The State of the Union is Good

President Biden went to speak before a joint session of Congress this week to give the annual State of the Union speech. The speech was well attended, so he had a full house to hear his words. Plus, most networks carried it, so a nationwide audience heard what he said that evening. According to Forbes, over 23 million viewers watched the speech, although that number does not include streaming. Among the major outlets, Fox led with somewhat over 4 million viewers.

The president gave a wonderful speech, as usual, he stumbled a few times with the written speech and the teleprompter, but his delivery was spot-on. His audience was engaged and rose to generous applause many times. Even the Republican side and the Speaker rose in applause a few times. State of the Union Speeches are sometimes defined by those the president chooses to have in his group on the balcony. There was the Ambassador from Ukraine to underscore the US commitment to that country. The entertainer and activist, Bono, to commemorate the anniversary of a successful campaign against HIV/AIDS with PEPFAR which was started by former President Bush. Paul Pelosi, to highlight how political polarization in hate speech against Speaker Nancy Pelosi lead to an attack on her husband. The parents of Tyre Nichols, to emphasize that the attack by the Memphis police that led to their son’s death should not have happened. I think one of the most memorable moments of the evening came when the president spoke about “the talk” that parents of color have with their children about what to do when stopped by the police. (Note that I said when, not if, as statistics show these drivers are stopped much more frequently than white drivers.) The young man from a Monterey Park California Dance Hall,  who stopped a mass killer from killing more as he disarmed him; emphasizes that mass killings are harming the fabric of our communities. The father who wrote him a letter about his daughter’s death from a Fentanyl overdose, to emphasize the 100,000 drug overdose deaths in the US each year. The High wire Union iron worker, a woman, to bring forward the revitalization of our industries, unions, and infrastructure from the bi-partisan infrastructure Bill. This led also to the mention of the number of good jobs created since he took office (800,000) and the low unemployment rates. He mentioned the CHIPS bill to bring chip-making home to America, so we would not depend on an interrupted supply chain in future global crises.  Certainly, I have just summarized his remarks here, I could not capture everything he said in this column.

And, of course, there were a few moments of high drama, which I must discuss. He began his remarks by saying kind words to both Democratic and Republican leaders. Biden emphasized the bi-partisan bills that Congress passed since he was elected. He indicated that, even with a divided Congress, he hoped for more. He discussed how COVID numbers are down and how it no longer rules the daily lives of many. Inflation was a problem, he acknowledged, but it is coming down, as are prices for food and gas. He mentioned the extension of broadband even to far-flung places so kids would not have to sit in the MacDonald’s parking lot to do their homework. Biden also spoke up for our democracy and noted that it was on a safer footing now, but that there were still pitfalls, should we drop our guard.

He challenged the Republicans who voted against infrastructure funding and told them he would see them at the project ground-breaking, as they tried to look as if they had voted in favor of the project at hand. Throughout his speech, Rep Greene of Georgia, (MTG) sat at the far back of the Chamber, and Lauren Bobert was nearby. Others of the contrary caucus that gave Speaker McCarthy his election problems were nearby. Speaker McCarthy had reportedly asked his caucus to sit back and not comment out loud; all could see him several times trying to shush the outliers, to no avail. Greene shouted out that the Fentanyl deaths were the president’s fault and called him a liar when he said some Republicans wanted to sunset Medicare and Social Security every five years and re-authorize their funding. Many Republicans call these programs entitlements. But that is not true, workers pay into them with payroll deductions or self-employment fees every working year. When the Republican side of the room shouted out their disagreements with his statements on funding, he asked everyone who supports funding these programs to stand up. Of course, all did, and he capped the discussion, by saying then we all agree, we will not cut Social Security and Medicare. He also asked for extensions on the drug cost caps for Insulin, now allowed for seniors, to be expanded to all residents.

He ended his speech by saying that the state of the union is good with catcalls from, as used to be said, “the peanut gallery or backbenchers.” Some pundits likened these actions to those often seen at the British House of Commons. Maybe we’ll find another definition for common here. Even the House of Commons, as pointed out by the New York Times, does not allow name-calling or expletives. The next day, the president distributed copies of Republican pamphlets, which he said spelled out the restrictions that Senator Rick Scott, a Multi-millionaire, wanted to impose on the so-called entitlements. Scott, according to required filings, is worth more than $300 million. Doesn’t it offend you, that the Senate, which is composed of many millionaires, is so eager to restrict benefits that working people rely on? Politifact said that the statement that two-thirds of the Senate are millionaires is mostly true.

Some pundits claimed the speech was the prelude to a Biden re-election campaign; others said they hoped not, because of his age, as Biden is already 80 years old. From what I see, the Democrats do not have anyone in the wings at this time. Some pundits have mentioned Governor Gavin Newsom of California, but he says he is not running. There are currently no known Senators, Governors, Statesmen/women, or other Democrats that seem to be in the running currently. If YOU know of any, please let me know. If Biden ultimately decides not to run, then all those who come forward will be at a disadvantage, because they have much less time than usual to set up a forceful campaign on the left of center, which is where most Democrats are. Independents seem to be on the other side of that scale.

Kamala Harris is not likely to challenge Biden; she continually receives bad press; others claim she might not be on Biden’s ticket next time, but I doubt that. Politico also doubts that and said in a recent article: “Since the fall, Harris’ trajectory appeared to be improving to political observers. “People around her feel like she’s been able to exert more independence and has started in earnest to dig out from the painful early months marked by uneven performances and staffing troubles,” Daniels wrote in November. They also note that since the Democrats are no longer relying on her to be the tie-breaking vote in the Senate, she is not tethered to Washington and can get out and about the country. Harris has become the administration's voice on abortion which she can defend and finds that is easier than the immigration and voting rights portfolio she once had to support. Democrats who can rally behind her on that issue find she speaks to their concerns. So, I mentioned that there was a great turnout for the speech; most of official Washington was there, including Ambassadors, top military brass, cabinet members, and the Justices of the Supreme Court. (Well, several of the Justices came-Alito, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Sotomayor did not. Two retired Justices also attended, Breyer and Kennedy.)

The beleaguered Congressman Santos attended and tried to shake the hand of the president, who avoided him. Senator Mitt Romney apparently spoke sternly to Georgie or whatever his name is and said later that he was a sick puppy and should step down. I guess time will tell. Senator Sinema was there in a bright yellow dress with winged shoulders; perhaps she thought this was a tryout for the New York Spring Fashion Shows! Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attended dressed, someone said, as a chinchilla, wearing a white ensemble with a fluffy furry collar. Others compared her to Cruella de Vil and Sinema to Big Bird! Oh well, what can one say? Apparently, according to the Guardian, Jill Biden was supposed to be defining the Unity of red and blue in a purple dress. Greene’s white outfit symbolized the white Chinese spy balloon that was shot down a few days ago. She walked the halls of Congress carrying a white balloon. Is this what the voters expected when she was elected? A spectacle? Oh, I get it now; I think! This isn’t about doing the people’s business, it is all about making a show so DJT will choose her to run with him as his VP.

Tonight, the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Kudos to them! I do hope that no one was seriously injured. I have been turned off the sport since that young player, Damar Hamlin, had his cardiac arrest. I am not sure I can watch it the same way again. How about you? 

Oh, and there are more balloons or strange flying objects getting shot down; now a total of four over eight days. Who knows what this is all about, not me!

This is Black History Month; a Frederick Democratic Party meeting I attended had a very good interpretative enactment of the life of Harriet Tubman, an enslaved person born in Maryland, who went on against great odds to lead many in her community and elsewhere to freedom in the 1800s. I wonder how places such as Texas and Florida, so given to the “happy slaves dancing around the bonfire” stories would deal with telling about her life?

I guess before I end this note tonight, I must mention the strange speech given by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee in the Republican response. It is said that she was speaking only to the MAGA base of the party, but it was a speech based on an alternative reality. And when she said: “We are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flag, and worship their idols,” I had to wonder just what universe she lived in. I salute the American Flag and as far as I know, we have only one, so what flag does she salute?

“Til next week-Peace!