“Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election — either they win, or they were cheated”

Good speech:

Some smart remarks by student of presidential rhetoric Julia Azari:

Related to item 1 – drawing a firm line around what values and behavior can be compatible with the American experiment and which cannot. This is tricky to do effectively, everything is so partisan and there have been so few national figures of real rhetorical skill lately.— Julia Azari (@julia_azari) September 2, 2022

In the sense that his speech basically laid out exactly what you read in the press or hear people say about democracy. When the president says it, it has new importance, no matter who the president is.— Julia Azari (@julia_azari) September 2, 2022

And as for the hysterical responses it’s already generating, well:

When you evaluate the histrionic responses to Biden’s speech, remember that the very essence of bullies and their sycophants is that they can dish it out but they can’t take it.— OverdueLibraryHat (@Popehat) September 2, 2022