: Biden's approval polls improved when he went on the attack. Why?

Biden's approval polls improve when he goes on the attack. Why?  

 It appears /Biden's strategy to just tout his positive accomplishments and avoid attacking the GOP has developed a pattern. His approval ratings hover around the high 30s or border 40% when he accentuates the positive and eliminates the negative attacks on the GOP. Still, when he calls out MAGA as extremists who are a danger to democracy, his polls tick up among Democrats. Most of these pollsters attribute to the day-to-day fluctuations in the economy and Biden's touting legislative victories. The question is whether his victories have not been reversed, but his polls still fluctuate, down today, especially among Democrats. The greatest impact favoring Democrats still is the overturn of Roe v Wade and the revolt of women swing voters and that is an offset for the GOP winning the inflation issue..

 There are also more subtle factors at work,  his age and the degree of his vigor or lack of it that does not show up given the questions posed by pollsters that focus more on public policy issues.  It may be better measured when pollsters ask Democrats whether Biden should run in 2024.  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-25/    most-democrats-say-ditch-biden-as-2024-nominee-post-abc-poll

 In September, Biden then hit the stump with his newest pitch that just says little about inflation, but instead, he asked voters to weigh that against the issue of abortion and subversion of democracy. He then pointed to legislation he got passed despite 100% GOP votes in Congress against it to help some specific groups cope. Calling these "an inflation reduction act" was a stretch to be felt past the midterm election to be believed,  and deceptive at worst. The only positive was gas at the pump dropped some, but inflation ticked up a smidgen. He famously said, "don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative," as his case for voting Democrat in November. His approval ratings dropped back to 39%. There is nothing wrong with side bide side comparisons of public policy, but it misses an essential element:  attacking the GOP for their lack of alternatives and making the pain to those on a budget continue to hurt. 

Why does Biden's approval rating fluctuate between 35% and 46%  https://a pnews.com/article/biden-approval-rating-poll-bf41fe8b0016bf8aaf144e7310c6539f   I have a theory. By avoiding going on the attack, he looks like a weak old man, but on August 25 he showed some guts to attack MAGA as extremists endangering democracy. He looked stronger and more macho and Democrats gave him a bump to 46% approval, and down again today after he downplayed the name calling. The economy has not fluctuated or improved much at all.

A new poll out showed that there is a yearning for a strong leader:A third of Americans prefer a strong, unelected leader to a weak, elected one | Ipsos   There is a lot in this poll that should curl the hair of devotees of traditional liberal democracy and it reflects the blah attitudes of independents on Biden's legislative accomplishments.  However, the preference for a strong leader reaches across the partisan divide and includes many Democrats as well.  That may explain the appeal of a Trump demagogue, the weakening support of democracy, and the appeal of an autocrat.   The Biden strategy may have been driven by the belief that Biden's hands-off attack approach would appeal to the independents and never Trumper Republicans, the vital swing vote. It is not working. (What is working is the women's backlash to the Court's upending Roe v Wade). These voters are looking for a stronger leader, too.   This was no "lib" fantasy, but macho vigor counts too.   From the Ipsos poll followed by a link to my blog posting on how Biden could go on the attack on inflation.

•           Half of Americans (48%) disagree that it is better to have a strong, unelected leader than a weak leader who is elected by the people, while one-third agree Republicans are more likely to agree (42%) with this than Democrats (31%)".    
• fHow to put the GOP inflation issue on th defense
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The inflation issue: putting the GOP on the defensive

 The Democrats so far have responded to GOP attacks pinning the blame on Biden for inflation with "Just choose between what the GOP  plans and what  Democrats offer on women's rights and keeping democracy": Biden has also responded with, " well, it wasn't his fault,  it was Covid's, and the Federal Reserve holds the key. He did get legislation passed that will sometime in the future reduce inflation and the deficit and help a lot of people cope in the meantime.". There is more Democrats could do to strengthen their position on inflation by turning the tables and putting the GOP on the defensive by painting them as do-nothings with no plans to fix the inflation problem except to gripe,  that all the GOP  offers an empty bag of hot air. To make matters worse, they have a record of blocking any relief for those on a budget struggling to make ends meet.   Imagine if the GOP had the majority in Congress and the White House in the past four years instead. There would have been no financial relief for small businesses and seniors on a fixed income. The GOP fought against the Biden relief to seniors and consumers for the cost of prescription drugs and lowered Medicare's cost and impact on the deficit and expanded Obamacare. The GOP, as a Congressional block also opposed reducing student loan debt and moving the country from reliance on fossil fuels that will lower costs and provide environmentally friendly alternatives.  When the GOP had the power in Congress and the White House, they gave hefty relief to the super-rich by lowering their taxes, which even increased the debt by reducing the income to the treasury while Biden's initiative reduces the deficit by lowering the cost of prescription drugs paid by government programs and an increase in taxes on those making more than $400K a year, 

Did you ever see a mermaid and was she white?

" This is in response to a posting on another restricted to members facebook site from a complaint about Disney's newest little mermaid release, in which the mermaid is depicted as an African American.  The writer complained and groused that Disney must be marketing to the "woke" crowd.   The new name calling by the MAGA crowd of those who are to the left of MAGA  is "woke".  Here is my comment:

"Disney has worldwide distribution to countries that are not European. I doubt seriously they are expecting white American racists to pay for the view. Respect and marketing are also Disney drivers. They also know pre-elementary school kids are more color blind than those older than them and they will still enjoy the fairy tale, no matter the skin color of the character. The younger generation, my grandchildren, are not put off by any of this racial stuff that disturbs their elders because they were born and raised in an integrated, post-Jim Crow era and household. That is not true of so many who only respect messages delivered by those of their same race. Racism has always been and still is a factor in marketing. But to consider with disgust those white people who are "woke" only reflects your own racial biases. White .people should only respect those of their own race? Disney once had a cartoon called Song of the South that portrayed happy black people in the Jim Crow era. In retrospect, the traditions that the movie portrayed are now seen as racist stereotypes seen through the eyes of white creators. The Lion King rectified much by taking the traditions back to African roots, increasing respect for universal values within African traditions. . Hamilton, the play, shocked many white folks, not because of the words and messages, which were historically correct and patriotic, but because it was done in black rap tradition and black actors played some white historical characters. That was the purpose of the writers. Their point is universal messages like those in Hamilton have merit in themselves and are respected by all races regardless of what race portrays the characters. Black cinderellas and mermaids are based on characters that are in the realm of fairy tales. Did you ever see a mermaid, and if so, was she white? Christ was not white but middle eastern. He was real, His existence was documented in the era by those who were literate, but to white evangelical and Catholic Christians, He is portrayed as European with blue eyes. Target marketing? It is not considered strange by them to be racially incorrect. Funny how that all plays out. "

What Did Jesus Look Like? Here's What The Evidence Says (allthatsinteresting.com)

Repost and update: The battle for election integrity begins at the county clerk level, updated 12/10/2023

Update: 12/10/2023  Tina Peters files federal lawsuit to halt investigations, prosecutions (coloradosun.com)  Peters is facing trial early in 2024 after federal indictments for her actions in 2022.

Update: 2/11/23  New information from the FBI delays the Tina Peters election tampering trial. Interestingly, FBI evidence claims that the "update of computer systems "was not performed by an employee of the clerk's office" as Peter's claimed but by someone else using a copy of an employee's access key.ttps://www.cpr.org/2023/02/09/tina-peters-trial-delayed/

 Update: October 21, 2022, and reposted in a separate blog post. A GOP candidate for County Clerk in Grand County, Colorado, Jolene Linke, was suspected by opponents of being an election denier, and when pressed, her answers did not lay those suspicions to rest.  When asked by the local newspapers, the SKY HI News,  if she thought the 2020 election was fair, she ignored the question. At a candidate forum on October 20 sponsored by the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce (which I attended), Linke replied to the question posed to her if she thought the 2020 election was fair, " the election in Grand County was fair", ignoring the state and national controversy. She continued advocating for changing the Dominion ballot tabulator machines to another company without expressing a reason She was in step with the conspiracy theories surrounding Dominion,. She stood out as the only candidate at the forum, state, county, or legislative district, to avoid the question. All other of both parties believed the 2020 election was fair in Colorado.  Her opponent, Abby Loberg, a Democrat, said she believed the 2020 election was fair and pointed out that Dominium was under contract with the county which would likely cost taxpayers to break that contract. Loberg also said 63 other Colorado counties also used the Dominium system. Through Linke's evasive answers, it was obvious the suspicions she was an election denier were justified.. https://www.skyhinews.com/news/in-their-own-words-abby-loberg-and-jolene-linke-on-why-each-candidate-should-have-your-vote-for-grand-county-clerk-and-recorder-on-november-8/

See the Mufticforumblog post of October 6. More on the big lie: suit against Dominion voting system bites the dust (Mufticforumblog.blogspot.com).

 Repost of an August 20, 2022 posting and update: 9/14/22 The federal investigation comes down to the Colorado county clerk level: FBI seizes MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell's phone in connection with Tina Peters investigation - Colorado Newsline

Updated: 9/23/22   Not only in Colorado did this happen.    Security footage shows Georgia county Republican chair, election official present during breach of voting equipment | PBS NewsHour

In Colorado, one county clerk, Tina Peters, took it upon herself to give the codes/passwords to the machines to another Trump ally, and records were moved and locked in a room inaccessible to others. For that, she not only violated rules and laws governing elections but she has also been charged with crimes. Tina Peters indicted by Mesa County grand jury on felony charges (coloradosun.com).

Tina Peters was not the only Colorado county clerk who gave access to unauthorized persons in 2021. https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/newsRoom/pressReleases/2022/PR20221017Pueblo.html Elbert County Clerk did it, too, and there were some other violations, in other counties. https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/10/13/their-election-denier-is-your-election-denier/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b87fab09-33ed-4a22-a72d-a1081379677c

A fundamental danger to democracy is electing someone to the office who administers the voting process and systems who is so partisan that he/she cannot be trusted to play it fair and square and by the book. The laws and rules governing the administration are the referees, and they work so long as they are respected and followed. In sports, imagine a football game without referees, where the team owner sitting in the home team owner's box calls who committed the fouls as he defines them, levies, and enforces the penalties. It only works without a brawl if everyone in the stands and on the field is on the same team The county clerks are the local referees on the field..

How and where Trump-dominated Republicans are attempting nationwide to replace the election referees in 2022 with their partisans is spelled out in https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/replacingtherefs/ The attempt to seize voting machines, so only one party has access to them, throw out legally cast ballots, consider all mail-in votes to be fraudulent, and make it inconvenient for people to vote were nationwide tactics used by the Trump-dominated GOP in 2020 that relied on the "stop the steal" slogan to give steam to its agenda of one-party control of the voting process.

We are learning more and more about how the GOP tried to sabotage the vote count in 2020. Per the Washington Post, a firm was hired in November 2020 by Trump allies, including Sidney Powell, conspiring to overturn the election to hack into voting machines in three swing states: Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada and they succeeded. Trump-allied lawyers pursued voting machine data in multiple states, records reveal - The Washington Post The files were shared and downloaded by a variety of those allies. Copied voting systems files were shared with Trump supporters, election deniers - The Washington Post The Trumpist twist was to claim Dominion voting systems had been rigged, yet the actual computer security breach was done by Trumpists who hired a company to do it.

 For those not familiar with Grand County, the Grand County Dems have really upped their game in a county that is becoming less and less ruby red. Of particular interest to me are two races, one for Grand County Clerk and the other for Colorado's Secretary of State. They are the key to fair and free elections, and the tone of both Democratic candidates in their remarks, as reported in the newspaper, was on target. Playing by the rules in the process is the antidote to election deniers. Local and state elections like these are where the battle for democracy is taking place all over the country.

Colorado, a nearly solid blue state, has a nationally known secretary of state, Jena Griswold, a Democrat who has carried out the spirit and intent of a GOP-constructed mail-in voting system that has layers of bi-partisan eyes on the process to ensure its integrity.   Griswold, as Secretary of State, has made it more convenient and accessible for everyone to vote. She has succeeded in making Colorado a state with one of the highest voter participation numbers in the nation and the state has had a record-breaking turnout. She did this by increasing the number of drop boxes by 65 percent, expanding in-person voting, extending accessibility to those on public college campuses and in tribal lands, and instituting automatic voter registration that led to more than 250 thousand eligible Coloradan voters.   She also launched a statewide system so every voter can track their ballot making it easier for all to vote and to vote with confidence.    Making it easier for all to vote, to vote by mail or in person, using paper ballots throughout the system, and putting bi-partisan eyes on the entire process is in step with the Democrats' agenda.  In parts of the US, suppression of opposition voter access has been a common practice of the GOP. They have blanketly condemned vote by mail, saying it opens the process to fraud, though the track record in Colorado puts a lie to that line of attack.  Part of the reason is the safeguards written into the Colorado system, and paper ballots make it very easy to audit and find any fraudulent activities. The 5-Minute Fix: What damage could an election-denying secretary of state do? (washingtonpost.com)

Update 10 1 2022 Intimidation of election officials and their voters at the polls was highlighted by dramatic testimony by a Georgia election worker.  On Morning Joe recently, Jena Griswold, Colorado Secretary of State said she had received death threats. Threats of violence and election workers and election officials is a pattern across the US besides Georgia, and especially in Michigan. As a former county clerk in the 1990s myself, I never experienced such threats or even an indication that I was the target of terror.  This is the result of the past several years of winks, nods, and praise of domestic terrorism by the right wing of the GOP and is truly an attack on a process so fundamental to a functioning democracy, free and fair elections.  In response, Griswold and others are supporting legislation to protect election workers. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/colorado-in-dc/colorados-griswold-other-democratic-secretaries-of-state-endorse-bill-to-protect-election-workers/article_fbb2a8d6-403e-11ed-8ef0-ff60833f42b2.html.

 The Democratic party candidate for Grand County Clerk, Abby Loberg, is a retired civics teacher and long-time resident of the county. She does not need a refresher course on what democracy is about and why it should be honored, respected, and preserved. She is no party hack. Abby Loberg's GOP opponent's position on whether the 2020 election was stolen is not known, but the GOP candidate is known to be very partisan. She needs to be challenged to reveal her views regarding whether she is part of the "stop the steal" believers and how she would administer elections differently if she believes it.

Pam Anderson beats Tina Peters in Colorado secretary of state's race (coloradosun.com)

Are those who fall for lies and propaganda suckers or victims?

Update 10/3/2022: Supreme Court turns back effort by MyPillow CEO Lindell to toss $1.3 billion defamation suit (yahoo.com)

 Are those who fall for lies and propaganda suckers or victims? Both. To the extent they want to believe what they cannot prove,  they are suckers. They have also become willing victims of the messengers of political manipulation conveyed by the new and penetrating reach of social media. So many are now living in the age of irrationality, yet democracy's survival requires us to live in the age of reason.

As more and more participants in the violence of January 6 receive prison sentences and over 800 will have a stain of charges of crimes and guilty pleas on their records, Donald Trump is still playing golf. It is clear from what we have learned from the January 6 committee, Trump was told by both his family and his own attorney general he had lost the election, and there was not enough fraud to have made any difference. Nonetheless, he continued with the big lie.  There is no doubt most of those arrested for rioting on January 6  felt they were saving democracy from a fraudulent election.  The person they trusted, Donald Trump, told the it was so, even though every judge, 60 of them, ruled there was no widespread fraud, as well.  Even a year and a half later, after many audits, either official or run by friends of Trump, no evidence has emerged.  Still, over half of those identifying as Republicans believe that Trump was a victim of fraud. PolitiFact | Most Republicans still falsely believe Trump's stolen election claims. They are true believers, divorced from reality and rational thought, trying to explain they were not suckers because of so many theories and " what about" floating around that give them straws they can grasp to give them reasons to believe they were not taken for fools.  The rank and file true believers have paid no price for holding those beliefs, but those who acted on them with violence have. The Constitution protects those who believe in something and voice it peacefully, but those who turn their beliefs into acts of violence are not protected. A poll by the University of Chicago: Doomsday? Nearly half of "strong Republicans" believe it's almost time for armed violence | Salon.com. Never before in modern history has the rank and file individual by individual been reached by those in power with such effect because of the nature of social media and its ability to be tailored to those who would be receptive to their message/.  The tool to tailor make messages to an identified receptive group is due to the use of "algorithms." It allows those who had a history of rejecting or believing a message from a certain source from being contacted or educated, or targeted. It makes it difficult to know what, why, and how "the other side" is thinking.. That is the challenge social media presents to democracy. It is not choosing among viewpoints in a marketplace of ideas. There is a little marketplace, little side-by-side comparisons, as each side seeks refuge in the media with which they already agree and with which they feel comfortable.  The only antidote left is the nerve-shattering political advertising near election times which depends on the fundraising ability of the candidates for office. It is a corrupt system that is based on the ability to appeal to those with the most money who now can remain anonymous, thanks to the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United. Even that ability to know who is funding a candidate to make a rational choice based on disclosure has been subverted by this decision.   

It takes the ability to apply critical thinking to sort the wheat from the chaff, fiction, and propaganda from reality and truth.  Those who want their lies to be taken as truth and to make the rest of those inclined to agree with them have laid the groundwork by dismissing evidence and proof to the contrary as always being fake news manipulated by some cabal and conspiracy of the opposition. In a democracy, it should be the responsibility of all citizens to be able to demand evidence and proof in place of fantasy, wishful thinking, and what-ifs. It was the faith of our founders, products of the age of reason, that ability to do so would make democracy work.  There is reason to believe that a significant chunk of Americans subscribes to the age of irrationality.  Irrationality is the underlying threat to the continuation of democracy, rule by the people through their fairly and freely elected representatives. 

Citizens United Explained | Brennan Center for Justice

Other than hand wringing, what is the solution? We can start with teaching civics again and include in that a segment on critical thinking and how to deal with social media. I am a firm believer that students receiving a high school diploma should be able to pass the same citizenship exam given to those applying for citizenship.  * Only nine states and the District of Columbia require one year of U.S. government or civics, while 30 states require a half year and the other 11 states have no civics requirement.

A Look at Civics Education in the United States

https://www.aft.org › summer2018 › shapiro_brown

Another, repair the damage done by Citizens United and redo campaign finance disclosures.  How this can be done given the current makeup of the Supreme Court is a challenge.

Hispanics are major factors in Colorado voting: still leaning Democrat update 11/11/22

This segment is also reproduced in the blog post of 11/11/22 , Democrats and the Latino Vote Democrat Yadira Caraveo's victory in Congressional District 8 in Colorado, a brand new district, reflects the growing Latino population in Colorado.  While all politics is local, there are some national sentiments held by this very diverse group that favor Democrats.  Like all waves of immigrants since the founding of America, they are trying to pursue '" the American dream", to have the ability to raise a family and nourish it,  to move up to the next rung in economic prosperity, and some, even to start and own their own businesses.  Those are aspirations as old as the nation, founded on the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  My late husband immigrated to America, escaping a Communist dictatorship, and was one of the post-World War II immigrants to America. While he was from Eastern Europe, he found a kinship with Latinos in their aspirations.  Achieving those aspirations. is made easier in a  society that respects those who do not look like or even speak like the majority, who believe in less government control of  their personal lives (including supporting women's control over their health care), that relieves some of the strain of those working hard with health care, access to finances that does not discriminate, that helps with the financial ability and access to education and higher education, and a body of supporters that is inclusive in sharing economic and political power.,   The Democrats can make the case they are the party that provides the freedom and the ability in all of these areas, making it easier to pursue the American dream,  while the Republicans are the ones who do not.  

Democrat Yadira Caraveo wins competitive District 8 race to represent Colorado’s newest congressional district | Colorado Public Radio (cpr.org)

Latino voters critical to Yadira Caraveo victory in CO's 8th district (denverpost.com)

ELECTION 2022 | The 'unrealized potential’ of Latino voters in Colorado elections | News | coloradopolitics.com

Midterm Election Results Highlight Importance of Engaging the Growing Hispanic Electorate | UnidosUS

What happened to the Republican Hispanic wave? - Vox

9/11/22 posting:

A new poll shows that while Hispanic voters in Colorado lean toward the Democratic Party, they are unhappy with the direction the U.S. is heading, listing primary concerns as inflation, crime, and the economy.

The UnidosUS poll of 300 Hispanic Colorado residents who are eligible to vote found that 63% believe the country is on “the wrong track,” several points higher than the 60% national response. More than half of Colorado respondents consistently agreed with this sentiment, even when comparing different genders, age groups, education levels, and countries of origin.

UnidosUS, the nation's largest Latino civil rights organization, said it hopes the survey results will serve as a “wake-up call” for both Democrats and Republicans approaching the midterm elections in November.

Of Colorado respondents, 40% said the Democratic Party would be best at addressing the issues they're concerned about, compared to 14% who said Republicans would be best.  Another 20% said both parties would be good at handling the issues, and 20% said neither party would be good.

This matters for the Colorado election as 21.9% of the state's population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Census. While voter turnout for this demographic is typically lower on average, 61% of the survey respondents said they are "100% certain" they will vote this November. Another 21% said they would probably vote.

"The bottom line here for us is that Latinos are the key to unlocking the potential that Colorado has in these upcoming elections," said Salvador Hernandez, Colorado Director of Mi Familia Vota, which partnered with UnidosUS to organize the poll.  Latinos in Colorado will definitely play a decisive role in this year's midterm elections."

Joe O'Dea vs Michael Bennet U.S. Senate election 2022 heats up (denverpost.com)  Note roleW of Hispanics and Roe v Wade

“In Colorado, Latinos are the second largest voting-age community,” said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, vice presidents of UnidosUS, during a press conference Tuesday. “Neither party should take comfort by the poll results… The reality is that both parties are underwater.”

The top three priorities of Colorado respondents in order were inflation, crime/gun violence and jobs/the economy — results that mirror the national survey results. Specifically, Colorado respondents most frequently expressed concern about rising gas prices, rising costs of living, guns that are too easily accessible, school shootings and not being paid enough at their jobs.

Other popular issues included abortion and immigration reform. Nearly 75% of Colorado respondents said it is wrong to make abortion illegal regardless of their personal beliefs, and 77% supported executive action to protect undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for a long time.

Of Colorado respondents, 40% said the Democratic Party would be best at addressing the issues they’re concerned about, compared to 14% who said Republicans would be best. Another 20% said both parties would be good at addressing the issues and 20% said neither party would be good.

This matters for the Colorado election as 21.9% of the state’s population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Census. While voter turnout for this demographic is typically lower on average, 61% of the survey respondents said they are “100% certain” they will vote this November and another 21% said they will probably vote.

“The bottom line here for us is that Latinos are the key to unlocking the potential that Colorado has in these upcoming elections,” said Salvador Hernandez, Colorado Director of Mi Familia Vota, which partnered with UnidosUS to organize the poll. “Latinos in Colorado will definitely play a decisive role in this year’s midterm elections.”

Kevin McCarthy's warped view of the soul of America, updated 9/5/2022.

Kevin McCarthy has a warped and specious view of the soul of America. In a prebuttal to Biden's Soul of America speech, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy demanded Biden apologize for calling MAGA Republicans semi-fascists and said the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago was his example of Biden's soul of America.   He avoided the  central point of Biden's address.  The soul of America is democracy.   McCarthy left on the table unanswered burning questions, the answer to which reveals who and what are the threats to democracy.. Since when is the soul of America been about not honoring the rule of law, supporting violence to forward political goals instead of accepting elections results, and having one-party control of the election process?   The definition of semi-fascists has room for more explanation.  Still, a case can be made there are elements among MAGA Republicanism that fit, including support of violence,  one-party control over the mechanism of voting, and a cult-like loyalty to a strong man party leader. 

If we are going to have a debate on what is the soul of America, let's have it. McCarthy ignored the arguments Biden made in calling out the "extreme MAGA Republicans" as being against democracy. McCarthy's defense of  America's soul in the prebuttal referred only to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago: "He (Biden) has launched an assault on our democracy. His policies have severely wounded America's soul, diminished America's spirit, and betrayed America's trust." He called Biden's remarks slander and said the reason Biden is making such remarks is that Biden differs with GOP's issues on public policy positions. He dodged  Biden's remarks about the anti-democracy MAGA wing of the GOP that had little to do with specific public issues, a small part of the president's address. Instead, Biden focused on the anti-democratic behavior, ideology, and attitude of the very hard-core supporters of Donald Trump, while never mentioning Trump's name  Biden's vision of the American soul, in contrast, was broader with a long list of specifics as set forth in the August 1, 2022  "Soul of America" address. Per Biden: "This is a nation that honors our Constitution.  We do not reject it. ..."This is a nation that believes in the rule of law. ... This is a nation that respects free and fair elections.  We honor the will of the people.  We do not deny it.   ...And this is a nation that rejects violence as a political tool.  We do not encourage violence.....And yet history tells us that blind loyalty to a single leader and a willingness to engage in political violence is fatal to democracy...."  

 So what's your answer to these attacks, McCarthy, now that you had a chance to hear the actual address?  We did not hear from him but from other GOP politicians who attacked Biden's speech by trying to shift the response to public policy issues, none of which included their support of overturning Roe v Wade.  Heaven forbid that one issue should be mentioned because that will be the most important public policy-related factor in determining the outcome of the midterms in November if democracy is not. 63% of Americans oppose the Supreme Court overturning Roe.v.Wade. CNN Poll: About two-thirds of Americans disapprove of overturning Roe v. Wade, see negative effect for the nation ahead - CNNPolitics GOP reaction? Don't look at the tree Biden points to, but look at inflation (just as gas prices decreased to below $4 a gallon and supply chain issues work their way through post-COVID tangles).  Republicans attack administration agenda in response to Biden's 'soul of the nation' address - POLITICO 

How deep and wide is the "extreme MAGA Republican" segment of the GOP? It depends on how the question is asked in polls and what is happening at the moment. However, there is plenty of polling on two issues: the use of political violence is justified by a plurality of Republicans and 70% of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen.  Sources of these polls are discussed below in the context of support of Biden's "Soul of America" speech below. 

More about the points raised by Biden in his August 1 address:

Much about the MAGA force in the GOP's belief about democracy has already been revealed and mulled over. Unfortunately, their actions speak louder than words, as well. Some of their deeds are even being scrutinized as criminal and will get into sharper focus in the coming days as the judicial actions play out. What is evident in their support of Donald Trump? It is a vision of an  American soul full of violence and conflict, and it is an aspirational, if not always a conscious, attempt to create an autocracy in place of democracy. 

 There is plenty of fodder for Biden et al. to continue to make the case that the clear and present danger to democracy is the MAGA wing of the GOP.    

Since when is the soul of democracy about ignoring, subverting, or failing to comply with the rule of law?        There are several examples of accusations still in the judicial process that have not yet resulted in criminal charges. Nonetheless, what the public does know is there were attempts made that illustrate Trump's and his  MAGA supporters' hostile attitudes and actions toward the rule of law. The hot issue that may result in criminal charges is the "fake electors" scheme.   There was a parallel attempt to pressure Georgia election officials to go out and "find" eleven thousand votes for him. The Mar-a-Lago documents issue is also about a former president refusing to comply with the laws surrounding who possess official documents when presidents leave office. At a minimum, Trump was told he was not in compliance, and he still refused to comply.   As his former trusted Attorney General, Bill Barr noted, he was asked several times nicely to return the files but did not.  The maximum will be the fallout if proof emerges that he himself was responsible for a coverup of hiding documents and obstructing justice and the investigation.  That would make Nixon's Watergate coverup look like a minor infraction.  If Trump's handling of documents damaged national security, that would be the most explosive finding.  Trump ex-Attorney General Bill Barr defends FBI search of Mar-a-Lago (cnbc.com)

Update: September 5: We will not know what damage Trump's stash away of national security documents has done any time soon. Judge shopping paid off. His appointee judge just stopped any more investigation into the damage assessment until "a special master" double checks the FBI's work, determines what is executive privilege (whatever that means, especially  sinceTrump claimed he declassified everything, and he is no longer an executive), and whenever that happens (after November??). That is the first use of a special master in a criminal investigation.  These are contentious, novel, and inventive arguments by the judge in a unique situationl. Expect any DOJ appeal of the decision to contain its own set of litigation of the judge's premises, dragging the time line out further. Predictions:  Trump will continue to keep on raising money from his most loyal followers for his "legal defense" of such a poor little rich guy.  On the other hand, expect a  DOJ appeal to disclose even more damning evidence about how this ruling harms national security, damaging Trump further.  However, are Trump's actions in hiding the stolen documents  regardless of their content and privilege still subject to charges of the crime of obstruction of justice ? The legal plot of this saga thickens and sickens. Justice delayed is justice denied. Judge grants Trump team request for special master to review documents seized during FBI search of Mar-a-Lago | AP News

Since when is the soul of democracy about using violence and terror to determine the winner of an election  or who leads the country? Poll by the University of Chicago: Doomsday? Nearly half of "strong Republicans" believe it's almost time for armed violence | Salon.com. "These findings complement other social science research and polling, which has repeatedly shown that a plurality, if not a majority, of Republicans (and Trump supporters specifically), are prepared to support or condone political violence against the Democrats, the Biden administration, and other "enemies" to protect what they understand as America's "traditional values."  Sen. Lindsey Graham was the most recent voice referring to the use of violence to get a political outcome. . January 6 was about using violence and terror to keep Trump in office by upending the rules of a peaceful transition to a new president.  The violent militias like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are not about democracy but about terrorizing others to bow to their goals of establishing a dictatorship of one to whom they pledge allegiance.  The amount of chanting and flag waving disguises their attempt to end democracy.   In the view of one influential judge, Trump and his followers are a clear and present danger to democracy.  January 6 hearing: Trump remains 'clear and present danger to American democracy, retired GOP judge tells panel (cnbc.com).  or a running chronicle of Trump's view of the use and advocacy of violence, see  MUFTIC FORUM BLOG: Trump fans the flames of violence yet calls himself the champion of law and order.  In fact, the preamble to the Constitution puts domestic tranquility as one of the purposes of its establishment.  The use and threat of violence to subvert the democratic process is now common as election officials at all levels, federal, state, and local, are threatened with violence. . Facing harassment and death threats, some election workers weigh whether to stay | PBS NewsHour    

 Nebraska man pleads guilty to threatening Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold | Colorado Public Radio (cpr.org)  

Graham faces backlash after claiming violence could break out if Trump prosecuted - ABC News (go.com)   

Since when is democracy about ignoring the will of the majority of people expressed through the ballot box and not permitting a partisan loyal to one ideology, party, or person to pick and choose which votes should be counted?  That was the issue at the heart of the fake elector slates strategy, to let a person choose which slate was to be counted. When polls show that 70% of those who identify as Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen a year and ten months after the race and have failed to turn up evidence in spite of 60 court cases and innumerable official and "forensic" audits, that is a threat to the fundamental function of a Democracy.PolitiFact | Most Republicans still falsely believe Trump's stolen election claims.  The GOP answer? Put election deniers in charge of elections and keep bi-partisan eyes away from the process.   Democracy is not about only one party being allowed and given access to count ballots or counting only ballots they assume support them.  The fundamental danger to democracy is electing someone to the office which administers the voting process and systems, who is so partisan that he/she cannot be trusted to play it fair and square and by the book. The laws and rules governing the administration are the referees who work as long as they are respected and followed. In sports, imagine a football game without referees, where the team owner sitting in the home team owner's box calls who committed the fouls as he defines them, levies, and enforces the penalties. It only works without a brawl if everyone in the stands and on the field is on the same team. The county clerks are the local referees. How and where Trump-dominated Republicans attempt nationwide to replace the election referees in 2022 with their partisans is spelled out in  https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/replacingtherefs/.

PolitiFact | Most Republicans still falsely believe Trump's stolen election claims

Many American Voters Want to Upend System, Poll Finds - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/15/election-deniers-march-toward-power-key-2024-battlegrounds/       (Two thirds of GOP nominees for election officials are deniers.....who believe the 2020 election was stolen)

Since when is the soul of America fascist-like? Should Biden apologize for tagging MAGA Republicans as semi-fascists?  No.  It was clever of Biden since the term needs definition, and where you sit is where you define.   I have written many blog postings wondering how Trump and his followers fit into that description of fascism. My view is, in some ways, yes.  If it walks like a duck and quacks like one, it probably is a duck, but in this case, more of an aspirational one, not quite fully grown yet. I  concluded in my most recent posting on the subject:" Trump often expressed his admiration for those models of modern fascism: Putin, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Turkey's Erdogan? All of them fit Merriam-Webster's definition of fascism: "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition and a tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control" The case for calling those three leaders fascists was made by the late Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in her book, Fascism, a Warning. Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine K. Albright | Goodreads The extreme MAGA Republicans are not there yet, but there are elements in that group that aspire to implement aspects of a similar ideology.  

My observation of fascist governments is that "freedom" is only for the dear leaders' supporters to do and say as the leader approves.   The usual way to oust fascist leaders who have control of all governmental power centers is by violent or velvet overthrow.   Free and fair elections are no longer able to change regimes because who votes, how they vote, and how the votes are counted are also controlled by fascists.  It is an ideology, but its application is similar to other dictators who tout communism or a particular theology. "

Is the soul of America to be governed by a cult of personality and are Trump and his hard-core followers cult-like?  It appears so in the view of many.

Common definition of a cult: (Google): Checklist of Characteristics

• The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.
• The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.
• The group is preoccupied with making money.
• Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.

  Thoughtful analysis of whether Trump is a cult leader and his followers are cult-like:  including a discussion about Hitler.   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/politics-psychiatry-and-psychoanalysis/202009/donald-trump-and-his-followers-are-they-cult      

Case made: by an expert Trump and followers are a cult:  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Cult-of-Trump/Steven-Hassan/9781982127343

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https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/09/01/remarks-by-president-bidenon-the-continued-battle-for-the-soul-of-the-nation/

McCarthy's words: ""In the past two years, Joe Biden has launched an assault on the soul of America, on its people, on its laws, on its most sacred values.  e has launched an assault on our democracy.  is policies have severely wounded America's soul, diminished America'sspirit, and betrayed America's trust.". McCarthy calls on Biden to apologize after 'semi-fascism' remark - CNNPolitics  .