Gary Franks: Shades of Burr vs. Hamilton

Blaming a segment of America for the acts of their failed leaders, further dividing America with angry rhetoric and scaring Americans is usually not the best way to lead a country. However, President Joe Biden accomplished this feat in a recent speech.

There are threats to our democracy. Ironically, the folks crying this are the ones causing it. We are being governed by one party, Democrats, which 74% of respondents in a recent Politico-Morning Consult poll believe are leading the nation down the wrong path. A majority of Americans have disapproved of Biden’s job performance for months.

This begs the question — can our democracy survive if in November America continues to give the keys to Congress to the same folks whose idea of change is to merely go faster in the wrong direction? To a degree this is a bona fide threat to our democracy. It is a truly unsustainable combination of one-party control and failure. This can only be perpetuated via the use of trickery and distractions — take the “Trump Reality Show.” Voters should remember in November — “it is the economy, stupid.”

Republican or Democrat majorities in both chambers of Congress will determine who controls the agenda, the issues debated and legislation.

China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan after the botched departure all loom large as international concerns. Russia, post an apparent failed U.S. sanction strategy, has caused us to allocate more than $40 billion in aid to Ukraine, which will be added to our $31 trillion national debt. It is equivalent to the annual budget size of three federal government agencies. China has built up its military and has been threatening us for months to “fight to the death” over Taiwan.

Biden claimed the extremist GOP are a threat to our democracy, yet he did not object to his own party spending millions of dollars to boost far-right Republican candidates in Republican primaries. Disingenuous.

And Biden said he would build “not one more foot” of Trump’s border wall, yet he has approved the closing of border wall gaps in Arizona to help Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., in his reelection bid. Disingenuous.

Biden would rather talk about the threat caused by folks who express a desire to make America great again.

The Trump vs. Biden saga is not new. The Vice President Aaron Burr vs. former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton saga occurred in the early 19th century.

Remember during the campaign when Biden said he would “beat the hell out” of Trump if they were in high school? Well, Hamilton and Burr actually dueled to Hamilton’s death.

What was the root cause? Elections. Sound familiar? Where did the Burr-Hamilton hatred start? Burr ran against Hamilton’s father-in-law for a U.S. Senate seat in New York and prevailed. This reportedly angered Hamilton.

Hamilton prevented Burr from becoming president of the United States when Congress deadlocked over Thomas Jefferson and Burr. Each had 73 delegates after 35 votes of Congress over 70 days. Hamilton forcefully and persuasively moved just enough folks to go against Burr, which made Jefferson president and Burr vice president.

Hamilton then helped to thwart Burr’s run for governor of New York. Burr had had enough and challenged Hamilton to a duel with weapons.

Burr was later charged with the murder of Hamilton. After leaving the vice presidency, Burr was indicted for treason. Not sure if he had “classified information.” He was never convicted of either charge, but he was brought down financially.

In America, the party out of control is referred to as the loyal opposition. Biden seems to prefer the failed China and Russia model where there is absolute one-party control while surgically demonizing or destroying any opposition.