Dakota Beacon

President Joe Biden stands as a legend in his own mind. The phrase “a legend in his own mind” humorously describes a person who believes they are of greater importance or notoriety than they are.

In the quiet corners of his thoughts, he strides through realms unseen. He battles shadows and phantom foes. Even if the world forgets him, he will be a hero in his own dreams. So, was in the 1962 episode of CornPop. Biden challenged a tough guy named CornPop, leader of a Delaware gang called “the Romans.” As Biden tells it, CornPop backed down.

In February 2020 while campaigning, a woman engaged Biden from the audience. He asked her, “You ever been to a caucus?” The lady said she had, and he responded with an air of superiority. “No you haven’t. You’re a lying dog-faced pony soldier.” Biden made this weird comment from the cavern of his mind to the lady’s sincere response to his question. His bizarre remark was more striking in that he was seeking votes.

Enter Sir Edward Dyer (1543-1607), an English courtier and poet serving most of his adult life at the Court of St. James when Elizabeth I was Queen. Like our own “swamp” in Washington, DC, this was England’s “swamp”. At one point Elizabeth sent Dyer as ambassador to the Netherlands and later to Denmark. However, his reputation rests on a few lyrics ascribed to him.

His one famous poem, “My Mind to Me A Kingdom Is,” reflects the quiet seclusion of his later life. Reports suggest he was personally detached from the world. That detachment vaguely resembles that of our forty-sixth president and his mental state. Biden appears to live in a parallel universe and in a world unto himself.

Check these few correlating stanzas from Dyer’s poem. See if you detect cynical hints reminiscent of Biden’s health and wealth as he lives in his diminished mental capacity.

            My mind to me a kingdom is;

                        Such present joys therein I find

            That it excels all other bliss

                        That world affords or grows by kind.

            Though much I want which most would have,

            Yet still my mind forbids to crave.

            Content to live, this is my stay;

                        I seek no more than may suffice;

            I press to bear no haughty sway;

                        Look, what I lack my mind supplies.

            Lo, thus I triumph like a king,

            Content with that my mind doth bring.

            Some have too much, yet still do crave;

                        I little have, and seek no more.

            They are but poor, though much they have,

                        And I am rich with little store.

            They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;

            They lack, I leave; they pine, I live.

            I laugh not at another's loss;

                        I grudge not at another's gain;

            No worldly waves my mind can toss;

                        My state at one doth still remain.

            I fear no foe, I fawn no friend;

            I loathe not life, nor dread my end.

            My wealth is health and perfect ease;

                        My conscience clear my chief defense;

            I neither seek by bribes to please,

                        Nor by deceit to breed offense,

            Thus do I live; thus will I die;

            Would all did so as well as I!

Special counsel Robert Hur’s recent report notes memory lapses Biden had during an interview with the special counsel’s office. Quoting, “In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,” the report notes. “He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting…when his term ended…and forgetting…when his term began….”

Filling the void of things forgotten with imaginary events formed in the quiet recesses of his mind becomes a defense mechanism. Unconscious denial protects him from the pain of reality.

Biden ranks the lowest in popularity of any president in modern times. He may not receive the Democrat Party’s 2024 nomination. But if he does, his handlers might yet again pull off an illicit win in the general election. “What? Me worry?” queried Alfred E. Neuman, Mad Magazine’s front man.

It would be unfair to accuse Biden of having “bats in his belfry” if he were operating on his own recognizance. But he isn’t. As a malleable front person, he has lent himself to other people’s aspirations. Meanwhile, his mind to him a kingdom is.

One need not be schooled in psychology to draw conclusions from observations of a person’s behavior. In the end, whether Biden has mental problems or not, he portrays America’s leadership to the world and the nation as weak and wavering.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).