In his first State of the Union address to a divided Congress, the US president touted the legislative achievements of his two years in office and promised a strong return to production and manufacturing at home.
“We are ensuring that the supply chain for America starts in America,” said Joe Biden, in a speech in which he spent much time talking about the economy, infrastructure and jobs, and where he announced proposals and measures.
One of them was related to domestic manufacturing. “I am announcing new requirements that all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects must be made in the United States,” Biden said. “Wood, glass, drywall, American-made fiber optic cables,” he said.
This was one of the transversal points of the State of the Union speech: the focus on national production, the return to good manual labor and the nod to a working class that has felt “forgotten”, in addition to much insistence on health reforms.
All against a backdrop where, despite falling inflation, economic growth, and historically low unemployment, many Americans feel the country is in poor economic shape and headed for a recession.
The State of the Union, seen by tens of thousands of Americans, was the opportunity of Joe Biden to change the narrative and also to confront the Republicans to wall in the dispute over the top of the public divide, which he fears will be raised so that the country may have pay the bills.
“Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I go along with their economic plans,” Biden said.
“Instead of making the rich pay their share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security gone,” he said.
Several Republican congresswomen reacted with jeers and jeers to these remarks, even going as far as extremist Marjorie Taylor Greene yelling “liar!”.
The president smiled and questioned the agitators, urging them to contact his office for a copy of that proposal. Faced with the denial of the other side of the bench, Biden said he appreciated “the conversion” of the congressmen who now “see” that this should not be done. The proposal, by Republican Sen. Rick Scott, is available in the 2022 “Rescue America” plan.
The moment was one of the most analyzed after the speech. Former Fox News journalist Chris Wallace said the Republicans “reached out” to the president and CNN center Jake Tapper thought the agitators “started to look bad and gave Biden a chance to appear vigorous.”
These exchanges contrasted with the president’s calls for bipartisanship and working together with Republicans to improve the lives of Americans. Many of the proposals he spoke about, from lowering insulin prices to eliminating hidden fees in travel bookings, are not controversial.
“I have signed more than 300 bipartisan bills since I took office,” Biden said. “My Republican friends, if we work together on the last session of Congress, there’s no reason we can’t work together on this one.”
The president’s message and tone were popular with the public, with CNN’s post-speech polls resulting in a positive rating by 72% of voters. It was a percentage point above last year’s performance.
Biden’s combative energy was tempered at certain key moments, such as when he introduced the parents of Tire Nicholls, an African-American who was beaten to death by four police officers in Memphis. The president praised the courage of Nicholls’ mother, who told him that she was “a beautiful soul and something good will come of this.”
Also present was Brandon Tsay, a young man who fought with the gunman who killed 11 people at a dance studio in Monterey, California. The story was the motto to talk about gun violence and the need to “ban assault weapons.”
Biden also preempted some Republican attacks. “If you’re not going to pass my sweeping immigration reform, at least pass the plan to provide the necessary equipment and agents to secure the border.”
On many occasions, the Democrat spoke of “finishing what was started,” something that was understood as an allusion to running again for a second term as president.
He was also optimistic and spared no praise for the spirit and soul of America, a country that emerges “stronger” from crises and is marked by “progress and resilience.”
Biden addressed the end of the health emergency due to the covid-19 pandemic, the revocation of the federal right to abortion and the crisis of deaths caused by the abuse of opioids, particularly Fentanyl.
The head of state also referred to China, after an alleged spy balloon was shot down in US airspace. “If China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country,” he said. Some commentators pointed out the brevity with which the issue was addressed, one of the weaknesses of the discourse given the seriousness of the situation.
Also on foreign policy, Biden praised America’s leadership in helping Ukraine and the transatlantic alliance against Russian invasion and tyranny, ensuring stronger democracies. “Betting against the United States was never a good bet,” she said, causing the audience to erupt in chants of “America! America!” The Democrat vowed to continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
“Because the soul of the nation is strong, its backbone is strong, and the people of the nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong,” the president concluded. “We are the United States of America and there is nothing beyond our capabilities if we do it together,” he added.
Biden’s optimistic tone was rejected by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor of Arkansas and former White House press secretary for Donald Trump, who gave the Republican response.
Sanders portrayed an America beset by the “radical left” and at risk of losing its liberties, against a “weak” Joe Biden, unable to protect borders and dominated by the oppression of the “wake up mafia” (socially progressive).
“America is great because we are free but our freedom is under attack,” he summed up, after speaking of education reforms that reject “indoctrination” of children, and of a new generation of Republicans willing to fight for citizens.
“The choice is not between the right and the left, it is between normal and crazy,” Sanders said, arguing that the Republicans are the normal ones and the Democrats are the crazy ones.
Commentator Van Jones felt the response made it seem unnecessarily “bad” and strategist David Axelrod said it may have worked with the Republican party base, but failed to reach the general electorate.
In reactions, former Vice President Mike Pence said the speech showed “it is time for new Republican leadership” and pointed to Joe Biden’s “failed external leadership”, reflected in the Ukraine war and the “disastrous” withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, criticized Biden’s economic plan and his border policies, saying he spent “two years refusing to resolve the crisis it created.”
The State of the Union is traditionally a president’s most powerful direct communication weapon. In last year’s speech, 38 million Americans watched the television broadcast.
Source: TSF
