In 1983, a younger version of me visited the former Soviet Union, wide-eyed and shocked at the fear in people’s eyes, spiritual devastation, and how depressed the human spirit can get. That visit – to “the dark side of the moon” – was punctuated by absurdity. Biden echoes the absurdity.
Soviet officials unabashedly promoted complete lies. The Soviet Union, held together by duct tape and persecution, was the “best” at everything, their economy, military, transparency, democracy, and rule of law. Only that was nonsense, and we knew it. Still, they promoted it.
“To your right is the Moscow stadium, largest in the world. To your left is the Moscow-Leningrad rail station, biggest in the world. Here is the Bolshoi Opera, first in the world. There is the Moskva-Volga canal, longest in the world. Over here, the new Soviet Museum of Everything, oldest in the world.”
Truth was, they did have just about the largest hotel in the world, but it was mostly empty since few came and fewer left. The largest stadiums were in India and the United States. The Bolshoi was old, but Italy and Germany edged it. Grand Central has the world’s largest rail station, with France, Britain, Japan and Germany behind. Longest canal is in China. You see the point, truth did not matter.
Enter the Biden’s Brave New World – of crazy stuff, boldly told. Mr. Biden gets more absurd each day, and sometimes you have to stop and say so.
On October 28, he said, the price of gas “is down from over five dollars when I took office.” Truth: It was $1.98 when he took office January 20, 2020, is now $3.68. It was $5.00 last summer.
On October 25, he said, his half-trillion-dollar, unconstitutional student loan forgiveness program “passed…I got it passed by a vote or two, and it’s in effect.” Truth: His executive order was blocked, is at the Supreme Court, was never introduced, voted on, or passed – by any margin.
In July, he talked gobbledygook on taxes, saying the richest paid an “average federal income tax” of “eight percent,” while a “cop, teacher firefighter, or union worker” must “pay two or three times that.” Truth: Average corporate tax is 32 percent, high-earners 23 percent, deductions helping job creation, while those earning under 100,000 pay zero to 15 percent.
When he took office, he says there was “no vaccine” for COVID “available,” so he saved the day. He says, “only gun manufacturers” have immunity from lawsuits, and “you could not buy a canon” when “the Second Amendment passed.” Truth: Vaccines were administered December 2020, many companies share immunity in all 50 states, and nothing in the 2nd Amendment bars canons.
Biden says he was “in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times.” He says he “got arrested” protesting human rights. He says he “used to drive a tractor trailer.” He says “small businesses are up 30 percent” since he took office. He says his inflation is “caused by Russia.” He says, “al-Qaida is gone from Afghanistan.” Truth: No evidence for any of that, much against it.
Biden says – and no Democrat corrects him – “The Second Amendment, from the minute it passed, limited the type of people who could own a gun and what type of weapon you could own.” Truth: Totally false.
On immigration, he says “We are sending back the vast majority of families coming” into the US illegally. Truth: Incoming are at record level. He says Republicans “eliminated the funding for community policing.” Truth: Republicans pushed police funding, Democrats pushed defunding.
The Republican confirmation of Amy Comey Barret he calls “not constitutional,” while impeaching Trump without due process he abides. He asserts, “no presidents before Trump were racist,” forgetting horrific racists that defined his party, from Wilson to Johnson.
Now, Biden says he and China’s Communist President XI “travelled 17,000 miles together” when they “were both vice presidents.” Even the Washington Post had to spit that back. Truth: Made up. Xi was politely silent.
Three closing points: Biden lies as often as he tells the truth, some days more. No Democrat is willing to say, “This guy is off.” The more lies he tells, the more Soviet he looks, embarrassing.
All this would be entertaining, except the world sees it, the absurdity of it. The time is coming when we either reclaim truth or accept the absurdity of this presidency. To borrow from Biden, “com’ on man!” This is getting a bit ridiculous.