Biden Ahead Of Election Day: Democracy Is On The Ballot 

On Friday evening, President Biden appeared at a reception for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Biden took the stage at 7:54 pm to a standing ovation from the audience. Before he began his speech, Biden took a moment to speak of the assault on Paul Pelosi. He said that he talked to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the phone, and she told him that her husband is in “good spirits.” 

Biden said it’s being reported that the man who targeted the home of Pelosi chanted “Where is Nancy” and noted this was the same chant used by Trump supporters at January 6 insurrection. 

Biden said the upcoming election will shape what the country would look like through the next decade. “This election is not a referendum. It’s a choice. A choice between two vastly different visions of America,” he said. 

Biden said he inherited a broken economy and noted that during the pandemic, a record number of Americans became billionaires while nine million Americans lost their job. He said that currently, the nation is in a better place, “but we’ve got more to do.” He touted economic stats—10 million jobs created. 

Biden said Putin’s invasion of Ukraine “sent gas prices soaring round the world” but noted that gas prices have been dropping for the last three weeks. He said energy companies need to price gas to reflect what it’s worth. He stated that energy companies are raising prices to increase their profit margins. 

Biden touted the GDP report yesterday, which reflected that “the economy is growing” and said that Republicans, who’ve warned and run on a looming recession, must be disappointed by the good numbers. 

Biden touted the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, noting that Trump was never able to pass it, despite routinely promoting infrastructure week. 

“We heard about infrastructure week for 4 years. And by the way it never got done. In fact, it became a bunch line. On my life, with the help of Kamala and the folks in this room, we created an infrastructure decade,” Biden said. 

Biden knocked big Pharma, noting that it sells the same prescriptions in other countries at a substantially lower price. He said the government would cap the cost of insulin for those on medicare to $35 a month, saying it is far less than about $400 a month, which is the average people pay now. 

He said it cost $10 to make that drug and another $5 for packaging, saying the $35 cap is more than enough profit. 

Biden said the Democratic Party had reduced the deficit by over 1 trillion. He said the deficit would be further reduced in the coming years by $250 billion, thanks to the increased taxes on corporations. 

Biden noted that Kevin McCarthy and his fellow MAGArepublicans are trying to eliminate the Biden administration’s healthcare savings. They said they would try to eliminate the affordable care act and said that people did not realize the only reason people with pre-existing conditions can get healthcare. 

“These protections will be gone if Republicans get their way,” said Biden.

He said that GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida laid out the GOP plan to put social security and medicare on the chopping block every five years, which means it would be a continual fight in Congress. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson wants to do the same (and add in veterans benefits) and put it on the chopping block every year. He said that they have threatened to shut down the government to get this done. Biden said this would create economic chaos. 

Biden said the GOP is coming after the right to vote.

“Democracy is literally, not figuratively, on the ballot this year,” he said. “The amazing thing is they’re saying it out loud.” 

Biden mentioned Dr. Oz and said he thinks the right to choose should be between a woman, her doctor, and local political leaders. 

Many in the audience loudly clapped and stood. Biden said he would veto any GOP bill that threatened women’s access to abortion on the federal level. Biden vowed to ban assault weapons “again.”

Biden said he called on Democrats, independents, and mainstream Republicans to come together and vote.