[ad_1]
WASHINGTON — In this week’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden will ask questions he hopes he can answer himself. “Which side are you on?”
Are Americans on the side of Ukraine’s fight for lower health care costs, democratic freedoms, and keeping it from being swallowed up by Russia, as he describes it? Or is it on the side of drug company profits, tax breaks for the wealthy and Russia’s authoritarian leader Vladimir Putin?
The basis for the claims Biden will make Thursday night is that, in contrast to his likely Republican presidential rival, former President Donald Trump, Biden is Biden is on the right side, and voters should unite in support of Biden.
The tough choices facing the United States will be the driving theme of Biden’s third State of the Union address, advisers say. Polls show he will use the opportunity to remind voters of hard-won congressional victories that they are largely unaware of, while also pushing for more access to economic support for America’s middle class. He has promised to revise the tax law in his second term.
He will also seek to allay growing dissatisfaction within his party over the handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Mr. Biden’s failure to forge a lasting truce has split the party and sparked a grassroots movement to steal delegates from Mr. Biden at the Democratic presidential nominating convention in Chicago.
“I think it’s important to show concern about the future of Gaza,” said a Democratic lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid alienating the White House. The lawmaker said Biden needs to “express how tragic the death toll is and how he wants to protect civilian lives going forward and get a ceasefire where no one dies.” he added.
Perhaps Biden’s most urgent task is simply to reassure a skeptical public that he is up to the tough job.
All State of the Union addresses get a lot of attention, but Mr. Biden is poised to garner attention as one of the most influential speeches in decades. Traditions that once seemed ingrained in American society, such as the rule of law, limits on presidential power, and self-governance, are all likely to be at issue in the upcoming election.
Tens of millions of people will tune in, giving Biden the biggest TV audience at least until the convention in August.
“This speech has the potential to be the most important political speech of the 21st century so far,” said Donald Baer, then-President Bill Clinton’s White House chief speechwriter and communications director. Ta. “We are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s and world’s history, and this campaign certainly is.”
“For Biden to be re-elected, this could be as strong an opportunity as he has ever been,” Baer added.
By the time Biden received that famous introduction, “Mr. Mr. Chairman, President of the United States! ” Voters should have little doubt that a Biden-Trump rematch will actually happen.
The Super Tuesday primary will be held two days before Biden’s speech, and once the votes are counted, Trump is expected to win 15 races and become the outrageous front-runner for the Republican nomination.
“This will be a game-changer for ordinary people who don’t follow the daily news cycle.” [Super] Tuesday,” a Biden campaign adviser said in an interview. “On Tuesday, many Americans will pause for the first time and say in their very digests that November will be Trump vs. Biden.”
As Biden’s poll numbers slump and his re-election bid hangs in the balance, it’s a chance to gain fresh looks from voters who may be poised to oust him in favor of the former president, who is defending himself against 91 felonies. Mr. Biden has it.
A brisk performance will go a long way toward showing the 81-year-old Biden’s stamina and acumen. Similarly, if Mr. Biden stumbles on his way to the podium on the House floor, loses his place at the teleprompter and stares blankly at the screen, he is risking a viral moment that will be difficult to overcome. Masu.
Republicans will try to anger Biden if possible. Expect Republicans on the aisle to ridicule Biden’s remarks, just as they did during his 2023 speech. Republicans also plan to emphasize Biden’s advanced age by naming Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) to lead the party’s official rebuttal.
“This is a very dangerous speech, especially for a president whose footing is not so sure,” said Jeff Shesol, the paper’s deputy chief speechwriter. Clinton White House. “For many observers, the purpose of practice is to see if he stumbles. It’s not so much what he says, but how he says it.”
Biden could be saved in unscripted clashes with Republicans if he can fend off boos in real time, a feat he accomplished last year. When Republicans heckled Biden by saying they wanted to cut Social Security and Medicare, Biden treated it as an aggressive promise to protect the two entitlement programs.
“We got unanimity!” Biden said.
White House officials said Biden may revisit the exchange during his speech.
“Joe Biden went off script last year to incredible effect,” said Shesol, who played a key role in drafting Clinton’s two State of the Union addresses. “This was the most effective and consequential improvisation in the history of the State of the Union address. But I doubt his staff will encourage him to do the same again this year. The risk-reward ratio is scary. Thing.”
There is little doubt that Mr. Biden will come to the speech well-rested and prepared. He spent the weekend reviewing his speech at Camp David. So far, the only public event scheduled through Thursday is one dedicated to cracking down on “junk fees” charged by credit card companies. Even that concerns the State of the Union, and advisers say he plans to mention efforts to eliminate fees in his speech.
Biden plans to work with speech coach Michael Sheehan this week in the final stages of preparation, the people said. Mr. Sheehan also reportedly worked with Mr. Clinton and Mr. Barack Obama. During the 2020 campaign, the Biden campaign paid Sheehan’s company $149,000, according to federal campaign records.
Biden advisers say Bruce Reid, another veteran senior adviser, is conducting a review process aimed at identifying policy priorities that will be included in the speech. Mr. Reid also delivered the State of the Union address during Mr. Clinton’s tenure.
The State of the Union address is always a prime opportunity for presidents to rally public support for their policy agendas and political causes. “The era of big government is over,” Clinton memorably declared in his 1996 speech, hinting at the centrist pivot that helped him defeat Republican Bob Dole in that year’s election.
The vulnerability Biden faces is uncertainty about future policy. Some Democrats have complained that he is reluctant about what he wants to accomplish if re-elected.
“He’s made it clear what he’s done, but people don’t always hear it,” the Democrat said. “He also needs to clarify his vision for what the next four years are going to be. That’s one of the important things we have to do.”
On this front, Biden plans to use the speech to highlight his support for women’s reproductive rights and tax law changes. Naturally, First Lady Jill Biden will have an audience with Kate Cox, the Texas woman whose abortion was rejected by the state Supreme Court.
Mr. Biden served as president. Although there have been some changes to the tax code, he wants a stronger overhaul of the tax code that favors working-class families, aides said. Although it is unlikely that any meaningful legal changes will be made before the election, tax law reform could be central to the second term’s agenda. Biden often asks his audience to raise their hands if they think the tax code is fair. Hands are rarely raised.
“If you’re going to re-elect me, I’m telling you – wait for the taxes,” Biden said at a campaign rally in Nevada earlier this month.
[ad_2]
Source link
