Joe Biden defied all expectations Thursday night. We’ll get to that in a minute. While Thursday was the State of the Union address, it was also a milestone on the way to Monday’s E. Jean Carroll Day for all who celebrate. It was the demise of Trump’s last-ditch effort to stave off the requirement that he file an appeal bond to guarantee he will pay the $83.3 million judgment in Carroll’s favor if the appeal does not go his way. Which it won’t.
President Joseph R. Biden delivered the State of the Union, tonight, and did he deliver a Barnburner!
When last did The United States of America sound so bright, so strong and so ready to defeat its enemies?
They shall go unnamed at this time, except to say that the President did refer to The Supreme Court and his predecessor.
He woke up the House, the whole House, your house and my house.
Welcome home to the best economy in the world and our Democracy that will blossom more fully with spring as it grows stronger.
Some old dudes are better with age and experience.
Thank you President Biden.
'My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.'
'Now, other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me. I was born amid World War II, when America stood for the freedom of the world.'
Old age does not sit well with the demands of the presidency, lawsuits, criminal trials, finding the money to pay for fines ... time to face reality - Trump's advanced age will cost him votes.
It isn't how old you are. It is how you face life and embrace it. Trump embraces hate, fear and death. Biden embraces love, compassion and life. I do not know how many more years I, Biden or Trump have left. But I would rather have Biden as President.
We were fortunate to have Biden and the positive aspects of his age and long experience to recover from Trump and Covid. He was not a good campaigner and hung back at the debates, but he got a big boost and somehow prevailed.
Good one Michael, evidently Cargill would rather listen to lies; well I won’t go through the atrocities Trump has done and will do. However, Our President Joe Biden, has spent those years gaining the experience that will get us through this difficult time that his predecessor created.
Old age does not sit well with any of us. Who are you going to vote for? The man spending the last years of his life fighting for freedom and democracy, or the man spending the last years of his life fighting to avoid paying his bills and trying to stay out of jail? The man who loves his family and surrounds himself with honest, competent people who work for everyone’s benefit, or the man whose 3rd wife slaps away his hand in public, the man who stiffs his lawyers, pays hush-money to escorts, lies constantly, and fires people who call him for his dishonesty? No one is perfect, but some people are just better than others. Who are you going to vote for?
I don’t know… it seems to be working pretty well just based on the last four years. What doesn’t work well with the presidency is fascism and autocracy.
You can add ignorance re age and the fact that all people are not the same as well as the discrimination that goes with it. No one walks into a job interview, volunteers their age, and has to justify their ability to do the job. That's illegal!
So why expect our POTUS who has already proven his expertise to share his and have to tolerate the illegal bigotry?
Better to have the experience age gives one than to be a stumbling block to democracy! The speech last night should’ve embarrassed Trump and his minions, but MTG apparently isn’t intelligent enough to be embarrassed! She is an embarrassment!
Clint Eastwood is 93. Is there a public outcry because he's still making movies? I've seen 77 year old Trump's campaign speeches, and he's not only dangerously unhinged but is displaying cognitive deficits that are alarming.
Brava David. Indeed, the ‘Bam’ was deserved. This troll is not ever-present and sneaks back in. Your response was helpful to others on the site who haven’t yet recognized him/her/they/it by name.
Cargill is here to implant and spread disinformation, this is exactly what Joyce pointed to in the five questions. Cargill is practicing disinformation regarding our legal system, and I respond in-depth - every time, ad nauseam. And I don’t make my lengthy responses for him because he knows for well what he’s doing or it is doing whatever the entity is: I do it for the Substack readers to understand our federal legal system is fine. SCOTUS has been corrupted. But see how devious they are?
Or win us back to democracy. It's time to stand together of fall apart.
The GOP's division and infighting should be our guide here. Unite or die. We can run a younger candidate after we win again with Biden.
Trump is 77 and rambles like my Alzheimers patients. Seriously. If Biden's age is an issue what are Trumps 91 criminal charges, lost lawsuits, tirades against democracy, support of Putin, worship of Orban, attacks against NATO, and racist rants?
Here's a hint; Trump couldn't tell the difference between his ex-wife and E. Jean Carroll. Mistook Nikki for Nancy even after repeating her name half a dozen times, need I continue?
Seems to me that old age hasn't hurt President Biden at all. He has aged well. He walks and talks a bit slower, but he is sound of mind and a true American. Are you saying those who don't vote for him because of his age will vote for the orange traitor? If that's the case, then age isn't the factor, is it?
Age won't cost him votes. Assuming that the number automatically determines ability and value could as well as the discrimination that goes with old assumptions. Who says age doesn't "sit well"?
Face reality really! So who, what MAGA, would take over for Trump should his mental state become even more apparent and his age weigh in as well?
Biden was the one we needed to begin to recover from Trump last time around and he did that exceedingly well... uniting us, going forward even under a continuing insurrection to this day. If Joe Biden cannot go on, Kamala Harris will be just fine, even great. We need the experience, the positivity and the vision Biden brings, demonstrably now, with energy.
Cargill At 90 I feel like a feisty well-aged wine. Between two somewhat younger presidential candidates, I suggest a simple ‘who is too feeble test:’ 25 sit ups on national TV. (If a candidate’s orange tummy waddles on the ground—DISQUALIFICATION.)
I'm 76 soon to be 77 and my husband is 86. We may not be running for President, but those who do not vote for him because of age probably shouldn't be voting anyway.
I was gratified, I was stunned and heartened by Biden’s speech. He showed the nation that we are in good and steady and stable hands. Thank you, Joe Biden.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you and your mom recognize how wonderful he is. It is as though he was born to do this job. He tried a few times to be nominated - he has been exactly who we have needed now. He has brought us back from near ruin internationally and domestically. 💙
I saw him nodding his head (it appeared to me that he was in reluctant agreement!) many times. Also was clapping below where the front could see him. 45 will get him for that!!
He stood up and clapped when Biden called for a two state solution in the Israel Palestine conflict. That was in opposition to Trump’s opposing a two-stage solution.
Johnson looked emasculated and inept. We have to be careful to not underestimate him-he can do far more damage to the country than he even intends to, I expect.
Johnson doesn’t know what the job of being Speaker entails.He is out of his element and because of that he will get nothing done. He has no clue about what more than half of the country thinks. Politics doesn’t work like that.
He was placed in political by the right wing Christian nationalist evangelicals. We must go Blue in the bicameral Congress (as well as re-electing Joe).
I'm certainly no fan of Speaker Johnson, but let's leave the name-calling to Trump. Johnson is in a tough position, which is not much of an excuse but it truly is not easy. He needs a lot more backbone and not be kissing Trump's ring.
That is not going to happen. Johnson has to kiss trump's ring. If he doesn't, MTG and friends will remove him from the speakership. He wants to keep his job. Like all Republicons, he is acting in his own self interest. "Little twerp" is fitting and actually a pretty mild moniker considering.
And the puppet masters, at the head of the right wing Christian nationalist evangelical movement want Mike Johnson just where he is. He is their boy.
Trump is their boy as well. He is far from being independent. The Christian nationalist evangelicals call the shots with Trump. he even calls himself “the chosen one“ on his campaign stops. I don’t know if he does his all the time. I only spontaneously listened to a couple minutes of one YouTube, and specifically heard that (I was looking for something like that after listening to Frank Schaeffer‘s excellent interview on YouTube. That’s something everyone should take the time to hear it would give you a true background of Mike Johnson, and the current Christian nationalist evangelical supported.SCOTUS).
To me the speaker looked like he had rehearsed his looks in a mirror but hadn’t rehearsed enough to master them and so was basically pretty uncomfortable knowing he was onstage but unsure how to act. I kept thinking of Nancy Pelosi who sure knew how to use her position in front of a camera that way.
Harken back to Nancy Pelosi ripping her copy of Trump’s speech in half and leaving it on the top of the desk. She could recognize a fraud when she saw one.
I've said this elsewhere though,but Britt's rebuttal speech(if you can call it one) sounded like the narrator of an ASPCA commercial with her forced pain inflected tones. Not to mention she lied up a storm. If she is the face of Republicans in Alabama, they're circling the drain.
It was bad and tacky. But not as awful as the white rabbit fur jacket/stole she wore last year. Underdressed this year and overdressed/out of place last year. She didn’t get the memo or if she did she didn’t understand it: “Real people wear fake fur.”
Sharon, our hearts are with you in Florida. It will get better. I promise. We will vote Joe Biden in again and have a Blue bicameral Congress and we will keep working from November 3 on to correct the wrongs, the nationally to our rights, and in states to correct gerrymandering. Glad to hear Biden bring that up by the way. He truly gets it.
Yes it was phenomenal Fran. As Joyce says “ we’re in this together” and only one man running for president gets that and he put the emphasis on that last night. Huzzah!
Re what Pamela said of "Rose and Fern" and a "beautiful garden": Ever since I saw your name the first time at Prof. Snyder's Substack (1+ year ago), I've always associated your name not with the plant, but with the German word, "fern" (pronounced with a short e), which means "far." Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. It wasn't until Pamela associated "Fern and Rose" with "garden" that I realized that you're named after the plant. Weird, I know. I thank Pamela for setting me straight, at long last!
Because I don't have a TV and my nights are reserved strictly for reading, I'm going to watch it later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. After reading all the comments, I'm looking forward to it!
Yeah well ... let's not get too carried away. The SOTU speech is a nice thing, but it's pretty tired I reckon. Biden has a huge hill to climb to win the election in November.
LOL ... so what are you implying here? Anyone who thinks that Joe Biden has a tough job to win in November is a dumbass, or even a class traitor?
Good grief comrade ... you have to start to connect with reality - Trump could win this thing, and one decent SOTU speech by Biden isn't going to sway one vote! Have you totally forgotten (a) the Dem loss in 2016, and (b) how squeaky close was the Dem win in 2020?
About 50% of the voting public are complete morons ... you have to deal with this.
'Fast-food giants take a tumble in brand strength'
'Brand Finance research reveals a dip in brand strength for major players including McDonald’s, KFC, Domino’s Pizza, Subway, and Burger King, with data indicating decreased scores for customer service, pricing perception, and how likely they are to recommend the restaurant to their friends and family.'
'Haidilao emerges as the world's strongest restaurant brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.8 out of 100 and one of a handful of brands across sectors to earn a rare AAA+ brand strength rating from Brand Finance.'
'Haidilao’s brand strength is likely tied to its innovative approach to the customer experience. The restaurant offers free entertainment such as manicures and board games to keep customers busy and happy during wait times, a strategy that also earned Haidilao Brand Finance’s highest score for customer service in China, the restaurant’s home market.' (BrandFinance)
'Peru’s capital city – and undoubtedly its gastronomic capital – had a tremendous showing Tuesday at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, taking the No. 1 title and earning more slots in the top 50 than any other city.'
'Four Lima restaurants made the 50 Best list: Central at No. 1, Maido at No. 6, Kjolle at No. 28 and Mayta at No. 47. Kjolle is new to the top 50 this year.' (CNN)
Nope: we haven’t forgotten that Russia interfered in 2016 and that Cambridge analytic stole 75 million Facebook accounts to put Trump in office. Rim we will remember Russia’s role in that and that’s why Trump is going to be in jail. Of course he’s not going to be elected.
Cargill -- your pessimism is way out of line tonight. Are you sure you didn't sleep through some of that strong and energetic speech that left me very proud of Biden and of being a Democrat ?
"Cargill -- your pessimism is way out of line tonight. Are you sure you didn't sleep through some of that strong and energetic speech that left me very proud of Biden and of being a Democrat?"
Good grief -are you serious? Joe Biden faces a HUGE hurdle to win in November, because of the perception (including among a good slice of Democrats) that he is too old to run again, the voter suppression evil going on in so many states, the big percentage of people who will vote for Trump no matter what, and the mainstream media rooting for a Trump victory. And lets not forget the huge bias in the Electoral College.
A strong and energetic speech in March ... means exactly what, compared to what is stacked against a Joe Biden re-election? I certainly want him to win, but I'm also certainly allowed to express my deep concerns.
The legal system has proved incapable of stopping an insurrectionist, and hopeless at defending democracy ... despite some on here having a blind faith in the federal legal system, and even Jack Smith. But sadly it's a chimera ... everything those devotees learnt in law school has tuned to dust.
Oh oh - troll alert: back spewing disinformation on our very competent legal system (in which the accused has every benefit and must be convicted in a court of law). Trump is a convicted rapist and fraudster. One indictment was to they fraud the government. He was charged with conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and impeding our government certification of votes. Disinformation Troll!!
That’s what I thought until last night. He will chew and spit out Donald good-for-nothing Trump like chewin’ tobacco gets one to spit. No shit — excuse my Italian.
Well it looks like you'll be voting for Marianne Williamson this November and that's fine. But seriously, in my old age I've seen SOTU addresses that would cure insomnia. That was on fire and on point. And the republican reponse is a glimpse of what the GOP's agenda is. I remember parts of the 50s, and believe it or not, we had more rights then than we have now. But hey like I said you are entitled to your opinion and your vote, but stop the trolling, its embarrasing.
It's a long time to the Fall campaign. It was a great speech, and will shut up this dementia crap. I was worried about that until Biden delivered the speech. He is most certainly not senile
Agreed. Anyone who can speak coherently for over an hour, keeping on track with a lengthy list of issues that have been accomplished, or must be addressed in his second term, is impressive at any age. The amount of bodily energy, as well as mental energy, expended would leave many younger people exhausted. No doubt he had adrenaline and endorphins flowing, enabling him to do a stellar job.
It was fascinating to watch the cowardly Republican Members of Congress do the bidding of their leader when he's not even in the room. They refused to applaud Biden's non-partisan pro-America statements; they w booed, heckled, and checked their phones; some even left the chamber during the speech. They disrespected President Biden, their colleagues, and America.
Historian Timothy Snyder warns us to not obey tyrants in advance. The GOP begs to differ. It's so much easier to obey, and besides, they're afraid of Trump. Don't look for leadership from the Republicans. It's all about following - and obeying - their leader.
So, let's get back to work! We MUST defeat Trump and MAGA. We must re-elect President Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot.
Heartbreaking, but the heckling was a bad look. The idea that Biden botched the withdrawal is controversial. I don't think the terrorist attack at the airport was preventable. One of the most persistent problems in that awful war was the inability to obtain intelligence on the Taliban and affiliated groups. Once the utterly wretched NY Times began spreading the claim that Biden should be blamed, the news media sprinted with it and no truth came out afterwards.
I have started sending an email directly to each author of those awful Times articles, asking the authors if the misleading titles were their own idea, if they agree with constantly down-playing the real problems with Trump, while exaggerating ‘issues with Biden’ that turn out to be nothing burgers, and if they really think that the New Times Times failing to speak up for truth and democracy will protect them if Trump is able to follow through on his plans to take over as dictator. Tell the journalists what you think of their coverage of events. They need to know.
It was Trump who "ended " the Afghanistan war. He set the date for withdrawal for a date after he left office, so Biden was caught in the middle. I agree with you.
Thank you, Barbara - It helps me to observe, comment, vent - and then find something positive I can say and do before I start writing more postcards to voters.
He knows what to say and when/how to say it. I love when he gets fired up and then whispers. Even Rev Warnock (sp?) said to President Biden that he sounded like he was preaching tonight👏🙏🏼☮️
I agree that hope has returned to the cause of democracy tonight☮️☮️☮️
I heard someone greet the President after his address who said "Sir, you spoke like a Baptist Preacher"!
Another said "You were fired up"! It was wonderful to see and hear and really showed up the decency on the one side, and the rot on the other. I sent a message right away to https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ addressed to our President to tell him what a fine job he did and ended with "Four More Years"! I always like to recognize someone for a job well done, so I'd also like to thank Joyce.
Yes indeed. Johnson appeared a bleak example of a do nothing Speaker mostly making inappropriate faces, frowns or often shaking his head “no.” He seemed well aware that 45 was watching and taking notes for followup intimidation ploys
Those GOP knuckleheads seem to have forgotten that the proposed bill they rejected was the same one they wanted several months ago. As always, it was all about Trump. I wonder how much ketchup Trump's lackeys had to scrape off the walls of Mar a Lago last night.
His nose rubs both ways. However, he’s taking his marching orders from the right wing, Christian nationalist, evangelical leaders, who mentored and put him in power. They are attempting to establish a theocracy. He is their boy through and through, and we should be very concerned that he is aligned directly after Kamala should anything happen to Joe God forbid
Absolutely, Valere. My take on his head-nodding was that he got caught up in the moment while listening to the speech. No way do I think he will miraculously change his mind about what side he's on.
To be sure, we need to make sure who the Speaker is will change come November.
What I saw was a constant nodding while the President was speaking. Perhaps it was one of those involuntary muscle spasms? As a side note, being a former court stenographer, we did not have the "authority" to put a "Yes" down on paper as a substitute to a witness nodding while being asked a question. One time a questioner claimed that he took the witness' nodding to be "saying" yes. The witness replied that his nodding was meant to convey that he was following - not agreeing with - what the questioner was saying.
He appears to be a ‘weak sister.’ in truth, he is a well-trained devious minion of the right wing Christian nationalist evangelicals who want to take away women’s rights. He is part of the movement that originated more than 50 years ago with a primary goal of reversing Roe v. Wade. He is there a boy, and they have mentored him.
Many of these right wing zealots pretend to be unaware of what's going on. Most of them have very impressive educational backgrounds. Playing stupid is definitely part of the plan!
That was role playing. To those of us who know the right wing Christian nationalist, evangelical playbook of which Mike Johnson is a major participant, member, player, and was a major architect of January 6: it was showtime for Mike Johnson that was his pretend to look of “I’m just an innocent bystander here. “
Yeah and I’ve done some research for Rick Wilson on these mountain people that vote for her. I stumbled on it while looking for a porch contractor and we started talking politics. These people listen to Steve Bannon, Alex Jones and their words are the gospel. Oh and they get their news from Newsmax, RSBN and hannity. But with the influx of Floridians fleeing the high homeowners/auto insurance costs, catastrophic hurricanes and the cost of living at 9% compared to the national average hopefully we can vote her and my gun humping hiding behind the capitol cop with a gun while saying it was peaceful representative Andy Clyde we can flip these districts. I found out at the DL office in Blairesville that they get 5-20 in their open 2 days a week coming in since late last year. I know many are moving in my HOA tiny home community and some are LGBTQ.
Somebody needed to take her down a peg, and I think it was Joe! He took over MTG's own fake talking point for himself because he actually cares about Lakyn and her family.
In other news, Lankford looked like a haunted man. He was mistreated by his own party for doing what they claimed to want, and he will not be the last to go down for GOP lies and cowardice.
She should have been removed by the sergeant at arms but Johnson refused cause she’d have pulled a vote to remove him as speaker cause she’s that dumb it would have made him quit and they would be the minority.
Marjorie Taylor Green has no taste. I actually thought her outfit at this SOTU address was better than last year’s white rabbit jacket-stole (as a as an animal lover, and vegan by conviction, that stood out to me. For MGTs part it was a sign of not having consciousness toward innocent animals, but also, she was on public television with people who have to find quarters under the couch cushions to buy milk for their children in the morning. But there she was last year, with her loudmouth interruptions of basically: “Me, me, me!! Look at me! This is all about me!” Here she comes this year with her MAGA hat for her audience of one. But this time her message is to Trump: “Me, me, me! Me for VP!!”
But taste is not something one buy: one has it from childhood lessons of one did not have them. The same applies to having graceful mannerisms. If she had that lesson, it was lost on her. She was taught ‘othering,’ and it shows. In time she will be forgotten. Her name will not even be remembered, but Joe Biden will be remembered as the greatest president we’ve ever had. And indeed, he was taught inclusion by example. That shows as well. We all know gracious behavior, and humaneness when we see it. Harken back to President Biden meeting in Japan with parents of daughters abducted by North Korea in the 70s and 80s. This meeting wasn’t covered by mainstream US media but NHK may have recordings of him kneeling to tell these heartbroken people he had also lost two children. His caring resonated with them and they said so later.
November 3, when we will re-elect Joe Biden, and have a Blue bicameral Congress - and Trump in prison either before or after the elections, simply can’t come soon enough we’re all in this together and is Joyce so clearly pointed out in the five questions interview: recognize the disinformation. The more informed we are the more clear we will be that Joe Biden has full mental cognition, and a fabulous history. We don’t need to worry about him.
Why was she allowed in wearing her costume? They would not allow anyone else in, wearing forbidden political garb! You would think the reps would be embarrassed by her, she and Colorado Bobo!
If the sergeant at arms had physically removed her it would have been what she craved. So they will fine her instead. She already owes almost 100k in mask fines from 2021.
He is so sensitive, he might benefit from constructive criticism and honest feedback. I shouldn’t say it, but It’s just so hard to not call him a squishy little weasel, you know?
Well, you're exactly right about GOP got no plan ""The Do Nothing's" for good reason." as they are not working to help all Americans today. Yet most Republicans in our government can't just receive a paychecks for doing nothing? Don't overlook most Republicans in our government today MAGA busy destroying our country by supporting and defending their leader, domestic terrorist tRump. This orange cancer is Putin's #1 asset living in our country!Since this is our government too, voting will ensure all those MAGA Republicans politicians to be nothing by terminating them from their jobs after this Novemver elections. Go VOTE!!!!
SJ Braddock -- Your words remind me of listening to President Harry Truman who called his Senate and House of Representatives "the do-nothing .good-for-nothing Congress" in the 1940s.
Biden's Address made me proud to be an American! He did indeed defy all expectations. I didn't watch the rebuttal. My stomach had been upset, so I didn't want to take any chances of making it worse by hearing a bunch of ridiculous lies.
One thing I really DO want to see done is an OVERDUE punishment or fine levied on MTG for her elementary-school behavior. Not unlike last year. Except last year she was dressed for Halloween. This time, she chose to wear her disgusting MAGA gear. I did read what Jamie Raskin said about her choice of apparel. It does violate rules. At we know too well, Mr. Ed always violates rules, and has yet to be disciplined. Ed needs to go back to the stall and chill out for another year or so. If nothing else, Johnson needs to call her out for being so disrespectful towards Biden, and everyone watching at home or from the audience, but especially Biden. It was uncalled for.
Oh, one more thing. I'm happy for E. Jean Carroll and would LOVE to rub that in Trump's face. It occurred to me that if he hadn't been so OBSESSED with false reasons to be POTUS, wasting time AND money ad nauseum trying to convince judges, special counsels, pitiful (for Trump) attorneys that he is above the law, unlike every other citizen in the US., he might just be able to pay those rather hefty --- and growing more each day --- fines and other fees. But then, his priorities have been messed up since he was a spoiled brat, which is almost eight decades.
Seriously, though, Joyce, I can't get over how quickly you were able to get to your computer in order to once again "translate" for us. Bravo for a job well done!!!
Besides MTG, there was some guy in the back who wore a trump mugshot
t-shirt under his jacket. I do hope that the rules will be enforced going forward. If we don't close that barn door now, it could encourage a stampede of bad behavior. We're better than this.
It was Troy Nehls, Rep from TX, no surprise there. Besides trump's mugshot, the t-shirt had the words, "never surrender". Disgusting that this was permitted on the floor of the House. And MTG too obviously.
I agree Dianne, but take exception with your concern that her actions were an afront to Biden. It was an afront to the office of President and the House! Her childish behavior needs to be delt with, not ignored. Otherwise we keep seeing this type of behavior gain exceptence.
Totally agree that this behavior (also Troy Nehls of TX) should be dealt with. My understanding is that the Sergeant at Arms is the enforcer. No idea why that didn't happen. These disgraceful antics should never be acceptable.
Rex, you're right about Biden. She lacks respect for him, those in the Chamber, and those watching at home. Since McCarthy --- the one who vowed to always watch her back --- did nothing about her behavior last year, I was already bracing myself. However, this year, she stooped to a low that was rude and disgusting. My late mother would have said "She was downright ugly!"
At the very least, she needs to be censored for yelling "liar." I'm 70-something now, and never once can I recall a SOTU where a Member of Congress did that. She needs to be dismissed from the committees she serves on, given a warning about future antics, and reprimanded for violating the dress code.
It's times like this that I wish I lived in her district in Georgia so I could start a petition among all the residents to have her impeached, if that's even possible. Her buddies at the stable are waiting for Ed to come back home.
Best SOTU speech I have ever heard, and I am 81 years old. The best thing we democrats can do is let Biden be Biden. He is raw honesty and has empathy for all.
I cannot find enough superlatives to describe President Biden’s speech. This night won’t soon be forgotten. On 6 November we’ll say, “After SOTU, this great victory was ensured.”
We watched with our 17 yo son, while texting with our 23 yo. And then we celebrated with pizza! Go Joe! Your recap was perfect, Joyce. Thanks as always!
President Joseph R. Biden delivered the State of the Union, tonight, and did he deliver a Barnburner!
When last did The United States of America sound so bright, so strong and so ready to defeat its enemies?
They shall go unnamed at this time, except to say that the President did refer to The Supreme Court and his predecessor.
He woke up the House, the whole House, your house and my house.
Welcome home to the best economy in the world and our Democracy that will blossom more fully with spring as it grows stronger.
Some old dudes are better with age and experience.
Thank you President Biden.
'My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor.'
'Now, other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That’s not me. I was born amid World War II, when America stood for the freedom of the world.'
__President Joseph R. Biden
Age and experience gives one the ability to view life through much wider lens. So much more is within your view.
Yes, and that’s something we need right now!
Nicely said!
Old age does not sit well with the demands of the presidency ... time to face reality - Joe Biden's advanced age will cost him votes.
Old age does not sit well with the demands of the presidency, lawsuits, criminal trials, finding the money to pay for fines ... time to face reality - Trump's advanced age will cost him votes.
It isn't how old you are. It is how you face life and embrace it. Trump embraces hate, fear and death. Biden embraces love, compassion and life. I do not know how many more years I, Biden or Trump have left. But I would rather have Biden as President.
Yes, Yes a thousand times Yes!
Bravo, Michael!
Michael you hit the nail on the head. Bravo!!!
We were fortunate to have Biden and the positive aspects of his age and long experience to recover from Trump and Covid. He was not a good campaigner and hung back at the debates, but he got a big boost and somehow prevailed.
Good one Michael, evidently Cargill would rather listen to lies; well I won’t go through the atrocities Trump has done and will do. However, Our President Joe Biden, has spent those years gaining the experience that will get us through this difficult time that his predecessor created.
Old age does not sit well with any of us. Who are you going to vote for? The man spending the last years of his life fighting for freedom and democracy, or the man spending the last years of his life fighting to avoid paying his bills and trying to stay out of jail? The man who loves his family and surrounds himself with honest, competent people who work for everyone’s benefit, or the man whose 3rd wife slaps away his hand in public, the man who stiffs his lawyers, pays hush-money to escorts, lies constantly, and fires people who call him for his dishonesty? No one is perfect, but some people are just better than others. Who are you going to vote for?
Notes, its such a difficult choice for some of them. Their conscience tells them what is right just before their mouth tells themselves to STFU
Well stated. How can we help carry that message to every American doubter and waverer?
Well said!
I don’t know… it seems to be working pretty well just based on the last four years. What doesn’t work well with the presidency is fascism and autocracy.
You can add ignorance re age and the fact that all people are not the same as well as the discrimination that goes with it. No one walks into a job interview, volunteers their age, and has to justify their ability to do the job. That's illegal!
So why expect our POTUS who has already proven his expertise to share his and have to tolerate the illegal bigotry?
Better to have the experience age gives one than to be a stumbling block to democracy! The speech last night should’ve embarrassed Trump and his minions, but MTG apparently isn’t intelligent enough to be embarrassed! She is an embarrassment!
Clint Eastwood is 93. Is there a public outcry because he's still making movies? I've seen 77 year old Trump's campaign speeches, and he's not only dangerously unhinged but is displaying cognitive deficits that are alarming.
Anthony Embarrassing MTG is almost as difficult as embarrassing Bone Spur Donnie. They both are embarrassments to the United States of America.
I am an American patriot and strongly believe that those who favor Putin over Ukrainians are not.
Cargill; So vote for Trump? Is that your answer? What a joke!
(troll alert)
Yes. But it feels good to vent
Cargill (the troll) has returned. We haven’t seen his nonsense since he maligned our entire federal justice system a couple of weeks ago.
Valere, next time I won’t respond, but after last nights SOTU speech, it just felt good to punch back, even though it was just shadow boxing.
Brava David. Indeed, the ‘Bam’ was deserved. This troll is not ever-present and sneaks back in. Your response was helpful to others on the site who haven’t yet recognized him/her/they/it by name.
Thanks for the heads up. It's too bad Cargill refuses to "open mind, insert facts. "
Cargill is here to implant and spread disinformation, this is exactly what Joyce pointed to in the five questions. Cargill is practicing disinformation regarding our legal system, and I respond in-depth - every time, ad nauseam. And I don’t make my lengthy responses for him because he knows for well what he’s doing or it is doing whatever the entity is: I do it for the Substack readers to understand our federal legal system is fine. SCOTUS has been corrupted. But see how devious they are?
David, Cargill is a troll. We snuck back in but several here reported it.
Or win us back to democracy. It's time to stand together of fall apart.
The GOP's division and infighting should be our guide here. Unite or die. We can run a younger candidate after we win again with Biden.
Trump is 77 and rambles like my Alzheimers patients. Seriously. If Biden's age is an issue what are Trumps 91 criminal charges, lost lawsuits, tirades against democracy, support of Putin, worship of Orban, attacks against NATO, and racist rants?
Here's a hint; Trump couldn't tell the difference between his ex-wife and E. Jean Carroll. Mistook Nikki for Nancy even after repeating her name half a dozen times, need I continue?
Let's win these elections together💙💙💙
Thanks, Michael, well said. 🇺🇸💯
Hear, hear Michael💙
Seems to me that old age hasn't hurt President Biden at all. He has aged well. He walks and talks a bit slower, but he is sound of mind and a true American. Are you saying those who don't vote for him because of his age will vote for the orange traitor? If that's the case, then age isn't the factor, is it?
Brava Celeste!
To Cargill: You must have sat through the speech with your eyes closed, your fingers in your ears, going “La la la la la.” What a doofus!
Age won't cost him votes. Assuming that the number automatically determines ability and value could as well as the discrimination that goes with old assumptions. Who says age doesn't "sit well"?
Face reality really! So who, what MAGA, would take over for Trump should his mental state become even more apparent and his age weigh in as well?
Biden was the one we needed to begin to recover from Trump last time around and he did that exceedingly well... uniting us, going forward even under a continuing insurrection to this day. If Joe Biden cannot go on, Kamala Harris will be just fine, even great. We need the experience, the positivity and the vision Biden brings, demonstrably now, with energy.
Kamala will be the law and order president, should it be her turn.
Cargill At 90 I feel like a feisty well-aged wine. Between two somewhat younger presidential candidates, I suggest a simple ‘who is too feeble test:’ 25 sit ups on national TV. (If a candidate’s orange tummy waddles on the ground—DISQUALIFICATION.)
Trump has already cost us too much. He is evil. Biden just needs us all to be his soldiers.
What's your real name? That was pretty feeble.
I'm 76 soon to be 77 and my husband is 86. We may not be running for President, but those who do not vote for him because of age probably shouldn't be voting anyway.
And Trump, who is only 3 years younger and utterly deranged? Will it "cost him votes" too?
So you think the 77yo will capture the youthful vote?
I was gratified, I was stunned and heartened by Biden’s speech. He showed the nation that we are in good and steady and stable hands. Thank you, Joe Biden.
Thank you as always, Fern, for your sincerity and eloquence.
Joe is one of our greatest Presidents.
My mom and I were discussing a few weeks ago that he is the best president in our lifetimes, and she is going on 90 years old.
Thank you! I’m glad to hear you and your mom recognize how wonderful he is. It is as though he was born to do this job. He tried a few times to be nominated - he has been exactly who we have needed now. He has brought us back from near ruin internationally and domestically. 💙
Jim, it is so good to see you. It was a night full of light. Cheers!
I still wanted to censor Mike Johnson, who got in his pursed lips and head shaking.
I saw him nodding his head (it appeared to me that he was in reluctant agreement!) many times. Also was clapping below where the front could see him. 45 will get him for that!!
He stood up and clapped when Biden called for a two state solution in the Israel Palestine conflict. That was in opposition to Trump’s opposing a two-stage solution.
Johnson looked emasculated and inept. We have to be careful to not underestimate him-he can do far more damage to the country than he even intends to, I expect.
Johnson doesn’t know what the job of being Speaker entails.He is out of his element and because of that he will get nothing done. He has no clue about what more than half of the country thinks. Politics doesn’t work like that.
He was placed in political by the right wing Christian nationalist evangelicals. We must go Blue in the bicameral Congress (as well as re-electing Joe).
He's a little twerp.
Read somewhere that some call him "trump's little johnson"
I'm certainly no fan of Speaker Johnson, but let's leave the name-calling to Trump. Johnson is in a tough position, which is not much of an excuse but it truly is not easy. He needs a lot more backbone and not be kissing Trump's ring.
That is not going to happen. Johnson has to kiss trump's ring. If he doesn't, MTG and friends will remove him from the speakership. He wants to keep his job. Like all Republicons, he is acting in his own self interest. "Little twerp" is fitting and actually a pretty mild moniker considering.
And the puppet masters, at the head of the right wing Christian nationalist evangelical movement want Mike Johnson just where he is. He is their boy.
Trump is their boy as well. He is far from being independent. The Christian nationalist evangelicals call the shots with Trump. he even calls himself “the chosen one“ on his campaign stops. I don’t know if he does his all the time. I only spontaneously listened to a couple minutes of one YouTube, and specifically heard that (I was looking for something like that after listening to Frank Schaeffer‘s excellent interview on YouTube. That’s something everyone should take the time to hear it would give you a true background of Mike Johnson, and the current Christian nationalist evangelical supported.SCOTUS).
😂😂😂😂
Actually, Bonnie, he looked to me like he was nodding his head in agreement, not shaking his head in disagreement.
To me the speaker looked like he had rehearsed his looks in a mirror but hadn’t rehearsed enough to master them and so was basically pretty uncomfortable knowing he was onstage but unsure how to act. I kept thinking of Nancy Pelosi who sure knew how to use her position in front of a camera that way.
Harken back to Nancy Pelosi ripping her copy of Trump’s speech in half and leaving it on the top of the desk. She could recognize a fraud when she saw one.
Occasionally, but not about 1/6 or the border. Clearly for The Audience of One.
He did both at different points. Either way, they weren't exactly overt.
Oh poor Dobby and his pious penis. He'll totter off to nothingness. Or end up on the Supreme Court if drumpf is reappointed.
I was proud to be an American last night. Even prouder to be a Democrat and a Biden supporter from Day 1. Now, let's get to work.
Majorie Green Taylor doing another Willie Horton. It’s tiring.
That’s exactly what I said about Alabama Sen. Katie Britt and her rebuttal remarks!!
I kept thinking, who was her high school drama coach. Unwatchable!
I've said this elsewhere though,but Britt's rebuttal speech(if you can call it one) sounded like the narrator of an ASPCA commercial with her forced pain inflected tones. Not to mention she lied up a storm. If she is the face of Republicans in Alabama, they're circling the drain.
I didn’t waste my time.
I just couldn’t, it was Brutal to watch and/or listen. We are of the majority, Laurie.
How in hell did Alabama get Britt and Tuberville for their Senators? What a pair!
Maybe Florida can annex Alabama. They deserve each other.
Suessl; But I would hate to do that to Joyce Vance. She lives in Alabama.
I would be sorry for Joyce but how could Alabama be any worse? At least you'd have Disney world.
She is so..predictable. Hopefully she’ll be fined big time for that hod awful hat.
It was bad and tacky. But not as awful as the white rabbit fur jacket/stole she wore last year. Underdressed this year and overdressed/out of place last year. She didn’t get the memo or if she did she didn’t understand it: “Real people wear fake fur.”
Fern -- well written and certainly shared thoughts by all of us who comment. Thank you !
I SO love our Community! We ARE all in this together!💙💙🇺🇸🇺🇸💙💙 Thank you, Joyce, for a superb piece - as usual! ☮️♥️
Sharon, our hearts are with you in Florida. It will get better. I promise. We will vote Joe Biden in again and have a Blue bicameral Congress and we will keep working from November 3 on to correct the wrongs, the nationally to our rights, and in states to correct gerrymandering. Glad to hear Biden bring that up by the way. He truly gets it.
Yes it was phenomenal Fran. As Joyce says “ we’re in this together” and only one man running for president gets that and he put the emphasis on that last night. Huzzah!
Hi, Fern! We talk to each other from time to time on Timothy Snyder's Substack. Good to see you again.
Hi, Rose. Good to see you after Biden's light and strength display of Democracy for all to know.
Rose and Fern, what a beautiful garden!
To paraphrase, Joyce Vance, Pamela, we are on the frontline and in the garden of democracy as one!!
Re what Pamela said of "Rose and Fern" and a "beautiful garden": Ever since I saw your name the first time at Prof. Snyder's Substack (1+ year ago), I've always associated your name not with the plant, but with the German word, "fern" (pronounced with a short e), which means "far." Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. It wasn't until Pamela associated "Fern and Rose" with "garden" that I realized that you're named after the plant. Weird, I know. I thank Pamela for setting me straight, at long last!
Because I don't have a TV and my nights are reserved strictly for reading, I'm going to watch it later this afternoon or tomorrow morning. After reading all the comments, I'm looking forward to it!
Yeah well ... let's not get too carried away. The SOTU speech is a nice thing, but it's pretty tired I reckon. Biden has a huge hill to climb to win the election in November.
Go stick your head in the mud, dumbass.
LOL ... so what are you implying here? Anyone who thinks that Joe Biden has a tough job to win in November is a dumbass, or even a class traitor?
Good grief comrade ... you have to start to connect with reality - Trump could win this thing, and one decent SOTU speech by Biden isn't going to sway one vote! Have you totally forgotten (a) the Dem loss in 2016, and (b) how squeaky close was the Dem win in 2020?
About 50% of the voting public are complete morons ... you have to deal with this.
So far, a number of your fellow readers her seem to agree with me about you.
McDonald's is also the most popular restaurant in the world.
'Fast-food giants take a tumble in brand strength'
'Brand Finance research reveals a dip in brand strength for major players including McDonald’s, KFC, Domino’s Pizza, Subway, and Burger King, with data indicating decreased scores for customer service, pricing perception, and how likely they are to recommend the restaurant to their friends and family.'
'Haidilao emerges as the world's strongest restaurant brand, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.8 out of 100 and one of a handful of brands across sectors to earn a rare AAA+ brand strength rating from Brand Finance.'
'Haidilao’s brand strength is likely tied to its innovative approach to the customer experience. The restaurant offers free entertainment such as manicures and board games to keep customers busy and happy during wait times, a strategy that also earned Haidilao Brand Finance’s highest score for customer service in China, the restaurant’s home market.' (BrandFinance)
'Peru’s capital city – and undoubtedly its gastronomic capital – had a tremendous showing Tuesday at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, taking the No. 1 title and earning more slots in the top 50 than any other city.'
'Four Lima restaurants made the 50 Best list: Central at No. 1, Maido at No. 6, Kjolle at No. 28 and Mayta at No. 47. Kjolle is new to the top 50 this year.' (CNN)
Cargill, You should know Big Mac breath!
TC, he/she/it is a troll.
Ignore him and report him.
Click on the 3 dots to the right of his post.
Cargill, You and Scump all the way! You belong to the 50% morons group you are chastising. Way to go Dude!
Just ignore him and report him.
He is encouraged by negative attention. I had some students like that.
Actually, the entire GOP is like that!
Nope: we haven’t forgotten that Russia interfered in 2016 and that Cambridge analytic stole 75 million Facebook accounts to put Trump in office. Rim we will remember Russia’s role in that and that’s why Trump is going to be in jail. Of course he’s not going to be elected.
Go….away
Cargill -- your pessimism is way out of line tonight. Are you sure you didn't sleep through some of that strong and energetic speech that left me very proud of Biden and of being a Democrat ?
He likes attention. Ignore him and report him.
"Cargill -- your pessimism is way out of line tonight. Are you sure you didn't sleep through some of that strong and energetic speech that left me very proud of Biden and of being a Democrat?"
Good grief -are you serious? Joe Biden faces a HUGE hurdle to win in November, because of the perception (including among a good slice of Democrats) that he is too old to run again, the voter suppression evil going on in so many states, the big percentage of people who will vote for Trump no matter what, and the mainstream media rooting for a Trump victory. And lets not forget the huge bias in the Electoral College.
A strong and energetic speech in March ... means exactly what, compared to what is stacked against a Joe Biden re-election? I certainly want him to win, but I'm also certainly allowed to express my deep concerns.
The legal system has proved incapable of stopping an insurrectionist, and hopeless at defending democracy ... despite some on here having a blind faith in the federal legal system, and even Jack Smith. But sadly it's a chimera ... everything those devotees learnt in law school has tuned to dust.
Oh oh - troll alert: back spewing disinformation on our very competent legal system (in which the accused has every benefit and must be convicted in a court of law). Trump is a convicted rapist and fraudster. One indictment was to they fraud the government. He was charged with conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and impeding our government certification of votes. Disinformation Troll!!
I dig.
That’s what I thought until last night. He will chew and spit out Donald good-for-nothing Trump like chewin’ tobacco gets one to spit. No shit — excuse my Italian.
Well it looks like you'll be voting for Marianne Williamson this November and that's fine. But seriously, in my old age I've seen SOTU addresses that would cure insomnia. That was on fire and on point. And the republican reponse is a glimpse of what the GOP's agenda is. I remember parts of the 50s, and believe it or not, we had more rights then than we have now. But hey like I said you are entitled to your opinion and your vote, but stop the trolling, its embarrasing.
It's a long time to the Fall campaign. It was a great speech, and will shut up this dementia crap. I was worried about that until Biden delivered the speech. He is most certainly not senile
Agreed. Anyone who can speak coherently for over an hour, keeping on track with a lengthy list of issues that have been accomplished, or must be addressed in his second term, is impressive at any age. The amount of bodily energy, as well as mental energy, expended would leave many younger people exhausted. No doubt he had adrenaline and endorphins flowing, enabling him to do a stellar job.
In her rebuttal, the junior Senator from Alabama, stumbled on the Teleprompter several times, and pronounced ‘‘government’ ‘go-government’
And she was not on live television in front of millions of people. She is how old?
What a dope
It was fascinating to watch the cowardly Republican Members of Congress do the bidding of their leader when he's not even in the room. They refused to applaud Biden's non-partisan pro-America statements; they w booed, heckled, and checked their phones; some even left the chamber during the speech. They disrespected President Biden, their colleagues, and America.
Historian Timothy Snyder warns us to not obey tyrants in advance. The GOP begs to differ. It's so much easier to obey, and besides, they're afraid of Trump. Don't look for leadership from the Republicans. It's all about following - and obeying - their leader.
So, let's get back to work! We MUST defeat Trump and MAGA. We must re-elect President Biden and Democrats up and down the ballot.
They are scum bags who are spineless & unhappy & so unsure of themselves they look to a monster to tell ‘em what to do.
Did you see the guest of FL rep Brian Mast that was arrested for disrupting? He was the dad of one killed at the Kabul airport. Totally disrespectful.
He’s grieving but misplacing blame. Maybe he needs to get a better therapist.
I agree. Was going to day that.
Heartbreaking, but the heckling was a bad look. The idea that Biden botched the withdrawal is controversial. I don't think the terrorist attack at the airport was preventable. One of the most persistent problems in that awful war was the inability to obtain intelligence on the Taliban and affiliated groups. Once the utterly wretched NY Times began spreading the claim that Biden should be blamed, the news media sprinted with it and no truth came out afterwards.
I have started sending an email directly to each author of those awful Times articles, asking the authors if the misleading titles were their own idea, if they agree with constantly down-playing the real problems with Trump, while exaggerating ‘issues with Biden’ that turn out to be nothing burgers, and if they really think that the New Times Times failing to speak up for truth and democracy will protect them if Trump is able to follow through on his plans to take over as dictator. Tell the journalists what you think of their coverage of events. They need to know.
It was Trump who "ended " the Afghanistan war. He set the date for withdrawal for a date after he left office, so Biden was caught in the middle. I agree with you.
Trump ordered the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners from US military custody as well. But we won't find the NY Times reminding us of that, of course.
I didn't know that. Sounds like a setup all the way around—no doubt orchestrated by Putin.
Thank you Hope. I posted above as well before seeing your post.
Biden inherited the withdrawal from Trump.
Not many will acknowledge that, unfortunately!
LauieOregon --Thanks for sharing your optimism ! It is very much appreciated.
Thank you, Barbara - It helps me to observe, comment, vent - and then find something positive I can say and do before I start writing more postcards to voters.
Hear, hear!
💙💙💙👏👏👏💙💙💙
He knows what to say and when/how to say it. I love when he gets fired up and then whispers. Even Rev Warnock (sp?) said to President Biden that he sounded like he was preaching tonight👏🙏🏼☮️
I agree that hope has returned to the cause of democracy tonight☮️☮️☮️
Say it he did, with finger to the Presidents chest and their grins from ear to ear.
Yes ZeuzEB, a great speech tonight especially when Biden made the Republicans squirm many times.
I think he made mincemeat out of all of his detractors! Dark Brandon was in the house tonight IMHO😎
I hope Dark Brandon takes charge of the campaign.
Marycat2022: I believe that was evident with last nights SOTU😎
Sorry Marycat 2021, I responded with 2022 instead of 2021. Oops!
Equally worthy of love and admiration, Rev/Sen Raphael Warnock, my representative in DC.
Absolutely!!💜
Biden reads the room.
As no one else can do☮️
We're damn lucky to have Joe Biden. Let's keep him.
I heard someone greet the President after his address who said "Sir, you spoke like a Baptist Preacher"!
Another said "You were fired up"! It was wonderful to see and hear and really showed up the decency on the one side, and the rot on the other. I sent a message right away to https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ addressed to our President to tell him what a fine job he did and ended with "Four More Years"! I always like to recognize someone for a job well done, so I'd also like to thank Joyce.
And I wanted to smack that Speaker of the House, in the head with a 2x4!!!
There were many Republicans who had a very uncomfortable night. Johnson looked pained at times and constipated at others..lol
Yes indeed. Johnson appeared a bleak example of a do nothing Speaker mostly making inappropriate faces, frowns or often shaking his head “no.” He seemed well aware that 45 was watching and taking notes for followup intimidation ploys
Geesh, Tutone, and everyone else! It looked to me like the Speaker was nodding his head in agreement with what the President was saying!
Yes, surprisingly many, but frequent childish snarks and disdain at border or 1/6 comments. He reminded me of Spanky from the Little Rascals.
Those GOP knuckleheads seem to have forgotten that the proposed bill they rejected was the same one they wanted several months ago. As always, it was all about Trump. I wonder how much ketchup Trump's lackeys had to scrape off the walls of Mar a Lago last night.
Sometimes, perhaps he was confusing his Yes nods and his No shakes! Very odd.
His nose rubs both ways. However, he’s taking his marching orders from the right wing, Christian nationalist, evangelical leaders, who mentored and put him in power. They are attempting to establish a theocracy. He is their boy through and through, and we should be very concerned that he is aligned directly after Kamala should anything happen to Joe God forbid
Absolutely, Valere. My take on his head-nodding was that he got caught up in the moment while listening to the speech. No way do I think he will miraculously change his mind about what side he's on.
To be sure, we need to make sure who the Speaker is will change come November.
He us much too inept & inexperienced to be the 3rd in line !!!
A very few times he did nod in apparent agreement but the chamber reps did not respond, in kind.
What I saw was a constant nodding while the President was speaking. Perhaps it was one of those involuntary muscle spasms? As a side note, being a former court stenographer, we did not have the "authority" to put a "Yes" down on paper as a substitute to a witness nodding while being asked a question. One time a questioner claimed that he took the witness' nodding to be "saying" yes. The witness replied that his nodding was meant to convey that he was following - not agreeing with - what the questioner was saying.
Mika (MSNBC) said he eye-rolled more than her two teen daughters put together. Great comment.
I wonder who orchestrated the facial expressions of Johnson and Alabama Katie? Overdone!
Constipation is part of the job description for republicans. Except for Scump. He has the opposite problem, having to wear the diaper and all.
He appears to be a ‘weak sister.’ in truth, he is a well-trained devious minion of the right wing Christian nationalist evangelicals who want to take away women’s rights. He is part of the movement that originated more than 50 years ago with a primary goal of reversing Roe v. Wade. He is there a boy, and they have mentored him.
Many of these right wing zealots pretend to be unaware of what's going on. Most of them have very impressive educational backgrounds. Playing stupid is definitely part of the plan!
Yes. And they are very well coached, mentored, and placed.
Yes, unfortunately they've been planning this a long time
He looked like he was a kid waiting outside the principal's office in grammar school. Sitting on a tack.
That was role playing. To those of us who know the right wing Christian nationalist, evangelical playbook of which Mike Johnson is a major participant, member, player, and was a major architect of January 6: it was showtime for Mike Johnson that was his pretend to look of “I’m just an innocent bystander here. “
Haha!
I wanted to knock the hat off MTG while making her have a bloody nose.
Isn’t she just a pathetic piece of cheap trash!!!!!
Yeah and I’ve done some research for Rick Wilson on these mountain people that vote for her. I stumbled on it while looking for a porch contractor and we started talking politics. These people listen to Steve Bannon, Alex Jones and their words are the gospel. Oh and they get their news from Newsmax, RSBN and hannity. But with the influx of Floridians fleeing the high homeowners/auto insurance costs, catastrophic hurricanes and the cost of living at 9% compared to the national average hopefully we can vote her and my gun humping hiding behind the capitol cop with a gun while saying it was peaceful representative Andy Clyde we can flip these districts. I found out at the DL office in Blairesville that they get 5-20 in their open 2 days a week coming in since late last year. I know many are moving in my HOA tiny home community and some are LGBTQ.
That's putting nicely. Bless her heart.
MTG has absolutely no respect for the office she holds. Wearing a MAGA hat to the SOTU is disgusting… and tacky, just like her. Get rid of her!
Somebody needed to take her down a peg, and I think it was Joe! He took over MTG's own fake talking point for himself because he actually cares about Lakyn and her family.
In other news, Lankford looked like a haunted man. He was mistreated by his own party for doing what they claimed to want, and he will not be the last to go down for GOP lies and cowardice.
She should have been removed by the sergeant at arms but Johnson refused cause she’d have pulled a vote to remove him as speaker cause she’s that dumb it would have made him quit and they would be the minority.
Marjorie Taylor Green has no taste. I actually thought her outfit at this SOTU address was better than last year’s white rabbit jacket-stole (as a as an animal lover, and vegan by conviction, that stood out to me. For MGTs part it was a sign of not having consciousness toward innocent animals, but also, she was on public television with people who have to find quarters under the couch cushions to buy milk for their children in the morning. But there she was last year, with her loudmouth interruptions of basically: “Me, me, me!! Look at me! This is all about me!” Here she comes this year with her MAGA hat for her audience of one. But this time her message is to Trump: “Me, me, me! Me for VP!!”
But taste is not something one buy: one has it from childhood lessons of one did not have them. The same applies to having graceful mannerisms. If she had that lesson, it was lost on her. She was taught ‘othering,’ and it shows. In time she will be forgotten. Her name will not even be remembered, but Joe Biden will be remembered as the greatest president we’ve ever had. And indeed, he was taught inclusion by example. That shows as well. We all know gracious behavior, and humaneness when we see it. Harken back to President Biden meeting in Japan with parents of daughters abducted by North Korea in the 70s and 80s. This meeting wasn’t covered by mainstream US media but NHK may have recordings of him kneeling to tell these heartbroken people he had also lost two children. His caring resonated with them and they said so later.
November 3, when we will re-elect Joe Biden, and have a Blue bicameral Congress - and Trump in prison either before or after the elections, simply can’t come soon enough we’re all in this together and is Joyce so clearly pointed out in the five questions interview: recognize the disinformation. The more informed we are the more clear we will be that Joe Biden has full mental cognition, and a fabulous history. We don’t need to worry about him.
I'd have settled for just giving her a good spanking, for acting like the 8-year-old brat she appears to be.
She probably would have liked it too much.
James, the problem is; MTG likes to be spanked. Kinda kinky. A shrink needs to weigh in on that.
I would pay ro see that!
I have no doubt I could raise enough for the bail to do it 🤣
Why was she allowed in wearing her costume? They would not allow anyone else in, wearing forbidden political garb! You would think the reps would be embarrassed by her, she and Colorado Bobo!
If the sergeant at arms had physically removed her it would have been what she craved. So they will fine her instead. She already owes almost 100k in mask fines from 2021.
Oohh! That’s even better!
Me too, rolling his eyes, and squirming in his seat. Another poor excuse for a human being.
Can we take turns?
You mean the bobble head? Or should I say "wobble head?"
Carrying water for Putin is hard work. Go easy on the little traitor.
He is so sensitive, he might benefit from constructive criticism and honest feedback. I shouldn’t say it, but It’s just so hard to not call him a squishy little weasel, you know?
I believe that person who said, "Sir, you spoke like a Baptist preacher" was Senator Raphael Warnock, himself a Baptist pastor.
Thanks for the reminder, Sally! I had the same thought to contact the President, then promptly fell asleep!
Excellent idea, I just sent along my congratulations and encouragement as well!
Sure makes a difference to have as President, someone qualified for the job.
Shame a few thousand '3rd party' types didn't think this was important in 2016. It damn well will be in '24.
Thank you Joyce, this makes my night to read your analysis. We are in a fight for the soul of the nation.
This is one Democrat who hasn't HAD any concerns about the incumbent!!
("Biden’s performance tonight should calm many of the concerns Democrats had about the incumbent’s ability to deliver during the campaign.")
Blessings and applause for our President Biden 🇺🇸🗽🗳️
Ditto
Amen
Fired up, ready to go!
I’m so proud of President Biden! He hit it out of the park tonight!
GOP cannot speak about what they don't have planned... They're known as "The Do Nothing's" for good reason.
Well, you're exactly right about GOP got no plan ""The Do Nothing's" for good reason." as they are not working to help all Americans today. Yet most Republicans in our government can't just receive a paychecks for doing nothing? Don't overlook most Republicans in our government today MAGA busy destroying our country by supporting and defending their leader, domestic terrorist tRump. This orange cancer is Putin's #1 asset living in our country!Since this is our government too, voting will ensure all those MAGA Republicans politicians to be nothing by terminating them from their jobs after this Novemver elections. Go VOTE!!!!
SJ Braddock -- Your words remind me of listening to President Harry Truman who called his Senate and House of Representatives "the do-nothing .good-for-nothing Congress" in the 1940s.
To quote Simon Rosenberg a few hours ago, The President is Kicking ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slice it,dice it, hook it whatever, Joseph R. Biden hit it out of the PARK!!!
He’s the Man!!!
Biden's Address made me proud to be an American! He did indeed defy all expectations. I didn't watch the rebuttal. My stomach had been upset, so I didn't want to take any chances of making it worse by hearing a bunch of ridiculous lies.
One thing I really DO want to see done is an OVERDUE punishment or fine levied on MTG for her elementary-school behavior. Not unlike last year. Except last year she was dressed for Halloween. This time, she chose to wear her disgusting MAGA gear. I did read what Jamie Raskin said about her choice of apparel. It does violate rules. At we know too well, Mr. Ed always violates rules, and has yet to be disciplined. Ed needs to go back to the stall and chill out for another year or so. If nothing else, Johnson needs to call her out for being so disrespectful towards Biden, and everyone watching at home or from the audience, but especially Biden. It was uncalled for.
Oh, one more thing. I'm happy for E. Jean Carroll and would LOVE to rub that in Trump's face. It occurred to me that if he hadn't been so OBSESSED with false reasons to be POTUS, wasting time AND money ad nauseum trying to convince judges, special counsels, pitiful (for Trump) attorneys that he is above the law, unlike every other citizen in the US., he might just be able to pay those rather hefty --- and growing more each day --- fines and other fees. But then, his priorities have been messed up since he was a spoiled brat, which is almost eight decades.
Seriously, though, Joyce, I can't get over how quickly you were able to get to your computer in order to once again "translate" for us. Bravo for a job well done!!!
I actually think Biden schooled her throughout the speech—so much so that she actually shut up after a while. It was poetic!
Aside from the fact that there is nothing poetic about her.
Yes. There is that!
Besides MTG, there was some guy in the back who wore a trump mugshot
t-shirt under his jacket. I do hope that the rules will be enforced going forward. If we don't close that barn door now, it could encourage a stampede of bad behavior. We're better than this.
I didn't notice him! By then, I had an eyeball headache (if anyone has had one, they know what I'm talking about) and missed him.
It was Troy Nehls, Rep from TX, no surprise there. Besides trump's mugshot, the t-shirt had the words, "never surrender". Disgusting that this was permitted on the floor of the House. And MTG too obviously.
I agree Dianne, but take exception with your concern that her actions were an afront to Biden. It was an afront to the office of President and the House! Her childish behavior needs to be delt with, not ignored. Otherwise we keep seeing this type of behavior gain exceptence.
Totally agree that this behavior (also Troy Nehls of TX) should be dealt with. My understanding is that the Sergeant at Arms is the enforcer. No idea why that didn't happen. These disgraceful antics should never be acceptable.
Rex, you're right about Biden. She lacks respect for him, those in the Chamber, and those watching at home. Since McCarthy --- the one who vowed to always watch her back --- did nothing about her behavior last year, I was already bracing myself. However, this year, she stooped to a low that was rude and disgusting. My late mother would have said "She was downright ugly!"
At the very least, she needs to be censored for yelling "liar." I'm 70-something now, and never once can I recall a SOTU where a Member of Congress did that. She needs to be dismissed from the committees she serves on, given a warning about future antics, and reprimanded for violating the dress code.
It's times like this that I wish I lived in her district in Georgia so I could start a petition among all the residents to have her impeached, if that's even possible. Her buddies at the stable are waiting for Ed to come back home.
I felt very proud of Biden. He really socked it to the dumbass meanie MAGAs.
Well expressed 👏👏👏👏
Best SOTU speech I have ever heard, and I am 81 years old. The best thing we democrats can do is let Biden be Biden. He is raw honesty and has empathy for all.
Marilyn Lemons -- I'm 89, and agree with you ! Though I do remember some fine speeches by Roosevelt and Harry Truman in the 1940s . . .
As a child of only (almost) 79, I agree’
Congratulations on being 81, you were born in a good year with our Joe ♥️
A) Outstanding speech and breakdown.
B) Margorie is filth
C) New Yorker's are great. Gotta love that punctuation! (The comma).
I cannot find enough superlatives to describe President Biden’s speech. This night won’t soon be forgotten. On 6 November we’ll say, “After SOTU, this great victory was ensured.”
We watched with our 17 yo son, while texting with our 23 yo. And then we celebrated with pizza! Go Joe! Your recap was perfect, Joyce. Thanks as always!
Family en sync. How wonderful 🙏
If anyone can bring America together, it's Joe Biden. I'm more convinced than ever 🙏