“This was his ‘How About Dem Apples’ speech. … Everybody knows that this was a great speech. And everybody knows that if this is the message going into the next eight months, polls will soon reflect that and this will be a real fight.” Nicole Wallace, MSNBC host
“Joe Biden basically had to show up and not keel over on the dais tonight. And he massively outperformed, objectively. There was some stumbling, there was some coughing, and he’s prone to some kinds of stutter. But he did show energy. He showed the ability to get through a long speech.”- Alyssa Farah Griffin, CNN political commentator
“I thought that was a remarkable, fiery, powerful, vigorous guy. And I think it gives people a lot of confidence that this guy might be able to go the distance.”- Van Jones, CNN political commentator
“Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today. What makes our moment rare is that freedom and democracy are under attack, both at home and overseas, at the very same time.”
With those piercing words in last night's State of the Union speech, President Joe Biden showed he was not about to take any shit - either from the lowbrow Reeps in the House, the Supreme Court's justices that have enabled Trump, or a clueless media that won't let up on the "he's too old" crap. Using a series of fiery 'roundhouses' Biden delivered and showed all Americans with still active brain cells that he is the only choice for the upcoming election if citizens wish to retain a democracy.
From calling out Trump ("my predecessor") no less than thirteen times, especially for inviting Putin to "do anything he wants" to Ukraine, to shaming the Reeps for slow walking Ukraine military aid, to taking on the Supremes squarely for their Trumpian obeisance, Biden showed he is in it to win it. He did this by blowing to smithereens the Rightist narrative that he's a "doddering, drooling doofus" barely able to put three words together. (Some morons in WSJ comments have even referred to him as a "vegetable". ) Well these imps got the shock of their miserable lives last night.
With a pugnacious, energetic speech that gave no quarter to the MAGA boneheads, traitors and riff raff, Joe unloaded. Including reminding those gathered of the atrocity that took place in the same Capitol venue on January 6, 2021.
Biden even showed moxie by repeatedly engaging with Republican lawmakers in the House chamber, at times, turning the address into a form of political theater as he taunted his opponents in an effort to spotlight policy disagreements. In each case showing how each Trump- GOP solution was wanting, whether in the economy (GOP again planning massive spending cuts to support tax cuts for the rich), to immigration (refusing to sign the bipartisan border bill), to abortion, trying to hoodwink American women into thinking the Right (and Trump) won't really impose a national abortion ban.
At one point Biden's relentless, spirited thrusts were too much for one ape,
who screamed and bellowed until he had to be escorted out. The ape was likely deranged and upset that Biden and his team had so clearly anticipated the Reepo disruptions, and that the president was ready with timely retorts.
During the address, the MAGA clown Marjorie Taylor Greene also reprised her role from last year as one of Biden’s loudest hecklers. Prior to last night's clowning performance she handed Biden a pin with the name of Laken Riley, who was allegedly murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant last month.
In response, Biden held up the pin and departed from his prepared remarks. He said Riley had been “killed by an illegal,” but added “how many of thousands of people are being killed by legals?”
He offered his condolences to Riley’s parents and then noted the bipartisan border bill would have provided more funds for processing migrants’ asylum claims more quickly. Reducing the time lag from 6 years to 6 months and thence making the desperate migrants' vulnerability to smugglers less likely, especially paying the brigands $8,000 each.
Biden also reminded young voters why their rights to their own bodies - bodily autonomy - are on the line in this election, saying:
"Those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and we won in 2022, and 2023. And we’ll win again in 2024.”
This is given the Trump MAGA GOP is not only after restricting abortion but now planning to go after contraception as well- as pointed out by former Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill the night before last on ALL In. Would young voters really be so picky about Biden's age or other distracting issues (Gaza, student loans, catering to their 'needs' etc.) that they'd surrender core rights to Trump and his MAGA minions? Highlighting Biden's point, we saw two women seated near the first lady in the center of the ongoing battle: Kate Cox, mother of 2 fought a legal battle after being denied an abortion in Texas despite her health being at risk, and Latorya Beasley – whose embryo transfer was canceled thanks to the Alabama personhood, anti-IVF ruling.
As Biden asked: "What freedom else would you take away?"
But what I'd put to any skeptical voters, especially independents and the young is:
"What freedoms would you LET Trump and the GOP take away?"
Because if you allow misgivings about Biden to dictate your choice in November, or worse, a non-choice, you could be looking at a massive retrenchment of rights and not only to do with reproductive health.
Biden's most resounding words near the end e.g.
“My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.”
were a reminder of what he represents in contrast to the deranged orange cretin who wants to get back into power but still doesn't believe he was defeated the last time. So much so he attempted to overthrow the then elected government with a blatant insurrection,
Why The Insurrection Of January 6th Must Not Be Lost In The News Cycle
I grant it's true- as some pundits noted- that the expiration of the 'too old' meme might be premature. Indeed, might not have the half-life of even one month, especially if Biden can't sustain it in interviews or on the campaign trail. But I believe the secret elixir is in continued pugnacity, and it's clear Biden is into this mode of delivery, especially as he has come to realize the media isn't eliciting enough of it in its anodyne reporting of Trump - the vilest criminal president in American history.
So he needs to go with it and screw all those naysayers - like the stooges (e.g. Brit Hume) at FOX - who insisted he "over-corrected" and was too "amped up". Hey, jokers, I relish amped up when it's called for. And as Financial Times columnist Edward Luce noted, traditional etiquette doesn't go very far in a milieu in which Trump dominates news cycles and crashes norms - yet mainstream media continue to treat him as normal.
If people, voters, still aren't clear after last night's speech who the obvious choice is for president, then there isn't much more that can be said. One thing for certain: Any remaining delusionals who thought Biden would gracefully step aside for a younger candidate had those fantasies quashed last night. Hopefully, once and for all!
See Also:
by Heather Digby Parton | March 9, 2024 - 8:05am | permalink
Excerpt:
Everyone was expecting a historic train wreck of a State of the Union last night and they got it. But it wasn't the one they thought it would be. President Joe Biden's address was powerful and dynamic and no doubt put a lot of timorous Democrats' worries to rest (at least for a day or so.) It was Donald Trump's highly touted response that failed dramatically.
Biden came out swinging and knocked the Republicans so far back on their heels that they had to completely abandon the image of him they've been building since 2020 — a man so old and feeble that he can't even feed himself — and instead hilariously whimper about his loud macho aggression. They whined mightily that Biden was too "political" apparently forgetting that in his last State of the Union speech, Donald Trump bestowed the Medal of Freedom on far-right, hate radio star Rush Limbaugh calling him "a special man, beloved by millions of Americans."
Biden gave a barn burner of a speech that wasn't boring, which is highly unusual for any president but especially unusual for a president many people have been convinced has one foot in the grave. As it turned out, what actually died last night was Trump's Truth Social media platform. Trump had flamboyantly promised to do a "play-by-play" of Biden's address but the site went down for many people all over the country before Biden even reached the podium, leaving us with only these important insights:
And:
‘What the Hell Am I Watching': Republicans Torch Their Own SOTU Rebuttal (msn.com)
Excerpt:
The ritual
surrounding the annual State of the Union is never
complete until the president's opposition has presented its rebuttal -
occasionally in an embarrassing manner.
Katie Britt, the junior Republican senator from Alabama, delivered the GOP's rebuttal to President Joe Biden's address on Thursday. Her impassioned, breathless speech - delivered at times in an ASMR-esque whisper from what appeared to be her kitchen - ended up feeling more like a rejected audition tape for a supporting role on "Grey's Anatomy" than the hard-hitting political sparring favored by Biden's Republican critics
And:
Takeaways from Biden’s State of the Union address: Combative attacks on a foe with no name
And:
State of the Union Shows There's Life in the Old Boy Yet
Excerpt:
During President Joe Biden's State of the Union address Thursday night, Republican lawmakers either remained silent or boo'd the president's comments a few times, as several political experts and journalists pointed out that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) managed to remain unmoved while wearing the same "smirk" nearly the entire hour.
Biden opened his speech calling on lawmakers to back funding for Ukraine in the country's fight against Russian aggression, and the president also directly addressed US Supreme Court justices, warning them that he will continue to ensure reproductive rights for women. He also condemned the January 6 attack on the US Capitol and called for an end to political violence. Still, Johnson stayed seated.
The speaker, however, did stand and applaud Biden's recognition of the late US Rep. John Lewis' (D-GA), fight for voting rights up until his death in 2020. When the president went on to encourage lawmakers to pass the John R. Lewis Voting RIghts Advancement Act of 2023, the speaker, again, remained seated.
The Guardian reporter Hugo Lowell commented, "impressive how speaker johnson has managed to maintain the same pained expression for almost an hour."
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