Posted on 02/08/2023 8:41:36 PM PST by lasereye
A newish president of the United States takes the rostrum of the House of Representatives to give his second State of the Union address. Fair or not, many Americans harbor doubts about the validity of his election, and most seriously, his mettle for the job.
His country is at war, although it doesn't exactly look like wars past, and it is halfway around the planet. The war is popular, but only so much, with no clear endgame and no pretty way to spin the demonization of the war's domestic opponents. The economy is sort of fine, though maybe really not, and all of this after a shocking start to a new decade.
But who cares about George W. Bush?
Or as perhaps more succinctly put by Pyotr Stolypin, a pre-Bolshevik prime minister of Russia, in a remark attributed to him: In a year, everything in the country changes; in a century, nothing changes.
President Joe Biden gave a lively and successful State of the Union address on Tuesday night. He reportedly won out over the weekend at Camp David against his more hardline advisors, who counseled a more partisan speech. Though why he needs to debate his own advisors is never all that clear.
Biden slyly attempted to eat Trumpist Republicans' brunch by co-opting many planks favored by "economic nationalists" (I say let the man co-opt).
The president:
Buy American has been the law of the land since 1933. But for too long, past administrations have found ways to get around it. Not anymore. Tonight, I’m also announcing new standards to require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America. American-made lumber, glass, drywall, fiber optic cables. And on my watch, American roads, American bridges, and American highways will be made with American products. My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. Amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind or treated like they’re invisible. Maybe that’s you, watching at home.
Biden also got bipartisan standing applause for hammering the unearned decadences of many Silicon Valley technology firms. At times, Biden exhibited the (Bill) Clintonian charisma of making his opponents in the room look smaller than him. But this is not 1996. And besides his presidential number, President Biden is not forty-six. His claim, demanded of him by administration dogma, that (paraphrasing now, but only so much) don't worry guys, America will only need oil for ten more years drew righteous gallery snickers. Even more earned: the Republican laughter.
When seeming healthy and staying on point, Biden can bestride Washington like a statesman who has outlived most of his rivals. Because he has.
Biden engenders what can be called "controlled jealousy" from everyone besides Barack Obama. Because in many senses, he just isn't most of the people's peer. He is far too old. It is all theoretically this weird strength, one that was ignored by many a Republican strategist during Biden's final comeback in 2019. It is all great except, that is, except the reality, most nights anyway, of the unloving vicissitude of time.
And Biden is a hard eighty. Teetotal, sure, but with decades of that backbreaking Amtrak commute, the fickle public glare, whatever on Earth is going on with his money, and Russian novel style tragedy in his personal life.
Biden's reputation—the man, not the head of his party—suffers from a pincer motion of Republican overconfidence and Democratic Ivy League arrogance. It shocks when he survives and occasionally delivers. But that is what he has been doing for fifty years. And that is what went down Tuesday night.
Most broad-minded conservative observers remarked to me that Biden may well be on his way to reelection. So was George W. Bush in that spring twenty years ago this year, as Washington prepared to drop bombs over Baghdad. Biden said "balloon" far less (that is, not at all) than the 43rd president said "Saddam" two decades back.
Of course, the confidence of this saw—Biden can't win (2019), Biden didn't win (2020), and on (now Biden is invincible)—belies the reality of the practitioner of this craft: Joe Biden is good at politics. Better than Obama, who looks more and more every day the celebrity phenomenon we were are all obsessed with there for a second that he is.
Biden is a more "natural" politician than the one to whom he is most commonly compared—similar, oddly enough, to the dynamic between George W. Bush and his father. But dynamics can wilt. Today, the first Bush is remembered as the far better president. Biden can still mess this up. The uncompromising and escalatory social leftism of his administration is as dangerous domestically as neoconservatism was in foreign affairs.
Still, Biden does look the part. It is nice to see a president wear a Rolex again. It has been decades of bad behavior in the Oval Office on this front. Maybe it is because he is the first president not in the Boomer or Gen X contingent since the end of Nirvana. As I have written, the attempts to brand him as head of "the Biden Crime Family" is curious tactic in a country that worships The Godfather films and is desperate for anything approximating traditional authority.
All the same, normalcy and dignity are elusive for this White House. No matter how much the establishment's denizens may try, it is never going to be normal reading that it is Hunter Biden's birthday in California Playbook, like he works at a lobbying shop or whatever. But probably best not to publish the business associations of Malibu's most in-demand artist.
And Biden surely knows full well how swiftly politicians and, yes, the public, can do a shameless volte-face. Because, of course, Biden has been a master of them himself. Bush looked strong two decades ago (Biden himself praised the president). Bush looked strong when he narrowly won in 2004. And Biden was first mate on the presidential ticket that succeeded the Bush White House and condemned their record as the worst in history—as it was.
To rip from another Russian prime minister, Vladimir Lenin, “There are decades where nothing happens. And there are weeks where decades happen.”
Given the economy, the plausibility of two great power wars, and what is fair to say is Biden's own party's simmering radicalism, the president is going va banque in betting on the former scenario. "Nothing interesting will ever happen literally ever again," and certainly not on his watch, seems almost to be the refrain of this administration.
And to that I can only remark, to filch a Bidenism: Good luck, man.
DeSantis' best move would be to take a pass next year and let Trump lose. Biden will say he fixed the economy, brought back manufacturing, solved Covid and so on. The media will amplify those claims. Inflation will probably not be back to normal levels, but it will be well below the highest recent levels, and he'll claim he fixed that too. He'll use the abortion issue to his advantage and keep repeating that Trump (or any other Republican) is going to cut Medicare and Social Security. He'll blame Trump for Covid again. Forget about the laptop impacting anything.
He'll get the mushy middle of the road voters to forget about the border, suppressing oil and gas drilling (he'll be playing games with the SPR to keep gas low), massive spending bills, Afghanistan, the incompetence of appointees like Buttigieg, shortages etc. The swing voters' perception of Biden's competence will have increased considerably - especially if we have no recession or a very brief one - which seems possible.
You would have to be an ignoramus.
We won’t have a country by the time November 2024 rolls around. And if we have a country that will reelect this drooling demented meat puppet, then we really don’t have a country worth saving.
If he is allowed once again to have complete free reign on multiple networks to control the narrative without any competing message, he will indeed win again. That was one of the most aggressive and effective ad campaigns in the history of elections, and he had it all to himself on multiple media outlets nationwide, targeting the demographics most likely to vote and those that voted third party in 2016. The perception being presented uncontested was of a strong Joe Biden - patriot, man of integrity, man of accomplishment, vision for a positive future for America, he would bring a breath of fresh air, etc. There was so much material to combat this - the "hairy legs" clip that could have been its own stand alone ad, the plagiarism news clips, various other scandals, etc. But nothing. Biden had complete free reign he had in the living room campaign.
Republicans are idiots when it comes to campaigns. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
I completely agree with your assessment. Too many people are afraid of being ‘put on a list’, so they’ll remain silent.
I want to be on every list in existence.
The strategy that has the best chance in 2024 is to portray him as a pathological liar. Hammer that theme relentlessly. Run commercials showing him saying all kinds of ridiculous things and contradictory things - both on policy and his personal history.
Once you drive perceptions of his honesty way down, then you talk about how specific issues like oil and gas production, border etc., because his ability to BS his way around those things will have been reduced.
I don’t think they will use the strategy I’m suggesting. More likely they’ll bet that talking about inflation if it’s still somewhat high, and some other economy things and the border is their best bet. But he will convince the swing voters that those things are basically okay. Because they still see him as more or less honest.
I don’t think even Trump realizes how skilled Biden is at spinning. Repeating a few lines like “lyin Biden” or “crooked Biden” will not be good enough.
Secession is the only potentially peaceful way out of this madness.
we cannot fix it from the inside via the intended methods as they have been subverted and corrupted by the communists.
However, I don’t believe secession is a long term solution without Texas being involved. Water ports are a vital resource.
That could be true especially if democrats run on racism and abortion. They are tearing the country to pieces with that sh__.
I'd be interested in a weekly report, complete with historical graphs, to show all the voters the true state of the economy from the view of the consumer.
If voting were indicative of the country’s priorities, it is painfully evident that Americans arE more interested in killing babies than putting food on the table.
God help us.
Amazing how many people believe the USA has free and fair elections.
America has become Haiti but with nukes.
At least in Haiti you can have bottom up coups and revolts.
LOL.
I think they will also run on social security and Medicare which they will frame as republicans want to end it in five year as senator Scott has mentioned every chance he gets including Wednesday.
Unless the 2020 election gets fixed it doesn’t matter which Republicans runs.
Did Senator Scott say Republicans want to end them, or did he say that the Dems are lying that Republicans want to end them? I'm assuming you mean the latter.
Scott's proposal to recertify all benefit programs each year (that he suddenly floated right in the middle of last year's election) may have cost Republicans some races. Of course he wasn't talking about SS/Medicare, but it was inevitable that the Dems would say he was. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Yes, they will. That’s another one.
I’m glad I get to help kick him out of the senate during the next primary. I hope the GOP in Florida are looking for good candidates to run against this jerk.
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