“No ordinary moment.”
March 8, 2024
On Thursday evening, President Biden delivered an address to Congress prescribed by Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution: The president “shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
Republicans and cable news pundits had claimed that Joe Biden would prove to be a doddering old man incapable of making it up the stairs to the podium— much less delivering a coherent speech.
Boy, were they wrong!
President Biden gave a muscular speech that directly challenged Trump, MAGA extremism, the denial of reproductive liberty to women, tax cuts for millionaires, and efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare. He challenged Republicans to stand up for Ukraine and condemn the insurrectionists of January 6.
He touted the amazing economic record of the Biden administration. He called for legislation to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. He announced the construction of a pier on the Gaza coast to deliver emergency aid and called for a two-state solution for Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.
In a series of early power punches, he said,
We will not bow down to Putin. I will not bow down to Putin.
My predecessor and some of you here seek to bury the truth about January 6th. I will not do that. This is a moment to speak the truth and to bury the lies. Here's the simple truth. You can't love your country only when you win.
President Biden repeatedly challenged Republican members when they hooted and booed, telling them “Look it up,” “I know you know how to read,” and turning their jeers around on them. One exchange was as follows:
Biden: “Oh, yall don’t want another $2 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy?”
Republicans: “NO.”
Biden: “Oh, I kinda thought that’s what your plan was. That’s good to hear.”
It was a masterful, spontaneous takedown of the entire Republican caucus. He did it three times. Next time, the GOP will learn to keep their mouths shut.
Biden launched a broadside against the Supreme Court over the Dobbs decision. Biden directed his gaze to the assembled justices and said,
In its decision to overturn Roe v. Wade the Supreme Court majority wrote “Women are not without electoral or political power.” . . . Clearly those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women in America.
But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot and won in 2022, 2023, and they will find out again in 2024. If Americans send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you: I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.
He closed his speech by addressing his age, saying,
I know I may not look like it but I’ve been around a while. My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That's not me.
Biden then reviewed his long career in politics, from his service as a public defender, county counsel, Senator, Vice President, and President. He pivoted from physical age to the age of ideas being proposed by the respective candidates:
It’s not how old you are, it’s how old are your ideas. Hate anger retribution are the oldest of ideas, but you can't lead America with ancient ideas. I see a future where we restore freedoms and not take them away.
Biden concluded by saying, “We are all created equal. We have never fully lived up to that ideal, but we have never walked away.”
In truth, the speech felt more like a campaign rally than a State of the Union address because of the enthusiasm demonstrated by Democrats and the (mostly) sullen silence by Republicans.
A reliable indicator of the strength of Biden’s speech was the counter-intuitive reaction of Republicans. After claiming nonstop that Biden was old and feeble, the most common reaction to Biden’s speech was that “He was talking too loud and too fast.” Hmm. . . so Biden was too energetic for the GOP’s taste? Republicans were hoping for the mythical Sleepy Joe but got Dark Brandon.
Yes, Biden stumbled over some words and spoke quickly at times—both of which are likely part of his efforts to compensate for his stutter. Biden is not a naturally great orator, but he is a good communicator. Abraham Lincoln’s voice has been described as “high-pitched and reedy,” and sometimes “unpleasant.” Yet, Lincoln delivered the two greatest speeches in American history.
We will need additional time to assess the historical significance of the speech, but my initial reaction is that it will be counted as a great speech. At a time when Trump is consistently underperforming in primaries, Joe Biden overperformed on Thursday night. Biden not only overperformed expectations, he overperformed most of his predecessors over the last seventy years (when State of Union addresses were first televised).
I hope that Biden’s extraordinary speech on Thursday will put to rest nagging reservations many of you harbor (or have expressed). Do not believe the lies being spread by the Republican disinformation complex.
Joe Biden is a good president with an exceptional track record of legislative achievement. He is a good and decent man who is plainly up to the task of a second term.
Messaging points for your consideration.
In the last two newsletters, I have listed information in a columnar format or with short summaries. To my surprise, I received numerous requests to “do more of that” so readers can easily “cut-and-paste” the information to other platforms. I will attempt to do so. Below is my first effort to create digestible, shareable information snippets to help with messaging.
Washington Post’s headline from Thursday morning did not age well.
Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer wrote a “pre-analysis” of the State of the Union address under the headline, Biden’s SOTU challenge: Old-man vibes. This article is available to all and you can express your feelings to the reporters by sending emails to the journalists at leighann.caldwell@washpost.com and theodoric.meyer@washpost.com. If you do write, please be respectful, be brief, and say the most important point first.
Press ignoring Donald Trump's obvious mental deterioration.
From Salon: Dr. John Gartner: The world is watching "a fundamental breakdown in Trump’s ability to use language". (“It has become undeniably clear and obvious to any reasonable person that Donald Trump is experiencing increasing challenges with his speech, language, and memory during these last few weeks and months.”)
Four recent polls have received almost no attention from major media outlets. I cite them below. only to show that the prevailing narrative that “Biden is trailing” is wrong. It will be a close race, no doubt. But Biden can win. Per Simon Rosenberg, four recent polls show the following (Biden’s numbers appear in bold):
47-44 Biden +3 | KFF (7-point Biden gain since last poll)
51-49 Biden + 2 | Emerson (3-point Biden gain)
44-43 Biden +1 | Morning Consult (5-point Biden gain)
43-42 Biden + 1 | TIPP (3-point Biden gain)
Improving trends for Biden in Emmerson College polling.
Summary of Emmerson College polling over time
08/17/23 - Tied
08/26/23 - Trump +2
09/18/23 - Tied
10/17/23 - Trump +2
11/20/23 - Trump +4
12/06/23 - Trump +4
01/29/24 - Trump +1
02/14/24 - Trump +1
03/07/24 - Biden +2
Seth Meyers reads out Trump’s entire rap sheet in breathless opening monologue | The Independent. The embedded video in the article is a superb recitation of Trump's criminal conduct, corruption, and just plain craziness. You may have to disable your ad blocker to watch.
NYTimes Editorial: Trump’s Conquest of the Republican Party Matters to Every American. In an editorial that bemoaned Trump's takeover of the Republican Party, the Times’s Editorial Board buried the lead. Halfway through the article, it dropped this gem:
After Mr. Trump incited the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, some party leaders, especially in Congress, suggested that they were ready to break with him.
Note well: The Editors of the NYTimes assert that “Trump incited the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.”
Opportunity for reader engagement.
Airlift event on Reproductive Freedom in 2024.
Please join Airlift’s Live from the Frontlines program on March 12, “Winning Reproductive Freedom State by State.” Aisha Mills of National Institute for Reproductive Health and its Action Fund will speak about the crucial issue of abortion in 2024’s elections, and what we can do about it. Aisha is a nationally renowned public affairs strategist with more than two decades of experience with federal policy, non-profit leadership, and advocacy for reproductive freedom.
Aisha will be joined by leaders from Airlift Partner Group Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA). An abortion initiative is headed toward Arizona’s ballot in November, and LUCHA will be putting the issue front and center in their massive million-knock organizing and turnout campaign. With more than a decade of extraordinary victories under their belt, LUCHA’s efforts will be key up and down the ballot, including flipping both state legislature chambers blue to further secure reproductive freedom in Arizona.
Register here for “Winning Reproductive Freedom State by State, March 12, 5:00 PT / 8:00 ET. Although this is a fundraiser for LUCHA, you need not make a donation.
Sister District fundraiser for grassroots organizations in Arizona and Pennsylvania
Please join Sister District Project on Thursday March 13 at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern for a virtual fundraiser for grassroots organizations in Arizona and Pennsylvania. We will be hearing from representatives from
LUCHA - Living United for Change in Arizona
RAZA - Rural Arizona Action
Pennsylvania Stands Up
Pennsylvania United
These organizations work throughout the year in their regions to connect with voters on issues of local and national importance. Arizona and Pennsylvania are both crucial swing states in the upcoming elections. Note that while this is a fundraising event, donations are not required to register or attend.
Sister District organizes to win elections and build progressive infrastructure to create enduring power in state legislatures. States matter more than ever in fighting for representative democracy, abortion rights, environmental protections, and in implementing common sense gun laws. In 2024, with most eyes focused on the national election, the importance of engaging voters up and down the ballot has become all the more critical. Volunteers across the country can help by phonebanking, texting, canvassing, and fundraising. You can find out about volunteering opportunities where you live here.
Click this link to sign up for March 13 Sister District event for grassroots organizations in Arizona and Pennsylvania
Concluding Thoughts
President Biden began his State of the Union by drawing a parallel to the address by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941. Biden said,
In January 1941, Franklin Roosevelt came to this chamber to speak to the nation, and he said, “I address you in a moment, unprecedented in the history of the union.”
Hitler was on the march. War was raging in Europe. President Roosevelt’s purpose was to wake up Congress and alert the American people that this was no ordinary time. Freedom and democracy were under assault in the world.
Biden then stated his purpose in addressing Congress:
[M]y purpose tonight is to wake up the Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment either.
Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.
Biden is a man who speaks the truth in plain words. On Thursday evening, he distilled the essence of the challenge we face: This is no ordinary moment. Therefore, we are called to do extraordinary things to defend democracy.
The good news is that millions of Americans have been doing extraordinary things as grassroots volunteers for the last seven years (and longer). We need only to keep it up in the face of disinformation and a hostile press. We can do that.
Tonight feels like the right time for the reminder that “We have every reason to be hopeful, but no reason to be complacent.”
Talk to you tomorrow!
“We are all created equal. We have never fully lived up to that ideal, but we have never walked away.”
When in dialogue with my beloved grandson, of voting age in less than a month, I’ll let him know that this line stood out to me among many others during President Biden’s vibrant, significant speech tonight. Johnny muses over Earl’s living in America as a Black man, and how he moved in society with intelligent grace and integrity … I think my husband Earl would’ve loved this line, so it’s up to me to point that out to Johnny. Earl passed a year ago… Johnny’s beloved grandfather. Earl told me that growing up in Louisiana, he never dreamed he’d see segregation fall away and society move in the directions it has.
Yes, it’s a memorable line:
“We are all created equal. We have never fully lived up to that ideal, but we have never walked away.”
We have never walked away. Amen.
Robert, your nightly Editions always inform, prod, inspire, exhort and motivate with practical opportunities. I both read and listen, and the energy with which you recorded your message tonight is exceedingly special. Tonight was exceedingly special, for President Biden, First Lady Jill, and for our nation. What a magnificent display. Thank you.
That he did! All night long. Floated like a butterfly, stung like as bee. He was having a good time from the moment the camera pool showed him getting in the Beast to the last hand he shook after lingering in the House chamber having a good time with old and nee friends.