Biden's State of the Union

A fiery speech

Photo credit: Jacquelyn Martin-Pool

As President Biden came to the Capitol tonight for the ritual State of the Union address, his presidency was beset by contradictions. 

Even his greatest stalwarts would have to concede his poll numbers are not good (or very not good). On the other hand, the Democratic Party significantly overperformed in the recent midterm elections. 

A majority of the public does not feel Biden has accomplished much. On the other hand, the last Congress, with the slimmest of Democratic majorities, was one of the most productive legislative sessions in recent memory and passed significant bills on a wide swath of policy issues. Many of them with bipartisan majorities. 

People are frustrated with the economy, yet unemployment is at its lowest since the 1960s, and inflation seems to be ebbing. Republicans like to portray Biden as weak on national security, yet he is securing new U.S. bases in Asia and has rallied the world to Ukraine’s defense. 

You hear even Democrats grumbling about whether Biden should run for reelection and Republicans eagerly portraying him as old and doddering. And yet nothing suggests he intends to slow down or lessen his ambitions. 

What is going on? How are we supposed to reconcile all of these swirling cross currents? And how will the Biden administration try to change the narrative?

The president hoped that effort would begin tonight. 

Biden has been on the political stage for so long that it was unlikely he would surprise in his tone, style, or message. Joe is Joe. And he was Joe tonight. Homespun. Meat and potatoes. Plain spoken. Was it effective?

Biden began his speech in a spirit of collegiality, acknowledging the new speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. And then he acknowledged the other congressional leaders, both Republican and Democrat. For all the divisiveness we have seen in Congress and the attacks on the president that Biden certainly believes are unfair if not outright lies, it was clear he wanted to use tonight to show a different approach to politics, one of good faith disagreements but also progress.  

From the outset, Biden passionately launched into a list of commonsense actions. Infrastructure. Manufacturing. Small business creation. He spoke of “possibilities.” He spoke of “building back pride,” “buy American,” and working to help “places that feel they have been forgotten.” He touted a “blue collar blueprint to rebuild America.” Changing a tax system that is “unfair.”

This was a deliberate framing of “common sense” from a man who didn’t come from a lot of money, who says he understands the plight of people losing sleep worrying about making ends meet. 

He sounded like a candidate for city council as much as a president. 

He touted bipartisan accomplishments in the past Congress and said he hoped that they could happen again. He was daring Republicans to take offense to this vision of America. This was a throwback to the way Democrats used to talk when Biden first got into politics, before the party cozied up to Wall Street. And Biden clearly thinks it’s the right approach now, and would help his path to reelection. 

He talked about hidden fees for airline tickets, non-compete clauses for lower- and middle-level jobs, and the power of organized labor. In recent years, Republicans have gained support among workers in these jobs. Biden seemed to be announcing that he is determined to win them back.  

As the speech went on, Biden started to mix it up with the Republicans. It felt more like the House of Commons than a State of the Union. He pointed out the most extreme Republican positions on Medicare and Social Security and then got everyone to agree that those plans are off the table in the debt limit fight. 

Economics comprised the bulk of the speech. But Biden then pivoted to some of the other issues tearing at our country. 

He acknowledged the parents of Tyre Nichols, the young man recently killed by police officers in Memphis, who were sitting in the audience. He tried to inject complexity and nuance into a narrative that too often descends into simplistic taglines. He said the vast majority of police officers are good and decent people who deserve to be safe. But he also said that that is true for the populations they serve. It was heartening to see bipartisan standing ovations for this call to action, but one wonders what specific actions, if any, will result from it.

Biden went through a quick laundry list of other major social issues. Guns (“Ban assault weapons now. Once and for all.”). Immigration. Abortion. LGBTQ rights. 

And then we were on to a brief tour of foreign affairs, starting with Ukraine, where Biden pledged continued support. He pivoted to China, where he said he will be tough on issues from technology to security. And he seemed to dare this country’s detractors and doubters once again. “It has never been a good bet to bet against America.” That line got a bipartisan standing ovation as well. 

Biden ended where he began, with a plea for bipartisanship. He suggested there could be common ground on issues ranging from fentanyl addiction to social media targeting children to the fight against cancer.  

As he headed for home, Biden acknowledged Paul Pelosi, the husband of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was attacked by a violent assailant spouting the ugliness of the Big Lie. It was a personification of the danger facing our constitutional governance. “Democracy must not be a partisan issue,” the president declared.

He ended with an appeal to “the only nation based on an idea,” the ideal of opportunity for all.

And then the finale: 

“Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong.”

The big question hanging over this speech and the administration more generally is will any of this work? Are voters listening? Are they persuadable? Do they believe Biden and the Democrats can deliver? The answers to these questions will define the rest of Biden’s term and the next chapter of American history. 

If this was indeed a kick-off to a reelection campaign, as now seems likely, Biden has thrown down the gauntlet. He was energetic and not afraid to engage with Republicans in a back and forth of ad-libs from the podium. In return, they broke decorum to give it right back with shouts from the audience. Biden spoke some about the need for national unity, but it’s clear that doesn’t mean he’s backing down or resorting to a defensive crouch. The hackles from the Republican side of the aisle suggest the fight will be tough and ugly as we head for a presidential campaign year.

Joe is saying he will continue to be Joe. It worked in 2020. Will it work again?

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