No honeymoon for President Biden
By the time this column posts, Joe Biden will be mere hours from becoming the 46th president of the United States. Given the last two weeks, some thoughts to consider:
1) Make no mistake. Despite the last-ditch conspiracy theories of some Trump diehards, Joe Biden will, in fact, become president. Sadly, several things need to be addressed which, in lessacrimonious times, were near-universally accepted and, therefore, needed no mention.
First, Mr. Biden’s election was legitimate. Every avenue of legal recourse was exhausted by the Trump campaign (including several defeats by the threeTrump-appointee Supreme Court), and no investigation (including those by proTrump Republican officials) found widespread fraud. By definition, that means the election of Joe Biden is valid. America’s stability is founded on law-and-order principles, none more important than “it’s not what you know, but what you can prove.” No widespread irregularities were proven, so the results stand. End of discussion.
Second, Joe Biden is “your president.” It’s a free country, and people can believe what they want, but the unequivocal fact is that Mr. Biden is commander-in-chief to every single American. To state otherwise is incorrect.
To be clear, the notion of “he’s not my president” isn’t new. It started in earnest by the left after President George W. Bush’s controversial election, and continued after President Obama’s victory by some who didn’t like his liberal policies and claimed he wasn’t born in America. But it went into hyperdrive after President
Trump’s election. The left, in utter shellshock after Hillary Clinton’s “guaranteed win” didn’t materialize, went into absolute denial. Many were “unable” to attend school and work, instead engaging in “therapy” to deal with a Trump presidency. But that wasn’t enough, so, in a brazen attempt to delegitimize Donald Trump before he took office, they concocted tales of Russian collusion “rigging” the election.
Hypocrisy doesn’t die easily, and the left’s is again on full display. It demonizes congressional Republicans who objected to Mr. Biden’s certification, yet conveniently forgets that congressional Democrats not only objected to Donald Trump’s electoral certification, but also that of George W. Bush - twice. And while the left loves calling for “unity,” it somehow can’t recall that 66 congressmen boycotted Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
Naturally, some on the right are stating that Joe Biden “isn’t my leader.” That’s both wrong and counterproductive, since it perpetuates the cycle of delegitimatizing anyone with whom we disagree. What goes around comes around, and unless someone becomes the adult in the room, America’s divisions will only widen.
2) There are myriad threats related to the inauguration. Nonetheless, Mr. Biden should absolutely exit his motorcade and, at least partially, walk the route. More than anything, that act of bravery would show both America and the world that democracy will never be impeded, and that the president of the United States never cowers in the face of danger. As the legendary quote states: “Courage is not the absence of fear; it is acting in spite of it.”
3) Speaking of security, it’s not without irony that, for the last four years, Democrats made it a priority to criticize guns, walls, and, often, the police. Yet now, they are benefiting from protection afforded by … guns, walls, and the police. Guns keep people safe because they deter threats, and, when deterrence isn’t enough, win the day by defeating the bad guys.
Border walls keep out unauthorized people, including drug dealers, terrorists, and human smugglers. They also help reduce the spread of disease, such as COVID. There is no difference here. Security perimeters in Washington have been constructed - in the form of walls - to keep out intruders and terrorists, as well as to mitigate viral transmission. And let’s not forget that the police guarding those walls - with guns, no less - are the very people whom many Democrats eviscerated and wanted to defund.
That hypocrisy has not gone unnoticed by the American people.
4) The impeachment proceedings are a colossal mistake.
Do Mr. Trump’s words amount to an impeachable offense? No, or at least they shouldn’t. They were incredibly dumb, and cemented an embarrassing legacy, but he did not tell people to breach the Capitol. The offenders did that entirely of their own volition.
Let’s be honest. This impeachment is purely political, in two ways. First, it’s “payback” for Mr. Trump pushing through so many things that are anathema to the left. Second, it’s to label Mr. Trump “the only twiceimpeached president.” If the Dems get their wish, they will both convict him in the Senate and bar him from running again.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. Based on both the Capitol debacle and the president’s behavior since the election, whatever chance Mr. Trump had at regaining the White House in 2024 is now obliterated. This column always cautions “never say never,” but not in this case. Mr. Trump destroyed his future all by himself, so Democratic attempts to kick him even further is counterproductive.
That blindness - choosing impeachment over a coronavirus relief package - is the height of political stupidity. Americans are dying in record numbers, both literally and economically, and need their leaders to address those issues, and only those issues. To all but the extreme Left, continuing attacks against Donald Trump are seen as “playing politics” and pouring salt in the man’s wounds - at the expense of desperate citizens.
Further, the piling on of Mr. Trump, including many businesses that very publicly walked away from the Trump Organization, isn’t helpful. Sure, it’s their right to do and may even be prudent. But they should be doing so quietly, free of clichéridden press releases. The more that the anti-Trump bandwagon grows, the more backlash it creates, as a significant portion of the population feels backed into a corner, perceiving that their leader is being railroaded. If the goal is reducing tensions, it is inarguable that the continued public admonishment of Donald Trump will not achieve it.
As it stands, President Trump is facing extreme financial difficulties and protracted criminal and civil suits. Since he craves attention above all else, the best strategy for his opponents is to ignore him. If he is starved of his aphrodisiac,
he will quietly fade away. But if the piling-on continues, he and his loyal base will create headaches that the country simply doesn’t need.
5) Democrats forget that
74 million people voted for Donald Trump and/or against Democratic policies. They’re blinded to the fact that their party lost big on election day, as the highlytouted “blue wave” largely dissipated against the red seawall. The GOP came close to winning the House, held the Senate (prior to the Trump-inflicted losses in Georgia), and held crucial state legislatures.
They would be wise not to ignore the concerns of tens of millions who have significant concerns about the integrity of the election. As stated, there was no evidence of widespread fraud, but fraud definitely occurred - as it does in every election. Now is the time to examine those irregularities in detail, including unattended ballot drop-off boxes, Voter ID issues, ballot harvesting, and the validity of mail-in ballots. For the record, this author has received numerous Christmas cards more than
35 days after being postmarked, from locations as close as 80 miles. The fact that mail is still taking that long - especially given that the busy election and Christmas seasons have passed
- raises serious questions about the efficacy of any mail-in voting.
Bottom line: Dismissing the concerns of millions outright would be a politically perilous move.
6) The wave of intolerance continues unabated. It’s one thing to punish those who breached the Capitol, as every offender should be fully prosecuted regardless of political affiliation. But the witch hunt to identify those who simply attended the rally - having absolutely nothing to do with the Capitol - must end. This is still America, where we don’t sanction people for peacefully exercising their right to free speech and assembly. But that’s exactly what’s happening. How ironic that the very people who, for four years, called Donald Trump a dictator, are now advocating measures that only a dictator would love.
Mr. Biden - Mr. President - congratulations on becoming America’s leader. You certainly have your work cut out for you. Good luck, God bless - and godspeed.