President Joe Biden called on Democrats on Thursday “to vote to literally save democracy once again” — and compared Republican ideology to “semi-fascism” — as he led a rally and a fundraiser in Maryland ahead of the midterm elections.
Addressing a crowd of thousands at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Mr. Biden said: “Your right to choose is on the ballot this year. The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. The safety of your kids from gun violence is on the ballot, and it’s not hyperbole, the very survival of our planet is on the ballot.”
“You have to choose,” he added. “Will we be a country that moves forward or one that moves backward?”
Mr. Biden is aiming to turn months of accomplishments into political energy as Democrats have seen their hopes rebound amid the legacy-defining burst of action by Mr. Biden and Congress.
From bipartisan action on gun control, infrastructure and domestic technology manufacturing to Democrats-only efforts to tackle climate change and health care costs, Mr. Biden highlighted the achievements of the party’s unified but razor thin control of Washington. And he tried to sharpen the contrast with Republicans, who once seemed poised for sizable victories in November.
