Biden’s speech and the state of democracy

President Biden delivered a national address Thursday about the soul of democracy amid deep national division over high-stakes midterm elections, abortion access, voting rights and fringe conspiracy theories stirring amongst ardent supporters of former president Trump. The speech was broadcast notably from Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love and birthplace of independence, at a time when almost three quarters of Americans believe the country is headed “in the wrong direction.”

Lately, the president’s tune has been a fiery rebuttal of extremist ideology, prevalent in several campaigns, like that of gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania. But can Democrats make the case for bringing unity to the fabric of this country?

This hour, we discuss the state of Biden’s administration, big midterm races in Pa., the investigation into Trump’s team and classified documents, and what democracy looks like for a nation so torn apart.

Guests

Errin Haines, Editor-at-large at The 19^th and contributing editor to A More Perfect Union at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Neil Oxman, president of The Campaign Group

Jonathan Tamari, National political reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer