, what 2024 Democrat candidate would you prefer over her?

Rabel म्हणाले...

It looked like he used a three teleprompter setup and, I have to say, he did so relatively well for a man of his limitations.

Not as slick as Obama was when using two (you could tell Biden was reading as he turned his head right, center and left) but better than usual for this decrepit, mean-spirited old man.

As for content, it sounded like what a shark with an Ace up his sleeve would say as he sat down at the poker table.

Jimmy म्हणाले...

Trust and competency are on the ballet. This republic is in trouble, and one reason is that most of us no longer trust our institutions, or believe that those in power are competent to lead.

Lazarus म्हणाले...

Biden urges Americans to be patient and asks us to wait until all the fraudulent votes have been counted.

gahrie म्हणाले...

Again, just for the record, so all those research assistants in the future don't think we all were idiots:

The U.S. is a republic, not a democracy.

The Founding Fathers deliberately designed our government not to be a democracy, and even included provisions to limit the power of democracy.

The more democratic the U.S. has become, the worse things have gotten.

Alison म्हणाले...

AZ candidate for governor, Kari Lake, is terrific in this clip of reporters asking her not to be an election denier. She grabs a list from an assistant and reads a bunch of examples of Democrats denying election results in 2000 and 2016. It's terrific!

Kari Lake on DEM election deniers

Brian म्हणाले...

They may lose the House- it is harder to cheat at the congressional district level since Republicans do as much of the vote counting there as Democrats, but statewide races are easy to target since Democrats control the large cities in pretty much all the states, and a good number of the suburban counties.

I fear you may be right. It will be challenging for them this cycle though. It's not one race, but hundreds. And it involves more people. With more scrutiny. Counting stops at 2am for a water main break are going to look very suspicious. The opposing party is primed for cheating. You can only go to that well so many times before it becomes a farce.

They have to deploy their forces. It takes people and money. A wave election means you need cheating in multiple jurisdictions and to greater margins. The safe elections are no longer safe.

Part of the reason why Trump won in 2016 was they didn't expect him to win. They didn't have their cheating mechanisms in place. It's why Hillary had a meltdown and didn't concede. Part of the reason that Trump lost is that cheating wasn't expected.

The emperor has no clothes. It will take more effort with less chance for success this time. More risk, less reward.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Part of the reason why Trump won in 2016 was they didn't expect him to win. They didn't have their cheating mechanisms in place. It's why Hillary had a meltdown and didn't concede. Part of the reason that Trump lost is that cheating wasn't expected.

Exactly and Trump did not anticipate the cheating which is on him. I also agree that there was no cheating in 2016 because he was not expected to even be close.

JaimeRoberto म्हणाले...

Democracy c'est moi.

Zavier Onasses म्हणाले...

"...and your vote is truly sacred."

Not to say it does not happen on both sides, and I may be wrong here, but I "believe when the subjects of vote harvesting, ballot box stuffing, counting room shenanigans are floated, most folks reflexively think "Democrats."

I am astonished at how often, loudly, and baldly Democrats accuse others of political irregularities (physical violence, vote tampering, etc.) which most impartial observers would associate more with the Democrat side.

Just seems counter productive. Maybe they are too immersed in their own propaganda.

Tomcc म्हणाले...

The Democrats have no objectively popular policies; therefore, they are substituting (and promoting) fear of Republicans. For people who like to be told to wear a mask, this may succeed.

Michael K म्हणाले...

Blogger Jim said...

Trust and competency are on the ballet. This republic is in trouble, and one reason is that most of us no longer trust our institutions, or believe that those in power are competent to lead.


It's worse than that. Our institutions are not trustworthy and the regime is full of incompetents, like Mayor Pete and Biden and Granholm. In fact, I can't think of one who is.

Clyde म्हणाले...

The Biden administration is the most lawless in American history. Look at their feckless malfeasance on enforcing the southern border, as just one example. Biden is lucky not to have been struck down with holy lightning for his hypocritical dishonesty.

Jim at म्हणाले...

As I'm reading this post, I'm thought it was some speech from a campaign stop or whatever. I'm now finding out it was nationally televised.

Raise your hand if you even knew it was on. I certainly didn't.

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

Yancey Ward said...
They plan to keep counting everywhere they need to keep counting next week. They are going to cheat again, and with the DoJ fully engaged to support this, I am pretty certain it will work.

They may lose the House- it is harder to cheat at the congressional district level since Republicans do as much of the vote counting there as Democrats, but statewide races are easy to target since Democrats control the large cities in pretty much all the states, and a good number of the suburban counties.


Yancey, why are you so desperate to be a complete wing loser on this?

They got away with the cheating in 2020 because we didn't expect it. They're not going to get away with it this time, and insisting that they will, that there's just nothing we can do, oh boo hoo, is bullshit.

If on election night they start discovering ballots, or blocking out poll watchers, and they're allowed to get away with it, THEN you can scream.

until then, man up and be prepared to fight it

Don't be some pathetic baby whining about how there's nothing we can do about it.

Seriously, WTF is wrong with you?

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Autocracy... means the rule of one, one person, one interest, one ideology, one party

When a President uses Executive Orders to accomplish his plans, even though his party controls both houses of Congress, wouldn't that be a sign of an autocrat?

Bunkypotatohead म्हणाले...

If the Dems want to improve their chances next week, they'd lock this guy in a closet with a ball gag in his mouth.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Greg,

The Republican Party has done jack shit to stop the cheating, that is why I predict what I predict. They showed their bellies in 2020, and they haven't gotten any braver since.

Gahrie म्हणाले...

The Democrats have no objectively popular policies; therefore, they are substituting (and promoting) fear of Republicans.

There is nothing new here. This has been the Democrats' M.O. since Goldwater.

Every election since 1980 has been: "The Republicans will put gays back in the closet, women back in the kitchen and Black people back into chains."

gpm म्हणाले...

As a matter of principle, I refuse to vote for anyone running unopposed, which accounts for most of the elections below the state or federal level in Massachusetts. Though, occasionally, there is a radical lesbian whatever from JP running in my district, so, what the hell, I always vote for him/her/it, as opposed to what the pathetic Dems are offering.

Not that it matters, but I will be voting straight R next Tuesday. And probably no on the ridiculous ballot questions.

--gpm

Greg The Class Traitor म्हणाले...

Yancey Ward said...
Greg,

The Republican Party has done jack shit to stop the cheating, that is why I predict what I predict. They showed their bellies in 2020, and they haven't gotten any braver since.


Yancey,

In 2020 we actually expected SCOTUS, if no one else, to stop blatant vote fraud.

They didn't.

Everyone now knows the lay of the land. Which is why there are armed people watching the ballot boxes in Maricopa. And why GA made a bunch of election law changes. And why the GOP sued to the PA SC, and won, on undated ballots. And why the GOP sued in Green Bay, and won.

I dont' know what will be happening with Minneapolis "vote counting" on election night, and I really hope that WI patriots are ready for the Dems to try to orchestrated the steal from Madison this year, rather than Milwaukee.

But I do expect there to be people at Milwaukee, Detroit, and Philly this year who won't accept any BS games.

Who've all absorbed the Dems Jan 6 lesson: non-violent protesting won't do any good.

Kyle is free and innocent, the Christmas psycho driver is guilty.

People aren't going to let the Dems get away with it this time around.

Esp since the vast majority of GOP victories are going to be far outside the normal margin of fraud.