The Self-Mythification of Joe Biden

By Stephan Helgesen

Whether we know it or not, we have actually born witness to a phenomenon that symbolizes the quintessential American condition, and to think that we have Joseph Robinette Biden to thank for it! I’m speaking of a cross between a case of inbred childhood trust in the goodness of man mixed together with the knowledge (gained years later) that evil actually exists and that man should not be trusted.

One would think that from that duality one of the two would win out over the other over time but they haven’t. In fact, they seem to co-exist, side by side, like double beds in a dingy motel in “It Happened One Night” separated only by a single, thin, gossamer sheet of time to give the illusion of a distinct border between the two poles of reality. Before I get too doctorish on the subject, let me just say that we Americans have a powerful urge to preserve our childish notions when it comes to our leaders. We want them to be better than us, to possess qualities that are noble and worthy of emulating. We want them to respect us and know, instinctively, what we want without having to tell them straight out. We also want them to be more human than us in some ways AND to see the ‘big picture’ and make decisions based on their loyalties to the country…and to our values.

Sorry, they don't.