Despite Promising Unity, Biden Is Harmfully Divisive
One year later, we are far from being ‘America United’
Editorial Team
January 06, 2022
Joe Biden began his presidency with ‘America United’ as his inauguration theme. During this address, he mentioned ‘unity’ eight times and claimed that it was finally time to “face this pandemic as one nation.”
But, ironically, the Biden Administration’s recent rhetoric is contrary to their initial goals: their unwarranted targeting of the unvaccinated is dividing the country.
The polls:
According to a Fox News national survey, 54 percent of voters believe America has become “less united since Joe Biden took office.”
A recent Trafalgar Group survey found a majority of likely voters “believe President Biden is responsible for” this division.
The rhetoric:
Two months ago, Biden pleaded to the unvaccinated:
“We’ve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us. So, please, do the right thing.
But just don’t take it from me; listen to the voices of unvaccinated Americans who are lying in hospital beds, taking their final breaths, saying, ‘If only I had gotten vaccinated.’ ‘If only…’
For the vast majority of you who have gotten vaccinated, I understand your anger at those who haven't gotten vaccinated.”
As Omicron began to surge, Biden threatened:
“We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death–if you’re unvaccinated–for themselves, their families, and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm.
But there’s good news! If you’re vaccinated, and you had your booster shot, you’re protected from severe illness and death–period.”
In his Dec. 21st briefing, Biden blamed the current state of the virus on the unvaccinated:
“And again, to folks who are not vaccinated: You may think you’re putting only yourself at risk, but it’s your choice. Your choice is not just a choice about you; it affects other people. You’re putting other people at risk — your loved ones, your friends, neighbors, strangers you run into. And your choice can be the difference between life or death.
The longer the virus is around, the more likely variants form that may be deadlier than the ones that have come before. Let me say again and again and again and again: Please get vaccinated. It’s the only responsible thing to do.
…thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a rollout that made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms. But uptake slowed this summer as vaccine resistance among some hardened…”
In the new year, Biden continued to endorse division, but, this time, among children:
“So, there is no excuse — no excuse for anyone being unvaccinated. This continues to be a pandemic of the unvaccinated…
And for parents with kids too young to be vaccinated, surround your kids with people who are vaccinated.”
These eerie warnings, which promote division by shaming one group and praising another, are not only directly antithetical to his inaugural address, which called for an America without “fear and demonization,” where we see “each other not as adversaries but as neighbors,” but they are also untrue.
The science:
Fully-vaccinated Americans can still contract and transmit the virus, and thousands have even been hospitalized.
Many studies have demonstrated that the latest variant is far less severe than Delta.
Even though the number of Omicron cases is increasing, hospitalizations are decreasing.
On Dec. 17th, the CDC reported that 79% of all US Omicron cases occurred in fully-vaccinated individuals.
Even though it contradicts both his speech and science, Biden continues to endorse unvaccinated Americans being treated like second-class citizens. Today, the unvaccinated are not only losing their jobs, education, social freedoms, and more, but they are also facing “anger, resentment, and hatred,” which are the exact sentiments Biden claimed he would overcome in his inaugural address.
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