In his final speech before election day, the president attacked Republicans on the economy but also offered a hopeful note
Joe Biden rallied with fellow Democrats on Monday night, delivering a message of optimism and determination in the face of widespread concerns about his party's performance in Tuesday's midterm elections.
Speaking to a boisterous crowd in Maryland, Biden emphasized the high stakes race that will determine the control of the US Congress for the next two years. Painting a bleak picture of the Republican-controlled Congress, Biden predicts that opponents will use their majority to restore American rights and dismantle social welfare programs.
"Our lives will be shaped by what happens next year to the next three years," Biden said. "This will shape what the next few decades will be like."
Biden reiterated his promise to shore up abortion rights if Democrats expand their congressional majority, but recent polls show Americans are now more focused on economic issues, where Republicans have traditionally had the advantage with voters. In the final days of the campaign, several Democrats have expressed concern that their candidate has not done enough to address concerns over the state of the economy, leaving the party vulnerable to a red tide on Tuesday.
In the face of near-record high inflation and fears of a potential recession, Biden has instead pointed to a different metric – namely a low unemployment rate and the 10 million jobs created since he took office – to maintain his administration's economic agenda. Noting that Donald Trump was the first president to oversee job cuts since Herbert Hoover, Biden argued Republicans had no plans to boost the economy.
"Remember, these are the people who passed the $2 trillion tax cut that benefits the rich and big corporations and didn't pay a dime of it," Biden said, referring to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that Trump signed into law. . “It was us who brought the deficit down, allowing us to give a little bit of rest to ordinary, hardworking Americans.”
Republicans vehemently rejected Biden's closing argument to midterm voters, accusing Democrats of ignoring America's most pressing concerns at a precipitous time for the US economy.
"Our country deserves a leader who is responsible and understands the problems hardworking families face - Joe Biden and the Democrats are just showing they're untouchable and putting power over people," said Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee.
Several Democratic candidates who will run on Tuesday showed up with Biden at Bowie State University, a historically black school located just outside Washington. Biden was introduced by Wes Moore, who will become Maryland's first black governor if he wins on Tuesday. Given Moore's impressive poll lead, he appears poised to shift the Maryland governorship to Democratic control after eight years of Republican Larry Hogan's leadership.
Even with those encouraging signs, Moore stressed that he wasn't taking things for granted in the final hours before polls closed.
"The only poll that matters is election day," Moore said. "And until that vote closes tomorrow night, we're running like we're 10 points behind."
Democrats worry that Moore's success will prove to be the exception rather than the rule for the party's candidate on Tuesday night. According to FiveThirtyEight, Republicans recently regained their advantage in the Congressional general ballot – a summary poll asking respondents which party they voted for to control Congress – raising hopes of the GOP taking control of the House. Republican candidates also gained equal ground in several major Senate elections, raising the possibility that Democrats could lose their majorities in both chambers on Tuesday.
If Republicans can regain control of the House and Senate, their success will crush Democrats' hopes of enacting more of their legislative priorities for the next two years. Republicans also pledged to use their majority to launch an investigation into the Biden government and quickly end the work of the elected committee investigating the January 6 uprising.
Addressing supporters late Monday, Biden warned that Republican control of Congress could have far-reaching consequences on the country's governing bodies. Hundreds of Republican candidates running for office this year have expressed unfounded doubts about the legitimacy of Biden's 2020 victory, and the president argues that empowering such electoral denial could threaten the foundations of America's democracy.
“There are only two outcomes in their view of the election. One, either they win, or they get ripped off," Biden said. "You can't just love your country when you win."
Even as Biden expressed deep concern about the threat America faces, he closed his final speech before election day on a hopeful note, demonstrating confidence that democratic principles will guide voters on Tuesday and help Democrats secure victory in the polls.
"When I travel to this country and the world, I see [a] great country because I know we are good people," Biden said. "We just need to remember who we really are." This article was written by EDUKASI CAMPUS.