Biden Warns of Threat to Democracy
President Biden and former President Trump both made competing trips to Pennsylvania for different purposes. President Biden, in a passionate speech, denounced actions by the former president and his supporters who he called MAGA Republicans.
Speaking with Independence Hall in the backdrop, Biden condemned election deniers and those who advocate political violence. Biden also touted recent legislative successes as he sought to create a contrast with the Republican Party as midterm elections loom.
Why did some critics object to the staging of military personnel during the president’s speech?
INSTRUCTORS: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Videos:
News Articles:
The seeds of Biden’s democracy speech sprouted long before the Mar-a-Lago search
Politico
9/3/22
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/09/03/biden-speech-democracy-trump-maga-00054764
‘Extremist threat to our democracy’: What Biden hopes to accomplish in prime-time speech Thursday
USA Today
9/1/22
Trump blasts Biden’s anti-MAGA speech: ‘He’s the enemy of the state’
Fox News
9/3/22
Parties’ Divergent Realities Challenge Biden’s Defense of Democracy
New York Times
9/2/22
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/us/politics/trump-biden-democracy.html
News Articles (Analyses):
Biden’s speech walks a fine line in its attack on MAGA Republicans
NPR
9/2/22
Biden sounds newly strong alarm: Trumpism menaces democracy
Associated Press
9/2/22
Americans continue to feel U.S. democracy is under threat — CBS News poll
CBS News
9/1/22
Biden Tries to Clarify Anti-MAGA Speech After Backlash
Newsweek
9/2/22
https://www.newsweek.com/biden-tries-clarify-anti-maga-speech-after-backlash-1739542
Assessment:
Writing: Explain what President Biden hoped to accomplish by making his soul of the nation speech at this moment? Why did the president make such an effort to distinguish between MAGA and mainstream Republicans even in the days after the speech?
Debate: Did President Biden err in referring to some of his political opponents as “semi-fascists?”
Poll: Do you agree/disagree with the statement that democracy in the United States is under threat?
Short Answer: Why does the president’s party typically lose seats in the midterm elections?
QUIZ:
What percentage of Americans believe that democracy is under threat?
- 25 percent
- 50 percent
- 72 percent
- 80 percent
Which issue has allowed Democrats to close the gap with Republicans on the generic midterm ballot?
- abortion
- election security
- inflation
- the Trump factor
Which of these factors contributed to the president’s decision to make the soul of the nation speech?
- primary victories by several Trump-backed candidates
- threats made against FBI agents after the search at Mar-a-Lago
- warnings by Republicans who suggested there would be violence if Trump was indicted
- all these answers are correct
President Biden convened a meeting in August with historians, scholars, and journalists to discuss the threats to democracy. (T/F)
No president has ever seen their party gain seats in a midterm election. (T/F)
President Biden has achieved some of his biggest legislative victories with the help of Republicans. (T/F)
