I wrote most of this yesterday, before last night’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. The only thing I want to add this morning is that I was delighted to see President Biden take the gloves off and hand the GOP their collective ass (to mix metaphors). It would be nice if we could still “go high” when they “go low,” but that doesn’t work against people who have neither shame nor integrity. Dark Brandon decided to punch back, and I’m here for it. The country saw a vigorous and engaged POTUS last night (despite his occasional cough), a POTUS who baited the GOP side of the room and grinned when they took the bait. He called out the Supreme Court justices SITTING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM for their egregious pandering to their right-wing benefactors. His campaign drew in record-breaking donations during the speech – and we should note that none of it will be spent on legal fees.
We should also note that the GOP was so adamant that they remain united in their opposition to ANYTHING President Biden said that they didn’t even stand and applaud his announcement of a program to secure clean drinking water so we don’t continue to poison children. Think about that. This morning, Johnson (predictably) is blaming Biden for the behavior of the GOP caucus during the speech. If Biden had been more polite, his caucus would not have been so hostile. Abusers always blame their victims for their behavior. “If you hadn’t made me so mad, I wouldn’t have had to hit you.”
This morning, “my” side is gleeful about his performance last night. They would have liked to see a better enunciation of his Gaza policy – I think it would have been better earlier in the speech (maybe before the Snickers reference). Everyone agrees that he talked too fast; because I have immediate family members who have struggled with stuttering all of their lives, I know why this happens.
The “other” side (represented by expelled House member George Santos and MTG in a MAGA hat, in case you need to be reminded who created the current toxic environment) is aghast that he came to play. They are “appalled” that he wasn’t always polite. This is a speech that Joseph Robinette Biden would not have given 10 years ago. It violates the norms of the political game that he has played for 50 years. But when the other side changes the rules, you have to change as well. You can’t fight fire with politeness.
The Democrats thoroughly enjoyed being in the House chamber last night. They were united in their support of their President, and they enjoyed watching him shove the GOP back on their heels. The Democratic women dressed in white to show their unity in the face of GOP challenges to reproductive freedom and other issues that threaten women’s well-being. They also agreed to sit together. This presented a stark image of not only the number of women in Congress but also the reality that they are clustered on the Democratic Party side of the chamber. I truly don’t understand why any woman would vote for a Republican.
I plan to read the text of his speech some time this morning. This lays out his policy and campaign agenda. Here’s the link to the text “as written,” which means without Joe’s ad-libs and occasional fumbles.
Now here’s what I wrote yesterday because I still think it’s useful to capture this background.
One of the most iconic moments in modern American politics occurred last night when President Joe Biden delivered the yearly State of the Union Address before a joint session of Congress. Like many events in modern politics, this previously fairly mundane procedure has achieved epic status, often serving to define the trajectory of a president’s administration or his campaign.
The State of the Union address has its roots in Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution, which states that the president "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address on January 8, 1790, in New York. Thomas Jefferson initially sent written copies of his address to Congress to be read by clerks. He believed this practice was more suitable for a republic than imitating the British monarch’s speech from the throne. This practice continued for over a century until 1913, when Woodrow Wilson resumed the tradition of delivering the annual message in person in 1913 and transformed it into a blueprint for the president’s legislative agenda.
Calvin Coolidge delivered the first radio-broadcasted speech in 1923 and Harry Truman’s address in 1947 was the first televised State of the Union. Lyndon B. Johnson moved the speech to prime time in 1965 to reach a larger TV audience.
Not every president delivers an official State of the Union address in their first year. Recent presidents, including Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden, did not give an official State of the Union during their first year in office. However, they often gave major speeches to Congress soon after their inauguration.
In recent decades, it has become customary for a member of the opposition party to deliver a response following the president's State of the Union address. This provides an opportunity for an alternative perspective on the issues raised by the president.
It has also been customary for presidents and members of Congress to invite special guest to attend the event. These are usually people who symbolize events or issues that the politician wants to highlight in this moment of national attention.
The SOTU is highly scripted and seldom produces any particularly interesting moments (unless you want to count the number of times the Democrats stand while the Republicans sit when a Democratic President is making the speech – and vice versa). A few moments do stand out, however:
In 2009. Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shouted “You lie!” after Obama said that his proposed health care reforms would not insure illegal immigrants. Wilson later apologized for his outburst. Those were the good old days when decorum mattered.
In 2020, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, stunned Americans when she stood up and tore a copy of the president’s speech in half. She later explained that she did it because she couldn’t find “one page of truth on it.”
Last year in his first ass-handing moment, President Biden bargained with the GOP WHILE HE WAS GIVING THE SPEECH and managed to extract a promise that they would not cut Medicare or Social Security.
Last night, he directly challenged the GOP members of the House and Senate to enact legislation about the border and stop following his predecessor’s request that they delay it so he’ll be able to campaign on the issue of chaos at the border. The cutaway shot to Oklahoma GOP Senator Lankford mouthing “it’s true” made the moment. Lankford is the second most conservative member of the Senate, and it was the bill crafted by him and other Senators that the House shot down after the former President made a few phone calls to the House.
Here’s an ad the Lincoln Project posted yesterday before the SOTU. It’s very good. And this is just the beginning of what we’ll be seeing from now until November. We’ve come to play.
I wish we lived in a time when - when they go low, we go high could work. Those days are gone and it makes me sad, but not as mad as the untruths and meanness of the other party. I hope I live long enough to see us rid of P01135809. I hope there isn't someone as bad or worse waiting to take over from him.
Could not love this more