Dear Editor: During the September 1 press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fielded numerous questions related to the messaging contained within President Joe Biden’s address to the nation scheduled for some five hours later.
Ms. Jean-Pierre indicated President Biden feels a responsibility to bring the American people together and to answer a fundamental question about what kind of nation we are going to be. She repeatedly indicated the president was going to be optimistic, to lay a path forward. She said he would not focus on a political party nor on a political person but rather on what currently matters. While suggesting the speech would be essentially apolitical, Ms. Jean-Pierre did reference the topic of voter participation as a means to fight for our democracy. Repeatedly, Ms. Jean-Pierre indicated that this was to be an opportunity for the president to have a “conversation” with the American people.
So at 8:03 pm EDT, President Biden began delivering his remarks on “the continued battle for the soul of the nation” from the “sacred ground” of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, a symbol of our nation having been built upon the fundamental principles of equality and democracy.
In the 24 minutes that followed, Biden’s conversation consisted of three references by name of Donald Trump and 13 references to MAGA (Make America Great Again) Republicans. While careful to acknowledge not all Republicans are MAGA, the president was clearly in attack mode indicating MAGA Republicans “embrace anger, thrive on chaos, and represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our republic.”
With all the challenges that America faces today, I find it peculiar that our president chose to deliver to a primetime television audience an oratory that was more a diatribe on the former president and a segment of the Republican party than a conversation. My sense is that our diverse population is more interested in Mr. Biden addressing and seeking resolution to issues of inflation, illegal immigration, gun violence, quality of education, climate change, federal budget deficit, abortion, criminal justice reform, food insecurity, terrorism, voting rights - none of which were mentioned.
From the president who referred to himself in November 2020 as “the unifier in chief…who seeks not to divide but to unite”, Mr. Biden’s September 1 speech was partisan, divisive and an opportunity squandered.
Peter Wibell, Rutledge