OPINION:
Citizen Joe Biden’s graceless exit from the White House is a reminder why the American people were right to reject his party in November. In his farewell address last week, Mr. Biden lectured the nation about billionaires who have too much influence on society.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead,” he said.
Just two weeks earlier, the man who uttered those words bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on George Soros, the multibillionaire who finances the Democratic Party and left-wing activist groups. Mr. Soros does not invent, build or create. He made a fortune shorting currencies during market downturns and was convicted of insider trading in France.
It’s a classic example of Mr. Biden projecting his own flaws onto others. Ahead of the inauguration, the Big Guy wagged his finger while taking a veiled shot at Donald Trump.
“The president’s power is … not absolute. And it shouldn’t be,” Mr. Biden said.
Two days later, Mr. Biden enacted a constitutional amendment on a whim. His post on X was headlined, “President Biden declares The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is now the law of the land.” The move came out of the blue, absent public discussion or involvement.
There hasn’t been much need to talk about the ERA because the issue was settled long ago. The Archivist of the United States last month reiterated the amendment had to meet a seven year deadline to pass in 3/4ths of the states. It failed to do so, thanks to the work of the late Phyllis Schlafly’s “Stop ERA” campaign.
The National Archives is responsible for settling such questions. As this is the same office that cooked up the classified documents case against Mr. Trump, its determination can’t be accused of partisanship. Even the Justice Department under Mr. Biden agreed the ERA was dead.
A president who wants to resurrect a dead amendment must return to the amending process. At least, that’s what the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explained in 2019: “The ERA fell three states short of ratification. I hope someday it will be put back in the political hopper, starting over again, collecting the necessary number of states to ratify it.”
With only three days left in his term, Mr. Biden realized democracy would take too long. The best he could do was to issue a decree. Unfortunately for him, Article V of the Constitution grants the states and Congress the sole authority to alter our fundamental governing document. The president plays no role.
The chief executive’s only plenary power is the pardon, and Mr. Biden on Monday used it to grant preemptive protection to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who may have played a role in creating the COVID-19 panic, as well as the Jan. 6 committee members and staff.
“These public servants have served our nation with honor and distinction and do not deserve to be the targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions,” Mr. Biden wrote on X.
It’s more projection. Mr. Biden’s administration was the first in our nation’s history to prosecute an opponent in an upcoming election. It was the Jan. 6 committee that promoted extended jail sentences for over a thousand of Mr. Trump’s supporters who took an unauthorized tour of the Capitol.
No wonder the public voted for change. It’s time to move forward.
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