A Speech Full of Hits, Misses and Bizarre Moments
With President Biden’s State of the Union address now history, we decided to have a look at what talking heads are saying about it. The speech certainly had its ups and downs for Biden, and plenty of interesting moments
Nayyera Haq (talk radio host for SiriusXM), speaking to CNN
“President Joe Biden delivered a speech combining elements from across the political spectrum to paint a picture of an America the majority of voters can actually recognize. It wasn’t “carnage” and it wasn’t unbridled hope, but it was real talk about what it means to be resilient, work hard and expect more from your government. However, the contrast with a message that resonates with the majority of the American public and the political reality in the chamber is stark.” READ MORE COMMENTS
Jeff Greenfield, writing for Politico
“President Joe Biden gave a pretty good State of the Union address — indeed, one of the better ones I’ve heard. What made it work was not just that Biden was in a buoyant spirit, with an energy that’s often lacking, but that it was a clearly political speech with a clear political goal: to define Biden as the guy who is on your side, going after the big boys who were flourishing at your expense.” READ HIS FULL COLUMN
David Frum, writing for the The Atlantic
“Not only did Republicans repeatedly heckle, jeer, and shout during President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, but Biden was ready for them. In impromptu remarks not included in the prepared text of the speech, Biden rolled with the interruptions, using them to reinforce his message. Biden accused “some” Republicans of plotting to sunset Social Security and Medicare. When he got protests, he grinned and accepted them as a “unanimous” endorsement. “I welcome all converts,” he told them, recasting for the television audience the Republican hubbub as a sign of submission.” READ HIS FULL ARTICLE
Chris Wallace, appearing on CNN
“I mean, they literally played into his hands. You know, I don’t know if the people at the White House as they were drafting it at Camp David this weekend envisioned that happening the way it did, but it played out perfectly. When he said let’s all stand up for seniors, there was no politician who was not going to stand up for seniors. It was a brilliant moment that, you know, it like took something that had been prepared by the speech writers and he made it his own and he made it magic. it was really quite a piece of political showmanship.”
Susan Matthews (Executive Editor at Slate Magazine), speaking to Slate
“Just speaking on the metric of age—well, Biden seemed like he was definitely 80 years old. He basically delivered his speech, and occasionally nailed it, but he also got a little lost sometimes. The most important moment came just before the end, when Biden ad-libbed: ‘I’m not new to this place—I stand here tonight having served longer than almost any of you have served.’ Maybe his best option is to acknowledge it!” READ MORE FROM SLATE
Rob Noel (former speech writer for Mike Pompeo), speaking to Fox News
“It was flush with familiar platitudes – ‘bottom up and middle out,’ ‘pay your fair share’ – and lacked a strong sense of voice. Presidents Obama and Trump gave SOTU addresses that were unique to them, that only they could have delivered. President Biden’s are like mediocre pop music: sometimes catchy but mostly formulaic and forgettable.” READ WHAT OTHER SPEECH WRITERS HAD TO SAY
David Gergen, via CNN
“It’s hard to think how Joe Biden could have delivered a better performance than he did tonight. He was feisty, full of energy, marshaled his arguments effectively and even batted back Republican catcalls with good humor. By the end of the evening, he looked like a boxer who can’t wait to get into the ring again.” READ MORE COMMENTS
Terry Schwadron, writing for DCReport
“There was plenty to critique in Biden’s remarks. In his self-review of achievements, Biden was unsurprisingly light on the misses. In a world in which winning is everything, there’s no gain in seeming as if you are knocking yourself. Biden tried to skip around the chaos on the Southern border by stressing only that it is a work in progress from global covid. Where was the challenge to iron out a new effort on immigration? Biden never mentioned the perceptions that serious crime is rising nationwide. And he dismissed any dispute or question over plans for defending Ukraine and foreign policy generally in a couple of sentences, even as opponents mock him over China policy.” READ THE FULL COLUMN
Opinions on any state of the union address are going to vary, typically split among party lines. So, how well or poorly a president does is certainly subjective, but it’s always interesting to see what both sides of the aisle are saying.
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