Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), in a scathing op-ed about Biden, wrote that Donald Trump’s victory over President Joe Biden made the election a referendum on Biden’s poor economic record and that “some of Congress’ greatest accomplishments in recent years have been accomplished in spite of, not because of, the president.”
in Editorial Tuesday Bangor Daily NewsDespite the panic among Democrats after Biden’s terrible performance in the debate, Golden writes, “Biden’s poor performance in the debate was no surprise.”
He argues that Biden’s metaphorical misstep “didn’t upset me as much as it did other people, because the outcome of this election has been clear to me for months. I’m not going to vote for him, but Donald Trump is going to win, and I’m OK with that.”
Following a debate performance that fell short of showing Americans that Biden has what it takes to fulfill the duties of president, Biden attempted to reframe November’s general election around Donald Trump’s alleged actions on January 6, 2021, during a White House press conference on Monday night.
“The American people must decide that Donald Trump’s attack on our democracy on January 6th makes him unfit to hold the highest office in our land,” Biden told the nation in a halting, garbled speech that lasted just four minutes. “The American people must decide whether it is acceptable for Trump to resort to violence to stay in power. Perhaps most importantly, now that the American people know that Donald Trump has even more courage to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, they must decide whether they want to entrust the presidency to him again.”
Golden criticized Biden’s weak rebranding and insisted that American democracy will continue unabated despite Trump’s looming election.
“In every election there are winners and losers,” he wrote. “Democratic anxiety after the debate is based on the idea that a Trump victory is not just a political defeat but a particular threat to our democracy. I reject this premise. Unlike Biden and many other candidates, I refuse to join a campaign to intimidate voters with the idea that Trump will end our democratic institutions.”
Golden, a Marine Corps veteran, said that in its 248-year history, “American democracy has endured civil wars, world wars, acts of terrorism and technological and societal changes that would have astonished our Founding Fathers. To marvel at Trump’s victory ignores the strength of our democracy.”
He then sharply criticized the Biden campaign’s key argument that the economy is in good health and recovering from the pandemic under Biden’s administration.
“This election is about the economy, not about democracy,” he wrote. “And when it comes to the economy, Congress matters far more than who occupies the White House.”
Golden was a sharp critic of Biden’s record, saying “some of the greatest accomplishments of Congress in recent years have been accomplished in spite of the president, not because of him.”
He then praised Trump’s trade policies, saying that once Trump takes office, “Congress will already be Working overtime to block Trump’s trade policies It will reverse the scourge of globalization and protect American businesses from unfair foreign competition.”
Golden continued: “Perhaps more importantly, lawmakers must stand up to the old guard of the Republican Party, who use President Trump as a cover to hand out handouts to the rich and powerful at the expense of working-class America and its communities.”
The Maine congressman said, “Hmmm.[ing] He called on voters, public officials, the media and all citizens to ignore the scare tactics and political fantasies of the small talkers. We don’t need party insiders in smoke-filled back rooms to save us, he said. We can save our democracy without them.
“On this Independence Day, we should reflect on the history and strength of our great democracy, with the security that no one is strong enough to take it away from us.”
Bradley Jay is Capitol Hill correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter. translation:.
