Biden lays out stakes: It’s about democracy

If nervous Democrats had any doubts, President Biden made crystal clear with his kickoff ad and speech in Blue Bell, Pa., that this election is about democracy vs. dictatorship, the Constitution vs. the cult of personality, and the rule of law vs. the rule of the mob.

In remarks Friday, Biden did not hold back. He made clear that the election is about our “sacred cause” — democracy — and reminded voters that George Washington voluntarily gave up power. “In America, genuine leaders — democratic leaders, with a small d — don’t hold on to power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people, and they do it willingly because that’s the deal,” he explained. “You do your duty. You serve your country. And ours is a country worthy of service. . . . We’re not perfect, but, at our best, we face head-on the good, the bad, the truth of who we are. . . . That’s what great nations do. And we’re a great nation. We’re the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.”

Put differently, what makes us great is our democracy, and democracies reject those would-be dictators who cling to power in defiance of the people’s will.

Biden was as biting and aggressive toward former president Donald Trump as we have heard. “I had won the election, and he was a loser,” Biden asserted in a madefor-bumper-sticker turn of phrase. (Some lines were ruthlessly candid: “Trump is trying to steal history the same way he tried to steal the election.”)

“Donald Trump’s campaign is about him. Not America. Not you,” Biden warned. “Donald Trump’s campaign is obsessed with the past, not the future. He’s willing to sacrifice our democracy, put himself in power.” Biden reminded voters that Trump has picked up where he left off, beginning his “2024 campaign by glorifying the failed violent insurrectionist, insurrection at our, on our Capitol.”

Biden also elaborated on another theme, less widely discussed: Trump’s dark, fearful and negative view of America. “We get up. We carry on. . . . We speak of possibilities, not carnage,” the president said, alluding to Trump’s inauguration speech. “We’re not weighed down by grievances. We don’t foster fear. We don’t walk around as victims. We take charge of our destiny.” He added: “We don’t believe, none of you believe America is failing. We know America is winning. That’s American patriotism.”

In (accurately) defining Trump as hostile to our democracy and ethos, Biden puts himself and everyone, including “mainstream Republicans,” within the American democratic tradition; Biden makes the case that Trump’s persona and views are alien, weird and dangerous. It’s a compelling message because it is so obviously true.

No rational person imagines Biden would use the military to crush dissent. And no honest one would deny Trump tried it already and announced he would do so again. No rational person could envision Biden calling the mob to the Capitol if he lost; no honest one can forget Trump did nor would be shocked if he tried again.

There is no legitimate argument about what Trump wants. He has told us. Former Washington Post editor Martin Baron recently said:

“He’s the only politician I’ve heard actually talk about suspending the constitution. He’s talked about using the military to suppress entirely legitimate protests using the Insurrection Act. He’s talked about bringing treason charges against the then-outgoing chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. He’s talked about bringing treason charges against Comcast, the owner of NBC and MSNBC. He’s talked explicitly about weaponizing the government against his political enemies. And, of course, he continues to talk about crushing an independent press.”

Reporting that the contest is between a pro-democracy candidate and an authoritarian candidate hardly counts as editorializing, then. To describe it in any way other than as a fight between a creepy, dark, authoritarian view and an optimistic, authentically American outlook would be misleading voters, an distortion meant to conceal Trump’s true nature and plans. There can be no confusion about which candidate seeks to impose “authoritarianism.”

Surely we can appreciate the magnitude of the difference between a president who renounces political violence and a candidate who stokes it; between a president with an arm’slength relationship with the Justice Department and a candidate who declares he will use it against enemies; and between a president who pleads with Congress to authorize border funds and one who aims to “expand” the Muslim ban and round up for deportation millions of immigrants. We already know Biden accepts election results even when they favor his opponents (in the 2022 House elections, for example); we already know Trump refuses to relinquish power when voters throw him out. Perspective and proportionality are essential to truthful journalism; false equivalence and willful blindness are the stuff of propaganda.

Now is no time to feign “objectivity” or indifference to the election result. When the essence of democracy is at stake, Margaret Sullivan recently asked, “Can the political media in America get that reality across? Or will their addiction to ‘horserace’ coverage prevail?”

Biden is doing his part; now the voters and the media must do theirs.