Constitution guards against despotic rule | READER COMMENTARY

While the media, political pundits and all manner of talking heads obsess over every social media posting, comment and court proceeding of Donald Trump, President Joe Biden goes about the business of being head of state. Facing political headwinds from the moment he was elected, due principally to the unprecedented attempts of his predecessor to thwart the transfer of power, Biden, with his decades of experience in public service, rose above the noise and proceeded to do the work of “We the People.”

More than just an introduction, the preamble to the U.S. Constitution is an affirmation that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens, not the interests of a particular political party or ideology, and certainly not those of a single individual (“One attack, two interpretations: Biden and Trump both make the Jan. 6 riot a political rallying cry,” Jan. 4).

Much like an insurance policy, the Constitution provides protection against a possible eventuality. That includes efforts to undermine democracy by anyone with designs on despotic rule. You cannot be the leader of the Free World if you aspire to be a dictator, even if it is “for one day.” The Constitution won’t allow it.

— Jane Larkin, Tampa, Florida

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