AND THEIR REACTIONS REVEALED THEM:

Last week, President Biden delivered a speech warning that Donald Trump's authoritarian movement posed a threat to American democracy. The Republican response did more to confirm his point than anything he said.

Biden's main argument was simple: A wing of the Republican Party aligned with Trump refuses to renounce violence, respect the integrity of elections, or accept the rule of law. Biden argued that this faction composes a minority of the party, but has been able to bully the party's officials into compliance:

Now, I want to be very clear -- (applause) -- very clear up front: Not every Republican, not even the majority of Republicans, are MAGA Republicans. Not every Republican embraces their extreme ideology.

I know because I've been able to work with these mainstream Republicans.

But there is no question that the Republican Party today is dominated, driven, and intimidated by Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans, and that is a threat to this country. [...]

It was obviously predictable that the party's Trumpiest voices would respond to a critique of Trumpism with knee-jerk hostility. Lauren Boebert called it "one of the most disgusting and decisive speeches in American history." (She presumably meant to say "divisive," not "decisive.") Fox News personalities Mollie Hemingway and Tucker Carlson were even more unhinged.

Tweet   @brothersjudd