(RightWing.org) – There’s still a long time to go until the 2024 presidential election, and President Biden hasn’t even officially announced he plans to run yet, but the outlines of his strategy are already starting to emerge. It looks like Biden plans to focus his fire on former President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement. The problem is, that’s a strategy that could easily backfire on him.
"If we make an example of you and call out what that is, it's one of the most effective warnings we can send to other Republicans," one administration official told @dcexaminer. https://t.co/chxhIoLQFW
— Naomi Lim (@naomitlim) January 23, 2023
Since last summer, Biden has been trying to weaponize the MAGA title as a smear against his GOP opponents. At first he seemed reluctant to name specific Republicans, but at his notorious red-lit Philadelphia speech last September, he openly slammed Conservatives as extremists who endanger “the very foundations of our republic.” After that escalation, he’s begun singling out Republicans for personal attacks. For example, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has been a frequent target; Biden has accused her of hypocrisy and “violent rhetoric,” among other things. He’s also attacked Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) for “economic vandalism.” In between exaggerated claims about what individual Republicans believe, he’s continued his blasts at the MAGA movement in general, using rhetoric about “waging war.”
Biden seems enthusiastic about blasting Republicans who support Trump’s pro-America agenda, but some analysts warn that it might not be the smartest tactic. In highlighting the MAGA movement and its followers, Biden is also giving them publicity and making sure voters know exactly what they stand for — and millions of Americans like the principles MAGA represents. GOP strategist Alex Conant said the White House is also making bipartisan deals less likely, by “elevating [their] staunchest opponents.”
Hardening the partisan divide isn’t in Biden’s best interests right now. The administration is trying to agree to a deal on raising the debt ceiling, and it needs Republican support to get it through the House. New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has said he’s willing to negotiate with Biden, but his majority is a slim one, and it won’t take many angry MAGA supporters to shoot down any chance of a deal.
The president seems to be enjoying his anti-MAGA rants, but they could soon come back to bite him.
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