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.

  • @Sanctus
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    -19 months ago

    Realistically, in real life, your other option is Republicans. Thats how American politics works. Until we fundamentally change the way our voting system works. So I’m curious what your rationale is. What are you going to do? Allow a man who straight up claimed he be a dictator to take over in spite? What is the goal?

    • @Ensign_Crab
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      19 months ago

      This is the third time you’ve ignored what I’ve said and accused me of saying something I haven’t.

      • @Sanctus
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        -19 months ago

        You jumped in the chain literally about my reply to someone daying “have fun with genocidin biden”. Thats part of the context. The democrats only have one thing going and its their lead not being a fucking psycho. We don’t have time to implement ranked choice.voting across the country before this years elections. Thats all they have besides being centrist capitalists every else in the world, which is marginally better than raving theocrat. We need to change our system but we are forced to vote one more time first. Unless you have something better to propose.

        • @Ensign_Crab
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          19 months ago

          I’m still not saying that anyone should vote for another party. I pointed out that Democrats cannot be trusted to prevent genocide, since they are currently enabling one.

          Unless you have something better to propose.

          I’ve answered this already. Democrats should stop supporting genocide.

          • @Sanctus
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            09 months ago

            Everybody does. Most US Politicians support Israel. Biden is handling this as shit as most other US politicians would. The list I shared is just newer congress members of congress too.

            • @Ensign_Crab
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              19 months ago

              You can’t expect people to believe that Democrats will prevent genocide when they’re in the middle of enabling genocide.

              • @Sanctus
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                09 months ago

                All politicians will enable it. Support is overwhelmingly on the side of the genocider Israel. Its fucked but you might need to look at the stances of our congress members and senators. Nearly all of them support Israel. So unless you plan on calling your reps to share your mind and make it known, maybe help organize a protest or a petition, you’re just screaming at the sky like the rest of us without any iota of power.

    • krolden
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      09 months ago

      How is voting for the lessser of two evils going to change anything for the better?

      • @Sanctus
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        19 months ago

        You got a greater good to offer?

        • krolden
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          19 months ago

          I do but I can’t afford the billion dollars it costs to get on the ballot