Former President Barack Obama is continuing to rally Americans to vote in this year’s midterm elections, including with a recent campaign stop in Pennsylvania alongside President Joe Biden, where the pair promoted Democratic candidates in the state including Senate contender John Fetterman.
“Our democracy is on the ballot,” Obama posted on Twitter alongside an image of himself on stage in Pennsylvania with Biden, Fetterman, and Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro. “If we want to build on the progress that @JoeBiden and Democrats have made so far, then we’re going to need everybody to make their voices heard on Tuesday. Show up. Vote on November 8th. Encourage your friends, family, neighbors to join you. Let’s get this done. Go to http://IWillVote.com today to make a plan to vote.” Obama has appeared in half a dozen swing states as Election Day has drawn closer.
In Pennsylvania, Biden recounted some of that progress in his own speech, including a cap on what those on Medicare will have to pay each year for prescription medications. At the federal level, Democrats have the opportunity to pass new protections for abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this year, but decisions on access to abortion will also be made — and are already being made — at the state level, adding another reason why the individual who serves as governor is important for everyday people. Doug Mastriano, the GOP candidate in Pennsylvania’s governor’s race, previously raised the idea of pregnant individuals facing murder charges in cases violating abortion restrictions he proposed. Republicans currently control both chambers of the state legislature in Pennsylvania, but the currently serving governor, who is leaving office, is a Democrat, providing a check on their power — which is at stake.
If Republicans win control of either all or part of Congress, chaos could ensue, with the legislative process winding largely to a halt. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who’d potentially become Speaker in a GOP-controlled House, has a lot of plans — including suggesting the death penalty for those moving fentanyl, but how much can Republicans actually enact with President Joe Biden vetoing the more extreme proposals? Biden’s vetoes will obviously be welcome for those concerned about the GOP’s buffoonery, but Republicans putting basic governmental functioning on the line still isn’t great. McCarthy suggested to CNN that Republicans would demand spending cuts before approving increases to the debt limit. “If you’re going to give a person a higher limit, wouldn’t you first say you should change your behavior, so you just don’t keep raising and all the time?” he said.
Biden made sure to promote Democrats across the ballot in Pennsylvania during his recent speech there. “We’ve got a great Democratic lineup on the ballot here in this state,” he said. “Pennsylvania, this isn’t a referendum this year; it’s a choice — a choice between two vastly different visions of America. Vastly different.”
Let’s get this done. Go to https://t.co/NKXRGNgJPv today to make a plan to vote.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 6, 2022
