The number two Senate Democrat wasn’t a fan of President Biden’s recent speech in Georgia advocating for Democrats voting rights legislation. Senator Dick Durbin said that the president “went a little too far” with his rhetoric.
The Hill reports:
“Do you want to be … on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?” Biden said in Georgia.
“It is stark, and I will concede that point,” Durbin said during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Wednesday after the host noted the comparison made by Biden.
“Perhaps the president went a little too far in his rhetoric. Some of us do, but the fundamental principles and values at stake are very, very similar,” Durbin said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday blasted Biden over his speech, likening his remarks to a “rant,” which he panned as “incoherent, incorrect and beneath his office.”
President Biden has stepped up his efforts to push Democrats’ voting rights bill forward by changing Senate filibuster rules. However, moderate Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema still haven’t revealed if they’ll go along with their colleagues’ plans. Previously, both senators noted their hesitation over getting rid of the filibuster.