Editor's Note: Freddie Reidy is a freelance writer based in London. He studied history and history of art at the University of Kent, Canterbury, specializing in Russian history and international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In the U.S. today, there is little to unite Republicans and Democrats, save perhaps the idea of democracy, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." On January 6, U.S. President Joe Biden addressed both houses on the anniversary of what has become known as "the storming of the Capitol." Unlike his inaugural address, this speech was not one designed to unify the nation but an opportunity to recast the history of that day and take aim at his predecessor.

There is much deliberation over whether former president Donald Trump directly instigated the storming of the Capitol or merely created the environment for such an occurrence to take place, and then fail to act fast enough. Biden chose the less extreme of these scenarios and blamed the 45th president for attempting to "spread a web of lies" which led to the insurrectionist march.

It is curious though that Biden took this tack. Yes, midterm elections are looming, but since assuming office, Biden and his administration have gone to great lengths not to mention Donald Trump by name, so why bring his specter back into the public eye now?

The president could have embarked upon a protracted monologue of the virtues of democracy and American decency worthy of Aaron Sorkin. However, the president chose not to.

Maybe the Biden team felt that plummeting polling numbers, soaring inflation and modest vaccination figures required a more muscular posture. Winning over center-right voters at this juncture may be a bridge too far, but rallying the faithful could prove both effective and lucrative.

With this in mind, Biden proceeded on an ad hominem path insisting that "the former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election… His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or constitution."

Biden's attack line though betrays a wider uncomfortable reality for American democracy as he warned that the threat to democracy has "not abated." Indeed, according to Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, studies show that "21 million (Americans) believe that Biden's presidency is illegitimate and that the use of force is justified in returning Trump to power."

Where Biden appears to have stumbled today is in not capitalizing on the divisions within the Republican party over the issue. While it is true that protestors sought to locate Speaker Nancy Pelosi and indeed posed in her office flaunting her gavel, some protestors were also hunting former U.S. vice president Mike Pence and other GOP members who were charged on that day with ratifying the election of Joe Biden and faced the same level of danger.

Politicians voting to ratify the decision of the Electoral College from both parties were under threat amid a febrile atmosphere that did not distinguish between red and blue.

However, the electoral landscape in the United States has still not yet evolved sufficiently to allow attacks by Biden on Trump to be viewed as attacks solely on Trump, and not Republican voters in general.

Rather than appearing dispassionate over the substance of what transpired 12 months ago, Biden employed graphic invective, accusing his predecessor of "holding a dagger to the throat of U.S. democracy." Biden continued in stating that Trump "values power over principle because he sees his own interest as more important than his country's interest."

In the spirit of a unified belief in America's common steadfast commitment to the democratic values enshrined in the Constitution, January 6th, 2022 could have marked a uniting of Democratic and Republican parties in defiance of nefarious forces seeking to undermine it.

Instead, partisanship and personal animosity were permitted to prevail. The only two Republicans in attendance at the memorial for fallen police officers were Congressman Liz Cheney, ousted in response to her criticism of Donald Trump in the wake of his defeat, and her father former vice president Dick Cheney. 

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com.)