Nov. 2 (UPI) — President Joe Biden delivered a speech on Wednesday night, less than one week before the midterm elections, warning Americans about election deniers and urging voters to “preserve democracy or put it at risk.”
“Today, I appeal to all Americans, regardless of party, to meet this moment of national and generational importance. We must vote knowing what’s at stake and not just the policy of the moment,” Biden said.
He spoke during a Democratic National Committee event at Union Station, near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, where he called on voters to think about the future of our democracy and remember the riots of Jan. 6, 2021.
“On Jan. 6, we saw violence geared toward subverting democratic processes there. So it is, you know, an appropriate place to make these remarks tonight,” Biden said as he also referenced former President Donald Trump, though not by name.
“It was an enraged mob that had been whipped up into a frenzy by a president repeating over and over again the big lie that the election of 2020 had been stolen,” Biden said. “It’s a lie that has fueled the dangerous rise of political violence and voter intimidation over the past two years.”
As the president spoke about political violence, he also referenced the recent attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s husband, Paul Pelosi, at their San Francisco home.
“The assailant entered the home asking, ‘Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?’ Those were the very same words used by the mob when they stormed the United States Capitol on January the 6th, when they broke windows, kicked in doors, brutally attacked law enforcement, roamed the corridors hunting for officials and erected gallows to hang the former vice president, Mike Pence,” Biden said as he warned voters about the danger election deniers pose to next week’s midterm elections.
“American democracy is under attack because the defeated former president of the United States refuses to accept the results of the 2020 election,” Biden said. “He’s made a big lie an article of faith in the MAGA Republican party.”
“It’s estimated that there are more than 300 election deniers on the ballot all across America this year,” Biden warned.
“We must vote knowing who we have been and what we’re at risk of becoming. We must vote knowing what’s at stake and not just the policy of the moment — but institutions that have held us together, as we’ve sought a more perfect union, are also at stake,” Biden said.
Biden delivered similar remarks in September from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where he criticized the so-called “MAGA Republicans” who he said “are determined to take this country backward.”
Biden’s speech Wednesday in Washington came the same day the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by another 0.75 percentage point to ease soaring inflation. It is the fourth consecutive 75-basis-point hike this year.
While Biden acknowledged there is a lot at stake in Tuesday’s midterm elections, including the economy, crime and personal freedoms, he highlighted democracy as the biggest concern.
“My fellow Americans, we’re facing a defining moment, an inflection point. We must with one, overwhelming, unified voice speak as a country and say there’s no place for voter intimidation or political violence in America, whether it’s directed at Democrats or Republicans,” Biden said.
“I want to be very clear, this is not about me. It’s about all of us. It’s about what makes America — America,” Biden said. “It’s about the durability of our democracy.”
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