Biden Isn't Bringing His Best
And other notes from the week that was
Hey there,
We hope everyone spent their first weekend in September glued to the couch, watching the greatest sport known to man.
Biden warns the nation that MAGA Republicans “Are gonna put y’all back in chains”
Well, he didn’t quite say that. However, the President’s primetime address to the nation Thursday was arguably Joe Biden at his worst. The speech was in the same vein as his grotesque “Jim Crow 2.0” remarks in Georgia this January, where, drawing inspiration from blue-haired girls on college campuses across the country, he essentially called everyone who disagreed with him racist. And yes, the speech was also reminiscent of the time he casually accused Mitt Romney of being pro-slavery.
In Thursday's speech the president, flanked by two Marines, stood in front of a grimly lit Independence Hall and delivered a campaign speech, masquerading as a traditional presidential address to the nation. Biden said he hoped to build a future around “unity and optimism.” Then in typical Biden-fashion, he proceeded to describe his political opponents as threats to the republic. Like Lucy and the football, Biden failed to make good on his promise to be a unifier once again.
Biden’s remarks left plenty to be critiqued beyond the sheer hypocrisy and questionable lighting. First, as CNN’s Brianna Keilar quickly pointed out, Biden inappropriately politicized the military by having Marines positioned behind him as he gave a campaign speech. Moreover, Christine Rosen noted that Biden’s use of taxpayer dollars for the address was also improper, considering its content.
Speaking of content, as even the Washington Post editorial board acknowledged, if Biden were serious about restoring trust in the democratic process, he wouldn’t condemn his “critics as “determined to take this country backwards” while advocating for his liberal policy agenda minutes later. But Biden’s address seemed to be aimed more at uniting his base than at uniting the country. And from a political standpoint, the speech might have worked. As Rich Lowry explained, the more Trump is a subject of conversation, the better off Joe Biden is. However, it seems like the Biden team recognized that they got out over their skies; the next morning, Biden partially walked his rhetoric back.
The major news networks declined to air Biden’s speech, determining that his remarks were inherently political. One Biden staffer reportedly argued the speech was “not a speech about a particular politician or even about a particular political party.” Biden’s speech mentioned Donald Trump multiple times.
CNN cleans house
Speaking of news media, CNN parted ways with John Harwood on Friday, which raised eyebrows amongst members of the press. Harwood, like Brian Stelter, who was let go by CNN last week, had a reputation for blending news analysis with his own personal opinion. For example, the clip below shows how Harwood covered the Biden address. His style of “reporting” is prevalent at CNN, but the new ownership seems intent on changing things.
Experiments in ranked choice voting
As of late, Republicans have faced some woes at the ballot box. This week’s GOP electoral disaster came from Alaska, where the results of the special election for its lone House seat were announced Wednesday. The special election was held to fill the remainder of Don Young’s term, after he died in March. The election between Democrat Mary Peltola and Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich was held earlier in August, but the state’s ranked choice voting system delayed the results. Begich placed third, so his second choice votes were redistributed between Peltola and Palin. Much to the surprise of those following the race, nearly half of Begich voters declined to rank fellow-Republican Palin second, pushing Peltola over the line.
Palin was quick to blame her loss on Begich, who naturally fired back.
Election analyst Dave Wasserman chalked Peltola’s victory up to Begich supporters being “exhausted” with Palin, who left the state after resigning the governorship in 2009. Elsewhere on Twitter, Senator Tom Cotton, a prospective presidential candidate, questioned the fairness of ranked-choice voting altogether.
Self-plugs
Lone Conservative columnist Jack Shields wrote an impressive piece about the release of the redacted Mar-a-Lago warrant affidavit; although we should warn readers that Shields’ verbiage is highly rigorous, yet his analysis is astute.
Erin Van Natta’s column focuses on Florida’s effort to put the brakes on gender transition surgeries for minors.
If you’re curious about the internal goings-on here at Lone Conservative, check out last week’s newsletter.
Look for more coverage of student loan forgiveness in the coming week.
Something lighter
The aforementioned Don Young was a genuinely larger-than-life figure. The video below from Roll Call gives a glimpse into the late Congressman’s unique charm.
One last note
Have feedback on this newsletter? Or thoughts on ranked-choice voting? We encourage you to use our comment section below.
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