Some good news for democracy; Biden's letter to congressional Dems

Voters in France unexpectedly rejected the bigoted radical right authoritarian wealth and power movement there. Polling in the days before the election indicated that the authoritarian radicals would lead and would get or come close to getting an outright majority. What happened was that the left got the most votes, while Macron's centrist party came in second and the authoritarian radicals came in third. The WaPo describes it like this:

France’s left-wing New Popular Front alliance and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition thwarted a far-right victory in legislative elections on Sunday, staging one of the greatest political upsets in recent French history.

The results were a major defeat for Marine Le Pen’s populist, anti-immigrant National Rally party, which had hoped that Sunday would mark the final step in its transformation from a fringe neofascist group into a mainstream political force.  

Instead of ushering in France’s first far-right government since World War II, the French voters who turned out in high numbers on Sunday boosted the left and the center, which unexpectedly came in first and second, even appearing to stun some of their own lawmakers.

One search about the effects, if any, of the rise of America's bigoted radical right authoritarian wealth and power movement included this: 

While Donald Trump was not directly mentioned in the context of these French elections, the rejection of far-right politics and the emphasis on democratic values can be seen as part of a broader global trend of pushback against populist and authoritarian-leaning movements. The French electorate's decision to support more moderate or left-leaning parties over the far-right echoes similar concerns that have been raised about Trump's impact on democratic norms in the United States.

Two points come to mind:

• I still do not put much weight on polls because it is too far out in time from the election in November. The polling data in France was literally from just a few days before the unexpected result.

• In my opinion, this is evidence of increasing global awareness, distrust and fear of bigoted radical right authoritarian wealth and power movements. In places where average people still have some power to push back in elections, they are generally pushing back at least some. My main hope for a Democrat to win the White House in Nov. is that enough American voters will see and understand the threat and vote to reject the bigoted, kleptocratic American authoritarianism that DJT undeniably stands for.  

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The letter reads in part:

JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR

July 8, 2024

Fellow Democrats,

Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.

I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past 10 days or so. I have heard the concerns that people have - their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them. Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries. I carried it in 2020 when the fate of our nation was at stake. I also know these concerns come from a place of real respect for my lifetime of public service and my record as President, and I have been moved by the expressions of affection for me from so many who have known me well and suppo1ted me over the course of my public life. I've been grateful for the rock-solid, steadfast support from so many elected Democrats in Congress and all across the country and taken great strength from the resolve and determination I've seen from so many voters and grassroots supporters even in the hardest of weeks.

I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn't be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.

We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin.

This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party.

Do we now just say this process didn't matter? That the voters don't have a say?

I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well-intentioned. The voters - and the voters alone - decide the nominee of the Democratic Party.

How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.

I have no doubt that I - and we - can and will beat Donald Trump. We have an historic record of success to run on. From creating over 15 million jobs (including 200,000 just last month), reaching historic lows on unemployment, to revitalizing American manufacturing with 800,000 jobs, to protecting and expanding affordable health care, to rebuilding America's roads, bridges, highways, ports and airports, and water systems, ....

More importantly, we have an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the MAGA Republicans. They are siding with the wealthy and the big corporations and we are siding with the working people of America. It wasn't an isolated moment for Trump to stand at Mar-A­ Lago and tell the oil industry they should give him $1 billion and he will do whatever they want. That's whose side Trump and the MAGA Republicans are on. Trump and the MAGA Republicans want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for rich people so they can cut Social Security and Medicare. We will never let that happen. It's trickle-down economics on steroids. We know the way to build the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. We are finally going to make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes in this country. The MAGA party is also still determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could throw 45 million Americans off their coverage. ....

The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it's time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.