“This is like a fairy tale, a bad fairy tale.”
This line from President Joe Biden's speech at Valley Forge this week may have been the most accurate observation in his entire speech to launch his 2024 campaign.
The speech was a masterpiece full of contradictions. Biden began by accusing Donald Trump's campaign of being “all about himself” and “obsessed with the past.” He then devoted virtually all of his speech solely to President Trump and January 6, 2021.
It was an early indication of the Orwellian nature of the speech. Facing the lowest poll numbers of any modern president, Biden tried a constructive alternative. “Democracy is on the ballot,” he said. Therefore, voters do not need to vote for him. When they see Biden, they just read “democracy.”
That will require more than just a shift at the polling place. That would require willful blindness.
Biden talked about how Democrats are fighting to protect “the right to vote.” Even though Trump is currently the most popular presidential candidate, Democratic activists and officials across the country are trying to exclude him from voting.
In fact, dozens of Democratic Party officials tried to delete 126 Republicans in Congress on the same basis. Democratic activists were trying to do this even as Biden was urging people to vote Democratic to protect democracy. Remove Republican from ballot in nearby Pennsylvania district.
Biden's speech would have been given even more credibility if he had joined principled Democratic politicians in condemning the national effort.As usual, he remains silent. as he packed in court In the last election.
It also would have been a little more convincing if his party hadn't prevented people from voting for anyone other than Biden in the primary. Florida called its Democratic primary to Biden, blocking his opponent. Two-thirds of Democrats want an alternative to Biden. Faced with these poll numbers, the party establishment decided it was too committed to democracy to leave the choice to voters. North Carolina's Democratic Party has become its newest lawmaker. Ban anyone other than Biden from voting.
Democratic officials are doing democracy the way Henry Ford responded to calls for different color choices for the Model T. He promised to offer “any color the customer wants, as long as it's black.” In this election, voters can choose any Biden they want.
For millions of voters, democracy may be something they vote for, but it is an aspiration. Voting for Biden may restore democracy, but only after the election.
Even more galling is Biden's claim to be a champion of free speech. As I've written before, Biden is the most anti-free speech president since John Adams. His government has relentlessly pushed for censorship and blacklisting of people with opposing views.
A federal court says Biden's censorship efforts are unprecedented in our nation's history and de facto. “Orwellian Ministry of Truth.” Biden administration called for censorship Even if it is a true statement that may be misleading.
Biden running on a platform of free speech is as convincing as Bill Clinton running on a platform of abstinence.
Mr. Biden is hoping voters will support his “don't vote for me, vote for democracy” line. However, it doesn't seem to be working for now. In fact, the speech at Valley Forge was another example of the “one-handed clap sound” that has the same roughly 40 percent sticking with Biden in the polls.
But this time, he removed the hellish red backdrop, the first since Philadelphia in 2022, which denounced Trump supporters as enemies of the people. Instead, he did everything he could to convey the spirit of George Washington, other than appearing in a Continental uniform.
Of course, Washington was the unifying figure of the time. He did not declare all Tories to be traitors. Many Conservatives and former supporters would eventually join his cause. Biden drew 74 million voters Trump as a de facto redcoat calling for the restoration of the monarchy.
The key to Washington's success was his presence at Valley Forge. He survived the deprivations imposed on his men and defended democracy by declining invitations to his monarchy. If Biden wants to take over the mantle of Washington, he could first uphold democracy and practice it in both primaries and general elections by asking voters to choose a candidate.
Given his past history, Biden's efforts to disguise himself as George Washington made him look foolish in a uniform two sizes too big for his height.
Biden has a consistent record of only supporting principles and positions that provide political benefits. James Freeman Clark once said that politicians think about the next generation, but Biden has rarely thought beyond the next election.
Moreover, Biden's efforts to defend the Constitution have been contradicted by a series of court decisions finding that he violated the Constitution and went unpunished. This includes a ruling that his administration exceeded its authority and engaged in racial discrimination in federal programs. Indeed, Mr. Biden has often been blunt about such violations.
For example, the Biden administration's imposition of a nationwide eviction moratorium through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was found to be unconstitutional. Biden acknowledged that White House counsel and most legal experts have told him the move is unconstitutional. However, he ignored their advice and followed the advice of Harvard professor Lawrence Tribe. Who would tell him what he wanted to hear?. Of course, it was soon found to be unconstitutional.
Biden has shown similar disregard for the unconstitutionality of his effort to unilaterally forgive nearly $5 trillion in student loans.
Biden never allowed principles to come before politics.
That's why Biden is not Washington. It's not even clear whether Biden will persuade Biden. His checkered history of constitutional violations leaves us with little real concept of what he values beyond political expediency.
The tragedy of Biden is not that he has not reached the heights of Washington. Very few people have ever experienced it. The tragedy is we will never know whether Biden will be able to meet his own Valley Forge challenge.
Jonathan Turley is the JB and Maurice C. Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University School of Law.
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