Never before has a president given a primetime address to the nation with a backdrop reminiscent of a 1930s authoritarian state to demonize half the country. With the blood-red lighting and two shadowy Marines flanking the President Joe Biden Thurday night, the message was clear: unity can only exist through submission.
The president’s job is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and our way of life. Given that solemn oath, what happens when the president and his administration view nearly half the country as “threats to democracy,” intent on “destroying democracy” to usher in an era of “semi-fascism?” If the president and his team truly believe “MAGA” and anyone who subscribes to the America First policies represents “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” how long will it be before the president officially declares tens of millions of Americans as domestic terrorists?
Biden’s speech was dark, gloomy, and filled with contradictions. The speech was not intended to unite Americans, nor was it meant to win over any new voters. While President Biden stated he “will not let anything tear us apart,” the speech was intended to do just that — by instilling fear and targeting his political opposition.
Everyone should pay attention because the Biden administration is not just targeting “MAGA Republicans.” They are targeting Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and disaffected Democrats who support the former president’s policies.
In June 2021, the administration released the “National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism.” Unfortunately, it went completely ignored by most media outlets, including conservative organizations. This document is filled with vague terminology where anyone who expresses what the Biden administration deems as anti-government, anti-authority sentiment has the potential to be labeled a domestic violent extremist. For those who believe this document is not designed to target political opposition, look at the dangerous progression since the document was released.
In September 2021, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona encouraged the National School Boards Association to write their now infamous letter requesting parents be investigated for complaining about mask mandates and critical race theory (CRT).
Five days later, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum doing just that. The Attorney General denied that this would target ordinary parents simply raising concerns and that it would only be reserved for actual threats. However, DOJ whistleblowers contradict Garland’s claims as the FBI created a new threat tag system and opened dozens of investigations into parents.
Anyone familiar with the “National Strategy” should not be surprised. In Pillar 4, one of the ways to combat domestic terrorism over the long term is by introducing CRT and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs throughout education curriculums. Under the “National Strategy,” it would make sense that those opposed to these programs would be considered potential threats.
Three months later, in January 2022, the DOJ announced the creation of a “specialized” domestic terrorism unit. To this day, very little is known about what this specialized unit does or why it’s even necessary given the extraordinary powers that have already been granted to the government to combat international and domestic terrorism since 9/11.
In April 2022, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced the newly created Disinformation Governance Board. Due to the enormous pushback, DHS put the program on hiatus. Last week, they announced the idea has been officially terminated, but do not be surprised if it is rebranded and repackaged under another name. Remember, former press secretary Jen Psaki admitted that the White House flags what they consider as misinformation.
A month later, in May 2022, Biden came out accusing his political opponents of belonging to “the most extreme political organization in history- recent American history.” The extremist label was intentional, and it is no coincidence that the words extremist and extremism appear 27-times in the “National Strategy.” This is part of a sustained campaign to brand political opposition as domestic terrorists.
At the beginning of August 2022, the FBI made the unprecedented decision to raid the home of a former President. While there is a lot we don’t know, many critics of the FBI remain skeptical of the raid given the increasing political weaponization of the agency. However, according to Garland’s 2.5-minute statement on the raid, no one is allowed to question the professionalism and integrity of the FBI.
Last week, Biden dubbed the former president and those who support him as a “threat to our very democracy.” At a closed-door fundraiser, Biden took it even further, accusing anyone who supports the former president and his policies of “embrac[ing] political violence” and “semi-fascism.”
At a campaign rally earlier this week, Biden warned “brave right-wing Americans” that they will “need an F-15, you need something a little more than a gun.” What kind of president threatens F-15’s on their own population?
It’s not just the president, who simply reads the script, or his administration, allies in the media consistently use words like “purge,” “reeducate,” “eradicate” and “deprogram” when talking about republicans and Trump supporters. Senior leaders within the bureaucracy, the self-appointed guardians of democracy, continue to abuse their power by pushing ideology over public service.
This is a coordinated and sustained campaign to portray political opposition as an existential threat and enemies of the state. The timeline of events and the increasingly darker rhetoric indicates that we are heading towards an ominous period in American history.
Too many continue to ignore the mounting evidence of the administration’s sinister attempts to target their political opposition. Those that chalk this up to midterm election campaign rhetoric are delusional. If people had scrutinized the “National Strategy” when it was released over a year ago, perhaps we wouldn’t be in this position.
If the Biden administration continues down this trajectory, it is only a matter of time before former President Trump and his supporters are officially designated as a domestic terrorist organization.