In essence, Joe Biden kicked off his reelection campaign mumbling through a theatrically contrived speech in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania arranged to coincide with the third anniversary of the January 6, 2021 debacle at the U.S. Capitol. Staging this at the site of George Washington’s Revolutionary War headquarters in front of a backdrop of American flags, Biden shamefully misappropriated the father of our country as an implicit endorser of his re-election.
Biden’s handlers seem convinced Trump will be his opponent. The oft-repeated slogan of his tirade loaded with exaggerations, paranoia and demagoguery was that Trump was “a threat to democracy,” echoing the drumbeat Democrats, progressives, and the liberal media have long pounded. Biden equated Trump to a would-be king and dictator. He claimed that “Democracy is on the ballot,” “Your freedom is on the ballot,” and issued a “sacred pledge” that the central cause of his presidency will be the defense, protection, and preservation of democracy.
Conspicuously omitted in his pledge was the most important and only presidential duty expressly specified in the actual oath of office, which reads:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
Biden said nothing of defending the Constitution. Moreover, there’s no mention of “democracy” in the oath, nor does that term appear anywhere in the Constitution or in the Declaration of Independence. Why? Because our system of government is most definitely not a democracy. Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution “guarantee(s) to every state in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” In fact, we are a constitutional republic. I’m not splitting hairs. This is an essential distinction far too many Americans don’t understand.
“Democracy” is derived from the Greek word “demos,” meaning the people. In worldwide practice, democracy loosely covers many decidedly different forms of government in nations that happen to share the common principle of empowering their citizens to elect representative government. As a political term, democracy is a generalization used too casually and inaccurately to include nations that provide some, but not necessarily all, of the fundamental rights of a free society, like free elections, free speech, peaceful transference of political power, due process of law, property rights, and relatively free enterprise.
Our nation’s founders, fearful of the tyranny of the majority (mobocracy), created a unique system of governance with a Constitution and Bill of Rights that limits government and safeguards individual liberty. Our republic was designed to include some elements that are more democratic, like the House of Representatives (with seats apportioned by a state’s population), and others that are purposefully less democratic, such as the Senate (with every state getting two seats, regardless of population). Other examples include an independent judiciary; the Electoral College that tempers the national popular vote; and the presidential veto that can only be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the House and Senate. Amending the Constitution was designed to be the least democratic element, requiring ratification by a supermajority of three-fourths of the state legislatures.
Biden’s blathering notwithstanding, there is no danger that Donald Trump or any president could be a supreme ruler or dictator. The checks and balances of our tripartite system of government and our Constitution would block that. Ironically, it’s Democrats and the left that oppose constitutional order. Their notion of a so-called “living constitution” would override the original intent of the Constitution, and the law, empowering judges to act as unelected legislators imposing what they believe the law ought to be according to their progressive ideology of social justice.
Trump is a boor and a blowhard, but he was only president, ultimately discovering that he lacked the power to get all he wanted — like the border wall. His worthy goals were frequently blocked by Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. If reelected, he’d face the same barriers.
Biden’s executive orders repeatedly bypassing Congress and exceeding his authority are an affront to our republic. His misuse of OSHA to mandate vaccines and testing, and the CDC to block public evictions were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, that punctuated its disapproval with a stern scolding: “The Constitution does not authorize agencies to use pen-and-phone regulations as substitutes for laws passed by the people’s representatives.” SCOTUS also overruled his brazen act to single-handedly forgive a trillion dollars in student loans.
Biden, a notorious gaffer, was never very smart and is now rapidly losing his what remains of his physical and mental faculties in full public view. During his Valley Forge rant, he seemed like a ventriloquist’s dummy, mouthing the campaign slogans of his handlers. No, Trump won’t be king, and I’d prefer some other Republican, but he’s a far better choice for the presidency than Biden, his coalition, and in its agenda. Biden would be the court jester.
Longtime KOA radio talk host and columnist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Mike Rosen now writes for CompleteColorado.com.
