Because he can't. That's not in his job description.

On Friday, January 17th, 2025, the X-o-sphere was abuzz when Joe Biden claimed in a post that was almost immediately Community Note'd that he had ratified the ERA as the 28th Amendment.

Plenty of news sources, including even the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad Vox, posted that no, actually. The President can't just declare an amendment ratified.

This is from the Constitution. I'm using the White House website as my source.

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification. In modern times, amendments have traditionally specified a time frame in which this must be accomplished, usually several years.

Here's why the ERA does not meet the criteria:

The ERA was passed by Congress in 1972 (again, that's just the beginning for an amendment). The States had until 1979 to ratify the amendment. It fell three states short. Since then, Nevada passed it in 2017. Illinois passed it in 2018. And, finally, Virginia passed it in 2020. Also, some states rescinded their support.

Now is a good time to bring up conservative hero Phyllis Schlafly.

Schlafly (and followers) identified problems in the amendment like on-demand abortion, same-sex marriage, and women in the draft. And, now that men can pretend they are women, who knows what sort of far-reaching liberal interpretations of the ERA would spawn? The ERA was and is a vehicle for radical feminism. We don't need that when regular feminism is bad enough.

Since Joe Biden is dumb and almost gone, let's treat this like a Phyllis Schlafly appreciation post so she can get the recognition she deserves. She created a pro-family movement in 1972 when she created Eagle Forum. She was a mother of six and Illinois 1992 Mother of the Year.

She debated Betty Friedan in 1976. Yes, The Feminine Mystique" Betty Friedan. Watch this legend:

If anyone ever asks you if you would ever vote for a woman for president, Phyllis Schlafly could conceivably be a correct answer. Unfortunately for all of us, she passed away in 2016 at the age of 92.

Apparently, Hollywood performed a character assassination in Mrs. America, but I haven't watched it...so, I have an assignment for this weekend, I guess. Cate Blanchett is amazing in pretty much every role, so at least there's that.

Check out the Phyllis Schlafly website and what her organization continues to stand for. A great American.

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Kate works in production at LwC. She is an author. When she isn’t writing...who are we kidding? She’s always writing. You can find her here on X.