Narratives Not Unity in Biden’s State of the Union

Addressing a fractured Congress for the first time, President Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union address to the assembled lawmakers and honored guests on Tuesday evening, Feb. 7. It was an opportunity for the commander-in-chief to not only tout his achievements but to set the stage for a potential Biden 2024 campaign.

Former Biden Press Secretary turned MSNBC presenter Jen Psaki set the tone for the event earlier in the day by saying, "What he needs to do is tell a story. Joe Biden is an amazing storyteller." And, for many listeners, a story was indeed what was delivered – although some critics have suggested it was of the fictional variety. Yet it was a narrative that lacked a unifying theme. Despite a confident delivery, the president failed to pull all the myriad strands together, and what remained was a haphazard collection of talking points. A horse drawn up by committee, perhaps.

Highlights and Low Points

With a  scattergun approach, the president shifted from topic to topic, presenting a laundry list of criticisms and hopes.

The Political China Syndrome: In response to the Chinese spy balloon floating over America and his administration's lax response, the president made the case that America was sending a strong message to the Chinese Communist Party and its leader. "Make no mistake: As we made clear last week, if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did," Biden said. And yet, as Liberty Nation has extensively reported, a certain level of timidity and confusion has marred what could have otherwise been an easy win for the commander-in-chief. In what appears to be an off-script moment, Biden asked the assembled crowd to "Name me a world leader who'd change places with Xi Jinping. Name me one!"

Economic Truth on the Economy: Citing a vast array of debatable statistics, the president informed the crowd that he had overseen the creation of 12 million new jobs (without noting that a significant proportion of those jobs were not technically new but rather returning after the COVID lockdowns) and that unemployment is at its lowest level for 50 years. While the president is correct that unemployment is as low as it has been since 1969, he failed to mention that it was lower on two occasions under his predecessor.

Biden was also somewhat economical with the truth regarding inflation and gas prices. In carefully-crafted sentences, he explained that "Inflation has fallen every month for the last six months, while take-home pay has gone up." Technically accurate, but it ignores the facts that inflation presently sits at 6.5%, 4% higher than when he took office, and that take-home pay is being outpaced by inflationary pressure. Regarding gas prices, the president took an arguably unearned victory lap, saying, "Here at home, gas prices are down $1.50 since their peak." The peak price came under his administration and remains well over a dollar per gallon higher than when he took office.

A Social Media Crackdown: Biden excoriated social media companies and tech giants for collecting personal data. "We must finally hold social media companies accountable … It's time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on our kids and teenagers online,” he said. The president also called for a ban on targeted advertising to kids and for "stricter limits on the personal data that companies collect on all of us." This was a rare moment of bipartisan unity in the address, received by both sides with raucous applause. If there is likely to be any cooperation between the parties over the next two years, it could well be on these issues.

A Congressional Approach to Abortion: In light of the Supreme Court ruling sending abortion laws back to the individual states, Joe Biden has been vocal in calling for a federal enshrinement of abortion access. It was a drumbeat for his party during the 2022 midterms and remains a key fundraising platform for Democrats and Republicans alike. During the State of the Union address, the president insisted: "Congress must restore the right the Supreme Court took away last year and codify Roe v. Wade to protect every woman's constitutional right to choose. The Vice President and I are doing everything we can to protect access to reproductive health care and safeguard patient privacy. But already, more than a dozen states are enforcing extreme abortion bans."

Unity, Unity, Wherefore Art Thou, Unity: "When I came to office, most everyone assumed bipartisanship was impossible. But I never believed it. That's why, a year ago, I offered a Unity Agenda for the nation. We've made real progress," the president declared. While a number of bipartisan bills have passed during the last Congress, it has been a period marked by the Democrat Trifecta and Vice President Kamala Harris wielding the deciding vote. Now that Republicans control the House of Representatives, bills will still pass, but the days of the progressive agenda appear numbered.

The Arkansas Rebuttal

Newly-minted Governor of Arkansas – and former White House Press Secretary under Donald Trump – Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivered a damning GOP rebuttal. She criticized the president for his age and his acquiescence to the more radical members of his party, saying:

"At 40, I'm the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he's the oldest president in American history.  I'm the first woman to lead my state. He's the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can't even tell you what a woman is.

“In the radical left's America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country."

Concluding, Sanders warned that the dividing line between parties was no longer that of left or right. "The choice is between normal or crazy," she said. "It is time for a new generation of Republican leadership."

Trump Responds to State of the Union Address

During the State of the Union, former-President Donald Trump provided his own running commentary on TruthSocial. From picking out data points to swift rebuttals, 45 railed against Biden taking credit for a number of Trump-era policies, as well as delivering his trademark choice vignette potshots at members on both sides of the aisle.

Despite the bevy of stingers, Trump concluded his evening with a somewhat conciliatory message laced with a soupçon of sarcasm, writing:

"Look, he worked hard tonight, it's not a natural thing for him, it never was, and never will be, but you've got to give him credit for trying. I disagree with him on most of his policies, but he put into words what he felt, and he ended up the evening far stronger than he began. Give him credit for that. Many things weren't mentioned that should have been, but that's for another time."

No Unified Theory

It was, in essence, a themeless tirade well delivered. The president hit almost every topic anticipated without presenting a unified leitmotif for his party or the ever-friendly Fourth Estate to use as an effective electoral platform for 2024. But perhaps that was the ultimate aim: to allow fluidity and avoid being strapped into a campaign that might prove unpopular with the voting public. In that, at least, the president succeeded.