I & I Editorial Board
"For all of President Biden’s problems with getting numbers right, there’s one he keeps repeating. Is it accurate? Who knows. But we think we have a clue who he’s talking about.
On at least four occasions, Biden has claimed that “six Republican senators, who I know, came to me since I’ve been president and said, ‘I know you’re right, but I just can’t vote with you because I’ll get defeated in a primary.’”
"And, to heighten the suspense, Biden always says something like: “I promised I would never say their names, and I will never reveal who they are.”
"Biden uses this anecdote when he’s bashing “MAGA Republicans,” by which he presumably means “conservative” Republicans. “The vast majority of Republicans aren’t the MAGA Republicans,” he’ll say.
"This came to a boil when, in his September speech in Philadelphia, he said that Trump supporters espouse “semi-fascism” and represent “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
"Biden’s claim about those six senators makes little sense. He never says what specifically these six Republicans agree with him about. His claim that the “vast majority” of Republicans don’t support Trump is false. According to a recent Issues &Insights/TIPP poll, 54% of Republican voters said they’d pull the lever for Donald Trump if he were the nominee. That compares with just 34% of Democrats who say that about Biden.
"Keep in mind that this poll was taken after the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.
"What’s more, Biden’s attempt to marginalize “MAGA” Republicans has utterly failed. Another I&I/TIPP poll found that most voters — by a two-to-one margin — felt Biden’s characterization of MAGA Republicans “increases divisions in the country.”
"Ok, but who are the six Republicans Biden keeps hinting at to make his case that MAGA Republicans are extremists? Of course, there are liberal Republicans in the Senate. Everyone knows that
"But we think we’ve found a big clue as to who the six are.". . .