Biden's Debate Decision Stirs Outrage, Deepens Partisan Divides

Nathan Rivero, 5/16/2024Biden's desperate moves to rig the 2024 election are enraging conservatives. From his CNN debate stunt with Trump-hater Jake Tapper to mobilizing federal agencies for partisan get-out-the-vote efforts, Biden is shredding democratic norms to cling to power. The MAGA movement won't let this brazen attempt to subvert the will of the people stand.

Schlichter's take reflects the deep distrust and animosity that the Republican base harbors toward CNN's chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, who has been relentless in his criticism of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. As the articles highlight, Tapper has routinely gone beyond fair criticism to launch personal attacks on Trump -- analyzing his body parts on air, calling his presidency a "disaster," and accusing him of sounding like "the spokesman for the Kremlin."

And yet, Biden appears to be deliberately courting such controversies and partisan divides -- moves that could be seen as cynical attempts to rally his base by poking the MAGA bear. By issuing Executive Order 14019 to mobilize federal agencies for get-out-the-vote efforts targeted at Democratic constituencies like minorities and college students, Biden has essentially transformed the machinery of government into an extension of his re-election campaign, as critics argue.

As the Oversight Project's Mike Howell contends, "Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14019 directing every federal agency to get out the vote for his reelection campaign." Documents obtained by the watchdog group reveal proposals like automatically registering the 20 million Americans enrolled in post-secondary education -- a demographic that leans heavily Democratic -- when they apply for federal student aid.

But the White House has pushed back forcefully, accusing its critics of politically motivated attacks and insisting it is simply trying to uphold voting rights -- an assertion undercut by its lack of transparency around the order's implementation. Oversight's efforts to obtain documentation on the strategic plans have been met with stonewalling by the Biden administration and its Democratic allies.

This obfuscation has only fueled suspicions that the get-out-the-vote push is a nakedly partisan ploy rather than a good-faith effort at electoral reform. As Howell notes, "the evidence at hand...demonstrates a left-wing partisan implementation of E.O. 14019" with a lineup of liberal advocacy groups involved but no apparent conservative or Republican representation.

The perception of bias is only amplified by Biden's collaboration with figures like Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, whose own record on election integrity has been plagued by legal rebukes and allegations of partisanship. With such polarizing figures at the heart of the effort, it strains credulity to claim it is a non-partisan endeavor to protect voting rights.

Controversies are also swirling around Biden's bid to conceal audio recordings that allegedly portray him as an "elderly man with a poor memory" -- recordings that could prove politically damaging ahead of 2024. By invoking executive privilege, Biden has transformed a legal debate into a political conflagration, allowing Republicans to claim he is hypocritically shielding potential vulnerabilities from scrutiny while demanding transparency from others.

Love him or hate him, Biden's actions have undoubtedly succeeded in galvanizing the MAGA base and inflaming partisan divisions. Whether these moves represent principled stands for voting rights and executive powers or cynical tactical gambits, they threaten to cast a cloud of illegitimacy over the 2024 race before it even begins. With the battle lines being drawn, all signs point to a scorched-earth re-election campaign that could make 2020 look like a spirited game of bridge.

President Biden's move to sidestep the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates and instead hold a televised debate on CNN moderated by Jake Tapper has sparked outrage from conservatives -- and even some liberals are questioning the wisdom of this partisan maneuver. "If that wasn't desperate enough, Biden also told the CPD to shove it; he's going with CNN instead of them," wrote conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter. "This is not only glorious; it is long overdue. I would much prefer the far-left super PAC we call CNNLOL host a presidential debate."Schlichter's take reflects the deep distrust and animosity that the Republican base harbors toward CNN's chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, who has been relentless in his criticism of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. As the articles highlight, Tapper has routinely gone beyond fair criticism to launch personal attacks on Trump -- analyzing his body parts on air, calling his presidency a "disaster," and accusing him of sounding like "the spokesman for the Kremlin." Featured Story

The perception of Tapper as a hyper-partisan anti-Trump activist rather than an objective journalist is only further fueled by comments like those in Article 2, where he declared after Trump's 2020 defeat that "for tens of millions of our fellow Americans: their long national nightmare is over." Such rhetoric hardly inspires confidence in his ability to moderate a fair and balanced debate.And yet, Biden appears to be deliberately courting such controversies and partisan divides -- moves that could be seen as cynical attempts to rally his base by poking the MAGA bear. By issuing Executive Order 14019 to mobilize federal agencies for get-out-the-vote efforts targeted at Democratic constituencies like minorities and college students, Biden has essentially transformed the machinery of government into an extension of his re-election campaign, as critics argue.As the Oversight Project's Mike Howell contends, "Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14019 directing every federal agency to get out the vote for his reelection campaign." Documents obtained by the watchdog group reveal proposals like automatically registering the 20 million Americans enrolled in post-secondary education -- a demographic that leans heavily Democratic -- when they apply for federal student aid. Featured Story

Republicans have cried foul over what they see as a brazen attempt to tilt the electoral playing field. As one GOP letter put it, "Executive Order 14019 raises significant challengers for our nation's system of checks and balances that the framers carefully crafted in the Constitution to guard against attempts by the executive branch to circumvent the legislative process."But the White House has pushed back forcefully, accusing its critics of politically motivated attacks and insisting it is simply trying to uphold voting rights -- an assertion undercut by its lack of transparency around the order's implementation. Oversight's efforts to obtain documentation on the strategic plans have been met with stonewalling by the Biden administration and its Democratic allies.This obfuscation has only fueled suspicions that the get-out-the-vote push is a nakedly partisan ploy rather than a good-faith effort at electoral reform. As Howell notes, "the evidence at hand...demonstrates a left-wing partisan implementation of E.O. 14019" with a lineup of liberal advocacy groups involved but no apparent conservative or Republican representation.The perception of bias is only amplified by Biden's collaboration with figures like Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, whose own record on election integrity has been plagued by legal rebukes and allegations of partisanship. With such polarizing figures at the heart of the effort, it strains credulity to claim it is a non-partisan endeavor to protect voting rights.Controversies are also swirling around Biden's bid to conceal audio recordings that allegedly portray him as an "elderly man with a poor memory" -- recordings that could prove politically damaging ahead of 2024. By invoking executive privilege, Biden has transformed a legal debate into a political conflagration, allowing Republicans to claim he is hypocritically shielding potential vulnerabilities from scrutiny while demanding transparency from others.Love him or hate him, Biden's actions have undoubtedly succeeded in galvanizing the MAGA base and inflaming partisan divisions. Whether these moves represent principled stands for voting rights and executive powers or cynical tactical gambits, they threaten to cast a cloud of illegitimacy over the 2024 race before it even begins. With the battle lines being drawn, all signs point to a scorched-earth re-election campaign that could make 2020 look like a spirited game of bridge.