Presidents do not have the constitutional authority to do what Joe Biden did in August with student loans — offer “forgiveness” of those loans by redistributing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to upper-middle class college graduates. Even he admitted last year that he couldn’t do it before doing it anyway. Why the change of heart? His party needed votes in November, and it worked.

Judge Mark Pittman, a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas appointed by Donald Trump, struck down Biden’s student debt scheme Thursday, calling it an “unconstitutional exercise of Congress’s legislative power” that also failed on procedural grounds. Pittman wrote, “No one can plausibly deny that it is either one of the largest delegations of legislative power to the executive branch, or one of the largest exercises of legislative power without congressional authority in the history of the United States.”

Two non-qualifying borrowers were able to answer the question of standing in order to bring this suit. Several other challenges are working their way through other courts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit had already temporarily blocked the plan.

Naturally, the Biden administration will appeal.

But as noted already, the administration’s plan was politically brilliant. Democrats spent years goading activists to run around clamoring for the idea of “forgiving” student loans for all those poor, unfortunate college graduates. When congressional Democrats couldn’t quite get such a bill passed, they turned to the Democrat president, who finally obliged, delivering a great big gift to an important voter constituency.

Now, not only are Republicans the heartless ones for opposing such a giveaway, they’re the mean grinches who just stole that money from eager recipients. It’s no wonder Generation Z showed up to vote Democrat this past Tuesday, blunting the predicted red wave.

Democrats sure do know how to market their snake oil. “We will never stop fighting for hardworking Americans most in need,” promised White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, “no matter how many roadblocks our opponents and special interests try to put in our way.”

In decrying a “lawless ruling from a Trump-appointed judge,” loan-forgiveness proponent Elizabeth Warren more clearly blamed GOP ogres: “Republican officials are trying to stop millions of working and middle class Americans from getting student debt relief.”

No, Republican officials are trying to uphold the Rule of Law and ensure that everyone pays their fair share of loans they — and only they — took out in the first place. Unfortunately, that’s a much harder position to explain and defend than the Democrats’ line: Hey, here’s some free money!

The twisted part of the Democrats’ message to Gen Z is that they’ll never make it without government help. Republicans and those “greedy corporations” have stacked the deck against them, and only Democrats can help. Such appeals to the worst of human instincts are how Democrats build a voter base.

By the way, if you’re wondering how borrowers intended to use the money they otherwise would have spent paying back their own loans, National Review’s Dominic Pino has an answer: “A survey from Intelligent.com found that 73 percent of borrowers who have their student debt reduced plan to spend their extra money on non-essentials such as travel, eating out, and new technology. Thirty-six percent said they’d buy a new gaming system, and 27 percent said they’d gamble with the extra money.”

So, if you have a moment, say a quick prayer for that struggling 25-year-old gender studies major living in his mom’s basement who will now not be able to afford that new video-game console. It’s hard out there.