Breaking news: According to Joe Biden, Joe Biden is a dictator. No, that’s not some misleading snark being delivered by the nebulous “right-wing” media. Rather, it’s a statement based on inconvenient past commentary offered by the president prior to taking office.

In October of 2020, Biden appeared for a “town hall” with ABC News. This is what he had to say about the use of executive orders without consensus.

.@JoeBiden in October: “I have this strange notion, we are a democracy … if you can’t get the votes … you can’t [legislate] by executive order unless you’re a dictator. We’re a democracy. We need consensus." pic.twitter.com/7UotJCXSm3

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 26, 2021

The initial question posed relates to raising taxes. Biden then segues into a general spill about how he believes you can’t just do things via executive order. He ends by citing the need for consensus, a clear punt to the idea that he needs the legislature to actually legislate vs. him just enacting his will.

But what’s his actual record now that he’s president? Biden signed 17 executive orders in his first few days in office compared to just one for Donald Trump. Those executive orders have spanned the gamut, from killing an already approved pipeline (and 11,000+ jobs along with it), to re-entering the Paris Accords — something that requires Senate approval to have any enforcement. Biden has also taken sweeping, non-consensual action on things like critical race theory being taught in government and drilling for oil. In other words, he’s governing the exact way he said he would not and could not do just a few months ago.

This harkens back to Barack Obama’s multiple proclamations that he didn’t have the power to act on immigration before he acted on immigration with DACA. Mainline Democrats always want to sound moderate and bi-partisan until they actually gain power. Then it’s gloves off, Constitution be damned, and don’t get in their way.

Of course, with Biden, it’s always possible his mind just melted again and he forgot he even said what he said back in October. In this case, I suspect the reason for his contradiction is more simple, though.

He’s just a bloviating liar.

(Please follow me on Twitter…@bonchieredstate)