Georgia vote is chance for Biden to solidify gains
Robert Delaney says the US president has much to be thankful for in the final days of 2022, and Raphael Warnock holding his Senate seat would help bolster his political strength at home
With the collapse of Russia’s status as an efficient military juggernaut and China’s status as the undisputed global leader in pandemic management, US President Joe Biden has much to be thankful for as we head into the final weeks of 2022.
The US leader got another early Christmas gift in the form of the Iranian government’s suspension of its morality police amid relentless pressure from defiant and brave women. For those who buy into Biden’s theory about the world falling into two camps – authoritarian or democratic – these globally momentous developments could be seen as a significant advance for the latter.
The final contest in US midterm elections – a run-off between the incumbent Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker – would solidify this advance for Biden at home if Warnock prevails. Walker, who opposes abortion under any circumstance, appears to have as much regard for the rights of women as Iran’s now-suspended morality police.
The political strength of former president Donald Trump, who has endorsed Walker, hangs in the balance, along with the Trumpian world view that has dominated his party since he emerged as its leader.
Never mind the anti-China rhetoric of the Republican Party under Trump. The former president’s admiration for President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin wasn’t just apparent between the lines. It was practically highlighted with a neon red sharpie.
The vision Trump laid out in his address to the UN General Assembly in 2017 – in which he slammed “uncontrolled migration”, called for “strong, sovereign nations” and barely mentioned human rights – was one in which he, Putin, Xi, Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, Brazil’s Jair Bolsanaro, Iran’s clerics and the rest of the world’s strongmen could salute.
There are too many factors in flux, including the Georgia run-off, to know how things will settle for the Republican Party, but Trump’s status as its leader is in doubt.
There are too many factors in flux, including the Georgia runoff, to know how things will settle for the Republican Party
Take Florida Senator Rick Scott, for example. Even when he’s confronted with the disproportionate toll climate change is taking on the people of his state, his ideological opposition to Biden is so intense that he voted against legislation that would battle the environmental crisis. On this count, and on every other front, Scott works tirelessly to portray Biden as the most reprehensible leader the US has ever had.
Yet, after Trump hosted the rap artist Kanye West, who trades in anti-Semitic rhetoric that used to be relegated to the darkest depths of the internet, and Adolph Hitler acolyte Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Scott claimed to be horrified. He thanked Twitter CEO Elon Musk for suspending West’s account on the social media platform for his “hateful and anti-Semitic” posts, “which had the potential to incite violence against Jewish Americans”.
With people like Scott and many of Trump’s close aides like former White House counsel Pat Cipollone testifying about the final days of an administration under investigation for spiriting hundreds of secret documents from the White House and its role in the January 6 insurrection, Trump is nearly out of options.
That means he will continue to entertain the most vile expressions of right-wing populism espoused by his idols on the world stage, targeting Jews, the LGBTQ community, #MeToo, Black Lives Matter and anything that falls outside the most conservative ideologies.
But it’s too early to celebrate the last gasps of Trumpism and the hold it has had on Republicans. Scott’s position on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago dinner with white supremacists might seem admirable at first blush, but we need to keep in mind that the senator would not be able to keep his seat in Florida without at least some support from the Jewish community.
Perhaps he’s angling for a cabinet position in an administration led by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the Republican Party’s rising star.
Let’s not forget that DeSantis considers his promotion of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law – an initiative that aligns perfectly with Putin’s world view – a signature accomplishment. And we have yet to see whether Walker, who fully embraces Trump’s agenda, will prevail in today’s run-off election.