Last week Joe Biden signed the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,” which he had also championed as his first order of business as the new President. Then, on Thursday, Joe Biden gave a speech to the nation in which he told folks that he was hoping that everyone would be able to gather without restrictions by July 4th.

How did conservatives interpret this comment?

They claimed (falsely) that Biden was trying to limit their (our) ability to gather on July 4th, when it was clear that Biden was trying to do the opposite.

How do we know?

Well, because we have the transcript.

Here’s what Joe Biden actually said:

I promise I will do everything in my power, I will not relent until we beat this virus, but I need you, the American people. I need you. I need every American to do their part. And that’s not hyperbole. I need you.

I need you to get vaccinated when it’s your turn and when you can find an opportunity, and to help your family and friends and neighbors get vaccinated as well.

Because here’s the point: If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your families, and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day. That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together.

After this long hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.

Joe Biden’s March 11, 2021 speech to the nation

Now, some of your conservative friends will object that the press regularly misquoted Donald Trump. Except, that’s not true. The press quoted Donald Trump accurately, and then the question was, did he really mean the shit that he said.

• Did he really believe that there were “good people” on both sides of the Charlottesville equation?
• Did he really mean that the medical establishment should look into the use of lysol as a disinfectant for the coronavirus?
• Does he really believe that he won the 2020 election, or is he just pulling our collective leg?

Shit like that.

Democrats are betting that the stimulus package will help them in the 2022 midterms, which may (or may not) prove true. But Republicans have to bet that we’re all going to have a collective case of amnesia by the time the 2022 midterms arrive.