Were you satisfied with President Biden’s State of the Union address?

[Anonymous]

It’s mostly bullshit

I stand behind Biden

[nightdrot]

As a political staffer who has actually attended a few State of the Union addresses going all the way back to President Reagan's last one in 1988, and having watched all of them going back to the Carter years, I have to say that this was, without question, the most appalling address I have ever seen or heard. Normally, I prefer to answer questions of this type - given my professional background - with a minimum of hyperbole, but President Biden's was that bad.

To start, on a comparatively minor note, I do not recall in my lifetime, a President using the word "hell" as an epithet in such a speech. By my count, Mr. Biden used the word as a curse word - which is to say neither as a descriptive term nor in a Biblical reference - at least twice. This was crude and vulgar and unworthy of the dignity of his office or the occasion. It was a marker of the decadence of the nation's political culture.

Then there was the delivery. Apparently Mr. Biden was attempting to show that he is not too old for the office. However, the net effect was simply to add a degree of bitterness and vitriol to the nation's political discourse that is anything but conducive to the so-called unity that he claims to wish to bring to the nation.

To be sure, the nation is going through a populist phase and - on the campaign trail - Mr. Trump has been guilty of the same thing. The nation is going through a period where the public feels aggrieved and its' leaders seem inclined to exploit that sense of grievance rather than calming the social waters.

Still, typically such rhetorical excess has been avoided at official events like the State of the Union address. Yet in his State of the Union address, President Biden hit new lows of rhetorical grievance. There was no sense of analysis nor dispassionate policymaking, but rather a sense that policy ought be about getting revenge against oppressors, real and alleged.

The policies in the speech itself seemed - as is the won't of populism - to have no coherent and thematic structure. Rather it was a mishmash of ideas, the practicality of which runs from the mundane to the problematic.

See also the utterly daft idea of the USA creating a port in Gaza. Whatever its' humanitarian motives, it is a recipe for disaster on a colossal scale, yet President Biden offered it and seems destined to pursue it. Not because it has any practical policy aspects, but merely to sate the anger of one of his domestic constituencies. Namely, the Arab-American vote in states like Michigan and Minnesota.

Suffice to add that there were more than a few half truths in the speech. Not least in the area of immigration, where the President - who repealed much of his predecessor's immigration policies by Executive Order - attempted to blame his political opponents for the current migration crisis and its' attendant pathologies such as crime, drug smuggling, etc. (This I write as a Republican who is no fan of Mr. Trump.)

Finally, there was the populist inclination to wreck and delegitimize the very institutions of government which the President seeks to govern. In the grand tradition of "burn this village to save it," Mr. Biden made numerous attacks on government - a government he currently leads and of whom he is Head of State - not least being the unprecedented attacks on the Supreme Court.

Put it all together, in substance, in tone, in the use of vulgarity, in Mr. Biden's malapropisms, this was, without question, the worst - not to say most politically and culturally destructive - State of the Union address I have ever witnessed. That is no exaggeration - grant there may have been worse that I have never seen or read - and it will come at a price.

Mr. Biden may use this speech as a launch point to re-election. However, if he does win, he will preside over a society more deeply divided and governmental institutions more de-legitimized than had been the case already. The costs of that will be colossal.

Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden - both populists to a fault - could stand to learn from President Reagan - who left office with a 71% job approval rating, higher than either man has ever attained in or out of office. The purpose of public policy is not just to create more effective economy, foreign policy and maintain a just society in law and order, but to stabilize the culture and create a degree of harmony.

Mr. Biden's speech did anything but.

[Agagagagaga]

I liked how the very first country he talked about was Ukraine and how they just so badly need America’s billions.

Then he pivoted to the pressing and dire need to kill more unborn babies. Apparently it’s some kind of crisis. 🙄

And then he spent time talking about the “insurrection” that all those gun-toting 2-A lovers forgot to bring their guns to. At that point, after throwing up in my mouth repeatedly while driving and listening to the speech, I had had enough.

[nightdrot]

@Agagagagaga Believe me, I understand. In fact, I briefly - for just a minute or so - turned down the sound. The speaking - call it screaming at the top of Mr. Biden's lungs - was just too much for that time of night.

Because I work in politics, I felt obliged to see and listen to the speech notwithstanding its' convoluted construction. As far as Mr. Biden's priorities, I did not expect to share all of them as I am a GOP staffer - albeit of the non-populist (read non-Trump) variety - so I watched it all.

That said, I am not unsympathetic to your views. That all said, I did not expect to share many of Mr. Biden's priorities, but the appalling tone and divisive nature of the speech did genuinely surprise me.

It is not that Presidents do not, in the State of the Union address, try to push their own agendas and they are typically not without controversy. Par for the course. Yet this one went well beyond that to a level of divisiveness that will, as I say, assure that even if Mr. Biden wins, he will do over a country that is bitterly divided and - what is worse - he will lack the standing to heal the wounds.

[nightdrot]

P. S. As far as Ukraine, it was odd that Mr. Biden began the speech there, but there is a case to be made for supporting it.

To save space, read my reply to this question. It is under my Nightdrot nom de guerre and was rated MHO - Should the United States keep funding Ukraine? What’s your opinion? ↗

[Agagagagaga]

Ukraine could turn into a howling wasteland and I wouldn’t bat an eye.

I’m beyond disgusted by this administrations, hell, most Democrats. I used to vote for them. I voted for Obama. Twice. Why? I’m a war vet and he said he would get us out of war. Bush got us into war. I have literally seen bodies of people shot, blown up, and burnt alive and I know my fair share of dead soldiers.

So... this fanatical support for Ukraine, hell, for ANY foreign country over our own citizens absolutely disgusts me. It sickens me. If we could bring back dueling I’d demand satisfaction of every goddamn Senator and congressman out there.

It’s... troubling to me that not only are we involved in Ukraine (why? It ain’t our backyard. Do we have bases there? Hmm? Is Ukraine a big trading partner with America? No? So... why the Hell should I or any American care? It ain’t our backyard. And sure you could say that about most of the wars we get involved with, but at least there we had SOME interests like oil or stopping fundamentalist terrorists. 🙄

What are we doing in Ukraine?

Wasting Americans tax dollars and Ukrainian lives. A generation of men. Dead. Dead. Gone. And for what?

Will it “stop” Putin? No. Hasn’t it so far. And despite what the chuckleheads at MSNBC and CNN tell us, the Ukrainians are getting their butts handed to them.

It’s like a 300 pound gorilla is picking on a small dog and we think that if we thrown money at the thing it’s bark will keep it safe—or maybe it’ll give the gorilla a little nip on the finger.

Meanwhile the thing is getting kicked around and body slammed.

But hey, when has loss of life or war ever stopped a Democrat for supporting something.

Ukraine can rot. Europe can rot. I lived there. They don’t even like Americans—but oh do they love our money.

[nightdrot]

@Agagagagaga Well, it is what you feel, but there are - as my answer to the question I attached indicated - significant geopolitical realities at stake. The nation ignores those realities at its' peril.

Based on what you wrote above, I cannot tell is you read my answer to this question which I attached above: Should the United States keep funding Ukraine? What’s your opinion? ↗

Suffice to say, while we have no particular interest in a Ukrainian victory, we do have an interest in assuring that Ukraine is not defeated. International relations is a subtle game, but you ignore its' hard realities a your peril.

[Agagagagaga]

Pray tell, what’s the worst that would happen to AMERICA if Ukraine fell? Why should someone in Ohio care about what happens in Odessa? They do nothing for America. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

[nightdrot]

@Agagagagaga NATO would split, giving Russia a dominant position in Europe - for the implications of that, see two world wars. It would also probably facilitate the alliance between Russia and China while sending Japan to cut a deal, thereby excluding us from the Pacific.

In a nutshell, what we fought two world wars to avoid - a single dominant hostile power on the continent - would begin to take hold. Oh, meaning, by the way, war on more unfavorable circumstances than we already find.

[Anonymous]

It was not good. You could see him being lost a couple of times during the speech. A number of things were contradictory to one another. He cares more about Ukraine than America. He continued the lie that January 6th was an insurrection and not a riot. If it was an insurrection then why hasn't anyone been charged with that? Also, if the biggest proponents of the 2nd Amendment were going to overthrow the government; why would they be completely unarmed in their attempt? He apparently thinks the Covid vaccine cures cancer. He also thinks that he deserves credit for cutting the budget deficit from the largest one in our history to the largest one in our history; just because it is the largest cut.

[Anonymous]

He's a liar!

[exitseven]

I never heard such a divisive pile of crap in my whole life. He did not say much about the state of the union. Maybe it is because we are in a very sorry state due to his failed policies.

[Finchie40]

Not at all , he shouldn’t be our President what so ever , Trump all the way

[AviatorTom]

Didn't listen to it. Haven't paid much attention to SOTU since Bill Clinton.

[FunkyMonkee]

I got several good laughs out of it!! LOVED all the heckling!!

[OtterMan68]

Democrats will say yes.

Republicans will say no.

Wouldn't even matter if they watched it.

[legalboxers]

[laly520]

full of bs