Joe Biden had to give a forceful State of the Union speech and he did it. He isn’t a great orator, but last night’s speech was successful in content and delivery.
The visuals were significant, especially with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson looking so obviously uncomfortable sitting behind him.
Johnson will never win an award for having a poker face. He could not help exhibiting his discomfort as Biden score political point after point.
I look forward to the SNL version.
One other point — Biden did not look like a tired old man, as his critics like to portray him. He was strong, vigorous, at times contentious and full of energy. He made many of us proud to be old guys.
Whether this speech changes anything in Biden’s election prospects against Trump is another matter. Too many unknowns remain between now and November. But I do have one prediction.
While I do not think Biden can win on what are supposedly the biggest issues — the economy, immigration or crime, I do think he can win on an issue he emphasized last night, which is women’s health.
I’ll explain why in a future essay.
Hopefully, he can win also on the issue of democracy.
So it’s fair to say that the President has gotten off to a good start.
HEADLINES:
Democrats pin 2024 hopes and fears on Biden's State of the Union (Axios)
Parents of Russian-Held Evan Gershkovich Attend Biden’s State of the Union (WSJ)
Bernie Sanders’s private warning to Biden about the 2024 campaign (WP)
Biden to announce US will build port on Gaza shore for large-scale aid delivery (Guardian)
No Gaza cease-fire agreement likely before Ramadan as latest negotiations end (ABC)
Fani Willis Hit by Court Filing Alleging Multiple Conflicts of Interest (Newsweek)
In a newly unearthed video, North Carolina’s GOP nominee for governor, Mark Robinson, said he would “absolutely” return to the days in America when women were denied the right to vote “because in those days, we had people who fought for real social change, and they were called Republicans.” [HuffPost]
Trump is ordered to pay legal fees after failed lawsuit over the Steele dossier (AP)
US Supreme Court sets April 25 Trump criminal immunity argument (Reuters)
A major homelessness case will be going to the U.S. Supreme Court (AP)
Amid explosive demand, America is running out of electricity (WP)
Is journalism disappearing? These top educators have a lot to say about that (NPR)
Elon Musk is lashing out at MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos' ex, for donating billions to charities for women and minorities (Business Insider)
MH370 Disappeared a Decade Ago. Here’s What We Know Today. (NYT)
Using generative AI to improve software testing (MIT News)
The Lifeblood of the AI Boom (Atlantic)
Let AI remake the whole U.S. government (oh, and save the country) (WP)
Study Finds Humans Cannot Accurately Interpret Cat Behavior (The Onion?)
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