Two Years of Growth in the U.S.: Implications for the Bottom-Up and the Middle Out of the Economy and for the Costs of Families
Over the past nearly two years, we have made enormous progress. My administration, working with Democrats in Congress, is building an economy that grows from the bottom up and middle out.
In the course of two years, we have created a record 12 million new jobs, more than any other president has ever created in four years.
We have more work to do. The global challenge is driven by the rise in inflation and the war in Ukraine. A lot of people with jobs are having a hard time paying their gas, rent and groceries. That is the reason I want to lower costs for families.
We need to make it easier for hard-working Americans to get by. That’s why I took action to ease the burden of student debt for families recovering from the pandemic. Republicans criticized the move, but I will never apologize for helping working- and middle-class Americans as they recover from the pandemic. Not to the same GOP officials who voted for a tax cut that benefited the wealthy and corporations.
And partly because of the actions we’ve taken – including a historic release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve – gas prices are decreasing. They’re down $1.20 since their peak this summer and just this week they fell another 10 cents. That’s adding up to real savings for families.
Republicans in Congress want to benefit the wealthy and big corporations from trickle-down economics. They have clearly laid out their plan. It would raise your costs and make inflation worse.
My Dream is to Cut Social Security and Medicare, but I’m gonna have my veto pen make it a nightmare, my father’s Republican party, and I am gonna kill it
This law also caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare at a maximum $2,000 per year when there are in fact many drugs, like expensive cancer drugs, that can cost up to $10,000, $12,000, and $14,000 a year.
Democrats are making sure the biggest corporations begin to pay their fair share in taxes. 55 of the wealthiest corporations paid no federal income tax in 2020. No longer. I signed into law a 15% corporate minimum tax. And, I’m keeping my campaign commitment: no one earning less than $400,000 a year will pay a single penny more in federal taxes.
“Look – a lot of Republicans, their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me just say this: It’s your dream, but I’m gonna have my veto pen make it a nightmare,” he said.
The fact is, this is not your father’s Republican party: Many Republicans in Congress want to pass a national ban on abortion. I would veto it immediately, and if we get more Senate Democrats and keep the House, I would codify it in January.
The Failure and Predictions of Joe Biden: A Midterm Pitch to Turn the House of Representatives into a Democratic Repackaged House
Democracy is being put to the test in America. We are learning that not all democracy is guaranteed. You need to defend it. Protect it. Choose it.
I’m absolutely confident that, just as they did in 2020, the American people will again vote in record numbers and make it clear that democracy is a value that both defines us and unites us as Americans.
Over the last few years, we’ve faced some of the most difficult challenges in our history, but we did not relent. And, I have never been more confident about our future. We will know in 14 days if we are moving forward or backwards.
Joe Biden’s midterm pitch is increasingly stark and alarmist as he grapples for momentum in an election seemingly slipping away from Democrats that could land him with a Congress inflicting two years of misery on his White House.
The President was in New York on Thursday tout manufacturing, not in one of the most important Senate swing states. It shows how low his approval ratings are, that he was able to win two years ago in a state with low approval ratings.
Biden simultaneously argued that the economy was in far better shape than most Americans judge it to be and that if they win power next month, Republicans will crash what he framed as a recovery and put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block.
His approach reflected the election environment faced by Democrats, who are in danger of Losing their control of the House of Representatives, as their hopes of clinging onto the Senate seem to ebb.
Eleven days out from the election, Republicans are targeting deep blue territory that would enable them to build a wave that could translate into a significant House majority. CNN’s Harry Enten wrote Thursday that the Republicans need a net increase of five seats to flip the chamber and that they could win enough seats in Empire State alone to do that.
And races that will decide the fate of the Senate also appear to be narrowing, like in Arizona, for instance, where Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly once had a clear lead. Democrats were also rattled this week by a shaky debate performance by Pennsylvania Senate nominee John Fetterman, who is still facing auditory and processing issues after a stroke. If the party is to retain control of the Senate, they will have to get a seat in the commonwealth and make up a tie-breaking vote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a conversation overheard with Biden and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday, said he thought the Pennsylvania debate “didn’t hurt us too much,” but expressed concern about the high-profile race in Georgia, saying it’s the state “where we’re going downhill.”
The President is bracing for a lot of Republican investigations, including his handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the business affairs of his son and the Justice Department, as well as the loss of either chamber.
It’s too early to judge the state of the race as there is enough uncertainty in polling. But Biden’s speech on Thursday reflected Democrats’ burden in this election and suggested that the historical pattern of first-term presidents getting a midterm election drubbing may be reasserting itself, after his party nursed hopes of bucking the trend this summer in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
The speech showed the political impossibility of highlighting GDP growth figures and a historically low unemployment rate when inflation is high.
Do Republicans Care about Social Security and Medicare? That’s what President Biden had to say about the 2020 midterm elections in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania
In one exchange, Biden even called out Republican members who celebrated funding for their constituents in the very infrastructure bill they voted against. Biden was fearless as he masterfully boxed Republicans into publicly opposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare, nor did he shrink from naming the horror of January 6 and the vicious consequences of the 2020 election lie and divisive political rhetoric.
“They’re going to shut down the government, refuse to pay America’s bills for the first time in American history to put America in default… unless we yield to their demands to cut Social Security and Medicare.”
“Nothing will create more chaos or do more damage to the American economy,” the President said, admitting that Democrats always charge Social Security is at risk in elections but also arguing that proposals by Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin this time really do threaten the retirement program.
But the issue is that all of those measures – if they succeed – will not unspool in time to be felt in this election. It is possible that they could help Biden in 2024 if he runs for reelection, but for now they are aspirational.
The economy and inflation are the most important issues affecting voters in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. More than doubled the number of those who were most active about abortion in each state. Democrats had hoped outrage over the Supreme Court decision would have neutralized their economic liabilities heading into the November 8 election.
The race for governor in New York, which has not elected a Republican in two decades, is unexpectedly competitive. Biden was with Hochul on Thursday in Syracuse, which is also home to a competitive House race.
A CNN Political Commentary on the Economic Reality of the U.S. and the Real Challenges of Dealing With Its Implications
The problem, however, is that the President was conjuring a vision of an economy that many Americans do not recognize. The disconnect between the two realities – of an economy that is performing strongly in many areas, according to data, and the lived experience out in the country – could well doom Democrats.
When a voter’s income is not keeping up with their costs, especially for the staples of everyday life like meat, bread, eggs and gasoline, they are bound to look for scapegoats. And Biden, as the president in power, gets the blame.
Biden’s claim is correct. Gas prices are higher now than they were when he took office, but he did not mention it. Presidential policy has a limited impact on gas prices because of a complex interplay of supply and demand factors.
In an interview with CNN’s Phil Mattingly on Thursday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen counseled patience since many of the measures the administration has taken to boost the economy will take time to come on line.
She admitted in the interview that inflation is very high and Americans feel that every day.
People are struggling with inflation. Biden said that when he was a child, his dad would say if what he was making didn’t cover all his expenses, you were in real trouble.
His banter called for Republicans to make it clear where they stood on important issues like the debt ceiling or support for Medicaid and Social Security. Specifically, Biden claimed some Republicans were prepared to let the US default on its debt were cuts to the popular programs not included in budget negotiations — an assertion which triggered a vocal pushback from some members of the GOP caucus present. If they backpedal on the issue, they are labeled as bad faith flip-flops, as he framed the response as a consensus that wouldn’t be the case.
Senior adviser to former President Barack Obama and chief strategist for the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaigns, David Agelrod is a CNN political commentator and host of The Axe Files. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN.
The Challenge of the State of the Union: Joe Biden’s Impact on the U.S. During the 2008-2009 Pandemic
The State of the Union speech isn’t a cure for all political problems. President get a slight boost in polling following their speech, but that fades over time.
It is important that Congress listens to the annual report because it almost guarantees that the president of the US will have the largest audience for his message all year.
A chance for President Joe Biden to talk about his love for the Philadelphia Eagles may be what the traditional pre-game television interview is all about. Interviews are a big challenge for a president. People watch sports, not politicians.
After a string of impressive legislative victories, impactful leadership in stiffening allied resolve against Russian aggression in Ukraine and a surprisingly strong showing for Democrats in the midterm elections, Biden has been dogged lately by a classified documents imbroglio that, at the very least, has been a distraction.
His overall job approval rating is stuck in the low 40s, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls. According to a recent NBC News survey, more than three quarters of Americans think things are headed in the wrong direction, and only 45% approve of Biden’s handling of the economy.
The significant steps he and Congress took to undergird people and businesses during the worst of the pandemic were important. Major public works improvements across the country are now possible thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure bill he signed. He made health care more affordable for millions.
Yet Americans have weathered wrenching loss and jarring dislocations during the pandemic, many of which are still reverberating. We’ve been buffeted by inflation because of global supply chain shortages and soaring energy costs.
The rest of the world has been challenged by the same forces but as Harry Truman said, when you are President of the United States, the buck stops here. You can’t jawbone people into feeling better.
Preferences for President Biden and the U.S. Senate Majority during his State of the Union Address on Ukraine (and Other Issues)
Biden should avoid grandiose claims that have been made in the past like ‘Not since Lyndon Johnson!’ The biggest since FDR! Leave that stuff to historians.
Acknowledge the stress people feel, explain how you’ve tried to help but don’t tell them how great things are. Is it worse that you are great? If you try to convince people of what they don’t like, you will lose them.
All presidents want to project such a vision. When you are the oldest president in American history and you have just turned 80, people may not connect you with the word “future.”
Biden would be doing more than reporting to the nation as he would be road-testing themes by delivering a compelling and credible vision for the future, preaching constructive collaboration, and striking the right balance between claiming credit and over-claiming progress.
But there is a much larger point: The ongoing struggle in Ukraine underscores his argument for the importance of continued American leadership and global alliances in a dangerous world. His former – and perhaps future — Republican challenger’s “America First” mentality is a disastrous path if it means America alone.
I am pretty sure the President will talk about gun violence and abortion rights, and the need for more steps to prevent gruesome crimes, such as the savage beating of TYREE NICHOLS.
He must speak about the crisis at the border and what additional steps he plans to quell it but also the continued crisis faced by millions of undocumented workers who live in our country — crises that should be solved by rekindling proposals for comprehensive immigration reform.
These are issues that are related to the country’s diversity. While the new Republican House majority is on the losing side, Biden has a popular position on almost all of them.
On Tuesday, President Biden urged the new Republican House Majority to work with each other. But some Republicans did not return the favor. The unrulier members of the GOP yelled out multiple times during his State of the Union address, and true to form, Biden tried reasoning with them as they booed him or interjected.
We have a choice, and that’s why he should say it to those in the new majority. We can spend the next two years trying to destroy each other for politics. Or we can try to work together wherever we can to solve problems facing families and communities across our country. I know which choice the Americans are hoping to make. I know which choice I’m prepared to make. I hope you’ll join me.”
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden again defied expectations and delivered his State of the Union address with a combination of charm, humor and gusto centered on a clear theme: “Let’s finish the job.”
Republicans have control of the House, making it easier for Biden to pass bills. Instead, as in tonight’s State of the Union Address, he can propose wildly popular programs and challenge Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his band of not-so-merry men and women to pass them — or not. Biden’s initiatives such as giving everyone $35 a month for diabetes treatment and restoring the Child Tax Credit will have enormous appeal to Americans of all political stripes.
McCarthy is currently the top elected Republican and third in line to the presidency, sitting behind Biden. He wields enormous power over what can be enacted into law. They are going to have to work together.
What Happens When Millennials Are Leading America (and Republicans Can Keep Up)? When Benjamin Biden Was The First Respondent on the 2018 January 6th Capitol Attack
A political consultant for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, Begala served as a counselor to Clinton in the White House.
Voters are used to politicians making promises. What will stand out most, then, are the things that voters may not have heard in a State of the Union before, the things that make clips the next day.
A Republican strategist and pollster, Anderson is the author of “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are leading America (and How Republicans Can Keep Up)”.
Biden reflected back on his feelings of being unmoored in recent years rather than taking the message of loss of pride in America back to a pre-civil rights era. He referred to January 6th as the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War, when the Capitol attack took place. But many members in the audience still support the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and are part of that threat to democracy.
Half of the chamber frowned when Biden mentioned that a oil and gas company paying 15% tax was wrong, and that corporations made record profits while paying zero in taxes.
Biden was fearless as he wove together the painful reality of Black parents talking to their kids about how to engage with the police and humanize all sides of a renewed call for criminal justice and policing reforms in core American values.
He said that when families get into a pinch, we have to pay resort fees at places that aren’t even a resort and that airlines force parents to pay to be seated with their children.
What Biden had to say in his 20th birthday: How he moved the needle and won’t talk about the South border or the Chinese spy balloon
It’s all part of Biden’s narrative about government as a force for good. Biden took the notion of democracy and made it into something that can help our lives. The current Congress is in an alternate reality.
But for middle-of-the-road voters, neither the southern border nor inflation received much attention from the President — despite both issues being of importance to voters. Neither did the Chinese spy balloon, which went across the country in an effort to undermine Biden.
Biden recounted his past legislative accomplishments without offering much in the way of concrete areas of bipartisan agreement going forward, which is a requirement for anything to pass a divided Congress.
The speech was surprisingly effective from a man who isn’t known for his eloquence. Biden was not just confident and humorous; he also made a powerful case for how successful his presidency has been on many fronts.
Georgia had a Lieutenant Governor who was a CNN political contributor. He is a former professional baseball player and author of “GOP 2.0: How the 2020 Election Can Lead to a Better Way forAmerica’s Conservative Party.”
Over the last 25 years Karen has worked at the intersection of politics, media and cultural change. Her career includes roles as top Democratic communications strategist and spokesperson, political commentator, television and radio show host, White House staffer, business and communications adviser, leader and advocate for social justice and civil rights.
He now has an even sterner test, as to whether or not he actually moved the needle. Among presidents of the recent past, a public appearance as powerful as this one could shake up politics. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan each had the capacity to change minds when they held a microphone.
Maybe Biden was reaching out to wavering voters on Tuesday and persuading them to back him in the reelection campaign. Democratic strategists will get more confident about his chances for reelection if that is the case. If he doesn’t pick up steam, they could walk off the reservation.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/opinions/highlights-lowlights-biden-sotu-roundup/index.html
Democracy for the First State of the Union: Victory for the Rights of Black Persons, Attorney General Eric Holder, and the American Representative for Crime and Justice
David Gergen is a senior political analyst at CNN, and has worked for four presidents of the two parties. He graduated from the Harvard Law School and co-founded the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Still, it was political malpractice for him not to explicitly call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The family of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was fatally beaten by Memphis police officers last month, deserved to hear it.
Mondaire Jones was a Representative for New York’s 17th Congressional District. He is involved in the US Commission on Civil Rights.
The trick, though, comes in standing up for what’s right even while speaking to the masses. This was the first State of the Union since the Supreme Court stripped a fundamental right from American women in overturning Roe v. Wade. But abortion didn’t merit a mention until well into the speech — despite the fact that, for women, the right to decide when and whether to have children is as fundamental a concern as outsourced jobs or federal contracts.
And some members of the Republican caucus seemed keen to highlight the distinctions between the thoughtful, unity-emphasizing Biden and their own party’s shameful descent. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, among others, repeatedly booed and yelled throughout the speech; when he introduced the parents of Tyre Nichols, who was last month fatally beaten by Memphis police officers, and the Ukrainian ambassador, she stayed seated. It might say more than Biden could.
Angrily Shushing the Border: The Case for a Great Old President: Jill Filipovic, Telling the Truth About What My Generation Got Left Behind
Jill Filipovic is a journalist based in New York and author of the book “OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind.” You can follow her on social media.
As a native of Monterey Park, California, it is still surreal to me that my hometown experienced a mass shooting last month that claimed the lives of 11 people. It was moving to see the president thank Brandon Tsay for disarming the suspected shooter. It was a poignant reminder of our continuing need for gun reform – as well as deserved recognition of a brave American.
The most significant moment of the night was when Kevin McCarthy angrily shushed his conference as he heard members shouting, “Secure the border! It was a surprisingly gallant act of leadership from someone who has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump, voted to overturn the 2020 election results and packed the House Oversight Committee with election deniers.
Biden is 80 years old and would be the oldest president to run for reelection. And he has suffered from a lack of intensity with rank-and-file Democrats, but he showed in this speech he can ably make and prosecute the case — not just for reelection, but also for Democratic values.
Ashley Allison is the CEO of Turner Conoly Group and a consultant for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. She is a former senior adviser to former President Barack Obama and senior aide to the Biden-Harris campaign.
The Ubiquitous Side of President Joe Biden, the Age of the Union, and the Birth of the American Dream: The Unification of America at 80
After making little mention of the “Unity Agenda” since he first announced it in his 2022 State of the Union address, President Joe Biden devoted the end of this year’s speech to his plans to end cancer, support veterans, address mental health and combat the opioid epidemic.
But it has done little to actually unify the country. Recent polls suggest Americans are just as divided as they were before the midterms, and a solid majority expect little more than partisan gridlock from Washington the next two years.
Justin Gest is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. He is the author of six books on the politics of immigration and demographic change including, most recently, “Majority Minority.”
A former CNN producer and correspondent, Ghitis is a world affairs columnist. She is a columnist for The Washington Post and columnist for World Politics Review.
Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders ripped into President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address.
At 40, Sanders is the youngest governor in the country. She spoke of Biden as the oldest president in American history, and at 80-years-old, she said, he is simply “unfit to serve as commander in chief.”
Biden’s Failure to Stand Up: The Case for a Great Nation and a Fail. Reply to the House Speaker, Mitch McCann
The GOP response came on the heels of Republicans in the House chamber shouting their frustration with Biden’s comments on the border crisis, Social Security and Medicare cuts and the threat from China.
Biden focused his speech on his administration’s accomplishments on unemployment numbers, record new jobs and lower prescription drug prices. It isn’t true that things are better just because he says so. Americans are still hurting.
She said the Biden administration appeared to be interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day and that she didn’t want to fight.
Like it or not, Sanders spoke for many Republicans who believe that despite Biden’s claim that the State of the Union is great, his failure to “defend our border, defend our skies and defend our people,” puts the State of our Union in peril.
Americans still view his presidency skeptically, he is under water, and a standoff over raising the national debt limit could cause chaos this year. The power of Republicans in Washington was obvious during the speech, as the speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, placed a political opponent behind Biden while he spoke.
Biden offered some niceties to the congressional leaders. For many Americans, this may be their first time hearing of Jeffries. Read more about him.
What Did We Learn from the First President? What Did Congress Really Learn in his Presidency? Why Did President Biden Learn? How Did Congress Learn?
Pelosi stepped down from Democratic leadership after Democrats lost control of the House in November’s midterm elections. It’s an almost entirely new — and much younger — leadership team for the first time in years.
Biden’s prediction about job creation is beyond the scope of a fact check. But his claim about companies having announced $300 billion in manufacturing investments during his presidency is accurate; the White House provided CNN with a list of these publicly announced investments. (It’s worth noting that companies sometimes end up investing less than they initially announce.)
This felt very much like a reelection pitch, asking people to look past their fears about inflation and the economy to take a longer view of the Biden years so far.
As we gather here tonight, we are writing the next chapter in the great American story, a story of progress and resilience. When world leaders ask me to define America, I define our country in one word: Possibilities.
The parties were able to work on a number of issues including the first gun legislation in years, and much-needed infrastructure spending. But they remain far apart on other issues that are top of mind, like immigration reform and government spending.
The GOP’s majority in the House will mean more scrutiny for spending like infrastructure and support for Ukraine, which are both bipartisan.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
Bipartisan Issues: From Violence Against Women to Respect for Marriage Laws and Other Proposed Reforms of the American Civil Liberation Law
In fact, I signed over 300 bipartisan laws since becoming President. From reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, to the Electoral Count Reform Act, to the Respect for Marriage Act that protects the right to marry the person you love.
These are very serious issues. The Electoral Count Act is meant to guarantee there will be no insurrection 2.0. The Respect for Marriage Act marked a significant change in the topic of marriage in a generation.
The people sent us a clear message. We get nowhere because of fighting for the sake of fighting and power for the sake of power.
Biden said that there is no reason that the Congress can’t work together in the same way as the last one.
To build an economy from the bottom up to the top down. Because when the middle class does well, the poor have a ladder up and the wealthy still do very well. We all do well.
The U.S. Small Business Job Job Rate in 2021: A Test of the Federal Reserve’s Inflationary Strategy, a Critique of Biden
As my Dad used to say, a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It’s about your dignity. It’s about respect. To be able to look your kid in the eye and say, “It’s going to be OK,” is something that can be done.
It was a gamble for Biden to brag about the jobs data because the Federal Reserve, by raising interest rates, is actively trying to slow down the job market and raise the unemployment rate as a way to combat inflation.
Biden’s claims are accurate. The Black or African American unemployment rate was 5.4% in January 2023, just above the record low of 5.3% set in August 2019. The Hispanic or Latino unemployment rate was 4.5% in January 2023, not too far from the record low of 4.0% that was set in September 2019 — though the 4.5% rate in January 2023 was a jump from the 4.1% rate in December 2022.
Biden’s figures are correct, however the good-paying qualification can’t be independently verified for each of those 800,000+ positions.
This is true. There were about 5.4 million business applications in 2021, the highest number since 2005 (the first year for which the federal government released this data for a full year), and about 5.1 million business applications in 2022. The number of business applications that were deemed to have a high probability of turning into a business with a payroll hit a record in 2021.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: How Congress Has Saved a Piece of America, but What Have We Learned in the Last Two Years?
Semiconductors, the small computer chips the size of your fingertip that power everything from cellphones to automobiles, and so much more. These chips were invented in America.
In the last few decades, we have lost our edge and are producing less than 10%. We all saw what happened during the pandemic when chip factories overseas shut down.
The Bi-partisan Infrastructure Law is the largest investment of infrastructure since President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system.
Airports, ports, pedestrian walkways, snow-melting systems. There are a number of infrastructure projects sprinkled throughout the country. Read more about some individual projects from CNN’s Katie Lobosco.
Meet some of the many lawmakers who have done this in this CNN report from last year. They include Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnestoa, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona and many others.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
The American Dream: Why We Are Going to Keep Investing and What We Can Don’t Have to Do, So That We Can Sleep Better at Night
The nation’s busiest freight route carries $2 billion worth of freight every day. People have been talking about fixing it for a long time, but we are finally going to do it.
We’re also replacing poisonous lead pipes that go into 10 million homes and 400,000 schools and childcare centers, so every child in America can drink clean water.
My economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten. The economic turmoil of the past four decades has left many people behind or invisible.
Jobs are coming back, pride is coming back, because of the choices we made in the last two years. It’s a blue-collar plan to rebuild America that will make a difference in your life.
In order to convince people who feel left behind that Biden’s plan will lead to opportunities, he needs to show how his plan will transition the economy away from fossil fuels.
For example, too many of you lay in bed at night staring at the ceiling, wondering what will happen if your spouse gets cancer, your child gets sick, or if something happens to you.
I am aware of it. With the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law, we are trying to bring health care costs down so people can sleep better at night.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
The Impact of Donald Trump’s Tax Cuts on the Inflation Reduction and the High-Dimensional Budget Problems of the American Population
Every day, millions need insulin to control their diabetes so they can stay alive. Insulin has been around for 100 years. It costs drug companies little to no money to make a small amount of drugs.
But there are millions of other Americans who are not on Medicare, including 200,000 young people with Type I diabetes who need insulin to save their lives.
This issue is important for a lot of Americans and it is being lobbyed by pharmaceutical companies. There are two Democrats that wrote for CNN that Biden has been moving too slowly.
Biden was talking here about the massive Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats, which Republicans have written off as wasteful spending. Understand what is included in the law.
Most Americans still get health insurance through their employers but interest in options under theAffordable Care Act is on the rise.
It is a great irony that climate change politics are seen as more of a pain in red states.
Biden pledges not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 per year, but if he is to get government to do more, he may have to change his mind.
We have learned a lot in recent years about how billionaires avoid paying taxes. Calls have grown to fix the tax system, but most tax laws, like the one Trump signed into law, move in the other direction, cutting taxes.
Businesses have argued that raising taxes on them will cut down on their investment back into the economy. They might put more money back in if a tax were raised on stock purchases.
Instead of cutting the number of audits of wealthy tax payers, I signed a law that will reduce the deficit by $114 billion by cracking down on wealthy tax cheats.
Biden was correct in his claim. During his four years in office, Trump’s major tax cuts increased the national debt by just under $8 trillion. The increase in debt during the Trump time period was due to the emergency Covid-19 relief spending that was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. The national debt spiked in the first half of 2020 after increasing gradually during Trump’s first three years in office, and because of spending required by safety-net programs that were created by previous presidents. A significant amount of spending under any president is the result of decisions made by their predecessors.
Republicans now have power in the House, they’re demanding spending cuts to raise the debt limit. If the economy were to go into tailspin, economists warn that it would be because of the debt. This is going to be a big story until June or else, when the debt limit must be raised.
Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what their plans are.
McCarthy shook his head and there were shouts of protest from the Republicans. These are not the views of most Republicans, and McCarthy has said he won’t cut Medicare and Social Security. But he also must appease fringe GOP members if he wants to remain speaker.
Biden ad-libbed in response to the shouts, “Contact my office, I’ll give you a copy of the proposal.” He said it was being proposed by some of you, even though he did not think it was a majority of Republicans. Biden is referring here to a controversial proposal by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
This is about the easiest and most popular pledge for any American president to make. Biden kept doing the same thing. “If anyone tries to cut Social Security, which apparently no one wants to do,” he said.
We will have to wait and see what Biden’s plan actually does. Republicans have been notably cagey about what specific cuts they would impose. McCarthy has said he would not cut the safety net programs or the defense budget.
There will be no taxes raised on people making under $400,000 a year. And I will pay for the ideas I’ve talked about tonight by making the wealthy and big corporations begin to pay their fair share.
There were multiple examples in this speech of Biden vilifying corporations and the wealthy — and a warning to them that he wants more taxes from them.
Bringing Back the D**$rightarrow$: Reply to Biden on “Junk Fees” and New Pre-K Programs
Here’s my message to all of you out there: I have your back. We are already stopping Insurance companies from sending surprise medical bills.
We’re protecting seniors’ lives and life savings by cracking down on nursing homes that commit fraud, endanger patient safety, or prescribe drugs they don’t need.
Biden also fired back at a television commentator he heard aboard Air Force One lamenting his focus on junk fees: “Junk fees may not matter to the wealthy people, but they matter of most folks like the home I grew up in. They add hundreds of dollars a month to make it harder to pay your bills or afford that family trip. I know how unfair it is to be overcharged by a company, because they think they can escape punishment.
For example, 30 million workers had to sign non-compete agreements when they took a job. So a cashier at a burger place can’t cross the street to take the same job at another burger place to make a couple bucks more.
Ensuring that working parents are able to afford child care that is affordable will allow millions more people to go to work.
The full Child Tax Credit, which gave millions of parents some breathing room, and cut child poverty in half, should be restored.
Again, these are things Democrats wanted to deliver when they controlled the House. If they were to say that they could do it now that they have less power, it sounds good in a speech.
Democrats were not able to pass a new universal pre-K program because they didn’t have the votes to defeat a filibuster.
Children who attend pre-school are more likely to finish high school than children who don’t, regardless of their background.
Provide students with two years of community college and career training in addition to completing a four-year degree, as well as connecting them to career opportunities in high school, which will lead to a four-year degree.
What Has Changed in the Fighting of the COVID-19 Disaster? An Analysis of Joe Biden’s Representation in the House of Representatives
Democrats failed to create a universal community college program because they lacked support from Republicans and their full party. Biden did not mention Sen. Joe Manchin in the speech, but the West Virginia Democrat, who is up for reelection in 2024, loomed large over this portion. Manchin and Sinema refused to go along with the party leaders and pass a more ambitious agenda last year. Manchin also refused to consider reforming the filibuster in the Senate.
When schools were closed during the COVID crisis, we should also be aware of how much has changed in the fight against the Pandemic.
There are more than one million Covid-19 death toll in the US. It was still among the top causes of death in the US in 2022, per early data, and the life expectancy has fallen by nearly 2.5 years since 2020, according to a recent report by CNN’s Deidre McPhillips.
As the crisis improves we are going to double down on prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat.
Now, let’s triple our anti-fraud strike forces going after these criminals, double the statute of limitations on these crimes, and crack down on identity fraud by criminal syndicates stealing billions of dollars from the American people.
This type of fraud will be investigated by Republicans. CNN has reported that unemployment benefits fraud is likely to top $60 billion.
This was an interesting transition from fears of violent crime, which Republicans have seized on, to frustration with police, which particularly affects Black Americans.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
The American Shooting of the 2022 Mass Shooter, Victims’ Mother, and the Founding Father of a Lived Black Hole
The parents of the man killed last week are with us tonight. There is no way to describe what it islike to lose a child.
The mother of Nichols looked on as he spoke, and the lawmakers under pressure to revive the attempt at new national policing standards looked on.
Families of victims and civil rights groups supported me in signing an executive order for all federal officers to forbid chokeholds, no-knock warrants and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.
Other things that gun owners support include background checks for teens and red flag laws that can keep guns away from people who are likely to harm themselves or others.
Emma Tucker has a look at all the gun control laws that were passed in the years of 2022 and onward. The Supreme Court ruling called into question the foundation of many state gun laws. The fight over gun laws is far from over.
In that instant, he found the courage to act and wrestled the semi-automatic pistol away from a gunman who had already killed 11 people at another dance studio.
Bipartisan efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration law failed during the Bush and Obama administrations. There is a will among both Republicans and Democrats to act, although they would differ in how they do it.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
Stopf Fentanyl and Stopf Drug Detection, Stop the Drugs, and Stop the Trafficking in Drugs at the Border
Let’s launch a major surge to stop fentanyl production, sale, and trafficking, with more drug detection machines to inspect cargo and stop pills and powder at the border.
If you will not pass my immigration reform, I will give equipment and officers to secure the border. There’s a pathway for Dreamers, those on temporary status, and essential workers.
This sounded like the kind of thing that could happen — pairing a largely Republican priority on more border funding with a largely Democratic priority to help Dreamers (undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children).
We want to protect access to reproductive health care and patient privacy and we are working with the Vice President. More than a dozen states are implementing extreme abortion bans.
If Republicans could pass a national abortion ban through the House, it would be a very big if, and there are multiple Republicans who support some version of abortion rights in the Senate.
For such a defense matters to us because it keeps the peace and prevents open season for would-be aggressors to threaten our security and prosperity. One year later, we know the answer.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
What a World Leader Would Change With: Biden’s Cold War and the Xi Jinping-Biden Speech in Turkey
There is unanimity in the support of the US, but powerful skeptics in the new GOP majority don’t like it. McCarthy promised that there would not be more blank checks for Ukraine.
This was important because both the US and China were building their militaries to protect themselves. The downing of a Chinese spy balloon was a symptom of the larger rivalry between the two countries.
I will make no apologies that we are investing to make America strong. Investing in American innovation will define the future, while China’s government is intent on dominating.
China was included in the text of Biden’s speech well before the balloon slipped into American airspace. The incursion provoked a diplomatic backlash from China and spurred second-guessing by Republicans, but it lent new pressure to Biden to compete with Beijing.
Biden added an emphatic ad-lib here. I want to know who a world leader would change places with. He said that they were referring to Xi Jinping. I want you to name me one. I’d like to be named one.
It’s also interesting to note that all of the foreign policy he mentioned was focused on this. He did not mention the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
America is rallying the world again to meet those challenges, from climate and global health, to food insecurity, to terrorism and territorial aggression.
Biden advocated the need for economic independence for the US, but also wanted the country to be a leader in democracy and trade.
And bridges are forming between partners in the Pacific and those in the Atlantic. And those who bet against America are learning just how wrong they are.
Bipartisan Solutions to Drug Abuse and Mental Health Problems: A Tale of Two Tragic and Untimely Deaths of Two Young People
There were two stories of tragic and untimely deaths of young people in this speech: Nichols in a deadly police encounter in Memphis and Courtney Griffin from fentanyl.
There is definitely room for bipartisan agreement on fentanyl. It was interesting to listen to Biden talk about harsher penalties, since in recent years there have been moves towards more treatment for drug abusers.
Second, we need to do more for our children’s mental health. More access to mental health care at school is important for millions of young people who are struggling with violence and trauma.
And it’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us.
Another area for bipartisan compromise? Republicans also want to crack down on Big Tech, but they are interested in rooting out a perceived bias against conservatives.
Third, let’s do more to keep our nation’s one truly sacred obligation: to equip those we send into harm’s way and care for them and their families when they come home.
The VA is doing everything it can, including expanding mental health screenings and a proven program that recruits veterans to help other veterans understand what they’re going through and get the help they need.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
Twenty Years of Campaigning to End the Big Lie: The Values and Freedoms of Democracy. The Case of the American House of Representatives
The goal is to reduce the death rate from cancer by half over the next 25 years. Turn more cancers from death sentences into treatable diseases. Support patients and their families.
For the lives we can save and for the lives we have lost, let this be a truly American moment that rallies the country and the world together and proves that we can do big things.
Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President Bush and countless advocates and champions, we undertook a bipartisan effort through PEPFAR to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It has been a huge success.
The home of the Speaker of the House was invaded by political violence just a few months ago, and it happened because of the Big Lie. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th.
We must all speak out. There is not a place for political violence in America. In America, we must protect the right to vote, not suppress that fundamental right. We honor the results of our elections, not undermine them. We must restore trust in our institutions of democracy and uphold the rule of law.
Republicans lost many marquee races in last November’s election. It will be a test of US democracy to see if faith in elections, eroded in recent years, begins to repair.
Biden made the effort to protect democracy sound like a war here. Generations being called on to protect democracy have echoes in previous foreign wars.
We are not bystanders to history. We aren’t powerless before the forces that confront us. It is within the reach of the people. We are facing the test of our time and the time for choosing is at hand.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2023/02/annotated-fact-checked-president-biden-sotu/
Biden and the State of the Union: a message of optimism and optimism for the economy and the recovery of the country after Covid-19
That all of us, every one of us, is created equal in the image of God. The nation is a sign of things to come. A nation in a new age of possibilities.
Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong.
Biden told the group of labor workers at a training facility that his State of the Union message was that it was strong and he highlighted the legislative accomplishments.
Mr. Biden still did not shy from the fight. Even when he was promoting bipartisanship, he relished jabbing Republicans. He noted that many Republicans were against the infrastructure package but still wanted money from it for their districts.
A majority of Americans say he hasn’t accomplished much, many Democrats aren’t happy about his running for reelection and most Republicans don’t like him.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Biden touted the economic progress and legislative achievements made under his watch, repeatedly saying “Let’s finish the job” – a refrain likely to be heard as his unofficial pitch for reelection.
Biden delivered a speech that he wanted to deliver at a moment in his political career when he needed it the most.
Rather than tout any one accomplishment, however, Biden hoped to address the national mood, one that remains downbeat even as the economy improves and the country attempts to return to normal amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Night Before Elections: How President Biden Met his Senator and the House of Representatives During a Mayoral Briefing at Camp David
It is not difficult to identify an adult in a room full of elected officials. Both Republicans and Biden’s team telegraphed a desire to act as the night’s adult in the room and lower the temperature, before Tuesday’s speech.
For the first 45 minutes of Biden’s address, that appeared to be the play for both sides. But when Biden began castigating Republicans for plans that would slash Social Security and Medicare, the decorum dropped.
“He gets energy from his audience,” the official said. It’s not a new view on how Biden operates – his advisers constantly talk about how he finds his energy from engaging with people.
House Republicans accuse Biden and his team of threatening to send the nation into default and putting at risk the lives of thousands by investigating the president and his family.
As lawmakers like Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupted Biden, McCarthy was silent – but his glare into the crowd spoke for itself. Later he found himself shushing his conference multiple times at outbursts interrupted the president.
It was important for Biden to sound like someone who would keep doing the job as he prepares to ask voters to keep him in office until he is 86.
His delivery was energetic, even if he stumbled over a few of his prepared lines. When Republicans hecklers interrupted him, he responded quickly and kept them on their toes.
Over the weekend at Camp David, aides set up a podium, microphone, lights and teleprompter in a conference room inside the Laurel Lodge for Biden to practice his speech with his team. The potential for hecklers was something White House officials had in mind as they prepared for the speech.
Aides were focused on the message – but also the language, ensuring the speech lent itself to a vigorous presentation. Tuesday’s speech was one of the only times this year that many in Biden’s television audience saw the president.
His previous two speeches to the Congress were salted with riffs and lines that appeared every time he spoke: his views of the middle class and his inheritance of wisdom from his father.
“So many of you feel like you’ve just been forgotten,” he said, directly appealing to a demographic that used to vote reliably for Democrats but has more recently turned to the GOP.
“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,” he said. “You wonder whether a path even exists anymore for you and your children to get ahead without moving away.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/takeaways-biden-state-of-the-union-address/index.html
Biden’s State of the Union as a Demonstrator of the Progress of the United States in the Post-Republican Era
While facing heckling from the Republicans, Biden leaned towards his record while working across the aisle.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this Congress as well,” he said.
The White House believes that his focus on certain issues will appeal to Americans who aren’t really aware of what’s happening in Washington.
At moments, his speech seemed tailor-made for a nation of annoyed consumers, down to annoyances about baggage fees on airlines and fine print on hotel bills.
We made it clear last week that if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did,” Biden said in his speech.
In part because she lacked an audience and in part because Biden was energetically provoked by Republicans in his own address, her speech was a far more staid affair than the State of the Union. The speech was delivered solemnly from the governor’s mansion in Little Rock, and she used a dark description of the policies of the Democrats.
Instead, she appeared to call for a change of the guard, just like Biden and her fellow Democrats, and similar to the change she called for Republicans and Trump.
Absent from the chamber, though, was Marty Walsh, the labor secretary who was chosen to stay away as a designated survivor in case of a catastrophe at the Capitol and is reported to be stepping down soon.
The State of the Union Address to the First Half of the 20th Century: The President’s Need to re-think the future of the United States
Pressure was placed on the president to ensure a smooth performance for his largest television audience of the year at a time when his program is important. If he seeks re-election, he would be asking voters to entrust the White House to him until he is 86. Polls show that even many Democrats are concerned about his age and eager to see a younger generation rise to leadership of the party.
“There’s so much more to do,” he said, calling on lawmakers to pass policing reform and immigration legislation; codify abortion rights, and cap the price of insulin for all at $35 a month.
Biden used the State of the Union Address to draw a contrast with Republicans on some issues, including raising the debt ceiling, which will likely be his largest television audience of the year.
“Let’s commit here tonight that the full faith and credit of the United States of America will never be questioned, as long as I’m in charge of this country,” the president said.
“Folks – as we all apparently agree, Social Security and Medicare is off the books now, right? They’re not to be touched,” he said, to what turned into claps. “We’ve got unanimity!”
The Bidens were in the room as special guests and they were nodding to the mom and stepfather, who were in the chamber.
“Already, we’ve funded over 20,000 projects, including major airports from Boston to Atlanta to Portland,” he said. “And folks, we’re just getting started.”
The Rise and Fall of the Left: Defending the Right Policies, Ending Cancer, and Providing Infrastructure for the U.S.
He was optimistic in finding issues where both parties could work together and find common ground, such as supporting veterans and ending cancer.
He showed a clear contrast between himself and right-wing House Republicans who couldn’t help themselves, hectoring Biden repeatedly despite Kevin McCarthy explicitly instructing them not to do so.
The president didn’t have a great deal of new policies to call for from the new Congress, including ending junk fees in travel, entertainment and credit cards. It shows that he’s ready to campaign on what he’s already done, and that he may campaign on his difference between his vision for America and Republicans’.
Many surveys show the Democrats would prefer a different candidate over Biden, mostly because of his age, but no one can say who is better suited for the job.
Some of what is likely to make Democrats comfortable is the pluck he showed — the willingness and ability to spar with Republicans and depict them not as normal, but extreme.
It was the best example of this. He deftly riled up House Republicans, accusing some of wanting to cut the popular entitlements. He was careful to note that there are some Republicans who want to end Medicare and Social Security each five years.
The exchange took the lid off any comity that existed earlier in the evening. Republicans shouted and heckled after that, accusing Biden of being a “liar,” and yelling “It’s your fault!” when Biden decried fentanyl deaths.
Americans like a story that has an edge and a dose of nationalism. That’s especially true today with right- and left-wing populism clearly the hot ticket in politics. Both Biden and former President Donald Trump have populism at their core — the little guy vs. the people in power. They’re modern-day Howard Beales, mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.
It was a heavy dose of left-wing populism with policies that are actually quite popular. He even made news, saying that he is going to “require all construction materials used in federal infrastructure projects to be made in America.”
There was about 200 words of the speech that talked about what’s become one of America’s top security threats.
On Ukraine, Biden noted the presence of Ukraine’s ambassador and touted what the U.S. has done for the country over the past year of its war with Russia.
But beyond that, there wasn’t much on either country. That shows that Biden will focus on domestic issues in his reelection campaign.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/08/1155329147/5-takeaways-from-bidens-state-of-the-union-address
How Did Congress Respond to the Debt Crisis? Democrat Reply to Biden’s ‘Inappropriate’ Facebook Applause
“After years of Democrat attacks on law enforcement and calls to ‘Defund the Police,’ violent criminals roam free, while law-abiding families live in fear,” she said.
Biden talked about his standing applause in a way that contrasted with Republicans’ portrayal of him as beholden to the extreme left.
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin strongly criticized the representatives who heckled Biden, saying it was “awful childish,” “distasteful” and adding that it “might be acceptable in a third world country.” Democratic Whip Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois called it “really unbefitting.”
How did Congress respond to the debt? Biden asked. “They did the right thing, they lifted the debt ceiling three times without preconditions or crisis.”
Republicans remained quiet while Democrats cheered. But when the president accused some Republicans of wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare, protests erupted again.
Joe Biden, the Great State of the Union, and Social Security: What he has to do next to Social Security, and what he can do about it
Biden then recognized departing chief of staff Ron Klain, whose last day is Wednesday. Klain spoke briefly, saying not only was the speech strong on the whole but the president made everyone incredibly proud in the back-and-forth with Republicans over Medicare and Social Security.
Klain called the back-and-forth an “all-time great State of the Union moment that people would look back on for years.” That got a standing ovation as well.
Virginia GOP Rep. Bob Good told CNN that he was one of the hecklers who called Biden a “liar,” saying the president deserved it for his comments about Republicans saying they want cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
When he stood there with a straight face and told us that he had a solution, that offended me, because he could have closed the border down with a pen. “He has not done a damn thing about it.”
South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson yelled, “You lie!” The president himself was condemned by members of his party after he gave a health care speech. He later apologized.
When President Donald Trump concluded his State of the Union speech, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tore up a copy.
President Joe Biden brought his State of the Union populist economic messaging to Wisconsin on Wednesday, firing back at Republicans and highlighting US manufacturing in a preview of an expected 2024 argument in the battleground state.
Biden made clear that he was willing to continue the fight as he hit the road, reigniting the social safety net argument with Republicans that sparked one of the most memorable moments in Tuesday’s speech. The argument highlighted the attempts of Biden to shift his message away from the right wing populist talking points of the upcoming election.
“There’s a senator named Mike Lee who was also yelling, ‘Liar, liar, house on fire’ kind of stuff last night. … They played last night, something I didn’t even know existed, a video of him saying, ‘I’m here right now to tell you one thing you’ve probably never heard from a politician: It’ll be my objective to phase out Social Security,’” he said.
The maga of the 21st Century: What did he learn from his first two years in office? A reappraisal of a conversation with Biden
PBS NewsHour asked Biden if he was expecting the kind of reception he got in the House chamber.
Biden said he was from the people that did it. “The vast of majority of Republicans weren’t that way, but you know, there’s still a significant element of what I call the ‘MAGA Republicans.’”
He had skepticism about last night’s “conversion” of the Republicans, though he hoped that was true. I’ll believe it when I see it when their budget’s laid down with the cuts they’re proposing. We may have sealed a deal last night on the floor of the House.
In the speech, Biden attempted to make a bigger argument for working together with Republicans, stating that the successes of his first two years in office.
“People sent us a clear message: Fighting for the sake of fighting gets us nowhere. We’re getting things done,” he said, before going on to draw clear arguments against his Republican colleagues.
And he again called on Congress to raise the nation’s debt limit during his earlier remarks, warning against the “chaos” he said Republicans are “suggesting.”