I never thought the day would come when I, a die-hard Reagan Republican, would credit a Democratic president for being Reaganesque. Amazingly, it has. Don’t look now, but Joe Biden has been leading with moral authority in the struggle against violent authoritarianism and illiberalism at home and abroad.
While Donald Trump criticized the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden met with Bibi and declared America’s support for Israel to be “rock solid and unwavering.” And while Republican support for providing U.S. aid to Ukraine has eroded, Biden has steadfastly supported them in their plight against a brutal Russian invasion.
This trend continued during his speech on Thursday night, where Biden sought to unite these two crises. “The assault on Israel echoes nearly 20 months of war, tragedy, and brutality inflicted on the people of Ukraine—people that were very badly hurt since Vladimir Putin launched his all-out invasion,” he said.
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“We have not forgotten the mass graves, the bodies found bearing signs of torture, rape used as a weapon by the Russians, and thousands and thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly taken into Russia, stolen from their parents. It’s sick.”
While Biden tapped into compelling emotions, he also made the case for what might be called “peace through strength” and against appeasement, arguing that “if we don’t stop Putin’s appetite for power and control in Ukraine, he won’t limit himself just to Ukraine.”
For most of my life, these kinds of warnings were issued by Republican leaders like Reagan, who largely avoided direct confrontations, while consistently providing moral as well as tangible support for freedom fighters. During that era, Republicans had all but cornered the market on patriotism and strong national defense as a national brand.
As he built up America’s military might, Reagan also contrasted the Soviet Union with America’s values. Sharpening this contrast required characterizing the Soviet Union as an “evil empire” and America as a force for good—being liberators, not conquerors.
Just as Reagan saw America as a “shining city on a hill,” Biden embraced American exceptionalism, calling America “indispensable” and declaring, “America is a beacon to the world still.”
Reagan also understood that the people of the Soviet Union were not necessarily synonymous with their government. Biden walked a similar line on Thursday by clearly condemning Hamas, but not innocent Palestinian people (whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or in America). Some on the right may see this distinction as squishy, but stressing humanitarian concerns is the right thing to do morally and strategically.
Referring to the recent murder of a Palestinian boy outside of Chicago, Biden said, “We must, without equivocation, denounce antisemitism. We must also, without equivocation, denounce Islamophobia.” (In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, George W. Bush tapped into a similar theme by insisting that America was at war with terrorists—instead of innocent Muslims.)
“And to all of you… who are hurting,” Biden continued. “I want you to know: I see you. You belong. And I want to say this to you: You’re all America. You’re all America.”
It sounds Reaganesque to me. And I wasn’t the only one who thought Biden struck the right tone. “I think it may be remembered as one of the best, if not the best speeches of his presidency,” Fox News’ Brit Hume said. “He was firm, he was unequivocal, he was strong…” Hume also praised Biden for linking financial support for Ukraine with support for Israel.
Biden’s support for Israel and Ukraine may not be primarily about domestic politics, but I suspect it doesn’t hurt, particularly at a time when the Republican Party is increasingly associated with illiberal tendencies, election denial, and chaos.
Rather than being an ad-hoc policy choice to support Israel, lumping Israel and Ukraine together is indicative of a consistent worldview or doctrine, a development that could serve as a warning to other nations.
It might also help Biden reinforce an image that is bound to be popular with a lot of Americans who previously supported Republicans.
The GOP was once the default home for Americans who wanted a strong national defense, moral clarity, and support for embattled democracies instead of autocracies. But the political reordering initiated by Trump in 2016 has created an opening for Democrats to rebrand themselves as the adult party with an internationalist outlook.
To be sure, Biden’s leadership is far from perfect. The Afghanistan withdrawal was a disaster (albeit one that was arguably started by Trump).
And Biden’s party has prominent voices like “Squad” member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who was quick to blame Israel for a deadly hospital explosion and has refused to apologize (despite the emergence of evidence leading Biden to tell Netanyahu that “Based on what I’ve seen, it appears it was done by the other team, and not you.”)
Behavior like Tlaib’s, coupled with left-wing campus protests that are sure to increase once Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza, will open the door for Republicans to paint Democrats with a broad brush.
But based on Biden’s recent rhetoric and actions, this stereotype about Democrats being “weak” is an increasingly hard sell.
We are still very early in what eerily looks to be a mounting struggle pitting the free world against terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and the partnership of nations like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran.
For now, at least, it is a Democrat who is standing up to the bad guys.
