President Biden’s heated address in Georgia last week, which many slammed as divisive, was defended by White House press spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
She claimed the president “stands by what he said.”
“The Speech was Political”
As part of her routine news conference on Tuesday, Psaki was asked about the blowback Biden has received, following his speech last week in Georgia.
The president proclaimed opposers of the Democrats’ electoral law revamp bill were on the side of maligned figures, such as segregationist Governor George Wallace and Confederate Party leader Jefferson Davis.
That DISGRACEFUL speech Biden gave in Georgia this week was his Hillary Clinton “basket of deplorables” moment where he called 70 million American voters racists, segregationists and Jim Crow supporters. That is insulting to me and my slave ancestors. I voted Trump. pic.twitter.com/1dvkaHmhk1
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) January 19, 2022
Psaki commented the speech was not intended to be political, but rather instructive.
In her opening statement, Psaki said she would first point out, as everyone may be aware, the president gave a remarkable address about preserving people’s basic rights in this nation.
People have the right to vote; they have the right to vote for whomever they choose, whether or not it is him or anyone else in the race. Psaki stated it was not a political statement in the traditional sense.
Specifically, the speech was designed to bring out for the general public exactly what is at stake and spell out for elected representatives exactly what is at stake. Therefore, Biden sticks by every word he said during that speech.
What Led to the Statement?
On being pressed for more information about the “genesis” of the statement, Psaki replied that Republicans and Democrats have been talking about voting rights on Capitol Hill for months.
Republicans should take advantage of the opportunity to have a conversation among themselves and their staff about a route forward, something 16 Republicans who are currently serving have previously supported.
Also, Biden engaged extensively with civil rights leaders. They spoke extensively with civil rights leaders, voting rights activists, and others who have been working tirelessly to push for voting rights.
The Right to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act are two election-related proposals that the White House and Democrat members of Congress are attempting to have passed into law.
It’s impossible to overcome a filibuster in the Senate; moderate senators such as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have continuously resisted any moves to change the rule that requires 60 votes to advance legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pressuring senators to vote on election-related legislation and a potential filibuster exemption this week.
On Thursday, President Biden described the passage of the legislation as a crucial step in ensuring the long-term viability of American democracy.
Joe Biden went to Georgia today and said that you're a "domestic enemy" on the side of "George Wallace and Bull Connor" if you support election integrity and oppose his federal takeover of elections.
An appalling speech from a truly divisive president.
— Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) January 12, 2022
“At critical junctures in history, they provide a choice: do you wish to be in the camp of Dr. King or George Wallace?”
The president stated, “Do you desire to be on John Lewis’ or Bull Connor’s half of the debate? Do you choose to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or the side of President Jefferson Davis?”
“Now is the time to determine whether or not to preserve our elections and our democratic process.”
