MSNBC presidential historian Michael Beschloss joined Thursday’s Alex Wagner Tonight to recap what the chyron described as President Biden’s “fourth address on saving democracy” and the previous night’s GOP debate. Naturally, Beschloss thought Biden was comparable to Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt preparing the nation for World War II while lamenting Republicans were talking about curtains as if that is all they were talking about.
At the end of their discussion, Wagner was pessimistic that Biden’s speech would actually matter, “Michael, when we talk about what a speech can do, in terms of stirring the body politic into action, you know, I think the White House very much hopes that people will listen to President Biden's speech and do something about what he's saying. That seems far-fetched, given where we are. But historically, have speakers been able to move people into action, and parties specifically?”
Beschloss tried to cheer Wagner up, “Sure they have. Did Lincoln's speech-- speeches have an effect on what followed in the early 1860s, sure they did. Franklin Roosevelt was very courageous running for reelection in a country that didn't want another war like World War I. But he said, let's build our defense because we may have to defend the world of freedom. That was unpopular, having not done that, we would have been unprepared. That’s what a president does at a moment in history like this.”
By “this” Beschloss was referring to Donald Trump, his lead in the GOP primary polls, and a potential second term. As for the Republicans running to replace Trump, they’re not much better, “He doesn't say, the issue is, you know, some peripheral issue of the kind that you just showed us that was in the Republican debate last night, like curtains in the residents of the U.N. ambassador. You know, look at that, and compare that to what Joe Biden was saying today. This is what’s at stake, we could lose our country in 13 months.”
Shifting back to Biden, despite comparing him to Lincoln and FDR, Beschloss insisted he was doing no such thing, “rather than, you know, saying that there are other issues that are more important, Joe Biden is doing what Lincoln did and I’m not suggesting he’s Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt, but saying, let’s not hear ourselves. This is something that’s big that’s at stake and most important, you young people had better vote, because this is the world that you are going to have to live in.”
The debating Republicans talked about more than just curtains, but because they did not prophesy about the end of democracy itself, Beschloss thinks they are not up for the task which is weird considering they are all trying to replace the man Beschloss thinks is a threat to democracy while Beschloss says nothing they say matters unless it echoes late night MSNBC.
Here is a transcript for the September 28 show:
MSNBC Alex Wagner Tonight
9/28/2023
9:58 PM ET
ALEX WAGNER: Michael, when we talk about what a speech can do, in terms of stirring the body politic into action, you know, I think the White House very much hopes that people will listen to President Biden's speech and do something about what he's saying. That seems far-fetched, given where we are. But historically, have speakers been able to move people into action, and parties specifically?
MICHAEL BESCHLOSS: Sure they have. Did Lincoln's speech-- speeches have an effect on what followed in the early 1860s, sure they did. Franklin Roosevelt was very courageous running for reelection in a country that didn't want another war like World War I. But he said, let's build our defense because we may have to defend the world of freedom. That was unpopular, having not done that, we would have been unprepared. That’s what a president does at a moment in history like this. He doesn't say, the issue is, you know, some peripheral issue of the kind that you just showed us that was in the Republican debate last night, like curtains in the residents of the U.N. ambassador. You know, look at that, and compare that to what Joe Biden was saying today. This is what’s at stake, we could lose our country in 13 months and rather than, you know, saying that there are other issues that are more important, Joe Biden is doing what Lincoln did and I’m not suggesting he’s Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt, but saying, let’s not hear ourselves. This is something that’s big that’s at stake—
WAGNER: Yeah.
BESCHLOSS: -- and most important, you young people had better vote, because this is the world that you are going to have to live in.
