Kansas Republican: Democrats agenda, Biden's policies have 'failed significantly'
Kansas GOP congressional candidate Amanda Adkins argues progressive policies have led to economic hardship.
Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. defended the "partisanship" of President Joe Biden’s "MAGA Republicans" speech from last Thursday, arguing that is the necessary way to "push" former President Donald Trump away from the Republican Party.
Dionne asserted that Biden’s partisanship gets to the truth of Trump’s threat to the country, and that the president's use of the divisive tactic is merely a "creative" way to do politics.
He opened his Wednesday column by slamming critics of Biden’s speech who argued that "Instead of uniting the country behind democracy" the address "made a blatant appeal for Democratic votes."
Dionne wrote, "[Biden] was urging his fellow citizens to reject the GOP this fall because the party’s leading wing embraces a violent effort to overthrow a free election, and because even its ‘mainstream’ has, in many states it controls, inhibited access to the ballot box."
TRUMP FBI RAID: DOJ RELEASES MORE DETAILS ON DOCUMENTS TAKEN FROM MAR-A-LAGO
A Washington Post column defended the "partisanship" critics saw in President Biden's "MAGA Republicans" speech. (Reuters)
The columnist also acknowledged that "Biden did go out of his way to praise ‘mainstream Republicans’ by way of distinguishing them from those who ‘do not believe in the rule of law.’" It seems Dionne’s point was that Biden’s "partisanship" should not be dismissed because it’s getting to the truth of the real threat to democracy.
He provided more moments from Biden’s speech to show this. "’Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,’ Biden declared, adding that ‘there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country,’" the columnist wrote.
"If you doubt that domination, consider that, on Tuesday, Republicans in Massachusetts — one of the last citadels of moderation in the party — nominated a Trumpist for governor," Dionne stated, referencing Trump-backed former Massachusetts state legislator Geoff Diehl (R) running for governor this fall.
Sure, Biden added "a bunch of extra Democratic issues to the speech," the columnist admitted, though he insisted that the president’s "core message was nonetheless right: The only way to force the Republican Party to break decisively with Trumpism is to defeat it in an election the party was supposed to win."
"Is this ‘partisan’? Absolutely. But it’s not Biden’s fault that Republicans continue to play footsie with the document hoarder of Mar-a-Lago," Dionne argued.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 01: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a primetime speech at Independence National Historical Park September 1, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. President Biden spoke on "the continued battle for the Soul of the Nation." (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
The columnist then jumped into a broader philosophical defense of partisanship to further waylay Biden critics. Citing philosopher Nancy Rosenblum, he wrote, "Parties are not only inevitable, she argues, but also ‘a principal source of political creativity.’ We like to pretend it’s not true, but Rosenblum is right that ‘politics is about disagreement that brings conflict.’"
So Biden’s "partisanship" is merely the embodiment of creative politics, which also "exists only when the fact of pluralism is accepted and there is latitude for open agitation of groups with rival interests and opinions," Dionne added.
Trump, on the other hand, "is the antithesis of pluralism, exemplified by his recent denunciation of Biden as ‘the enemy of the state,’ he wrote, adding, "He violates the ethics of partisanship precisely because he refuses to accept the legitimacy of his opponents."
He slammed Trump once more, claiming, "The idea that only one party represents ‘the people’ leads to nonpartisanship all right. It’s the nonpartisanship of democracy’s grave."
Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. defended the "partisanship" of Biden's "MAGA Republican" speech. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo)
Dionne concluded his piece explaining that "critics of partisanship" miss "how parties help us see. They highlight what we disagree about and what the alternatives are." He stated, "It’s why we have to hope that the Republican Party can be pushed to free itself someday from a leader who stands in the way of what a healthy party system can achieve."
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
