By Peter Lemiska

With each passing day, it’s becoming more apparent that the Biden/Harris administration is failing the country. Americans see it in increasing crime across the country and rising prices across the board. They see it in the endless waves of migrants illegally streaming across our southern border and in the flotilla of fully loaded cargo ships harbored off our west coast. And they see it in the polls — each one more devastating than the last. A recent Quinnipiac Poll shows that just 36% of Americans approve of Biden’s job performance. That 36% is likely comprised of Biden’s hardcore base and a few family members who depend on his influence.

It might be tempting to blame the abysmal numbers on incompetence; to see Biden and Harris as bumblers who are in over their heads. But are they really just incompetent, or do they represent something more malevolent?

Biden himself admitted when the coronavirus first appeared that he saw an “an incredible opportunity to fundamentally transform the country.” Now we see what he meant.

Having spent a lifetime in public office, we would have expected him to have a clear understanding — no, a deep appreciation — for the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution. But his obsession with face masks, vaccines, and mandates tells us what he really thinks of liberty. He showed utter contempt for the freedom that so many died for by publicly mocking Americans who resisted his vaccine mandates. Then he brazenly attacked both our First Amendment and America’s precious family structure by unleashing the FBI on the growing number of parents who are beginning to speak out against the bizarre curriculums radical educators are thrusting on their kids.

And when Biden suddenly shut down our oil pipelines and drilling operations, he certainly knew that the resulting surge in the price of oil, gas, and other commodities would hurt American consumers. Not knowing that would have been gross incompetence. But by forcing Americans to pay more for basic necessities, to turn down their heat and air conditioning, and to curtail their driving habits, he put the wants of the radical environmentalists before the needs of the people.

Then there’s the Biden border crisis, spawned directly from his decision to rescind President Trump’s border policies. That decision didn’t come from ignorance or incompetence. It was a conscious effort to alter our voting demographics by defying established law and Supreme Court decisions. It has so far resulted in nearly two million illegal border crossings — unscreened immigrants with unknown intentions now entitled to untold billions in taxpayer-funded benefits — and an incalculable influx of drugs poisoning American citizens.

And Biden’s commitment to unite the country has also proven to be an unmitigated failure. It’s easy to understand why after hearing his response to the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. The trial of a white defendant, somehow labeled a white supremacist for shooting three white assailants. That didn’t stop the radical left from turning it into a racial issue. And that was right up Biden’s alley. After all, he perpetuated and exploited the false notion of systemic racism to help win the presidency, and he himself had already associated Rittenhouse with white supremacists.

Following the acquittal, Biden issued a written statement, crafted to appease the racial antagonists: “While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken.”

He deliberately left the false impression that the Rittenhouse trial was somehow not on the up-and-up, that the justice system is unfair to minorities. Joe Biden has not only failed to unite the country, he’s made substantial contributions to its division.

And what about Kamala Harris? As Biden’s vice president, Harris is inexorably linked to Biden and his agenda. And though she may appear to be the essence of incompetence, she’s given some pretty good indicators that she harbors a deep antipathy for the country she was elected to serve, and that she, too, believes America needs to be fundamentally transformed.

In 2020, she helped raise bail funds for BLM and antifa rioters who were wreaking havoc in American cities. Today, she talks about America’s “shameful past” and the “wave of devastation” European explorers brought to America. And here’s what she said of the Rittenhouse verdict: “As many of you know, I’ve spent the majority of my career working to make the criminal justice system more equitable, and clearly there’s a lot more to do.” Like Biden, she purposely left the impression that the American justice system is inherently unfair.

Incompetence and malevolence are not mutually exclusive. Biden and Harris may be bumblers, but they’re creating guilt and shame to divide America, and to dramatically change the country as we know it — to sabotage the American dream. That’s especially clear in their efforts to perpetuate the myth of systemic racism.

Americans are fully aware of our turbulent past and understand that our country is not perfect. But we’ve long ago rectified our mistakes. Isolated incidents of racial injustice may still exist today, but systemic racism was eliminated in the last century with the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act, affirmative action, and countless other programs designed to help minorities.

America has never needed self-serving politicians determined to fundamentally transform our country into their vision of a socialist utopia. Instead, we need competent leaders with conviction who, at the very least, are proud of the country they were elected to serve.

Peter Lemiska served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Secret Service. Following his retirement from the Secret Service, he spent several years as a volunteer for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.