President Joe Biden hosted a small group of scholars and historians for lunch on Wednesday as he gears up for a speech framing the upcoming election as a battle for the nation’s democracy.
The discussion revolved around “ongoing threats to democracy and democratic institutions both here in America and around the world, as well as the opportunities we face as a nation,” the White House said in a statement.
Princeton’s Eddie Glaude Jr. and Sean Wilentz, Harvard’s Annette Gordon-Reed, Yale’s Beverly Gage and Boston College’s Heather Cox Richardson were among the attendees, as well as presidential biographer — and occasional Biden speech writer — Jon Meacham.
Attendees were tight-lipped about what was discussed at the gathering. One would only go so far as to say they “talked about American history and its bearing on the present — a lively exchange of ideas.”
Another person in the room, who like the others was not authorized to speak publicly about a private meeting, said the historians urged the president “to call out the moment for what it is.” In blunt terms, the academics discussed looming threats to the nation’s democracy and warned about the slow crawl of authoritarianism around the globe.
Loyalty is a 2 way street. I fronted the party some and they fucked me when it came time to pay it back.
I’ll give you some good life advice, never give your loyalty to someone who ignores you.
I’ll tell you what, maybe you can go bypass congressional oversight to do what you want.
Maybe you can give unlimited support to him, but I won’t help a bad person.
We’re talking about voting, not loyalty.
Of course you will. Choosing to throw away your vote is a choice nonetheless.
I mean, if I really disagreed that much I could just vote for the other guy out of spite.
I support the rest of what y’all stand for enough not to help the enemy, I just can’t stand the thought of standing next to you anymore.