OPINION:
The theory of “projection” was initially developed by Sigmund Freud in the late 19th century. It’s the argument that humans tend to deny their bad behavior and instead accuse others of doing the same thing. It’s also called ethical deflection. In layman’s terms, it’s the pot calling the kettle black.
The idea is that rather than admitting you’re wrong, you always find it easier to criticize other people for doing the same things you do. The character flaws you hate most about yourself are often the very things you tend to rail against in others. It’s one finger of accusation pointed outward while failing to realize that, simultaneously, you have several pointed back at yourself.
M. Scott Peck called it “People of the Lie.” Graham Walker uses the term “Pathology of the Intellect.” The Apostle Paul referred to it as being given over to a “reprobate mind.” In his seminal work, “The Great Divorce,” C.S. Lewis warned of the dangers of becoming the personification of your most cherished sins. Incessant grumbling, for example, will ultimately result in you becoming a walking, talking, eternal “grumble.”
This psychosis is being played out in spades right now in the political arena. Consider President Biden’s accusations that former President Donald Trump is a liar.
One need not defend the character flaws of Mr. Trump to see that Mr. Biden’s accusations are an example of moral deflection of the highest order. An honest review of history proves that Mr. Biden is the habitual, unrepentant and pathological prevaricator to the extreme. Here are some examples.
In 1987, when Mr. Biden was running for president for the first time, his campaign imploded in a swarm of lies he told about himself nationwide.
First, then-Sen. Biden got caught plagiarizing speeches from President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, among others. Then, it was discovered that Mr. Biden had also lied about academic awards that he never earned, scholarships that he never received, and his rank in law school, stating he graduated in the top half of his class when he finished 76th out of 85.
Then there is the litany of lies Mr. Biden continues to tell about his involvement in our nation’s fight for racial justice. Activist Shaun King tells us that the president’s prevarications date back to the 1970s. Mr. King offers this summary: “Joe Biden [has] created a completely false narrative of his work and contributions in our nation’s march for civil rights.”
In other words, not a word of what Mr. Biden says about standing with African Americans in their struggle for equality is true. It never happened. He is lying. The columnist Jeff Chidester summarizes it this way. “On numerous occasions, Biden claimed he … was an activist and organizer within the civil rights movement. … None of this is true, not even a little bit. It’s all a complete fabrication. … A decent man does not do this; a deceitful man does.”
But there is one Mr. Biden lie that perhaps rises above all others and is repugnant and vile to its very core. In 1972, after Mr. Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and their 1-year-old daughter, Naomi, lost their lives in a car crash, Mr. Biden immediately took to the stump, claiming that Curtis C. Dunn, the driver of the tractor-trailer that hit the Bidens, was drunk at the time of the crash. Here’s the problem. This is not true. Not even close.
The fact is that Mr. Biden’s wife failed to yield the right of way, and Dunn put his life in jeopardy when he tried to avoid hitting her car. Delaware Superior Court Judge Jerome O. Herlihy, who oversaw the police investigation as chief prosecutor at the time, has even said there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever supporting Mr. Biden’s claims about Dunn’s intoxication or culpability. Bottom line: Mr. Biden is lying about the deaths of his wife and daughter for political gain.
For over 47 years of public life, Mr. Biden has shown himself to have an irresistible propensity to lie. He has lied to his professors. He has lied to his constituents. He has lied about his academic work. He has lied about his speeches. He has lied about his support of civil rights. He has even lied about a car crash that killed his wife and daughter. And today, he continues to lie to us about his son, his uncle, the economy and our borders.
Don’t let Mr. Biden’s psychological projection distract you. The more he tells you that someone else is a liar, the more he proves that he is a man of shameless deceit. God help us all if such a dishonest man is reelected president of the United States.
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.