Less than two months from the midterms and a week after what some have dubbed his “divide and conquer America” speech, President Biden’s war on Republican voters seems to have irritated more than his campaign advisors had anticipated.
For some, Biden’s inflammatory statements from last week’s prime-time speech in Philadelphia entitled “Continued Battle for the Soul of the Nation” were nothing more than pure hatred for all who oppose him, as he railed against “MAGA Republicans,” calling them a “threat to democracy” and “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.”
Biden’s statements appear to have upset Independent voters, as newly released polling data for Convention of States Action and the Trafalgar Group have revealed. The survey found that an overwhelming 62.4 percent of unaffiliated voters said Biden’s speech is “a dangerous escalation in rhetoric and is designed to incite conflict amongst Americans.”
Early on in his speech, Biden tried to incite patriotism with his sharing of Americans’ desire for liberty and freedom, stating, “We, the people, have burning inside each of us the flame of liberty that was lit here at Independence Hall — a flame that lit our way through abolition, the Civil War, Suffrage, the Great Depression, world wars, Civil Rights.”
But it was Biden’s full-on attack on his political opponents that caught the attention of Independents and Republicans: “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election. And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself.”
Ramping up his attack, he said, “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards — backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love.” Then, stoking fear, Biden continued, “They fan the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted in response to Biden’s speech, “With all due respect Mr. President, there’s nothing wrong with America’s soul. The American people are hurting because of your policies. Rampant inflation, out of control crime, terrorism on the rise, broken borders. Stop lecturing & change your policies before it’s too late.”
Not surprisingly, polling data showed that just under 19 percent of Democrats found the president’s comments to be a “dangerous escalation in rhetoric … designed to incite conflict amongst Americans.” In fact, 70 percent of Democrats thought that the speech was “acceptable campaign type messaging that can be expected in an election year.”
Republican voters obviously had the opposite response, with nearly 90 percent saying that Biden’s words were a ”dangerous escalation in rhetoric … designed to incite conflict amongst Americans,” leaving less than 10 percent thinking that what Biden said was typical election-year campaign messaging.
Again, the response of Independent voters was quite notable, with 62.4 percent surveyed saying Biden’s remarks were “a dangerous escalation in rhetoric,” and only around 31 percent claiming the speech was acceptable rhetoric during an election year.
This survey of 1,000 likely voters clearly shows the political divide in the nation. The response of Independent voters to Biden’s rhetoric is something Democrats should take note of, as those voters will most likely decide who wins in the midterms.
As Ballotpedia reported on party affiliation nationwide as of July 2021, “49.3 million registered voters identified themselves as Democrats. At 39.6 percent, Democrats represented the single largest share of registered voters in those states that allow voters to indicate partisan affiliation on their registration forms. A total of 36.4 million registered voters identified themselves as Republicans, representing 29.2 percent of registered voters in these states. Approximately 38.8 million registered voters identified themselves as independents or members of third-parties. This amounted to 31.2 percent of registered voters in these states.”
The nearly 39 million Independent voters will have a strong voice, given the current partisan division. Considering these poll results for the midterms, Democrats who are paying attention have to be nervous. It’s not a “red wave” they should fear, but their own president.
