Oh, how the times change. This clip from October of 2020 shows one of two things. Either President Joe Biden is profoundly dishonest and always intended to bypass Congress on some significant policy issues. Or this is what he believes, and cognitive decline allows his staff to lead him. Given his history in public life, as well as his noticeable mental and physical slow down, it’s a toss-up.
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, the host pressed Biden when tax increases would be effective. Because paying more in taxes is so super popular, Stephanopoulos wanted to know if it would be right away. Biden responded:
“Well, I gotta get the votes. I gotta get the votes. That’s why ya know, one thing, I have this strange notion. We are a democracy. Some of my Republican friends and some of my Democratic friends even occasionally, say well if you can’t get the votes, by Executive Order you’re going to do something. Things you can’t do by Executive Order unless you’re a dictator. We’re a democracy. We need consensus.”
.@JoeBiden in October: “I have this strange notion, we are a democracy … if you can’t get the votes … you can’t [legislate] by executive order unless you’re a dictator. We’re a democracy. We need consensus.” pic.twitter.com/7UotJCXSm3
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 26, 2021
For a guy who worked for the “pen and phone” president, that is pretty rich. President Barack Obama said he couldn’t alter immigration law through executive action for years. Of course, then he did with DACA and DAPA. Biden followed right down the same path, making one of his first Executive Orders sweeping changes that would stop enforcement of many of our immigration laws.
Of course, that is just one of the more than 30 Executive Orders he has issued in one week. Very few, if any, have broad consensus. Certainly not erasing biological sex and letting boys and men into spaces for women and girls, including sports, scholarships, workplaces, and even prisons. There isn’t even consensus on this issue among the radical left, with third-wave feminists who insist there are biological differences between men and women labeled TERFs (trans eradicating radical feminists).
He also reintroduced the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) policy through an order to the HUD Secretary yesterday. This policy was repealed under President Trump, leaving zoning, school districting, and other decisions at the local and state level where they belong. The AFFH takes many of these responsibilities to the federal level using federal funding as leverage to get community compliance. The stated goal is diversifying neighborhoods and communities. Last summer, 83% of likely voters said the federal government should have no say where people live, and 65% said it was not their job to diversify neighborhoods.
Can you feel all the consensus already? The unity? Maybe that is why Biden’s daily approval hasn’t been above water yet. And if these radical moves don’t stop, he may just find out all about democracy in 2022 when Republicans take back the House.