The State of the Union Is Strong

Joe Biden delivered the final State of the Union address of this term last night. If you did not see it, and you still want to, you can see it here:

It clocked in at a little over an hour. If that's a bit more of your time than you'd like to give, then you can also read the official text here. Of course, doing it that way means you don't get Biden's cadence/emphasis, his various ad libs, or the audience reaction.

This is one of the most critical moments of the 2024 campaign, and Biden knew that full well, which is why it was more a campaign speech than it was a State of the Union Address. We have a lot to say, so we're going to give over most of today's post to the subject. The headline theme will be back next week; there aren't enough headlines for it today.

How Did It Go?

As we noted in our preview, exactly what Biden said was probably not as important as how he said it. The Republicans have tried to convince the nation that the President is a doddering old fool, and it was essential that his performance run very, very contrary to that notion.

We watched the speech twice, to be absolutely certain about our assessment, and what happened was... the speech went as well as the White House could possibly have hoped for. Did Biden occasionally stumble over his words, like the stutterer that he is, and has been for his whole life? Yes, he did. But anyone who spins that into "this is someone who is losing his marbles" is selling something. The fact is that the President was forceful, clear, and engaged.

Obviously, Biden had a pre-written speech and a teleprompter at his disposal, and those two things can go a long way toward compensating for someone's shortcomings. However, in addition to Biden's strong delivery, there were two other things that stood out, and that are not so easy to fake. The first is that Biden worked the crowd like the veteran politico he is. After his arrival was announced by the Sergeant-at-Arms, he must have spent 15 minutes pressing the flesh and chatting with members on both sides of the aisle (literally; the Republicans were to his right as he entered, the Democrats were to his left). He also worked the crowd for at least 10 minutes after the speech; this not only showed that he was not "tuckered out" by the speechifying, it also delayed the broadcast of the Republican follow-up from Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL). That gave people plenty of time to turn off the TV or change the channel. We don't know if that was part of the plan, but that's how it worked out nonetheless.

The other thing that stood out were Biden's ad libs, of which there were many. Speaking as people with vast public speaking experience, this is not something you can fake. Either you've got it, or you don't. Yes, Biden undoubtedly had an idea of when the Republicans would get rambunctious, and he likely had some idea as to how he might respond. But when it comes to improv, there's only so much prep you can do. In particular, the President managed to pull off his now-signature rope-a-dope technique, wherein he turns Republican carping against them, several times. To take one example (there will be another later), he wondered: "Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another $2 trillion in tax breaks?" The Republicans booed loudly, and Biden let them go on for a few seconds, smiled broadly, and said: "Oh, no? You guys don't want another $2 trillion tax cut? I kind of thought that's what your plan was. Well, that's good to hear." White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates was so pleased by that exchange that he posted a clip to Ex-Twitter, along with the remark: "Fu**ed around again. Found out again."

That's our assessment; we've already heard from numerous readers, and thought we'd pass along some of those remarks as well:

B.C. in Walpole, ME: Whatever else might be said of the SOTU, it wasn't delivered by a doddering old fool who can't tie his own shoes. He was lively, forceful, good humored, provocative toward his opponents, long-winded, and relentlessly positive. I'd rather vote for that guy than the one who thinks that America is a dying third-world nation.

A.G. in Scranton, PA: I'm serious... I think he's on some form of speed. He's talking like I used to when doing that stuff.

Either way... where the F was this President Biden for the past 3 years? I know it's a hard job and one can't always be "on"... but, wow.

It's so hard to think in this moment that we could lose this, yet I am certain this high will crash. I hate reality. Those stupid kids and their third-party votes. Those damned nice immigrants with very serious concerns in Michigan and their potential to just sit this one out...

He's having fun and so am I.

"Oh, you don't like that bill that conservatives got together and supported? I'm surprised to hear that!"

I love it when I hit my stride and I love it when a man I respect so much does so as well.

He's reminding me of President Obama right now. He's in the groove.

A.B. in Wendell, NC: OK, to start, I have to admit I have not been the biggest fan of Joe Biden... back in 2020, he was not even in my top three in the Primary. I did not feel he was liberal enough for my liking.

Just before the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, I attended the NCDP State Executive Committee meeting in Charlotte, NC—in my capacity as a sitting member of that body, and as a candidate for State Senate. By that time I was a committed Steyer delegate.

Jill Biden arrived to speak to our body... and she lit the place on fire! I am telling you there and then: I found myself wishing SHE was running!!

And I am here to tell you this is NOT Joe Biden up there tonight—at least, not the Biden I expected! Jill must have schooled him... because HE IS LIGHTING THE PLACE ON FIRE!!!

So far, the line of the night for me is that "my predecessor failed in the most basic duty... THE DUTY OF CARE!" I cannot believe he went there! And he needed to... IT IS THE 100 PERCENT TRUTH!!

I am telling you, the bounce from this SOTU should be huge! Anyone who still thinks he is a senile, doddering fool... I do not know what to say to them... I do not see a drooling old man there. And it is, in my view... HIGH TIME BIDEN WENT ON THE ATTACK!!

My vote in 2020 was more against Donald Trump than for Biden. Until tonight, I would have said the same thing about my 2024 vote. Tonight, Biden has given me something to vote FOR. He is right, democracy is on the ballot!

P.M. in Port Angeles, WA: Tonight I watched Joe Biden deliver his 2024 State of the Union Address and I will say that the speech writing was outstanding. But, I was focusing on his delivery and his supposed cognitive decline. What I saw was that he continues to battle his lifelong problem with stuttering and frankly nothing else indicating cognitive impairment. He may have slowed a bit, but his ability for public speaking is as strong as it has ever been.

On those instances where he slurred somewhat or glided over some words, it was clear to me that his brain was moving faster than his mouth could follow. I claim no expertise in neurophysiology, so I don't know the ins and outs of the speech difficulties associated with stuttering, but there was nothing in his delivery that indicated mental decline.

Please put to rest the idea that he is too old or not capable of holding the office of the president. Yes he is old, but he is up to the task. Yes I am concerned about his age, having just lost a brother-in-law of about the same age, but that is why we elect a vice president as well. Maybe some Democrats are not that concerned themselves, but they appear to espouse the media narrative that he is approaching dementia. Get over your concerns, we need to keep the country on an even keel and work to solve the massive problems facing the world. Any change in the presidential ticket at this late date would be utterly disastrous for the Democratic Party.

There's no cherry-picking going on here; these same sentiments were expressed over and over.

In addition, CNN has already published an insta-poll, and found that 62% of viewers had a positive reaction to the speech. The viewing audience undoubtedly skewed Democratic, but it's not ALL Democratic. Certainly, if you told the White House yesterday afternoon that nearly two-thirds of viewers would like the speech, they would have been thrilled.

Obviously, Biden had just about every advantage here. Not only pre-scripted remarks and a teleprompter, but also a forum that he's VERY comfortable with (36 years as a member of Congress, another 8 as President of the Senate), as well as a crowd that's not going to get TOO out of control with its yelling. He will not always do so well this campaign season. But at a moment when he really needed to deliver the goods, he did.

Main Themes

Inasmuch as this was de facto the first speech of the 2024 campaign for Biden, the themes he emphasized are presumably the themes he intends to run on (subject to revision, of course, as events warrant). Here are the half-dozen subjects that, to us, got the most emphasis:

Democracy: The central theme of the speech, which Biden returned to, over and over, was that democracy is in peril right now. In the opening passage, he drew comparisons between the U.S. in 2024, Pearl Harbor, the Civil War, and the Cold War. He said democracy is under attack both abroad (Ukraine, Israel, etc.) and also domestically. Depending on how you do your accounting, you could very well say that more than half the speech was on this subject.

"My Predecessor": As companion to the theme of democracy at risk, Biden referred at least a dozen times to "my predecessor," a person who—as described by Biden—is an anti-democratic (and anti-Democratic) nightmare. This person gave permission to the Russians to "do whatever the hell you want," struggled to come up with effective tools for constraining China, worked to outlaw abortion, didn't love his country when he didn't win, etc.

Biden never got around to mentioning a name, so we're left to do some detective work. The President has 44 predecessors, and it could theoretically be any of them. However, Biden did mention Barack Obama, so it's probably not him. That narrows it down to 43, and... well, we're out of clues. So, we'll just have to go with our gut and guess that Biden was referring to that lousy bastard Millard Fillmore. But we suppose it COULD have been someone else.

Economic Populism: Some of the economic stuff in the speech could have come from nearly any president—we need to fight inflation, we have to reduce the tax burden on the middle class, we have to make housing more affordable. However, there was a lengthy portion of the speech that sounded like it had been written by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Biden railed against greedy drug companies, and complained about how corporations don't pay enough in taxes. He announced that his administration is putting a limit of $8 for credit card late fees, and would be taking aim at other "junk fees." And he also kvetched about "shrinkflation," wherein a product's price stays the same, but its size gets smaller, thus sneaking in a de facto price hike. "You get charged the same amount and you got about 10% fewer Snickers in it," he decreed. We're kind of surprised it wasn't an ice cream reference, given that ice cream is his thing, but the Snickers line played well with the crowd, generating quite a few, well... snickers.

Abortion: Biden did not spend as much time on this subject as we thought he would; only about 4 minutes in total. But he did call for Roe v. Wade to be codified by Congress, and he also had some very forceful words about how the American people are about to learn that women have tremendous power as voters.

Israel: Biden continues to triangulate on the Gaza War. He expressed sympathy for the Israeli people, lamenting the most deadly attack against them since the Holocaust, and also said that he's been an outspoken friend of Israel for more than 50 years. However, he also expressed empathy for the Palestinian people, declaring: "Nearly 2 million more Palestinians under bombardment or displaced. Homes destroyed, neighborhoods in rubble, cities in ruin. Families without food, water, medicine. It's heartbreaking." Biden further announced that the U.S. would be building a temporary pier, without waiting for Israeli approval, in order to deliver humanitarian aid. And he said that he would insist on a two-state solution to bring peace to the region.

Age: As it turns out, Biden knows he is old. Someone must have installed a mirror in the White House or something. He's also been around long enough to know that there are two ways to punch back against that problem: (1) be forceful and energetic in your public appearances, and (2) use humor to turn a liability into an asset.

We've already addressed the delivery of the speech. As to the humor, Biden actually led the speech with an age/feeblemindedness joke; his very first line was: "If I were smart, I would go home now." To give another example, near the end of the speech, Biden said he was about to wrap up, and the Republicans broke into a round of applause. Biden smiled at the GOPers and, addressing himself to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said: "I know you don't want to hear any more, Lindsey, but I got to say a few more things." The President followed that with the observation that "I know I may not look like it, but I've been around a while," along with an anecdote not long thereafter about how he used to be detained by U.S. Senate security for using the senators' elevator because he looked too young to be a senator, and now he's accused of being too old. It was very Reagan-like, and it was clearly ad-libbed.

Additional Subjects

In addition to the main emphases, the State of the Union Address always has a bunch of quick hits on various subjects. These can be brief tips of the cap to various constituencies, or they can be trial balloons to see how they go over. It's hard to know until events unfold. Anyhow, here are a half-dozen things Biden mentioned largely in passing, but that might be worth keeping in mind:

Wacky Tobaccy: Biden said he wants the Devil's Weed to be legalized nationwide, and for the criminal convictions of those who got in trouble for possession to be expunged.

Social Security: Biden vowed that he would not sign off on cuts to benefits or to increases in the retirement age. That means that either this can will be kicked down the road in a second Biden term, or payroll taxes will have to be increased.

Domestic Violence: Biden reminded watchers that he played a key role in passage of the Violence Against Women Act, and said he would be taking steps to make sure the law is enforced more vigorously.

Gun Violence: Biden said he wants limits on high-capacity magazines and assault rifles. This, of course, is not going to happen.

AI: The President kind of wants to have his cake and eat it, too, on this issue. He said that the power of AI must be harnessed for good, but also said that phony AI impersonations (like robocalls) must be outlawed.

Behind Every Man...: This isn't EXACTLY a policy prescription, but when you're talking about womanpower, it kind of is. Biden made a point of having the First Lady stand up, and then thanking her for her hard work in the past year. That is something that Barack Obama and George W. Bush would have done (and they did). It is also very unlike certain Biden predecessors. Like that sumbitch Fillmore.

Again, when these subjects are basically brief sidebars, it's hard to know if we'll be hearing about them again during the campaign. But we might.

Theatrics

It didn't used to be true (or, at least, not all that true), but the theatrics of the crowd are now a big part of the State of the Union address, for better or worse. So, we'll run down some of the kabuki you're likely to hear about. Starting on the Democratic side:

Lady in... White: As has become customary in recent years, many of the women in the audience wore outfits that were all-white, or nearly so. This is a reference to the suffrage movement, which also encouraged members to dress in all white. Women have the right to vote, and have for 103 years, so the message of the current all-white ensemble is not "votes for women" but "keep abortion legal." In case anyone was at risk of getting confused, most of the women in all white also wore "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" pins. Also interesting, at least a little, is that some of the Senate functionaries (i.e., the people sitting on the dais) were wearing all white, as well. These folks are supposed to play it neutral, and so they are expected to remain silent during "clap" moments. But apparently that does not extend to sartorial choices.

153: There were also Democratic members wearing stickers that read "153." This is the number of days that have elapsed since Hamas attacked Israel and took hostages. They were the work of Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), who is possibly the most pro-Israel member of the House Democratic Caucus.

Stop Sending Bombs: The strongly pro-Palestinian members of the House Democratic Caucus, by contrast, had paddles that said "Stop Sending Bombs" that they would hold up when Israel was mentioned. They also wore black-and-white keffiyehs. The most visible members of this group were Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Cori Bush (D-MO) and Summer Lee (D-PA).

Blue and Yellow: Still other members wore blue and yellow in support of Ukraine. In some cases, this just meant a blue-and-yellow ensemble. In others, it meant using a Ukrainian flag as a pocket square. There was also one member wearing a Ukrainian flag as a cape. We couldn't see him well enough to identify him, but he was sitting next to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

"Four More Years": On a couple of occasions, the Democrats chanted "4 more years," "4 more years." That will make a nice video clip for some news outlets.

James Lankford: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) is not a Democrat, of course. However, he became part of the show when Biden talked about the failed immigration bill. As the President ran through the list of things that the bill contains, and that Republicans should like, Lankford mouthed: "It's true."

And now, half a dozen from the Republican side:

Mike Johnson: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) gets a prime seat right behind the president, of course. He reportedly ordered his conference to remain civilized and on their best behavior, but he didn't do much to set an example, as he visibly shook his head/rolled his eyes dozens of times while Biden was speaking.

Marjorie Taylor Greene: Even if Johnson had done a better job of keeping a poker face, there was zero chance that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wasn't going to make a scene. The SOTU is like her Super Bowl; her whole year's fundraising is built on a foundation of SOTU shenanigans.

Greene wore a MAGA hat, of course, but that was not her main gimmick this year. No, the biggie was that, at her instigation, House Republicans yesterday jammed through a bill called the Laken Riley Act. It is named after a nursing student in Georgia who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant. What it would do is require the government to arrest undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes, like murder. The careful reader will notice that the government ALREADY arrests undocumented immigrants who commit certain crimes, like murder, because the government already arrests anyone who commits certain crimes, like murder. It would also do a few other things that would not stand up in court. So, it was just a show bill. Even several members of the Republican conference admitted it openly. Still, all the Republicans and 37 Democrats voted for it, even if it will never come up in the Senate.

In order to get some mileage out of this, frankly, cynical use of the tragic death of a young woman, Greene handed out buttons to her GOP colleagues that said "Laken Riley: Say Her Name." She also wore a shirt that said "SAY HER NAME." And she shouted out, during the SOTU: "Say her name!" Biden obliged:

Laken Riley. An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal. That's right. But how many of thousands of people have been killed by legals? To her parents, my heart goes out, having lost children myself. I understand.

Right-wing outlets are making much hay out of Biden's pronunciation of "Laken," since it sounded like "Lincoln." Some lefties, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), are not happy he used the word "illegal." So, Greene got what she wanted, we suppose.

Steve Nikoui: Greene was not the only shouter. Steve Nikoui is the father of Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, who was one of the Marines killed during the Afghanistan pullout, and was in the gallery as a guest of Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL). At one point, Nikoui stood up and shouted "Abbey Gate" and "United States Marines." When security told him to quiet down or be arrested for disrupting Congress, he declined, and so was nabbed by the Sergeant-at-Arms. If you view the footage, he practically leaped into the aisle when told he was under arrest; he was clearly trying to be a martyr.

Troy Nehls: Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) did not shout. But he did wear a t-shirt with Donald Trump's mug shot. And he did stand at the back of the House chamber, holding his jacket open, so that the cameras would get a good shot of the shirt anytime they panned across the room. Note that this is not very far removed from what a flasher does.

Standing and Sitting: We do not know if the decisions—on when to stand and clap, when to sit and clap, and when to sit stone-faced—are made in advance, or in the moment. We presume that the members of the president's party just stand and applaud at every possible opportunity. Certainly, Kamala Harris stood and sat so many times last night that she'll be able to skip her stairmaster workouts for the next week.

As to the party that is NOT in control of the White House, they may well figure it out in advance, working from the text that is distributed the morning of the speech. Or maybe they just do whatever the Speaker does. In any event, people sometimes notice what portions of the speech the opposition stands for, but they REALLY notice the portions for which they remain seated. And so it is that people are undoubtedly taking note that, among other things, Congressional Republicans apparently do not support giving a raise to America's teachers or trying to prevent political violence.

Donald Trump: Trump was not present, unless you count Nehls' t-shirt. However, he did live-Truth the address on his boutique social media platform. The former president said exactly the things you would expect him to say; generic attacks on Biden that might very well have been written days or weeks ago. For example: "That may be the Angriest, Least Compassionate, and Worst State of the Union Speech ever made. It was an Embarrassment to our Country!" Because undoubtedly Trump has done an exhaustive study of the roughly 200 SOTUs that came before this one, and so is in a position to make that judgment. Undoubtedly, there would have been more gems like this one, but Truth Social crashed and was offline for much of the SOTU. Cue the sad trombone sound effect.

Spotted in the Audience

Part of the theater of the SOTU is the choice of invitees, which is often used to make a statement of some sort. Here's a rundown of some of the more notable people in the audience, and who invited them (when applicable):

The Supremes: Current and former justices of the Supreme Court have a standing invite, of course. Last night, six of the current members—Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Ketanji Brown Jackson—were there, as was former justice Anthony Kennedy. Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito pretty much never attend, and Amy Coney Barrett was not there either, so that trio escaped some sharp words from Biden about the Dobbs decision.

Also, perhaps this is being a little over-sensitive, but the historian on staff could not help but notice that the Justices are seated in order of appointment, and that only five of them can fit in a row. As a consequence, the white and Latina justices were all sitting in the front row, while Jackson was left to sit behind them. Bad optics, from a historical perspective. We understand protocol and all of that, but if we had been one of the justices in the front, we would have tried to switch seats with her.

The Cabinet: The members of the Cabinet also get invites. We have only three observations about them. First, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin does not appear to be any worse for wear after his recent health problems. Second, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas does not appear to be devastated by having been impeached. Third, Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen is TINY. It is entirely possible she traveled to Capitol Hill in Joe Biden's coat pocket.

"George Santos" (invited by "George Santos"): Along with approximately 99.9% of the rest of the country, we did not know until last night that even if you've been expelled from Congress, you still retain floor privileges (though you do lose them once you are convicted of a crime). And so it is that former representative "George Santos" was there, with bells on. Well, OK, with sweater vest on. Undoubtedly, he was looking for any PR possible, on the day he announced he will run for reelection to the house, challenging Rep. Nick LaLota (R-NY) in the R+3 NY-01.

Laken Riley (Marjorie Taylor Greene): Riley couldn't be there, of course, because she is deceased. But Greene arranged for an empty seat in her honor.

Kate Cox, Latorya Beasley (Jill Biden): Cox is the woman who was famously denied a medically necessary abortion in Texas while Beasley had her IVF treatments halted as a result of the Alabama IVF decision. Others who were in the audience to highlight reproductive issues include Kayla Smith (Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA), who had to travel from Idaho to Washington to get an abortion; Dr. Caitlin Bernard (Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA), who was nearly prosecuted for performing an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim; Tammi Kromenaker (Sen. Tina Smith, DFL-MN), who ran the Red River Women's Clinic, which was the only abortion provider in North Dakota before it had to be shuttered due to new anti-choice laws; and Elizabeth Carr (Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA), who was the first American born via IVF.

Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich (Mike Johnson): Parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is currently in Russian custody on (dubious) charges of espionage.

Intimaa Salama (Cori Bush): Palestinian student at St. Louis University who has lost many family members in Gaza.

Ulf Kristersson (Joe Biden): The Swedish prime minister was invited to commemorate his nation having joined NATO.

Shawn Fain (Jill Biden): Leader of the United Auto Workers and staunch Biden advocate.

Liz Shuler (Rep. Mark Pocan, D-WI): AFL-CIO president, and another Biden supporter.

Jazmin Cazares (Jill Biden): Gun-control advocate whose brother was killed in the Uvalde shooting.

Bettie Mae Fikes (Jill Biden): Yesterday was the 59th anniversary of Bloody Sunday (the American one, not the Irish one); Fikes was present for that event.

Gabriel Shipton (Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY): Brother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Andrii Chevozorov (Jill Biden): He was badly injured in the war in Ukraine and has been receiving treatment in the U.S., including a prosthetic leg.

In case you are wondering about the most notable non-invitee, namely the Designated Survivor, it was Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

The Republican Response

As noted, the respondent was Alabama senator Katie Britt. If you want to watch her remarks (about 17 minutes), they are here:

If you prefer to read the speech, you can do so here.

Allow us to explain our response through an analogy. (Z) was having dinner with a friend yesterday, and the subject of Ben Affleck's acting came up. (Z) said that while Affleck seems to be a talented director (Argo was excellent) and screenwriter (so was Good Will Hunting), he's a terrible actor. When he delivers dialogue onscreen, it does not feel natural, it feels like someone trying to hit the various verbal and emotional "marks" they think they are supposed to hit in whatever scene is taking place. His "acting" in The Boiler Room is a particularly egregious example.

This pretty much captures the feel that Britt gave off during her response. Undoubtedly, she got a LOT of feedback from various interested parties—Smile! Make sure to show your emotions! Don't blink too much!—and she tried to use it all, without having any real experience at integrating any of it. The result was a performance that was distractingly bad. She did what she was supposed to do, and railed against the evils of Joe Biden and the Democrats, and how the libs are going to ruin her kids' lives. But it was hard to pay attention through the alligator tears, and the dystopian predictions delivered with a broad smile, and the unblinking eyes. As reader A.S. in Silverdale, WA, wrote in to observe: "Is it just me, or does Katie Britt sound like Sally Field? While smiling the WHOLE time? While detailing Armageddon in glee? Yikes."

Also, to sell the notion that Britt is a mom first, and a senator second, she delivered the speech from her kitchen. We get what the plan was, stagecraft-wise, but given that this is a party accused of wanting to return women to the 19th century, that might not have been the best visual. At least she was behind a counter, so you could not see if she was also barefoot and pregnant. In any event, the Senator was a rising star in the Republican Party. She's not anymore, we think, at least not until memories of this response have faded. And remember, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) still hasn't lived down the water bottle thing, and that was 11 years ago.

Takeaways

The State of the Union is such big news that there are already a bunch of "takeaways" pieces. Here are some of those lists:

ABC News:

• Biden swings at Trump, 'insurrectionists' over Jan. 6
• Biden also takes aim at justices seated in front row
• Biden picks up Laken Riley pin as he expresses condolences
• Republicans and Biden spar—again
• Father of Marine killed in Afghanistan removed after shouting during speech

NPR:

• He took on Trump extensively on wide range of policies
• Reproductive rights are front and center in 2024 campaign
• Biden made the case for why his economic policies are working
• Border security provoked a GOP response, and blame game
• Biden addressed critics on his Mideast policy, stepped up criticism of Israeli leaders

CNN:

• Biden takes on Trump
• Biden delivers an unpredictable, freewheeling speech
• Biden shows up energetic and forceful amid concerns over his age
• The president makes a strong case for American leadership abroad
• The incumbent president takes a shot at reshaping and resetting the 2024 narrative

The New York Times:

• For Biden, his rival was always 'my predecessor'—never Trump.
• He seemed to relish tangling with the G.O.P.
• Biden talked up economics, but not 'Bidenomics'
• He predicted that the issue of abortion would propel Democrats in November
• It was a feisty speech aimed at combating the notion that Biden is too old

Al-Jazeera:

• U.S. to build 'temporary pier' to boost Gaza aid
• Pledges Ukraine support, touts pro-Israel bona fides
• Contrast with Republican rival Trump
• Abortion, reproductive rights
• Economy, economy, economy

NBC News:

• Confronting Trump and the GOP about Jan. 6
• A sharper message on legalizing abortion
• A confrontation with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
• Biden shows a populist side and jokes about age
• Biden walks the line on Israel and Gaza

Apparently, these outlets are under the impression that when Biden referred disdainfully to "my predecessor," he was talking about Donald Trump, and not Millard Fillmore. We'll have to agree to disagree, we guess.

And there you have it. If you're saying "I most certainly DID NOT want to read 7,000 words on the State of the Union address" then, we're sorry to say, you came to the wrong site. (Z)

This Week in Schadenfreude: Jackson Actioned

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) has always rubbed us the wrong way. There's a smarmy quality to the man that just leaks out of his pores. We felt that way when:

• He was delivering smarmy reports on the health of Barack Obama
• He was delivering smarmy works of fiction on the health of Donald Trump
• He was running a smarmy campaign for Congress
• He became one of the most smarmy members of the House GOP Conference

For these reasons, we are not too sorry when embarrassing things happen to Jackson.

So, what has happened to merit this assessment? Well, it turns out that we are not the only ones who have a low opinion of him. The news broke yesterday that, back in 2022, the U.S. Navy reviewed his record, and noted his habit of harassing his underlings, showing up to work drunk, and committing other abuses that wouldn't be tolerated even in the private sector, much less the military. So, they demoted him. Though he retired before running for Congress, he is now officially a retired captain and not a retired rear admiral.

Jackson's various webpages still claim he is a retired rear admiral, which is not only incorrect, but is also technically a crime. It's a violation of the Stolen Valor Act to claim a rank to which you are not entitled. We doubt the FBI will be kicking Jackson's door down, although we also wouldn't be sorry if they did. (Z)

This Week in Freudenfreude: Man's Best Friend

While it is not too hard to find items that have a strong freudenfreude component, it's a fair bit harder to find ones that have a political dimension. This is a politics-centered site, after all.

Today's item clears the bar cleanly, we think, since it involves one of America's foremost political commentators, namely Jon Stewart. That said, the segment in question came when he very definitely took a break from politics to talk about something personal. At the end of last week's episode (remember, he does one Daily Show per week, on Mondays), he explained to the audience that several years ago, his kids decided they wanted to help the local pet shelter, and so they went there to make a donation. During that trip, they encountered a dog who had lost one of his legs. Naturally, the Stewarts ended up going home with the dog, naming him Dipper.

There is, sadly, only one reason that Dipper would be the subject of an end-of-show segment. As he struggled to maintain his composure, Stewart explained that Dipper was a very good dog, and that he (Stewart) wished that everyone, at least once in their life, could have a very good dog like Dipper. However, the day that every pet owner dreads had come the day before, and Dipper was, in Stewart's words, "very tired" and "ready." You really should consider watching the clip, if you haven't seen it already:

Please recall that we always link to videos, if there is a problem with the embedded version. Since we have THREE videos today, there may well be. So, you can click on "the clip" above, if need be.

So, why is this freudenfreude? Well, it's an absolutely incredible tribute to Dipper, and to dogs everywhere. It's also a testament to the kind of man that Stewart is. And, as an added bonus, the shelter where the family first met Dipper has received $50,000 in donations since the segment ran. So it is both a sad, and happy, ending.

Have a good weekend, all. (Z)

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---The Votemaster and Zenger