OPINION:
The corporate media worked overtime to paint President Biden as a moderate, compassionate unifier. But in recent months, that facade has crumbled. Americans are watching a hyper-partisan, divisive president — one who simply does not care about Americans. Just look at his recent rhetoric in Georgia.
In a desperate effort to ram through his federal takeover of elections, Mr. Biden went to Atlanta, where he smeared anyone who opposed his agenda as racist and immoral. It was reminiscent of Mr. Biden’s claim that Georgia’s election reforms requiring voter ID amounted to “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.” The message was clear: If you don’t wholeheartedly back Mr. Biden’s radical playbook, you are a racist and a white supremacist.
But this hyperbolic rhetoric is dishonest. It ignores the valid reasons why millions of Americans of all races and across the political spectrum oppose Mr. Biden’s far-left scheme.
These Democrat efforts would undo the election integrity laws passed in states like Georgia, Florida and Arizona, which broadened voting access while putting in place new protections to stop fraud. Georgia’s legislation strengthened voter ID laws, expanded early voting hours on weekends, required better maintenance of voter rolls and banned ballot harvesting. Americans support these protections by a wide margin, with 80% of voters supporting voter ID laws and 87% opposing ballot harvesting.
But in Mr. Biden’s world, Americans who support these common-sense reforms don’t just want their vote counted accurately and fairly. They’re racists. It’s a far cry from Biden’s promise to “stop treating our opponents as our enemies.”
Then there was Mr. Biden’s rhetoric about Americans who have chosen not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin,” Mr. Biden said. “And your refusal has cost all of us.” As punishment, Mr. Biden essentially tried to mandate that private businesses vaccinate their employees or fire them — an unconstitutional power grab the RNC sued to stop and the Supreme Court has so far, thankfully, blocked.
It’s wrong for the president of the United States to demean American citizens for a personal medical decision and depict them as a public enemy. Mr. Biden claimed he’d shut down the virus, but it’s out of control — and his administration has made it nearly impossible to find rapid tests and therapeutics to help those with symptoms. But Mr. Biden would much rather blame hardworking Americans for his failures. Such language hardly helps “heal” the nation as Mr. Biden promised.
Mr. Biden’s divisiveness isn’t limited to his rhetoric. His coastal elite cabinet is out of touch with the concerns and struggles facing middle and working-class families. Maybe that’s why White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain tweeted that rising prices for everyday items are “high-class problems,” a notion White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended by mocking the supply chain crisis. But for millions of Americans across the country, these are everyday problems. Gas is up 50% since last year, making it more expensive to drive to work and school. Staples like chicken and eggs have risen 10% and 11%, respectively. Wealthy elites might not notice these price hikes, but families on a budget feel the pinch.
Americans who voted for Mr. Biden thought they were getting a president who would “restore the soul of the nation.” Instead, they got a calculating, power-hungry politician who consistently turns Americans against one another and ignores the issues facing regular citizens.
It’s clear: Mr. Biden is the divider-in-chief. And it’s hardworking, patriotic Americans who are paying the price.
• Ronna McDaniel is the chair of the Republican National Committee.
