Divider-in-Chief Biden? How Partisan Brawling Has Infused the Soul of the Nation

It was 8 o’clock, prime time, at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The U.S. Marine Band infused the airwaves with the national anthem as lights, red, white and blue, lit up the night sky. At the center of this “sacred ground” that saw the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, stood the evening’s lectern … where, set up by this orchestrated atmosphere, President Joe Biden delivered his “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” speech, hoping to draw in voters for the upcoming midterm elections. However, 80% of his speech was spent attacking Donald Trump and his supporters. The Republican Party angrily retorted that Biden had made a “declaration of war on half of the country.”*

This “Soul of America” speech was nothing more than an advertisement for the Democratic Party in the upcoming election; however, this rebuke, the harshest yet of Trump, was not without symbolic significance. Cast your mind back to when Biden had just won the election. In his victory speech, Biden loudly declared, “I’m a proud Democrat. But I will govern as an American president. I'll work as hard for those who didn't vote for me as those who did. He was calling on the American people to remain united. In his more than a year in office, Biden has repeatedly called on the American people to reconcile and unite, and he had even avoided using Trump’s name directly by referring to him as “the former guy.” However, during this speech, Biden suddenly entered “full battle mode,” not only becoming the first president in more than 40 years to misuse prime time to deliver a speech full of partisan attacks, but he also violently damned the opposition for “semi-fascism,” charging they “fan the flames of political violence,” “promote authoritarian leaders,” and committed a series of “pro-insurrectionist” crimes against the American political system. What motivated Biden’s antagonistic and divisive rhetoric?

The answer: votes. The upcoming elections are a type of “midterm exam” to score the president’s performance since taking office, and, based on current indicators, the Democratic Party's prospects are dire. Biden has ascended to presidential office, yet COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc, and the death rate is still soaring; shooting incidents are still increasing unabated, and bloodshed in the schools still has not awakened the conscience of politicians. Americans are still waiting for hyperinflation’s axe to fall, particularly upon the necks of the poor ... Honeyed blandishments are on unlimited offer, yet there is not a shred of progress to be witnessed across the U.S.’ myriad social conflicts. Casting a symbolic ballot is the only outlet for the population’s anger and dissatisfaction toward those two bad apples, the Democratic and Republican parties. Although Biden fully understands their frustration, he is powerless to improve the bleak lives of the American people. But he can deceive them by the artifice of shifting the focus of the midterm elections from gasoline prices and daily necessities to a “battle between democracy and authoritarianism.” That way, Americans will not concern themselves with the current administration’s lack of achievements but rather feel they are making a big choice at the ballot box about the future direction of the country.

Biden is investing all his effort into marketing himself as the savior of American democracy. Ironically, so is the Republican Party. Regardless of whether it’s Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or other Republicans, one and all believe that the chief culprit behind the destruction of U.S. democracy is the Democratic Party. It is the Democrats who are stigmatizing the participants in the Capitol Hill riots. It is they who seized the 2020 general election only by means of fraud. And it is they who use the seat of power for personal enrichment. Although neither party will fight for democracy or human rights, they will go all out in putting on their clumsy political performances. It goes to show that the U.S. “election” is just the main stage for politicians scrambling for power and profit.

Today, as the U.S. hegemony is declining, the Democratic and Republican parties have already torn off the hypocritical veil of cultured refinement and have commenced the ugly slugfest, tearing off the golden halo that used to glow around the U.S. political system. Throughout the halls of Capitol Hill, members of Congress are engaging in political polarization, and all ethnic groups across U.S. society are following suit, sowing their own seeds of discord. Polarized thinking is invading all levels of society. Some U.S. scholars believe that all the signs of an approaching civil war have emerged. Some media, however, have lamented, “U.S. democracy may not end with a bang, but with a whimper.” No matter which ending is approaching, politicians are apparently not repentant, and they certainly do not feel a sense of personal responsibility.

*Editor's Note: While translated accurately, this quote could not be independently verified.