I watched the State of the Union.
I have my criticisms of Joe Biden, make no mistake. But once again, he puts to rest the myth that he has dementia. He was coherent, poignant, and he took aim at every threat to democracy, including the Supreme Court, MAGA insurrectionists, and Putin. You can’t deny that he came out swinging in the best way. His speech was well-rehearsed, but he was present and easily went off the cuff (unlike his opponent) looking SCOTUS dead in the eye as he called out their hypocrisy, or pointing out every support for American people that gets voted down by Republicans.
He called out the BS that is trickle-down economics. He emphasized he cut the federal deficit and took that money from where it should be taken. He proposed reasonable plans to do better.
It’s probably overly optimistic to still talk about a Unity Agenda when Republicans refused to stand/applaud for prioritizing education, the bipartisan border bill that had Republican input, raises for public school teachers, voter suppression, community health protections, or even ending cancer.
I wish he could have said more about LGBTQIA+ rights and protections, but at least he acknowledged them, and the speech was already over an hour, delayed in part by hecklers.
Marjorie Taylor Greene needs to be kicked out of Congress. She and Nancy Mace tried to call Biden’s bluff and he met the challenge (and other hecklers) with aplomb. I wish he hadn’t used the “illegals” slur. But he points out the far worse racist rhetoric Trump loves to use while making the problem actively worse.
I don’t agree with how he has handled the Israel-Palestinian crisis so far (disclaimer: Israel has a right to defend itself and 10/7 was abject terrorism by Hamas), because we need to stop being friendly and supplying weapons to Benjamin Netanyahu as he propagates Hamas and Palestinian genocide, but at least he acknowledged Israel’s role in thousands of civilian deaths (and apparently there was a hot mic moment where he admits telling Bibi that he needs a “Come to Jesus” talk).
I do appreciate his pointing the scourge of gun violence (and how Trump just dismissed the latest shootings with a “get over it”) AND emphasized how “None of [gun violence reform] violates the second amendment or vilifies responsible gun owners.”
He ended with his own story and how he has changed with the times (which is more than can be said for his equally old opponent).
The rebuttal, by Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, was stilted, weird, and hypocritical. She emphasized rape victims without acknowledging that her leadership is looking to strip the rights of anyone giving birth, in a chokehold supporting a convicted rapist (who is far more out of touch with Americans than Joe Biden, despite what she tried to say). All this delivered from her kitchen because that’s where Republicans think women belong.
Listen, Joe Biden is not a perfect president by a long shot, and I hope he actually follows through on the promises made and goals set here. In the Democratic primaries, vote uncommitted and blank (depending on state) to make our voices heard and push him in the correct direction with protest. But in November, if the election is between him and an unhinged insurrectionist and convicted rapist, a vote for Biden (more than not voting or some non-viable third-party) will protect so many more people and I am happy to cast that vote.