2y ago

Historians meet Biden for a White House lunch, urge him to speak out more forcefully

www.politico.com

President Joe Biden hosted a small group of scholars and historians for lunch on Wednesday as he gears up for a speech framing the upcoming election as a battle for the nation’s democracy.

The discussion revolved around “ongoing threats to democracy and democratic institutions both here in America and around the world, as well as the opportunities we face as a nation,” the White House said in a statement.

Princeton’s Eddie Glaude Jr. and Sean Wilentz, Harvard’s Annette Gordon-Reed, Yale’s Beverly Gage and Boston College’s Heather Cox Richardson were among the attendees, as well as presidential biographer — and occasional Biden speech writer — Jon Meacham.

Attendees were tight-lipped about what was discussed at the gathering. One would only go so far as to say they “talked about American history and its bearing on the present — a lively exchange of ideas.”

Another person in the room, who like the others was not authorized to speak publicly about a private meeting, said the historians urged the president “to call out the moment for what it is.” In blunt terms, the academics discussed looming threats to the nation’s democracy and warned about the slow crawl of authoritarianism around the globe.

100 comments

I think it's important for Biden to call out this moment for what it is. It will be difficult to do, though, without alienating the people in the country who have incorporated Trump into their political identity. When you point out that their emperor has no clothes, they will feel exposed themselves and lash out at the truth teller.
Biden has to try and build a coalition of all sorts of people to meet this moment. Especially all the people who are disillusioned with the situation in Gaza right now. It amazes me how all those people would think Trump would be any better at that. Trump would sell out Gaza to build a resort if we let him.
- Trump would gleefully see Gaza get destroyed. He would call on Israel to not slow down and allow aid to pass through, but do it faster. Like, “have it done by next Monday so I can take the credit for it”.
  
  Then call on biden to act to stop the genocide and there wont be an issue.
- It will be difficult to do, though, without alienating the people in the country who have incorporated Trump into their political identity
  They're already alienated, there's likely nothing Biden could possibly do that would earn him their votes.
  The question is- can Biden afford to alienate the folks who are against US support of Israeli occupation and genocide? If they stay home, the GOP wrecking crew may get another 4 years of opportunity to dismantle American democracy. Is it safe to bet that they'll hold their nose and vote against the greater evil?
  I'm not 100% sure how much of the Democratic party (or independents) would find it to be a deal-breaker if Biden were to take a critical stance of Israeli occupation and genocide, nor am I certain of how many likely-democratic voters find it a deal-breaker if Biden continues to give Israel military support without conditions. It seems likely to me that if Biden doesn't address this issue directly and clearly, he will lose one or the other of these groups and I worry he can't afford that in 2024
  
  The great part is that there's nothing Biden can do that would be a deal breaker. I must vote for him because the way we vote is stupid. There's nothing that can make me not because the alternative is objectively worse.
  So it's no wonder the DNC doesn't care what I think.
- We are just sick of supporting people that support genocidal actions.
  You guys have fun with genocidin biden, if he’s on the ballot I’m just staying home and staying quiet for the next 4 years
  No I don’t care about game theory or blah blah blah.
  I care that I do not show support for anyone who is helping to kill innocent children.
  You guys still have a chance to actually run a primary.
  Straight up fuck anyone who is VBNMW
  
  If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice -- Rush, Freewill
  Not choosing equates to choosing the default. You may not care about game theory, but you and others cannot get away from the consequences of it.
  In this election, not choosing = voting for Trump
  
  im voting for him regardless of his stance on israel/palestine. How is staying home going to help palestine??? Even for palestine, biden is the lesser evil on who runs the us.
  
  You guys have fun with genocidin biden, if he’s on the ballot I’m just staying home and staying quiet for the next 4 years
  "genocidin Biden"? No wonder you're not voting, you sound like you're 12. Go to your room and think about what you just said, young human. It's not as deep as you think it is.
  The situation in Gaza is tragic, and can't be solved with a soundbite. But anyone who thinks outcomes will be better with Trump in office is delusional. Trump has proven that he doesn't really care about human rights, he cares about enriching himself. The Palestinians will be sold to the highest bidder. Is that what you want?
  
  and staying quiet for the next 4 years
  I doubt it lol
  
  Stupid troll
  
  You're killing trans children at home. Other out groups as well. Thanks. And thanks for sharing and encouraging others. This is helpful. I'll remember your bravery and honor and this moment and the chair I'm sitting in, when they are separating my family at the gas chamber in 6 or 7 years. Bc you didn't know how to read the room.
  
  Okay, enjoy the genocide of your lgbtq+ and immigrant neighbors. You won't vote but the MAGA crowd will appear in full force.
I hope they spoke very strongly, this is the time for strong language.
Now is definitely the time for stronger language and to actually communicate.
I'm encouraged to hear that he's talking with historians on the current moment; there's a lot going on right now that if he just follows politics-as-usual may result in a failure of democracy in the United States.
The deficits in trust the Democratic party are experiencing today might be unprecedented in modern US politics, but the pattern on display bears striking similarity to the politics of the Antebellum period in the United States, and there are also stark parallels to be drawn between US politics today and that of Weimar Germany in the 1920s.
The last thing Biden can afford to do is double down on the status quo. Although his admin has been doing yeoman's work in bringing back progressive policy, I worry that his political instincts on Gaza will have him rush to the "middle ground" to appease the right, when really that isn't a middle ground at all- and in doing that he risks squandering whatever goodwill he's accumulated among likely democratic voters.
You know what’s a really big threat to democracy? Only getting two terrible choices for president, for Senator, for representatives, for governors, and for every other elected position above dog catcher.
People become disillusioned and hopeless because they don’t see any meaningful change and check out. And they stop voting.
But this speech is gonna be about Trump and not that.
- Trump is the bigger threat. Once he's gone that should become the new focus
  
  There will always be another bigger threat, the fash voter base, police and military presence, and judicial presence doesn't go away when Trump does. Biden needed to clean house, not tiptoe and allow these people to sit on the sidelines like Clarence Thomas until they activate like a sleeper cel.
  
  It should, but it won't.
  
  Not likely. Alternative voting is a threat to both the RNC and DNC hegemony.
  Libertarian and Green candidates are routinely decried as ‘false flag vote siphons’ despite having materially different policy stances from both main parties. It’s easier to keep your team in line with national level funding and intra-party discipline than to actually compromise and work on bi/tri-partisan legislation or a coalition government.
- Ranked voting is best than this
Green Party Candidates Arrested, Shackled to Chairs For 8 Hours After Trying to Enter Hofstra Debate https://www.democracynow.org/2012/10/17/green_partys_jill_stein_cheri_honkala
that was the democrats and republicans not allowing other parties to debate on a national level keeping choices to just two
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Stein
Stein stated during the 2016 campaign that the Democratic and Republican parties are "two corporate parties" that have converged into one. Concerned by the rise of neofascism internationally and the rise of neoliberalism within the Democratic Party, she has said, "The answer to neofascism is stopping neoliberalism. Putting another Clinton in the White House will fan the flames of this right-wing extremism. We have known that for a long time, ever since Nazi Germany."
slow crawl started a while ago soon it will be a slow walk

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