It truly is ‘normal vs. crazy’ in the State of Our Union under President Biden
Sometimes you listen to someone talk and just have to ask, “What world do you live in?”
In case you missed it, that was the exact reaction that most honest, clear-eyed, reality-inhabiting Americans had to President Biden’s second State of the Union, delivered to Congress on Tuesday night. So, what is there to say about the State of the Union that hasn’t already been said by the editors of the National Review in their aptly-titled response “Biden’s Fantasyland”? They write,
“President Biden brought his Walter Mitty fantasies to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. The State of the Union address was given by the same mythical hero who attended law school on a full academic scholarship and went to jail to protest apartheid. His fabled accomplishments this time included ending the COVID pandemic, reducing inflation and the deficit, and bringing the country together. He pledged heroically to block cuts to Medicare and Social Security and a national ban on abortion — none of which have a remote prospect of reaching his desk, as he tacitly conceded in the case of the entitlement programs.”
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They correctly conclude that “What our politics lacks most is a sober insistence on reality.”
Indeed, in a speech packed full of slogans, political cliches, partial truths, and full-on lies, one thing was conspicuously absent: Reality.
In reality, Americans across the United States are having a hard time even affording groceries. Egg prices are through the chicken coop’s roof. Gas prices still haven’t come back down since they hit a national average of more than double under Biden last summer than under Trump. What else is still up? Inflation.
Which means the bottom line is this: Despite Biden’s claim about economic recovery, the country is still on track for a recession — and almost exclusively due to Biden’s radical policies.
Along with the fantasyland economic claims, Biden doubled down on his extreme abortion and dangerous gender policies — two issues of particular concern for Christians and all those actively involved in the culture wars.
Addressing abortion first, Biden said:
“Congress must restore the right that was taken away in Roe v. Wade and protect Roe v. Wade. Give every woman [inaudible] right.
The vice president and I are doing everything to protect access to reproductive health care and safeguard patient safety. But already, more than a dozen states are enforcing extreme abortion bans.
Make no mistake about it: If Congress passes a national ban, I will veto it.”
Let’s counter this. First, there is no such thing as a “right” to an abortion and there never has been. Roe v. Wade was a profound act of judicial supremacy and activism, inventing a fictional right to infanticide from whole cloth. As Dr. O. Carter Snead, director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture and professor of law and concurrent professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, explains,
“Every factual premise of the opinion in Roe v. Wade — historical, scientific, medical, or sociological — was the product of the Justices’ own private reflections, untested for reliability or accuracy by the adversarial process.”
Roe never gave a “right” — instead, it inflicted a grave wrong, leading to over 70 million deaths (at least) over 50 years. So, when Roe was overturned by the Dobbs decision, women didn’t lose anything; rather, pre-born babies gained a great chance to finally be treated with equal protection under the law.
Second, note Biden’s unswerving commitment to the cause of killing the unborn. He promises to veto any “national ban” on abortion.
Some individuals suggested that, since Biden only had a few sentences to spend on abortion, it perhaps wasn’t the best night for Planned Parenthood. But Planned Parenthood certainly didn’t think they had a bad night. In fact, they thought the President set a model example.
In response to the address, they tweeted out:
YES.
This is the type of commitment we need from our leaders at every level of government.
We’re looking forward to working with @POTUS in the fight for a future where everyone can access abortion, in every community, across the country. #SOTU23 https://t.co/nuaVdgxPbd— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) February 8, 2023
Make no mistake about it: This is the most anti-life administration in American history. And Biden’s commitment to unfettered abortion access was in sharp relief and on full display Tuesday night.
Christians should also note how Biden casually recommitted himself to the most extreme, anti-reality position possible on radical gender ideology and homosexuality. He called on Congress to “pass the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, especially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity.”
While it might sound nice (who doesn’t like “equality”), the reality is that this bill is one of the most destructive pieces of legislation that the Democrats have advanced in the modern era. Writing for the Freedom Center, David Closson explains that:
“A careful analysis of the bill’s text reveals that it will accelerate discrimination against tens of millions of Americans whose beliefs about human sexuality and marriage are informed by science and religious convictions. It will mandate conformity to an ideology antithetical to core tenets of the biblical worldview and codify a host of harmful social policies that touch on nearly every facet of life.
The full implications of a bill as expansive as the Equality Act are difficult to predict; however, the most immediate effects are clear. The Equality Act would remove existing religious liberty protections, dramatically expand abortion access, and threaten women’s equality, privacy, and safety.”
But Biden? Biden says, “Pass it!” And the Democrats cheered.
This is a stark but needed reminder for all Christians that elections have consequences. God has called us to be stewards of every talent He entrusts into our care (Matthew 25:14-30) and that includes our vote. We must always vote for life and Creation Order reality when we can.
Speaking of reality, some refreshing hope from the Natural State hit the airwaves right after Biden’s address. Tapped to give the official Republican response to Biden, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders provided some helpful clarification on where the real divergence in our national politics lies these days, stating,
“The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.”
Reality or fantasyland. Normal or crazy. These are the choices facing all Americans right now — on economic issues, national security issues (remember the Chinese spy balloon?), and then, of course, on issues of the greatest significance for Christians with a biblical worldview, issues of life, marriage, and gender.
Unfortunately, on Tuesday night, our Commander-in-Chief chose to lead with lies — and crazy ones at that.
It’s been said that “people get the government they deserve.” One can only hope that what we all witnessed on Tuesday night — a man spinning a tall tale about a nation that doesn’t exist and supporting horrors that do — will help wake the American people up, wake American Christians up so that we demand a better government going forward.
I’d love a righteous ruler. But for now, given what I heard from Biden’s State of the Union on Tuesday night, I’d happily just settle for a decent one to start. No doubt millions of other Americans would too.
Originally published at the Standing for Freedom Center.
William Wolfe served as a senior official in the Trump administration, both as a deputy assistant secretary of defense at the Pentagon and a director of legislative affairs at the State Department. Prior to his service in the administration, Wolfe worked for Heritage Action for America, and as a congressional staffer for three different members of Congress, including the former Rep. Dave Brat. He has a B.A. in history from Covenant College, and is finishing his Masters of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Follow William on Twitter at @William_E_Wolfe
