When Biden discusses ‘the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,’ he means other people should lower the temperature.
President Biden, solemnly addressing the country, just three and a half months ago:
My fellow Americans. I want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember while we may disagree, we are not enemies, we’re neighbors, we’re friends, coworkers, citizens, and most importantly, we’re fellow Americans. We must stand together.
…I believe politics ought to be an arena for peaceful debate, to pursue justice, to make decisions guided by the Declaration of Independence in our constitution. We stand for an America not of extremism and fury, but of decency and grace. All of us now face the time of testing as the election approaches and the higher the stakes, the more fervent the passions become.
Whether you believe that when Joe Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters,” he meant “supporters,” plural, or “supporter’s,” referring to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, it’s always been abundantly clear that when Biden discusses “the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics,” he means other people should lower the temperature, and in particular, people on the right should “lower the temperature” in their criticism of those on the left.
Shortly before Biden left the race, he did an interview with Lester Holt where he could only think of examples of incendiary rhetoric coming from the right.
LESTER HOLT: But have — have you s — taken a step back and done a little soul searching on things that you may have said that could incite — people who are not balanced?
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Well, I — I don’t think — look, how do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says? Do you just not say anything ’cause it may incite somebody? Look, I — I — I — I have not engaged in that rhetoric. Now, my — my — my opponent has engaged in that rhetoric. Talks about there’d be a bloodbath if he loses. Talking about how he’s gonna forgive all the — actually, I guess, suspend the sentences of all those who were arrested and sentenced to go to jail because of what happened on — in the Capitol. I’m not out there making fun of — like, re — remember the picture of Donald Trump when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was hit with the hammer, going — talking about — joking about it.
LESTER HOLT: This doesn’t sound like you’re — you’re — you’re turning down the heat, though. You — you’ve talked about the —
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: Oh, no, no, no, no. Look, what I’m turning down — we have to stop the whole notion that there are certain things that are contrary to our — our democracy that we’re for. The idea of saying that you — “I didn’t win the election” when every court in the land — every court in the land, 120 appeals said — and including this conservative Supreme Court said we won, the idea about having — a loyalty pledge from all the folks who are in the Republican MAGA — not all Republicans, the MAGA Republicans saying that, “No, we lost the election,” inflaming the people to say — I — you — I mean —
Later in the interview, Biden insisted that there was a world of difference between using the terms “crosshairs” and “bullseye.”
LESTER HOLT: Well, let’s talk about the conversation this has started. And it’s really about language, what we say out loud and the consequences of those. You called your opponent an existential threat. On a call a week ago you said, “It’s time to put Trump in the bull’s-eye.” There’s some dispute about the — the context, but I think you appreciate that words matter–
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: I didn’t say crosshairs. I was talking about focus on. Look, the truth of the matter was what I guess I was talking about at the time was there was very little focus on Trump’s — agenda.
LESTER HOLT: Yeah, the term was “bull’s-eye.”
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: It was — it was a mistake to use the word. I didn’t mean — I didn’t say “crosshairs.” I meant “bull’s-eye” I meant focus on him.
On plenty of occasions, Biden has taken his faux tough-guy pose, declaring he wishes he were in circumstances where he could just settle his dispute with Trump with a fistfight.
Way back in 2016, Biden boasted regarding Trump, “the press always asked me ‘Don’t I wish I were debating him?’ No, I wish we were in high school — I could take him behind the gym. That’s what I wish.” A week later at another campaign event, Biden doubled down, while acknowledging that he shouldn’t say such things.
“I mean, all kidding aside, wouldn’t you? Biden asked the audience. “I mean, for real. Can you imagine a guy in the locker room talking that way? And your sister’s out there watching the game. Not a joke.”
“If I were in high school … I want to make it clear I understand what assault is. I’m not in high school. If I were in high school,” Biden said, finishing his riff punching one hand into the other.
And then again in 2018, Biden boasted regarding Trump, “If we were in high school, I’d take him behind the gym and beat the hell out of him… I’ve been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life. I’m a pretty damn good athlete. Any guy who talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room.”
Biden later said he regretting making those remarks, but by the time he was running for president in 2020, he barked an auto worker in Detroit, “Don’t try me, pal . . . Do you want to go outside?”
And then in April of this year, Biden said at a union event. “he looks down on us. I — no, I’m not joking. Think about it. Think about the guys you grew up with who you’d like to get into the corner and just give them a straight left. (Laughter.) I’m not suggesting we hit the president.”
Joe Biden is always telling us how tough he is, and how he’s capable of taking Trump (or anybody else who irks him) and serving up a knuckle sandwich. But remember, Americans, we have to lower the temperature in our politics. We have to stand for an America not of extremism and fury, but of decency and grace, just like Joe Biden does.