FDR, LBJ, … JRB?

By Aaron Kliegman President Joe Biden sold himself to the American people as a moderate. Indeed, his presidential pitch was a “return to normalcy” following the chaos of the Trump Era. It was all rubbish. The news website Axios reported this week that President Biden recently hosted an undisclosed meeting with historians at the White House. For two-plus hours, they discussed big ideas, including how Biden can and should “jam through once-in-a-lifetime historic changes to America.” Everyone present agreed: “It is time to go even bigger and faster than anyone expected,” even if that means discarding bipartisanship. Axios described the meeting as a “for-the-history-books marker of the think-big, go-big mentality that pervades West Wing.” Forget moderation. Forget normalcy. Biden wants to overhaul the United States. And he intends to do so with historically expensive legislative packages targeting infrastructure, green energy, and education. He’s also got his eye on guns, voting, immigration, and more. The total price tag could be $5 trillion-plus. Spending such money may be unsustainable, but it sounds appealing. (Who’s against good roads and bridges?) No doubt the legislation would include positive measures, such as expanding broadband in rural areas. But massive bills like what Biden’s discussing are never what they seem. Consider the $1.9 trillion legislative package recently signed by Biden. The mammoth legislation was billed as a “coronavirus rescue package” to stimulate the economy and help the American people amid the pandemic. Yet most of the money is unnecessary — an astounding $1 trillion of federal money already signed into law to combat the virus remains unspent. Why not use that money first before spending more? Even more striking, however, is that less than 10 percent of the $1.9 trillion will actually go to public health. Still, as people close to Biden told Axios, the president is “feeling bullish on what he can accomplish.” He’s even willing to kill the Senate’s filibuster rule, which necessitates 60 votes rather than a simple majority to pass bills, in order to allow Democrats to ram through “trophy legislation for his party.” It seems the man who campaigned on “restoring democracy” wants to change the rules to force through his agenda without opposition. There’s a term for that, but it’s not democracy. What’s most troubling, however, isn’t Biden’s agenda. It’s his psychology. According to Axios, Biden is determined “to be one of the most consequential presidents” in history. Which is why he told historians at the meeting that he’s no Franklin Delano Roosevelt but would like to be. He even peppered his guests with questions about FDR. Indeed, presidential historian Michael Beschloss, who was at the meeting, told Axios that FDR and Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) may turn out to be the 20th century’s analogues to Biden “in terms of transforming the country in important ways in a short time.” Beschloss is hardly alone. The new fashionable argument to make in the op-ed pages is that Biden is comparable to FDR and LBJ. Biden’s legislative plan has even been dubbed a 21st century version of FDR’s New Deal. The comparisons seem to have gone to Biden’s head. Add the encouragement of some left-wing intellectuals at the White House, and the result is dangerous: a president who fancies himself a great historical figure in a great historical moment. He feels a need to act in a major way, to leave his mark, to be remembered like FDR — as a liberal hero who transformed the US. Forget Barack Obama, who spoke of “fundamentally transforming” America. He wasn’t bold enough. And forget his $833 billion stimulus package from 2009. According to Chuck Schumer, it was “small” and “measly.” Democrats are now hailing Biden as the transformational figure of our time. Biden’s enjoying this moment. Americans should be concerned. Even more than Obama, Biden and the Democrats are now becoming the true antithesis of Ronald Reagan, who on his first day as president declared: “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Reagan understood that between the citizen and the state lies civil society — all the aspects of life that connect communities outside of government, from family to churches to local sports leagues. These links and associations are what really matter. Collectively, they are the source of a society’s strength and should be that to which people turn first in times of need. For Biden and his allies, however, there’s nothing between citizens and their government. To quote the late, great Dr. Charles Krauthammer, that space is filled with a “desert within which the isolated citizen finds protection only in the shadow of Leviathan.” Not friends, not family, not faith, not passion, just big government. Combine this ideology with a desire to be remembered as the FDR of the 21st century, and the result is someone poised to get drunk on power. For the past couple years, many conservatives have expressed concern about Biden’s mental health. It’s clear now: He’s suffering from delusions of grandeur. Newt hosts monthly virtual events in which he discusses news of the day and why it matters to you and your community. These Newt Live events are your opportunity to communicate directly with Newt. We hope you will join us next time and let Newt answer your questions and provide his insight on the issues that concern you most. JOIN TODAY to be a part of this special event and receive a BONUS GIFT. Click here to join Newt’s Inner Circle.