I figured I’d watch for 5 minutes and then go back to writing but I watched Biden’s entire SOTU address last night. He was good— much better than I thought he would be. I can’t remember ever watching a more aggressive, partisan SOTU, clearly aimed at revving up the Democratic base and persuading persuadable swing voters and not at winning any friends— impossible anyway— from America’s zombie MAGAts, inside or outside the chamber. Fox reported that he “went for the jugular… and often took aim at Trump, whom he only referred to as his ‘predecessor,’ and also fired numerous salvos at Republican lawmakers sitting directly in front of him… While Democrats applauded the tone and tenor of the president's address, Republicans savaged the speech for crossing the line... Longtime Democratic consultant Maria Cardona told Fox News ‘the contrast with Trump was brilliant and scathing. He pulled no punches, told the truth, and he was everything he needed to be. Of course, Republicans thought it was too political. If that’s their only criticism, they know he had a homer, and they have nowhere else to go,’ added Cardona, a Democratic National Committee member and veteran of multiple presidential campaigns. Cardona argued that the president ‘was energetic, direct, funny, eloquent, and he laid out his accomplishments clearly and relevantly, connecting them with peoples’ lives.’”
CNN did a flash poll and found that even if Republicans didn’t, normal Americans liked what they saw. After the speech, they found 35% of viewers had a very positive reaction, 29% a somewhat positive reaction, 22% somewhat negative and just 14% very negative. So, 65% net positive. Around two-thirds of self-described independents were positive about the speech, as were around a quarter of Republican viewers. CNN: “Americans who watched on Thursday said, 62% to 38%, that the policies Biden proposed will move the US in the right direction, rather than the wrong direction. In a survey conducted before the speech, just 45% of those same people said Biden’s policies would move the US in the right direction. Just over 6 in 10 Americans who tuned in expressed at least some confidence in Biden to protect American democracy, while 59% say they have at least some confidence in Biden’s overall ability to carry out his duties as president. Thirty-six percent of those who watched the speech said they have a lot of confidence in Biden to protect American democracy, with 27% expressing some confidence and 37% saying they have no real confidence in him. Following the speech, 31% of those who watched said they have a lot of confidence in Biden’s ability to carry out his duties as president, 28% that they have some confidence, and 41% that they have no real confidence. That’s a slight uptick from a survey conducted in the days before the speech, when 25% of those same people expressed a lot of confidence in his ability, 27% some confidence, and 48% none at all.”
My own personal favorite moments included desperate-for-attention George Santos— in low drag (with a glittering and dramatic bejeweled collar)— announcing that he would run for Congress again, attacking Suffolk County Congressman Nick LaLota as a RINO. Santos will likely be on his way to prison before the election, his trial starting this fall. Other moments: a drunk Derrick Van Orden screaming “lies” at the president. Other hecklers included the usual bozos, from Marjorie Traitor Greene to Andy Ogles. Señor T was home rage-tweeting on his social media site when crashed. Either because of “technical issues” or because Trump’s own aides wanted to minimize the damage Trump would do to himself with his deranged hysteria.
Katie Britt (R-AL), who won her seat because she her primary against Mo Brooks was financed by Sam Bankman Fried, something none of the networks seemed relevant enough to mention, gave the GOP’s desperate, ineffective, xenophobic rebuttal. The NY Times, kindly, noted that “her 17-minute speech seemed likely to be remembered more for her disconcerting performance. She spoke in grim detail about a child victim of sex trafficking by drug cartels and the recent killing of a Georgia nursing student in which a Venezuelan migrant has been charged… Britt was mocked by some for using a dramatic, breathy voice to deliver critiques of the president.”
The Bulwark crowd was certainly impressed with Biden. Last night, Gabriel Schoenfield wrote that he had been pessimistic about Biden’s chance to beat Trump but Biden’s “electrifying” performance turned him right around— “Biden rise to the occasion.”
Biden blasted the MAGA Republicans who are blocking military aid to Ukraine. And he appealed to the American people, explaining that, if permitted to trample Ukraine, Vladimir Putin won’t stop there. Europe itself is under threat. “Ukraine can stop Putin if we stand with Ukraine and provide the weapons it needs to defend itself. That is all Ukraine is asking.” Yet the aid is being blocked by “those who want to walk away from our world leadership.” To powerful effect, Biden contrasted Ronald Reagan, who told Mikhail Gorbachev “tear down this wall,” to Trump, who told Putin to “do whatever the hell you want.” “A former president actually said that, bowing down to a Russian leader. I think it’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. And it’s unacceptable.”
These are devastating words.
…Biden has gone a great distance to dispelling the image the media has created of a tired old man, bordering on the senescent. In his speech’s peroration, he spoke openly about his age, charmingly and powerfully reframing it as a source of strength. “I know I may not look like it, but I’ve been around a while,” he began.
…In addition to the large takeaway that Biden is very much alive and kicking, one smaller but not insignificant conclusion can be drawn from this evening’s performance: Biden should definitely agree to debate Donald Trump. This State of the Union address left me with little doubt that he can take down that demented demagogue.
MAGA Mike tried to persuade Traitor Greene to behave with some kind of sense of decorum, but no one is getting between her and an opportunity for attention, so she dressed in campaign gear (against House rules) and heckled and screamed and made a monkey out of herself throughout the address.
