“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.
I think Johnny is very lucky to have you and to have had his granddad, Earl! Last night we saw an amazing, "magnificent display" of who Joe Biden is and what he is capable of. It was a joy to watch! Onward!
You're not kidding. I felt so good throughout his speech! Like when I was riding my bicycle across the Great Plains, on my way from Seattle to Boston, whenever there was a strong tailwind.
Such an image! Good for you! I have a little reel cycling in my brain, picturing you doing what you describe. Absolutely awesome. Exhilaration for sure. And that was last night, for sure as well. Exhilaration. Go, Dark Brandon! He showed everyone who their president REALLY is!
The sense of community shown here is a great comfort, and I look forward to sharing your caring remarks with Johnny.
It’s clear we each experienced great uplift last evening, adding kindling to the sense of hope and possibility. Good for the individual, good for the soul, good for us collectively, and ultimately, good for the nation. That, of course, means it’s good for the world! Johnny reads HCR and RH going back, I’ll say, to 2018, sporadically however due to his studies. At one point we smilingly speculated that he might be one of Rob Hubbell‘s youngest readers. Thank you, all, for the meaningful, sensitive uplift.
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.
So true Peter! It looked like he had been just waiting for that moment to speak to all of us. He was quite obviously prepared to address the Republican hecklers and did so quickly and skillfully.
One of my favorites: "If any of you don't want that money in your districts, just let me know!"
Good one Joe!
He made MANY Americans proud last evening. Now onward with Biden/Harris 2024 !
I also love this comment unfortunately our governor moRon deathSatan has refused money at times. I hope and pray that one day Flawduh will become purple again and then a solid blue. And I hope it won't take too long.
I loved that he was having a good time. As many commentators noted, the Capitol was his home for most of his adult life. Even Republicans wanted to shake his hand. What a joy it was to watch him trounce the dull Republicans with his energy and intelligence!
Yes, President Biden floated like a butterfly and stung the opposition like a bee.
How did MTG get away with dressing like a campaign "manakin" for the criminal who might be going to jail before President Biden's second term is over. Biden delivered the "bird" to her and the criminal.
I also think the Speaker of the House was secretly applauding several times during President Biden's speech.
The Speaker of the House WAS clapping! I saw him. He also nodded several times. I think the Republicans walked away from that speech knowing they were in a battle in which their guy cannot compete.
Given the dementia, I'm not sure Trump is going to be running. I think the GOP will have to put up someone else. That has the potential advantage of causing the MAGA movement to fray.
Let’s hope you are right, David. As our fight for Justice continues it would be nice to get some help from natural sources showing the failing of a street fighting pugilist. It’s time for Trump’s bullshit to start fading. Let’s keep the messages we heard last night front and center.
Joe Biden smoked the Republicans and Donald Trump tonight. No contest. A man clearly in charge of the entire room unlike any other State of the Union Address I can recall. Known as weak orator, he was brilliant tonight. Billiant command of the issues of our day, and the solutions for them. Repartee with Congress members. Made us proud. Had Justice Alito been there tonight and muttered something, Biden would have likely taken him on, too. He and Clarence Thomas were afraid to show their faces. What everyone saw tonight is just how strong a candidate Biden is. Forgiver my French, Rob, but he is gonig to kick Donald Trump's butt.
Wonderful synopsis. It would be great for Joe to have a great fundraising number post-SOTU speech- for a job well done. Donate if you can.
So much was on display tonight The visual of Thomas and Alito, not being there, clearly too cowardly to show up Marjorie Taylor Green dressed like a clown seeking attention which essentially really she didn’t get. The classiness of the congresswomen in white honouring women’s rights, and the respectful handheld signs about the ceasefire. What a contrast.
We’ve had some hard weeks, but tonight feels hopeful. It feels like the starting pistol just fired and we are all in the race to save democracy!
That sea of white was beautiful, wasn’t it? The whole evening, the speech, Biden’s snark at Republicans’ objections to being called to account, all of it was so heartening. Dark Brandon was kicking butt last night!
It had not occurred to me that the sea of white was beautiful. I saw it as significant and meaningful. But you are correct. Truth is beautiful. Honesty is beautiful. Decorum is beautiful. And the women in their cream colored dresses were all that. Eliot Tucker TX
Yes! I don’t think subset would let you do it, but I would so like to put that picture of dark Brandon right here with the laser eyes. I’m feeling encouraged and pumped up and ready to go.
A quick-witted 81 year old man clearly enjoyed himself tonight while mopping the floor with Republicans who were dumb enough to challenge him. The "but his age" handwringers should just shut up.
It was a great speech. Given all the hair-brained ideas I've heard to supposedly show the country he was vibrant and energetic, one involved challenging Trump to a footrace on national TV. Biden showed his energy and strength by being himself. Forget the nonsense and even ignore the substantive contrast with Trump for a second; no one without a deep bias against him can look at these two men and say that Biden isn't physically and mentally the stronger of the two. Then you get to the fact that one is a strong champion of democracy, and the other is a champion of autocracy.
None of this changes the fight. The battle lines are clear. President Biden stood up for women by promising to codify Roe, while the GOP chose to rebut his speech with a mother sitting in her kitchen. This is the same party that just nominated a gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina that says that men are made to lead and women to follow. Mind you, this is in 2024, not 1952. Yeah, the contrast is stark. Let’s get to work.
Right on, Dean. We can be jubilant about a great speech but our charge is to keep the pushing forward with the messages we heard and expect TFG to continue to make outrageous speeches that can be tossed back in the Republicans faces.
I couldn't help but notice that the Speaker, seated behind the President, kept nodding along with most everything Biden said. Did anybody else see that?
The Speaker was in a hot seat from the first minute of the speech to the last. Watching his face was priceless. He constantly had to choose between sitting there stone faced or at least nodding cautiously when the President mentioned facts, policies and goals which he knows are supported by a majority of Americans.
That was especially obvious at the beginning of the speech when Biden talked about supporting Ukraine and standing up to Russia. In normal times this would have brought the whole audience, Dems and Reps alike, to a standing ovation. With the camera trained also on him one could practically see his mind working: how much (fake) approval can I express without getting me into trouble with Mar-a-Lago and Moscow?
Yes, Speaker Johnson was nodding and grimacing throughout. It occurred to me that we might get a call after the speech by TFG shouting at the other end of the phone “Mike, you damn fool, you were showing too much approval of President Biden’s ideas. You’re fired!”
I was just going to post the same observation. Mike Johnson may have only stood once. BUT he was nodding in a positive way to MANY of the President’s points. Those nods should be used in a few advertisements.
I did notice that throughout much of the speech, but when the President brought up January 6th, there was a good bit of eye-rolling from Johnson. He did half-heartedly clap when Biden said "you can't love your country only when you win".
Let's not allow the Vichy 4th Estate to get comfortable with their distortions. To that end I sent the following to Mssrs. Caldwell & Meyers this morning:
You expected a slow change-up, but you got a fastball right over the middle of the plate. You swung late and missed badly.
No wonder the Post has lost readers, credibility and respect. We readers are not (all) stupid, and we recognize poor journalism that distorts the truth.
Perhaps you should take a refresher course in Journalism 101: report the news, don't try to make it.The "Vichy 4th Estate" will fare poorly in a post-Trump world.
I like -“ report the news don’t try to make it.” I would add to journalists of all stripes in all media: report what just happened or has happened in the past a lot more than you “report” what is going to happen in the future. The chance that you might get it right will go way up.
expired (credit card was compromised and cancelled) and they sent me a questionnaire as to why I terminated my subscription. Did I have a good time explaining all of what you noted and more!!
Everything about this SOTU was fire. He did what he needed to do in this unprecedented time, and he lit the fire under us. In one fell swoop (speech) he just made supporting Joe easy!!! It was a Slam dunk, and I’m hearing the echo of keys jingle and the prison door slam shut in the BG as they lock away his predecessor. Music to my ears.
Jim Collins is famous for saying, "good is the enemy of great". I would like to alter the assessment of Joe Biden and say that he is emphatically and indisputably a "great" President. Not unlike Lincoln, Biden has, and with our support, will save our country twice, bringing forth "a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Against all odds and opposition within his own party he held steadfast in his insistence that unity, not division, will prevail.
Biden, last night, delivered a strong, powerful message that made Mike Johnson look like he required an emergency enema. At times, he had to look at his fellow party members to keep himself from applauding. He smirked and shook his head at the most obvious applause lines as Biden was inventorying his long list of achievements. "Look it up", Biden challenged the Republicans when they feigned to dispute the facts.
In a recent poll, Biden was rated as the #14 most effective, "best", President of the United States. Selected by 154 scholars across the nation, the results included a majority of Republicans who, despite party affiliation, ranked Biden high although significantly lower than their Democratic counterparts. I predict in not so many years Biden will roar to near the top of that list. As he should.
I eagerly looked forward to the State of the Union address and boy was I happy to see my prediction of a great display of vigor over overachieved.
I had another prediction, that the Republican response by an up and coming politician would be another Marco Rubio, Huckabee Sanders disaster. Here too my prediction was overwhelmingly right. What a scary person that was. I do not want to sit around her kitchen table.
I have never been more certain that being in the Blue team was right.
Despite all this, we need to keep the focus on winning up and down the ballot. It all starts with school board elections. The future cohort of citizens is intentionally not being educated in civics, critical thinking, media literacy and honest history because the authoritarians depend on poorly educated, easily manipulated voters.
When Biden said, “I know you can read” I immediately thought that the next generation might not if the Republicans had their way.
Thank you for raising this point about authoritarianism depends on poorly educated, manipulated voters. We have been undermining public education for decades and this is the result. It's a dumbing down of the population. And as to your last pint: a lot of students today cannot read cursive script - which is why they almost all print. It's a major step on the way!
Imagine not being able to read and marvel at the visual majesty and poetry of the original versions of the country's founding documents.
I recently had a discussion about not learning cursive script in schools these days with my niece. She is the mother of twin boy fifth graders who are above average students (brag! brag!) at an academically challenging school in VA. One of them struggled to read a message that I had written to him - in my admittedly now scratchy script. His brother had to translate for him. She said that they had a cursive block in third grade and that after that it's up to each student to use it or not. They each do occasionally, mostly for their initials and signatures.
I gave each of them a calligraphy set for their birthdays. I think that they will take it up because they appreciate the artistry of it and have positive influences from the adults in their lives. Hard to know about their classmates and peers. I suspect that in the not-too-distant future it may be taught as a foreign language.
Our writing is one of three ways we are unique human beings (DNA being another) and children who are never taught to write in cursive and then allowed to develop their own "style" of it are being cheated out of one of their essential ways of being themselves. Just my two cents. It is sad that these children will never be able to read the words of our founders.
Thank you for the Like. I was just remembering that I started learning cursive in the first grade - endless copybooks of loops and strokes. By third grade we were expected to do everything except arithmetic using a fountain pen. Think of 8-year-olds carrying bottles of ink to school. We considered the arrival of cartridge pens to be heaven sent, and even they were pretty messy sometimes. My husband talks of the challenge of learning cursive for a left-hander.
Years later in the mid-60's, when I was in junior high, girls and boys were split for one class period a week - girls took Home Economics and boys took Drafting and Automotives. I requested to take the D and A block instead of Home Ec., telling the principal that I knew how to cook, sew and iron. I wanted to learn how to print and draw plans properly - my father had already taught me how to look under a hood and to change a tire. Of course, as kind as our principal was, there was no way that they would allow that. I still struggle to print legibly and to draw a straight line.
Okay, I'm old. But, like Biden, I prefer to see it as a feature rather than flaw.
I once interviewed a Nobel prize winning scientist. It was for a recollection of high school. What was the most important class, I asked? “Shop,” he answered. “The science I did myself. “
The Republicans got the "damned good whacking" they've needed for a long time, tonight. Hopefully by mid-summer their asses will have been whacked to the point where they can't even sit down on a pile of pillows for the rest of the campaign.
Go Joe!
And hopefully the Professional Pearl Clutcher's Caucus in the Democratic Party will finally STFU and go back to being the irrelevant idiots they've been for the past hundred years.
It is definitely time to STFU and get down to doubling down on messaging, voter registration (thank you Taylor Swift), and getting out the vote. P. S. Sure, there are others beside Taylor who are working to register folks, but she should give the younger voters a boost.
“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.
This line resonates with me too…and yes, “We are all created equal “ regardless of the color of our skin!
I think Johnny is very lucky to have you and to have had his granddad, Earl! Last night we saw an amazing, "magnificent display" of who Joe Biden is and what he is capable of. It was a joy to watch! Onward!
You're not kidding. I felt so good throughout his speech! Like when I was riding my bicycle across the Great Plains, on my way from Seattle to Boston, whenever there was a strong tailwind.
Such an image! Good for you! I have a little reel cycling in my brain, picturing you doing what you describe. Absolutely awesome. Exhilaration for sure. And that was last night, for sure as well. Exhilaration. Go, Dark Brandon! He showed everyone who their president REALLY is!
Katherine that was a moving and lovely statement. I'm sorry Earl is gone, but I'm glad he set such a great example.
The sense of community shown here is a great comfort, and I look forward to sharing your caring remarks with Johnny.
It’s clear we each experienced great uplift last evening, adding kindling to the sense of hope and possibility. Good for the individual, good for the soul, good for us collectively, and ultimately, good for the nation. That, of course, means it’s good for the world! Johnny reads HCR and RH going back, I’ll say, to 2018, sporadically however due to his studies. At one point we smilingly speculated that he might be one of Rob Hubbell‘s youngest readers. Thank you, all, for the meaningful, sensitive uplift.
Amen!
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.
So true Peter! It looked like he had been just waiting for that moment to speak to all of us. He was quite obviously prepared to address the Republican hecklers and did so quickly and skillfully.
One of my favorites: "If any of you don't want that money in your districts, just let me know!"
Good one Joe!
He made MANY Americans proud last evening. Now onward with Biden/Harris 2024 !
I also love this comment unfortunately our governor moRon deathSatan has refused money at times. I hope and pray that one day Flawduh will become purple again and then a solid blue. And I hope it won't take too long.
I thought that comment was great.
Throughout the speech I kept saying, give em hell Joe! He did. At last.
He is thriving as President and up to all challenges. As a result, the country is thriving because of him. We are lucky to have him!
Well said Bruce Clement.
I loved that he was having a good time. As many commentators noted, the Capitol was his home for most of his adult life. Even Republicans wanted to shake his hand. What a joy it was to watch him trounce the dull Republicans with his energy and intelligence!
Yes, President Biden floated like a butterfly and stung the opposition like a bee.
How did MTG get away with dressing like a campaign "manakin" for the criminal who might be going to jail before President Biden's second term is over. Biden delivered the "bird" to her and the criminal.
I also think the Speaker of the House was secretly applauding several times during President Biden's speech.
The Speaker of the House WAS clapping! I saw him. He also nodded several times. I think the Republicans walked away from that speech knowing they were in a battle in which their guy cannot compete.
Agreed. They have to be worried now.
Compare last night's SOTU speech to the talk the criminal gave on Super Tuesday—home run for President Biden.
He hit the ball out of the park!!!
Given the dementia, I'm not sure Trump is going to be running. I think the GOP will have to put up someone else. That has the potential advantage of causing the MAGA movement to fray.
Let’s hope you are right, David. As our fight for Justice continues it would be nice to get some help from natural sources showing the failing of a street fighting pugilist. It’s time for Trump’s bullshit to start fading. Let’s keep the messages we heard last night front and center.
I agree. That was a wonderful speech--put me in the best mood I've been in in a long time! Such a great message and delivery!
Pulled me out of some serious doldrums. We all needed that and Joe delivered!!
Me too, David.
Joe Biden smoked the Republicans and Donald Trump tonight. No contest. A man clearly in charge of the entire room unlike any other State of the Union Address I can recall. Known as weak orator, he was brilliant tonight. Billiant command of the issues of our day, and the solutions for them. Repartee with Congress members. Made us proud. Had Justice Alito been there tonight and muttered something, Biden would have likely taken him on, too. He and Clarence Thomas were afraid to show their faces. What everyone saw tonight is just how strong a candidate Biden is. Forgiver my French, Rob, but he is gonig to kick Donald Trump's butt.
As Simon Rosenberg said tonight, before the SOTU was finished, "The President is Kicking ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Wonderful synopsis. It would be great for Joe to have a great fundraising number post-SOTU speech- for a job well done. Donate if you can.
So much was on display tonight The visual of Thomas and Alito, not being there, clearly too cowardly to show up Marjorie Taylor Green dressed like a clown seeking attention which essentially really she didn’t get. The classiness of the congresswomen in white honouring women’s rights, and the respectful handheld signs about the ceasefire. What a contrast.
We’ve had some hard weeks, but tonight feels hopeful. It feels like the starting pistol just fired and we are all in the race to save democracy!
President Biden’s reaction to 🤡MTG…priceless !
That sea of white was beautiful, wasn’t it? The whole evening, the speech, Biden’s snark at Republicans’ objections to being called to account, all of it was so heartening. Dark Brandon was kicking butt last night!
It had not occurred to me that the sea of white was beautiful. I saw it as significant and meaningful. But you are correct. Truth is beautiful. Honesty is beautiful. Decorum is beautiful. And the women in their cream colored dresses were all that. Eliot Tucker TX
Yes! I don’t think subset would let you do it, but I would so like to put that picture of dark Brandon right here with the laser eyes. I’m feeling encouraged and pumped up and ready to go.
I needed to hear from Biden tonight. His speech gave me so much hope, and I was so proud of all he said. What a State of the Union speech!
I noticed all the white but the significance went right over my head - thanks for pointing it out!
A quick-witted 81 year old man clearly enjoyed himself tonight while mopping the floor with Republicans who were dumb enough to challenge him. The "but his age" handwringers should just shut up.
I liked that he pointed out that early on in his career he was told he was too young!!
As a Delawarean I remember that well. Our Joe has shown them all.
Yes, yes, yes! Great analysis Robert. I love the comment that’s it’s not the age of the person but the age of the ideas.
This is no ordinary time and your news letter has been extraordinary! Thanks Robert!
NYT BREAKING NEWS, shortages of humble pie reported nationally.
I cinfess I enoyed writing it.
🤣🤣🤣 best laugh of my morning. Thank you!
It was a great speech. Given all the hair-brained ideas I've heard to supposedly show the country he was vibrant and energetic, one involved challenging Trump to a footrace on national TV. Biden showed his energy and strength by being himself. Forget the nonsense and even ignore the substantive contrast with Trump for a second; no one without a deep bias against him can look at these two men and say that Biden isn't physically and mentally the stronger of the two. Then you get to the fact that one is a strong champion of democracy, and the other is a champion of autocracy.
None of this changes the fight. The battle lines are clear. President Biden stood up for women by promising to codify Roe, while the GOP chose to rebut his speech with a mother sitting in her kitchen. This is the same party that just nominated a gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina that says that men are made to lead and women to follow. Mind you, this is in 2024, not 1952. Yeah, the contrast is stark. Let’s get to work.
NC resident here - we have to defeat that guy!
realmarkrobinson.com
www.huffpost.com/entry/north-carolina-gop-mark-robinson-women-vote_n_65e7d899e4b0f9d26cacc002?
NC resident here as well. We HAVE TO DEFEAT that total embarrassment!
Right on, Dean. We can be jubilant about a great speech but our charge is to keep the pushing forward with the messages we heard and expect TFG to continue to make outrageous speeches that can be tossed back in the Republicans faces.
Amen!
I like it when President Biden goes out on the town and has fun for a change. ;)
Stone cold truth with a gleam in its eye, served up by a seasoned expert. Thank you JRB, and see you in November.
I couldn't help but notice that the Speaker, seated behind the President, kept nodding along with most everything Biden said. Did anybody else see that?
The Speaker was in a hot seat from the first minute of the speech to the last. Watching his face was priceless. He constantly had to choose between sitting there stone faced or at least nodding cautiously when the President mentioned facts, policies and goals which he knows are supported by a majority of Americans.
That was especially obvious at the beginning of the speech when Biden talked about supporting Ukraine and standing up to Russia. In normal times this would have brought the whole audience, Dems and Reps alike, to a standing ovation. With the camera trained also on him one could practically see his mind working: how much (fake) approval can I express without getting me into trouble with Mar-a-Lago and Moscow?
The only time Johnson showed any class at all was when he stood after Biden demanded Congress pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill.
As he damn well should! Now, he needs to bring it to a floor vote. Not holding my breath….
He shook his head no a lot too, and had lots of snarky smiles.
Yes, Speaker Johnson was nodding and grimacing throughout. It occurred to me that we might get a call after the speech by TFG shouting at the other end of the phone “Mike, you damn fool, you were showing too much approval of President Biden’s ideas. You’re fired!”
I was just going to post the same observation. Mike Johnson may have only stood once. BUT he was nodding in a positive way to MANY of the President’s points. Those nods should be used in a few advertisements.
Thanks, Steven; and yes, campaign ads!
Yes and I imagined him thinking “ what have I done by supporting Trump.
Yes, Lynell, and he was APPLAUDING under the table! AND it was caught on camera!
Where can I se such images. The WH version didn’t even show MJs whole face.
I watched it on MSNBC. I would try You Tube. It happened several times, but I don't know if they caught one of those times!
Ooh, I missed that under-the-table clapping. Sweet!
Indeed we did. And applauding under the desk. He will probably "hear about" that. Bless his heart :)
Love your comment, Jane!
I did notice that throughout much of the speech, but when the President brought up January 6th, there was a good bit of eye-rolling from Johnson. He did half-heartedly clap when Biden said "you can't love your country only when you win".
Yes, I did!!
Let's not allow the Vichy 4th Estate to get comfortable with their distortions. To that end I sent the following to Mssrs. Caldwell & Meyers this morning:
You expected a slow change-up, but you got a fastball right over the middle of the plate. You swung late and missed badly.
No wonder the Post has lost readers, credibility and respect. We readers are not (all) stupid, and we recognize poor journalism that distorts the truth.
Perhaps you should take a refresher course in Journalism 101: report the news, don't try to make it.The "Vichy 4th Estate" will fare poorly in a post-Trump world.
Yours-
I like -“ report the news don’t try to make it.” I would add to journalists of all stripes in all media: report what just happened or has happened in the past a lot more than you “report” what is going to happen in the future. The chance that you might get it right will go way up.
Funny—my WAPO account
expired (credit card was compromised and cancelled) and they sent me a questionnaire as to why I terminated my subscription. Did I have a good time explaining all of what you noted and more!!
Everything about this SOTU was fire. He did what he needed to do in this unprecedented time, and he lit the fire under us. In one fell swoop (speech) he just made supporting Joe easy!!! It was a Slam dunk, and I’m hearing the echo of keys jingle and the prison door slam shut in the BG as they lock away his predecessor. Music to my ears.
Many thanks, Elisa. Supporting Joe has been easy for a long time!
Jim Collins is famous for saying, "good is the enemy of great". I would like to alter the assessment of Joe Biden and say that he is emphatically and indisputably a "great" President. Not unlike Lincoln, Biden has, and with our support, will save our country twice, bringing forth "a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
Against all odds and opposition within his own party he held steadfast in his insistence that unity, not division, will prevail.
Biden, last night, delivered a strong, powerful message that made Mike Johnson look like he required an emergency enema. At times, he had to look at his fellow party members to keep himself from applauding. He smirked and shook his head at the most obvious applause lines as Biden was inventorying his long list of achievements. "Look it up", Biden challenged the Republicans when they feigned to dispute the facts.
In a recent poll, Biden was rated as the #14 most effective, "best", President of the United States. Selected by 154 scholars across the nation, the results included a majority of Republicans who, despite party affiliation, ranked Biden high although significantly lower than their Democratic counterparts. I predict in not so many years Biden will roar to near the top of that list. As he should.
I eagerly looked forward to the State of the Union address and boy was I happy to see my prediction of a great display of vigor over overachieved.
I had another prediction, that the Republican response by an up and coming politician would be another Marco Rubio, Huckabee Sanders disaster. Here too my prediction was overwhelmingly right. What a scary person that was. I do not want to sit around her kitchen table.
I have never been more certain that being in the Blue team was right.
Despite all this, we need to keep the focus on winning up and down the ballot. It all starts with school board elections. The future cohort of citizens is intentionally not being educated in civics, critical thinking, media literacy and honest history because the authoritarians depend on poorly educated, easily manipulated voters.
When Biden said, “I know you can read” I immediately thought that the next generation might not if the Republicans had their way.
Thank you for raising this point about authoritarianism depends on poorly educated, manipulated voters. We have been undermining public education for decades and this is the result. It's a dumbing down of the population. And as to your last pint: a lot of students today cannot read cursive script - which is why they almost all print. It's a major step on the way!
Regarding learning cursive script -
Imagine not being able to read and marvel at the visual majesty and poetry of the original versions of the country's founding documents.
I recently had a discussion about not learning cursive script in schools these days with my niece. She is the mother of twin boy fifth graders who are above average students (brag! brag!) at an academically challenging school in VA. One of them struggled to read a message that I had written to him - in my admittedly now scratchy script. His brother had to translate for him. She said that they had a cursive block in third grade and that after that it's up to each student to use it or not. They each do occasionally, mostly for their initials and signatures.
I gave each of them a calligraphy set for their birthdays. I think that they will take it up because they appreciate the artistry of it and have positive influences from the adults in their lives. Hard to know about their classmates and peers. I suspect that in the not-too-distant future it may be taught as a foreign language.
Our writing is one of three ways we are unique human beings (DNA being another) and children who are never taught to write in cursive and then allowed to develop their own "style" of it are being cheated out of one of their essential ways of being themselves. Just my two cents. It is sad that these children will never be able to read the words of our founders.
Thank you for the Like. I was just remembering that I started learning cursive in the first grade - endless copybooks of loops and strokes. By third grade we were expected to do everything except arithmetic using a fountain pen. Think of 8-year-olds carrying bottles of ink to school. We considered the arrival of cartridge pens to be heaven sent, and even they were pretty messy sometimes. My husband talks of the challenge of learning cursive for a left-hander.
Years later in the mid-60's, when I was in junior high, girls and boys were split for one class period a week - girls took Home Economics and boys took Drafting and Automotives. I requested to take the D and A block instead of Home Ec., telling the principal that I knew how to cook, sew and iron. I wanted to learn how to print and draw plans properly - my father had already taught me how to look under a hood and to change a tire. Of course, as kind as our principal was, there was no way that they would allow that. I still struggle to print legibly and to draw a straight line.
Okay, I'm old. But, like Biden, I prefer to see it as a feature rather than flaw.
I once interviewed a Nobel prize winning scientist. It was for a recollection of high school. What was the most important class, I asked? “Shop,” he answered. “The science I did myself. “
Yes Robert, "We need only to keep it up in the face of disinformation and a hostile press. We can do that."
WE CAN DO THAT!
The Republicans got the "damned good whacking" they've needed for a long time, tonight. Hopefully by mid-summer their asses will have been whacked to the point where they can't even sit down on a pile of pillows for the rest of the campaign.
Go Joe!
And hopefully the Professional Pearl Clutcher's Caucus in the Democratic Party will finally STFU and go back to being the irrelevant idiots they've been for the past hundred years.
It is definitely time to STFU and get down to doubling down on messaging, voter registration (thank you Taylor Swift), and getting out the vote. P. S. Sure, there are others beside Taylor who are working to register folks, but she should give the younger voters a boost.