Are "Trumpies" the new MAGA Republicans?

AP Photo/David Dermer

Joe Biden traveled to two important swing states, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, on Labor Day to deliver campaign-style speeches full of vitriol against Republican voters. He is in full campaign mode and is embracing his role as campaigner-in-chief, hoping to stop a red wave coming in the November mid-term elections in just 62 days. .

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In Milwaukee, Biden trotted out a new term for Republicans voters. To build on to his MAGA Republicans description of Trump voters, he called over 74 million voters “Trumpies”. He did so as he described a plan put forward by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) which calls for renewing programs like Social Security. Biden deliberately likes to cherry pick parts of Scott’s plan that he considers extreme. His cynical approach in criticizing an agenda for Republicans going forward ignores the fact that not a single Republican in the Senate has signed on to Rick Scott’s plan. Not one.

“The biggest contrast from what MAGA Republicans — the extreme right, the Trumpies — these MAGA Republicans in Congress are coming for your Social Security,” Mr. Biden said. “You might think I’m making this stuff up, it’s so outrageous.”

This new language comes on the heels of his hyper-partisan, ugly speech in Philadelphia last week where he insisted that Republicans support semi-fascism and support using violence. He insists that Republicans are not only fascists but are a threat to democracy, a threat to both personal and financial freedoms. Biden repeated this in his Labor Day speeches.

“Not every Republican is a MAGA Republican. Not every Republican embraces that extreme ideology. I know because I’ve been able to work with mainstream Republicans my whole career,” he said. “But the extreme MAGA Republicans in Congress have chosen to go backwards full of anger, violence, hate and division. But together we can, and we must choose a different path: Forward.”

Mr. Biden continued: “Extreme MAGA Republicans don’t just threaten our personal rights and our economic security. They embrace political violence.”

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It’s not unusual for a candidate to resort to name-calling in campaign speeches. In Biden’s case, though, he is the leader of his party. He is not on the ballot in November but he has filed the paperwork for re-election in 2024. The gloves are off as far as he’s concerned. The man who ran on healing the soul of America, promoting unity, and working with both sides of the aisle shows himself to be the worst of politicians. He demonizes his political opponents, in this case about half of American voters.

The White House is putting Biden out on the campaign trail to rally Democrats to get out and vote in November. He uses the rallies to take a victory lap for some recent legislative successes, like the bipartisan law to boost the domestic chip-manufacturing industry, the Inflation Reduction Act, and his strong support for unions. He calls his administration the most pro-union of all past administrations. A recent Gallup poll shows the highest support for labor unions since 1965, though only 1 in 10 workers are union members. That is half the level of participation seen in four decades.

Bidenflation is hardest on blue collar and lower income Americans. Salaries are not keeping up with the rate of inflation. Biden was preaching to the choir on Labor Day. His crowds are small and getting union members to show up for a Democrat speech is not the big feat that Team Biden may think it is. Trump’s rallies still draw thousands of people. Biden may be taking a victory lap but his approval numbers are still at historically low levels. He has not only failed to unify Americans, he is making divisions worse.

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Democrat candidates are avoiding appearing with Biden. In Milwaukee, he took aim at Senator Ron Johnson, a Trump supporter. He is in a tight race against Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat. The race is a toss-up at this point. It’s important for Johnson to hold on to the seat in order for Republicans to retake control of the Senate.

“To this day, MAGA Republicans in Congress defend the mob that stormed the Capitol. And people died. Sen. Johnson said it was by and large a peaceful protest,” Mr. Biden said. “There’s no democracy where you can be pro-insurrection and pro-democracy.”

The president then doubled down again, saying that he wasn’t being metaphorical in his claim that democracy itself is on the ballot this November.

“So when I say that democracy is at stake, I mean what I’m saying. Literally. You can’t say support law enforcement and call the people who attack the police on Jan. 6 ‘patriots,’” he said.

Mandela Barnes did not appear at the rally with Biden.

Democrats are the party of the Defund the Police movement. That one riot on January 6 is being characterized as commonplace for Republicans and that is the Democrats’ Big Lie. Biden can’t be allowed to gloss over the Summer of Love in 2020 when Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump protesters burned and looted in cities across America. Many of the so-called peaceful protests turned violent and deadly. There was not a peep from Biden then, though. Kamala Harris even encouraged supporters to contribute to the bail fund for protesters in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death.

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Questioning the results of elections is something Democrats have been doing for years. I can remember them doing that in 2000 after George W. Bush was declared the winner against Al Gore in Florida, in 2004 in his race against John Kerry, and Democrats took to the streets in huge numbers to protest the victory of Trump in 2016. There were regular protests throughout Trump’s four years in office as Democrats declared him an illegitimate president.

Will President Unity increase political violence as he continues to demonize Republican voters? In today’s overheated environment, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility. MSNBC guest Roland Martin declared that Democrats are “at war” with Republicans now. He praises Biden for calling Republicans a threat to the country.

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What could possibility go wrong? We’ll see if “Trumpie” lasts or if it was a one-time ad lib from the dazed and confused Biden.

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