When President Joe Biden rallies Democrats in Florida on Tuesday for a final campaign rally, he will finally land in the state his advisers have long seen as the ideal backdrop for his warnings against “mega-MAGA” Republicans.
For months, Biden and his team had hoped to use Florida’s constellation of Trump-aligned Republicans — including the former president himself — to crystallize Biden’s latest pitch that the election is a choice, not a referendum, and to mobilize Democratic voters.
“You can’t wave a stick (in Florida) without hitting a Republican who represents the MAGA extremes the president is talking about,” said a senior Biden adviser. “So it allows the president to really drive home what’s at stake and what the choice is.”
Biden is making that argument to voters in Miami Gardens on Tuesday, a week from Election Day. The rally comes as Biden has sharpened his attacks on Republicans and painted an increasingly bleak picture of America under a Republican majority in Congress.
The Sunshine State represents an important battleground state for midterm and future presidential elections. But more importantly, with the President’s approval ratings underwater, the Biden team sees Florida as the perfect political backdrop to frame the midterms as a choice — between “extreme MAGA Republicans” and Democrats — rather than a referendum on the President and his party, to many Biden advisers and Democratic officials.
Biden’s team initially identified Florida as the ideal starting point for his midterm message this summer. That launch was delayed by the president’s Covid-19 diagnosis and wreaked again by Hurricane Ian, so Biden has chosen it as the site for a large rally as he makes his final argument ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
He has relied on the policy proposals of Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and threats of Republican supremacy over the debt ceiling to argue that the GOP will hurt the economy and jeopardize popular entitlement programs. And with senior Florida as a backdrop, Biden also held an official pre-rally event calling attention to Republican proposals for Social Security and Medicare.
“I came to Florida today to talk about two very, very, very important programs,” Biden said, speaking to a small venue in Hallandale Beach. “Many people in the state will be affected and are under siege from our Republican friends.”
Democratic officials are under no illusions that Biden’s visit to Florida on Tuesday will dramatically change the dynamics of a Senate and gubernatorial race that appears to be going Republican, but they see an opportunity to nationalize the midterm stakes down the stretch. .
Among his top casualties is Scott, the Republican campaign chief who had laid out a policy agenda that would put Medicare, Social Security and other government programs up for a vote every five years. The state is also home to former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSandis, both potential 2024 presidential candidates whom Democrats have wanted to cast as the faces of a new, more extreme Republican Party.
“And by the way,” Biden said in Hallandale Beach, “this is not your father’s Republican Party. It’s a different deal right now. And there are a lot of good Republicans out there, but they’re under a lot of pressure.”
A second senior Biden adviser argued that Biden’s counterargument, set against the backdrop of Florida, is “even more relevant” in the week leading up to the midterms.
“As congressional Republicans’ plan to either eliminate Social Security and Medicare, cut Social Security and Medicare, or hold it hostage in debt ceiling negotiations becomes even more apparent…it is even more important for the President to make that choice for Florida voters and voters across the country,” said the senior adviser.
Biden is holding the rally in Florida largely at the urging of the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Gov. Charlie Crist, according to two Democrats familiar with the decision.
In an interview with CNN on the eve of Biden’s visit to his home state, Crist was coy about the president’s willingness to campaign with him in the final stretch of the midterms, as he hopes to deny De Sandys re-election.
“He’s the most important man in the world,” Crist said. “The fact that he’s coming down to Florida with a week before the election says everything you need to know about how important Florida is.”
More than any other issue, Crist said he hoped — and expected — Biden to zero in on the issue of abortion rights when the president headlines a rally for Christian and Senate candidate Val Demings. DeSantis’ track record as governor on the issue speaks for itself, Crist said, adding that abortion rights is the “number one issue” in his race.
When Biden visited Florida last month to tour damage from Hurricane Ian, the president and DeSandis put aside their political differences to emphasize an effective response.
“We have very different political philosophies, but we’ve worked hand in glove,” Biden said during the stop.
But a few weeks later, the governor made it clear that Biden was still in his sights as a possible challenger, even as he decried a possible national turnout during a debate with Crist.
“I just want to make things very, very clear,” DeSantis said. “The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”
While Democratic officials insist Biden is primarily focused on the upcoming midterms, the campaign for the Democrat who will run to unseat DeSandis this week could in part offer a preview of what the matchup could look like. Biden-DeSantis in 2024. In a final debate week, DeSantis would not commit to a full four-year term if he were to win re-election.
“DeSantis’ first and last question is, ‘What do I need to do to make DeSantis successful?’ That’s the same conversation Trump is having with himself,” said Cedric Richmond, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.
But Biden’s decision to rally in Florida — where neither the gubernatorial nor Senate races are particularly close — a week after the election draws attention to the limits of his ability to sway voters in the campaign’s final stretch. It also underscores the extent to which Biden has struggled to convince voters to see the election as anything other than a referendum on himself and his party amid economic anxiety.
With 56% of Americans disapproving of the job Biden has done as president, according to a CNN poll, he has been largely sidelined from the public campaign trail with many of the Democratic candidates in the nation’s most competitive races.
Biden disputed suggestions that he is not wanted on the campaign trail, insisting to reporters that more than a dozen different campaigns had sought him out in the final stretch of the contest.
“That’s not true. There’s been 15. Count it, kid, count it,” he said last week when a reporter suggested he hadn’t made many rallies down the stretch.
Privately, Biden accepts that not every Democratic candidate will welcome him as a replacement while his approval ratings remain underwater. He told fellow Democrats that he respected their political intuition when it came to their own races and joked publicly that he would “campaign for … or against” his preferred candidates, “whichever helps the most.”
But he has been frustrated by coverage suggesting he is a political albatross, according to people familiar with the discussions, arguing that his policies – when properly explained – are widely popular with voters.
Democratic decision-makers acknowledged that Biden is not in demand from campaigns in the most competitive races. They also argued that gatherings are expensive and less valuable from an organizational perspective than they used to be.
What is clear is that Biden has watched his reputation as a Democrat who could venture into places others might not have faded. As vice president, Biden was often dispatched to red states and conservative districts to campaign for vulnerable members of his own party, often seen as more palatable than his then-boss, Barack Obama.
Now, it’s the former president who appears to be the most sought-after Democrat for the nation’s marquee races. He held rallies in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin over the weekend and will visit Nevada and Arizona this week.
Biden and Obama will appear together next Saturday to boost Senate and gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania — a place where Biden, who was born there, has been welcomed.
Compared to his predecessors, Biden has maintained a lighter campaign schedule. His event Tuesday afternoon in Florida will be his first rally this month, compared to 16 held by then-President Obama in October 2010 and 26 held by then-President Trump in October 2018.
Biden has been in demand on the fundraising circuit, however, speaking at multiple high-dollar fundraisers nearly every week this fall to help the DNC raise a midterm record $292 million through September. Democratic officials attributed Biden’s decision to share his presidential campaign list with the DNC to early…
title: “Biden Uses Florida S Extreme Maga Republicans As Foils For His Last Midterm Game "
ShowToc: true
date: “2022-11-19”
author: “Vera Farwell”
When President Joe Biden rallied Democrats in Florida on Tuesday for a campaign stop, he finally landed in the state his advisers have long seen as the ideal backdrop for his warnings against “mega-MAGA” Republicans.
For months, Biden and his team had hoped to use Florida’s constellation of Trump-aligned Republicans — including the former president himself — to crystallize Biden’s latest pitch that the election is a choice, not a referendum, and to mobilize Democratic voters.
“You can’t wave a stick (in Florida) without hitting a Republican who represents the MAGA extremes the president is talking about,” said a senior Biden adviser. “So it allows the president to really drive home what’s at stake and what the choice is.”
Biden made that argument to voters in Miami Gardens on Tuesday, a week from Election Day. The rally came as Biden sharpened his attacks on Republicans and painted an increasingly bleak picture of America under a Republican majority in Congress.
The Sunshine State represents an important battleground state for midterm and future presidential elections. But more importantly, with the president’s approval ratings underwater, the Biden team sees Florida as the perfect political backdrop to frame the midterms as a choice — between “extreme MAGA Republicans” and Democrats — rather than a referendum on the President and his party, Biden. he said on Tuesday.
“This election is not a referendum. It’s a choice. It’s a choice between two very different visions for America,” Biden said at Florida Memorial University.
Biden also said Republicans are “pursuing” the right to vote, warning once again that “democracy is on the ballot.” The president spent much of the speech painting what he called the “stark contrast” between Democrats and Republicans, including on the issues of Social Security, Medicare, abortion and student loans.
On student loans, Biden said, “They moaned and groaned at me about it and challenged it in court, which they’re going to lose.”
“Who the hell do they think they are?” Biden added.
Biden’s team initially identified Florida as the ideal starting point for his midterm message this summer. That launch was delayed by the president’s Covid-19 diagnosis and wreaked again by Hurricane Ian, so Biden has chosen it as the site for a large rally as he makes his final argument ahead of next week’s midterm elections.
He has relied on the policy proposals of Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and threats of Republican supremacy over the debt ceiling to argue that the GOP will hurt the economy and jeopardize popular entitlement programs. And with senior Florida as a backdrop, Biden also held an official pre-rally event calling attention to Republican proposals for Social Security and Medicare.
“I came to Florida today to talk about two very, very, very important programs,” Biden said, speaking to a small venue in Hallandale Beach. “Many people in the state will be affected and are under siege from our Republican friends.”
Democratic officials are under no illusions that Biden’s visit to Florida on Tuesday will dramatically change the dynamics of a Senate and gubernatorial race that appears to be going Republican, but they see an opportunity to nationalize the midterm stakes down the stretch. .
Among his top casualties is Scott, the Republican campaign chief who had laid out a policy agenda that would put Medicare, Social Security and other government programs up for a vote every five years. The state is also home to former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSandis, both potential 2024 presidential candidates whom Democrats have wanted to cast as the faces of a new, more extreme Republican Party.
“And by the way,” Biden said in Hallandale Beach, “this is not your father’s Republican Party. It’s a different deal right now. And there are a lot of good Republicans out there, but they’re under a lot of pressure.”
A second senior Biden adviser argued that Biden’s counterargument, set against the backdrop of Florida, was “even more relevant” in the final week of the midterms.
“As congressional Republicans’ plan to either eliminate Social Security and Medicare, cut Social Security and Medicare, or hold it hostage in debt ceiling negotiations becomes even more apparent…it is even more important for the President to make that choice for Florida voters and voters across the country,” said the senior adviser.
Biden held the rally in Florida largely at the urging of the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Gov. Charlie Crist, according to two Democrats familiar with the decision.
In an interview with CNN on the eve of Biden’s visit to his home state, Crist was coy about the president’s willingness to campaign with him in the final stretch of the midterms, as he hopes to deny De Sandys re-election.
“He’s the most important man in the world,” Crist said. “The fact that he’s coming down to Florida with a week before the election says everything you need to know about how important Florida is.”
More than any other issue, Crist said he wanted Biden to zero in on the issue of abortion rights. DeSantis’ track record as governor on the issue speaks for itself, Crist said, adding that abortion rights is the “number one issue” in his race.
When Biden visited Florida last month to tour damage from Hurricane Ian, the president and DeSandis put aside their political differences to emphasize an effective response.
“We have very different political philosophies, but we’ve worked hand in glove,” Biden said during the stop.
But a few weeks later, the governor made it clear that Biden was still in his sights as a possible challenger, even as he decried a possible national turnout during a debate with Crist.
“I just want to make things very, very clear,” DeSantis said. “The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”
While Democratic officials insist Biden is focused first and foremost on the upcoming midterms, the campaign for the Democrat vying to unseat DeSantis this week offered a partial preview of what a Biden-DeSantis matchup could look like in 2024 .In a debate last week, DeSantis would not commit to a full four-year term if he were to win re-election.
“DeSantis’ first and last question is, ‘What do I need to do to make DeSantis successful?’ That’s the same conversation Trump is having with himself,” said Cedric Richmond, senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.
But Biden’s decision to rally in Florida — where neither the gubernatorial nor Senate races are particularly close — a week after the election drew attention to the limits of his ability to influence voters in the final stretch of the campaign. It also highlighted the extent to which Biden has struggled to convince voters to see the election as anything other than a referendum on himself and his party amid economic anxiety.
With 56% of Americans disapproving of the job Biden has done as president, according to a CNN poll, he has been largely sidelined from the public campaign trail with many of the Democratic candidates in the nation’s most competitive races.
Biden disputed suggestions that he is not wanted on the campaign trail, insisting to reporters that more than a dozen different campaigns had sought him out in the final stretch of the contest.
“That’s not true. There’s been 15. Count it, kid, count it,” he said last week when a reporter suggested he hadn’t made many rallies down the stretch.
Privately, Biden accepts that not every Democratic candidate will welcome him as a replacement while his approval ratings remain underwater. He told fellow Democrats that he respected their political intuition when it came to their own races and joked publicly that he would “campaign for … or against” his preferred candidates, “whichever helps the most.”
But he has been frustrated by coverage suggesting he is a political albatross, according to people familiar with the discussions, arguing that his policies – when properly explained – are widely popular with voters.
Democratic decision-makers acknowledged that Biden is not in demand from campaigns in the most competitive races. They also argued that gatherings are expensive and less valuable from an organizational perspective than they used to be.
What is clear is that Biden has watched his reputation as a Democrat who could venture into places others might not have faded. As vice president, Biden was often dispatched to red states and conservative districts to campaign for vulnerable members of his own party, often seen as more palatable than his then-boss, Barack Obama.
Now, it’s the former president who appears to be the most sought-after Democrat for the nation’s marquee races. He held rallies in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin over the weekend and will visit Nevada and Arizona this week.
Biden and Obama will appear together next Saturday to boost Senate and gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania — a place where Biden, who was born there, has been welcomed.
Compared to his predecessors, Biden has…
