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A defiant Joe Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos this weekend that "only the ‘Lord Almighty’ could drive him from the presidential race."
He is even losing the support of the New York Times, while a growing number of Democrats are calling for his withdrawal.
Joe Biden repeatedly says his motivation to run is his commitment to "save Democracy" by beating Trump---and he is the only one who can beat him.
History tells us to beware of leaders professing devotion to "democracy."
More on that in a moment:
Personal Note:
I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning. The doctors have told me I should be able to return to writing this Faith and Freedom Daily column and return to the microphone of our daily live radio program in about a week. If I'm able, I'll return sooner.
Our radio program will be reruns of some of the most listened-to recent programs. I will resume this column when I return to the radio live.
Thank you for your prayers during this time.
Also thank you for standing with the ministry financially. Our budget, as you can imagine, continues as always.
Be informed, not misled.
The New York Times said yesterday, "President Biden on Friday dismissed concerns about his age, his mental acuity and polls showing him losing his re-election bid, saying in a prime-time interview that his sharpness is tested every day while he is 'running the world.' He vowed to drop out only if 'the Lord Almighty' told him to."
Back in January, New Yorker magazine published this:
“The choice for voters,” Julie Chávez Rodríguez, Biden’s campaign manager, said on the call, “will not simply be between competing philosophies of government.” She continued, “The choice will be about protecting our democracy and every American’s fundamental freedom. We are running our campaign like the fate of our democracy depends on it, because it does.” Quentin Fulks, the deputy campaign manager, added, “Donald Trump tells us point blank—if he wins a second term, he will do everything he can to dismantle American democracy, strip Americans of their hard-fought and fundamental freedoms... We should take him at his word.”
Beware of political leaders promising to "save democracy."
The following information is primarily from his research, with my commentary:
The first notable democracy was in Athens, Greece. At its height, it had a leader named Pericles, whose long career spanned c.460 BC to 429 BC.
His main political opponent was Cimon, an admired member of the aristocracy.
During the Greco-Persian Wars, Cimon won famous battles. He wanted to make Athens great by fighting Persia and its allies. He stated: “I love enriching our nation with the booty of our victories."
Good at business and organizing, Cimon personally funded building and construction projects in Athens, including the expansion of the Acropolis and the city walls.
Pericles decided to weaponize the legal system against Cimon. His lawfare involved leveling an accusation that Cimon had colluded with the enemy and taken a bribe from Alexandra I of Macedonia.
Pericles wanted to get Cimon ostracized, an impeachment process whereby 6,000 citizens could vote to banish a leader for ten years, thus canceling their political career.
Cimon, though, was acquitted.
Pericles gave speeches making unusual professions of devotion to democracy while simultaneously usurping power.
Together with Ephialtes, Pericles led the popular party in opposing the aristocratic party, warning the people against the dangers of wealth. They let large numbers of noncitizens into Athens and then extended voting rights to them, diminishing the power of the ruling Areopagus.
Speaking in the name of democracy, Pericles swayed the newly expanded voting population against his political rivals.
He utilized the media entertainment of that era to advance his agenda, subsidizing admission for the poor to attend Greek theater. This molded public opinion as citizens viewed politically charged plays that subtly maligned Cimon.
Cimon sought to keep Athens out of war with Sparta, the powerful city-state in southern Greece, through a policy of negotiation. Unfortunately, negotiations faltered, and Cimon was put through a second impeachment-ostracizing trial in 461 BC. This time, Cimon was banished for a decade.
Pericles put Athens into great debt. In 454 BC, he moved the treasury of the Delian League from the Island of Delos to Athens and borrowed from it for his government infrastructure, elaborate architectural projects, the arts, and the navy.
Then, reports of corruption began to surface, implicating Pericles. His associate, Phidias, was accused of impiety and embezzlement of money meant for building projects.
His own family had corruption problems, with his wife/courtesan, Aspasia, being accused of corrupting the women of Athens. Pericles himself was then accused of maladministration of public money.
Is any of this beginning to sound familiar? American Founding Father Patrick Henry said the only way he and others had to understand the future was to know and understand the past.
When people realized Pericles had become too powerful, a grassroots movement spread, invoking ostracism. Pericles feared this at all costs. His popularity dropped.
History records the end.
Plato described in his Republic, 380 BC:
“Last of all comes ... the tyrant ... In the early days of his power, he is full of smiles, and he salutes everyone whom he meets ...
How then does a protector begin to change into a tyrant? ... He begins to grow unpopular …
The protector ... is ... the overthrower of many, standing up in the chariot of state with the reins in his hand, no longer protector, but tyrant absolute.”
Rather than stepping down from office, Pericles insisted on staying in office. He gave a speech in support of the Megarian Decree, where many city-states agreed to cut off trade with Megara, an ally of Sparta. It was a NATO-style foreign entanglement treaty, where an attack on one is an attack on all.
Instead of the decree isolating Megara and punishing Sparta, it caused a realignment of Mediterranean alliances, with more city-states siding with Sparta.
In the end, the politics of Pericles, namely, professing devotion to democracy while consolidating personal power, led to Athens’ decline, from which it never regained its world influence and former grandeur.
History informs.
President William Henry Harrison described a similar trend in his Inaugural Address on March 4, 1841:
“This is the old trick of those who would usurp the government of their country. In the name of democracy, they speak, warning the people against the influence of wealth and the danger of aristocracy.
History, ancient and modern, is full of such examples... Caesar became the master of the Roman people... under the pretense of supporting the democratic claims of the former against the aristocracy of the latter... a dangerous accession to the executive power introduced and established amidst unusual professions of devotion to democracy."
Takeaway
Harrison continued, "And, like the false Christs whose coming was foretold by the Savior, seeks to, and were it possible would, impose upon the true and most faithful disciples of liberty.
"It is in periods like this that it behooves the people to be most watchful of those to whom they have entrusted power.”
Be Informed. Be Watchful. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Courageous. Be Prayerful.