Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
The most recent liberal ABC News/Washington Post poll showed Joe Biden’s approval rating at 36 percent—the lowest in history for a president at this point in his first term.
Biden’s low popularity is no mystery.
He inherited energy independence, affordable gas prices, historically low interest rates, low inflation, calm overseas, a low crime rate, and a largely closed border with legal-only immigration.
And then Biden destroyed that inheritance.
He has begged illiberal foreign governments to pump oil he refuses to drill domestically.
He spiked inflation at the highest rate in over 40 years.
Home interest rates have skyrocketed from less than 3 percent to 7 percent.
He nearly doubled the price of gasoline.
His hare-brained retreat from Afghanistan marked the greatest humiliation of the American military in the last half-century.
Kabul is now selling billions of dollars’ worth of abandoned American equipment to terrorists and anti-American regimes.
After that fiasco, Biden foolhardily played down a possible “minor” Russia invasion of Ukraine. He implored Russia to exempt some American institutions from its cyber-attack target list.
No wonder an empowered Putin went into Ukraine.
Biden’s family is corrupt from top to bottom.
Its influence peddling schemes increasingly are targets of congressional investigations. Biden himself is explicitly mentioned by his son Hunter as the recipient of a 10 percent commission on monies the family syndicate leveraged from foreign interests.
Biden promised “unity.” Instead, he habitually smears half the country as “semi-fascists” and “ultra-MAGA” extremists.
Biden is cognitively challenged and often incoherent. And he is now losing support in the polls from African Americans, once his most loyal constituency.
In response, Biden does what he always had done for some 40 years: mouth wild racist demagoguery.
This graduation season, Biden deliberately chose Howard University to scare its black graduates into believing the greatest threat to their aspirations is “white supremacy”—but that he, Joe Biden, has been their protector in fighting it.
Note the existential threats Biden deliberately omits.
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants are flooding over a border Biden deliberately destroyed. Millions of incoming poor will vie for limited federal and state support with Americans who are in need.
Since Biden was elected, there have been nearly 7 million illegal entries.
Some 100,000 Americans now die each year from Mexican-produced fentanyl and other opioids shipped across a wide-open border.
Biden did not mention that nearly 10,000 African Americans are murdered each year, over 90 percent of them killed by other African Americans.
Biden first should heal his own racism before he fabricates it in others.
He fueled his early Senate career with homages to southern Democratic segregationists such as Senator James O. Eastland (D-Miss.). Biden even bragged that Eastland “never called me ‘boy.’” Biden gave eulogies for former Dixiecrat Sen. Strom Thurmond and former Klansman Sen. Robert Byrd.
Of school busing, a younger Senator Joe Biden thundered, “My children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle.”
Biden in 2008 patronized Barack Obama in racist terms as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”
In 2012, Biden condescended to a group of accomplished black professionals that the Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, would “put y’all back in chains.”
As a presidential candidate in 2020, he dismissed two black journalists, respectively with the putdowns “you ain’t black” and “junkie.”
His fabricated “Corn Pop” he-man autobiographical tales are utterly racist.
As president he has referred to two prominent people of color as “boy.” He still uses the term “Negro” to refer to blacks.
Biden never cites data to support his wild accusations that white supremacy poses the nation’s greatest threat.
The 2020 riots, the lengthiest in our history, left up to 40 people dead, destroyed $2 billion in property, led to 14,000 arrests, spanned 120 days of mass looting, and arson, and saw mobs torching police precincts, federal courthouses, and an historic church.
That violence was engineered by radicals in Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
In the January 6 Captiol protests, the only person confirmed to have been killed at that event was an unarmed military veteran and Trump supporter, Ashli Babbitt. She was lethally shot by a Capitol police officer for the misdemeanor of attempting to enter through a broken window.
If “white supremacy” was our “greatest” terrorist threat, surely crime statistics would reveal such an existential peril.
Yet federal hate- and interracial-crime data show that so-called whites are considerably unrepresented demographically in such racially motivated violence.
Far from galvanizing the public, Biden’s monotonous racial demagoguery is turning it off.
The military suffers a vast drop in enlistments that began once Biden’s Pentagon brass, without evidence, likewise began demagoguing about supposed “white rage” in the ranks.
Only 37 percent of independents in a recent poll now support Biden. Some 70 percent of the public in other polls opposes a second Biden run.
So on spec, a panicked Biden now turns to what he has done for decades—inflammatory racial demagoguery.
Stupid, gullible? Hey, some of us are. And we vote. Most of us believe what we see on TV when it comes time to vote.
Pollsters don’t count the great number of “voters” who don’t exist (officially), but whose votes are counted in US elections.
We are witnessing the engineered destruction of America as we have known it.
What I am hearing in the news lately is a new emphasis on reparations for blacks. I suspect it is intended to spur black voters to cast their ballots for Democrats in the 2024 election.
What I am not hearing is a coordinated response by Republicans to this Democratic promise of reparations. In my opinion it should be something along the lines of the following:
“Oh, you want reparations, you should go to the party that supported slavery. They are still around you know, and they have lots of money because they have very rich friends like George Soros.” Democrats supported Slavery, and Republicans were against slavery.
“Don’t ask Americans for reparations, because so many of their ancestors fought and died to rid our country of the scourge of slavery. Go to the party that fought to preserve it– go to the Democrats.”
Etc., etc.
Politicians have shown that they can get people to believe just about anything if it is said over and over, and over (i.e., “The Big Lie).
So remind them over and over that it is the Democrats, not the Republicans, that they can “thank” for slavery.
Having the honest facts to support this contention of Democratic guilt (and Republican innocence) is, of course, a huge bonus.
Yup. What O’Brien said -24/7.
Well said!
Good one.
Every time I bring this up to a democrat they claim that their was a “Great Switch” sometime in the past where southern democrats became republicans and republicans became democrats.
This line of thinking deserves a horse laugh every time.
Now, imagine a horse laughing at democrats.
Democrats were the slave owners. Democrats wanted to secede from the US. Democrats created and supported Jim Crow. Democrats vehemently supported racial segregation.
The common thread for democrats as they exist today is that they still USE Blacks for their own purposes. It’s pretty obvious.
Instilling and inciting Black hostility is a favorite game of the democrats. They have perfected this ruse over many decades.
Other than all that, democrats are fine people.
In hindsight and considering their lack of ethics and immorality, maybe they should have been allowed to secede. If they had, we would not be suffering most of our current problems. IF Abe had only known then what we know now.
Jim, I agree with all that you have stated.
When I am “challenged” by someone claiming the “Great Switch”, aka “The Southern Strategy”, has now exonerated the Democratic Party from its prior culpability of slavery, KKK, Jim Crow, etc. I tell them that this is total B.S., put out there by the Dems to run from their past.
If they want to challenge my retort, I fall back on the factual data that Carol Swain presents in her 5 minute PragerU video: “Why Did the Democratic South Become Republican”. In it she presents the indisputable facts that she shares in this video, will leave them without any rational defense to their illusional position.
Dr. Swain has several other race related videos on PragerU that I suspect you will enjoy, if you have not already have viewed them. In my view she serves as an inspiration to us all, having grown up in the South when institutional racism was then real, and yet is able now to emanate only love for the United States and the opportunities it gave her.
In light of the Democratic Party’s reliance on demagoguery and its positions on abortion, charter schools, and denying Americans credible early treatments against the Covid virus, I believe its “DNA” has not changed from that of the mid-19th century. In my view it is truly an evil party.
Well written.
It’s a shame, most Americans know arrests will not be made, the Biden crime family will not be held to the same justice standard the average American is held to.
Professor Hanson
I and most conservative Americans agree vehemently with your position. Also, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson—all agree.
So what? What are we going to DO about it? I’m tired of hearing about the problem and absolutely nothing about the solution. Stop describing the water and solve my problem. Where’s Rush Limbaugh when we desperately need him?
Michael Henderson, MD
What are YOU going to do about it? You have to convince people opposed to these views of the error of their ways. I send these articles to all my liberal friends. I use the facts stated when I argue with the leftists and liberals trying to destroy this country. Quit waiting for someone to do something and invest some of your time in supporting candidates who will do something, hold currently elected officials to the fire for not doing what is right, and volunteer to do poll watching to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
In spite of everything it is certainly possible that Biden could be re-elected. When the democrat party allowed FDR to run for a fourth term in order to hold on to power, they knew the seriously ill president would not make it through his term of office. In fact Harry Truman served as vice president for only 82 days. The democrat party, however, did have the sense to replace Henry Wallace on the ticket. Mr. Wallace has been described by some as being a communist mystic (is that oxymoronic or just moronic?) What if anything do you predict will happen with vice president Harris?
Not to mention the anti-Catholic vendettas of the Biden Justice Department, FBI, et. al…
Well stated, every republican running for president should be thoroughly versant in Joe Biden’s history and present it to the public so often that all Americans have it memorized.
Also, republican candidates would do better if they teach men the benefits of the Constitution, capitalism, and conservativism throughout history.
Specifically, they should demonstrate how their conservative perspective influences policy and how that policy benefits society.
I served, I have three sons in SOF and we are WAY past voting or talking our way to saving America as a free and god fearing Nation.
Still, your insight and voice are VERY appreciated. I have been reading your work for a long time.
Thank you Sir.
You always speak the truth and cite facts & historical perspectives, but the truth doesn’t matter anymore; anymore than it did in Nazi Germany & Soviet Russia.
I’m sure that some, if not many, readers of this comment voted for democrats & will continue to do so in future elections. I cannot figure out the mentality of people who want to turn such virtues as right & wrong upside down. When I was a kid, crossing the border illegally was a very serious offence, but not anymore. During the ’60s & ’70s smoking marijuana was a serious offence that could land a person in a heap of trouble, but not anymore. I smell marijuana coming out of people’s cars on the road all the time. The “F” word was something I rarely heard back then, but today I hear it used all the time. Women used to dream of having babies back then, but today infanticide has become something many women celebrate. Similarly, people are also celebrating such atrocities as transgenderism. Look at all the drag queens in our nation’s schools. There are over 700 million guns in the U.S. that democrats want to remove from society. They know that’s not possible, because criminals will always have guns regardless of laws. Their ultimate goal is to make the ordinary person dependent on the government. And to make sure they win elections, they aren’t counting votes anymore. Instead, they are harvesting votes–just like they do in Maricopa County!
We hit our peak in the 1950s and early ’60s. China viewed America as made of gods back then.
The damage LBJ created should not be underestimated. The deleterious work of corporate media should not be underestimated. Same with our failed education system. Too many apathetic, ignorant citizens create opportunity for tyranny. Mark Twain said it well: ““Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.” We didn’t.
i will never forget Senate Judiciary Chairman Joe Biden, during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, addressing a supportive Black attorney as “buddy boy.” He got the insult back in spades by the gentleman’s response in testimony. If there was any doubt that Biden is a racist, that doubt disappeared in my mind at that moment. “Buddy boy.” Check the transcript it is there.
It will be interesting to see if Biden’s polling can go even lower than 36%.
If it does there may come a point where Democrats decide that they can’t win with this guy, no matter who he runs against. That’s when the proverbial you-know-what will really hit the fan.
There is no good faith on the left, obviously. Our differences are irreconcilable, obviously. It’s time to walk away from this dysfunctional relationship.
What is the best path VDH?
How does one “walk away”? Even when you have a conservative stronghold, one can’t bar progressives from moving there.
No, for me the answer is that we must regain the reins of government, educational institutions, etc.
At least now we have an awareness of the dire straits that we are in that we did not have (speaking for myself) even 10 years ago.
The 36% approval rating is very revealing in my opinion. It represents the percentage of Americans who are 1) completely oblivious or 2) absolutely beholden to the democrat party, no matter how destructive it is for the country. I have to think that 2 things can drive this number lower. First: the continued decline of our cities where most democrats reside. Second: a 911-type event on US soil before this disastrous administration leaves office. Our enemies have got to be licking their chops for their opportunity to deliver a major attack. Both of these scenarios will likely occur…will the 36% still support this doofus?
Great column and even better feedback. I would like to add my two cents in regard to reparations and common decency:
* Reparations. Do we first deduct the trillion upon trillions of dollars that the democrats have handed out, as a form of bribery, to keep them on the plantation that commenced with LBJ’s Great Society Program.
* And when Black America speaks about their years in slavery why is it we never hear a shout out for the 400,000 plus Union Soldiers who were killed or severely wounded so that they might one day be free?
1. All races have been slaved and practiced slavery throughout history. There are more slaves in the world today than 200 years ago. Human trafficking still exists through the southern border.
2. Over 120 nations in the world existed in 1789, all of which practiced slavery.
3. America was the first nation to stop the international slave trade. The British were first to pass a law but allowed it to continue between its colonies.
4. Northern states in America soon abolished slavery after 1789. The majority of states were opposed to slavery at the time of the Civil War. Subsequent additions of states to America never practiced slavery. The majority signers of the Declaration were abolitionists. Virginia law prohibited freeing slaves until after the owners death.
5. America was one of the first nations in the history of the world to outlaw slavery completely.
6. America was the first nation to stop the international slave trade. Great Britain passed a law first but didn’t stop its practice between colonies.
7. America is the only nation in the history of the world to fight a war against itself to abolish slavery.
8. Democrats resisted abolition, sought to undermine emancipation, headed up the KKK, instituted Jim Crow, imposed voter restriction laws, resisted civil rights proposals by Republicans in the 1950’s, & impeded civil rights law of 1964 signed by Democrat president LBJ who used it so that blacks would vote democrat for the next 200 years.
The soul who sins shall die.
The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father,
nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son.
The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself,
and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Ezekiel 18:20
Each man is accountable for his own sin. No man is accountable for the sins of another.
I’m afraid if things don’t change soon, we won’t have a country to speak of. Those in charge are guilty of treason and need to be held to account. Time isn’t on our side, folks.