President Joe Biden seems to miss the mark on nearly all critical issues. It’s astonishing how consistently he appears to adopt incorrect positions, even by random chance. That’s my perspective. It’s also the perspective of a majority of Americans, as Biden’s approval ratings are well below average on every major issue. Now, it seems we can add historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison to Biden’s critics.
Biden’s Recent Tyrannical Pronouncement
Biden’s latest significant misstep occurred in his remarks about the verdict in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump case and the subsequent public reaction, including Trump’s own. Biden expressed outrage, saying it is “reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible for anyone to claim the verdict was rigged simply because they don’t like it.”
In reality, the opposite holds true. It is imperative, healthy, and responsible—aligned with core American values—for individuals to speak out when they disagree with governmental prosecutorial actions.
This is especially vital when the defendant is a leading opposition candidate in an election for the country’s highest office. The same principle applies to candidates and their supporters who allege election manipulation.
The loss of the right for candidates and their supporters to voice concerns about prosecutions or elections marks the beginning of the loss of our freedoms. Even more precarious is the loss of their willingness to express such concerns, which signals an eventual and certain loss of freedom.
Biden’s remarks were aimed at eroding this willingness. His comments are what are truly reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible, especially coming from a sitting president. A government can best gain the people’s confidence by demonstrating why they should have confidence, not by dismissing public inquiries as “reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible.”
Jefferson, Franklin, and Madison’s Vision
Several places prohibit defendants from questioning trial fairness or candidates from claiming election fraud: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela, to name a few. Historical accounts of such restrictions are also found in descriptions of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. I don’t want to live in such places, nor did Jefferson, Franklin, or Madison. Neither should you.
America’s foundation rests on the principle—politically unique at the time—that the right answer emerges from hearing all viewpoints. As Thomas Jefferson observed: “Difference of opinion leads to inquiry, and inquiry to truth.” The founders understood this well. Benjamin Franklin took this further, emphasizing the importance of questioning authority: “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
Unfortunately, Joe Biden and many in the Democratic Party have not embraced these governmental principles. This leads to “Disinformation Governance Boards,” government/Big Tech censorship programs, and other such initiatives. The American left employs a principle—warned against by James Madison—that freedoms are most often eroded gradually and silently: “There are more instances of the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpation.”
While I don’t often agree with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., we concur on this point: “There is no time in history where the people censoring free speech were the good guys.”
Hence, it’s clear that both the desire and act of speaking out about a prosecution or election are neither reckless, dangerous, nor irresponsible in America. In fact, they are integral to being American. It is every American’s primary responsibility.
Of course, I acknowledge that Biden was exercising his free speech rights in making his statement. I advocate for more, not less, speech from him so that every American can better understand how misguided and precarious his positions are. My point is that on this crucial subject, Biden is profoundly wrong—indeed un-Americanly wrong—once again.
