Office Hours: What should Biden say (and not say) in his State of the Union?
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has sucked all the oxygen out of the news cycle right now, but on Tuesday Biden will give his State of the Union address — and presumably he has lots to say about his first year and his aspirations for the future. It will be Biden’s most important opportunity to set the tone and themes for the midterm elections, just a bit over eight months away.
So today’s Office Hours question: What should Biden say (and not say) in his State of the Union?
Please share your thoughts, below. (I’ll chime in midday.)
Here’s my two cents: Biden should center his State of the Union on the fundamental choice between democracy and authoritarianism. He should connect (1) the importance of voting rights, with (2) the dangers posed by Trump and his follower’s ongoing assault on democracy, and (3) the danger of widening inequality to democracy because big money inevitably affects politics (which is why the rich must pay their fair share, why monopolies pose dangers not just for consumers but for democracy, and why measures such as the refundable Child Tax Credit are so urgently needed), (4) America’s role in the world providing leadership on today’s challenges of authoritarianism (as exemplified by Putin), and (5) the power of American democracy to overcome other global challenges such as pandemics and climate change.
In these ways, Biden’s speech should be a modern version of FDR’s State of the Union address in 1941 – FDR’s “Four Freedoms” speech, in which Roosevelt proposed that people “everywhere in the world” should enjoy the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. FDR delivered that speech before Pearl Harbor, when the nation was deeply divided about going to war. The parallels today are the global threats of authoritarianism as well as pandemics and climate change. FDR noted that freedom and democracy are inextricably connected, and that the benefits of democracy include economic opportunity, employment, social security, and adequate health care. Biden should reiterate these benefits, and explain what he has done and will do to advance them in the richest nation in the history of the world.
Here’s my two cents: I very much like what Ed Shook and Ed Wren propose, but with a slightly different approach. I think Biden should center his State of the Union on the fundamental choice between democracy and authoritarianism. He should connect (1) the importance of voting rights, with (2) the dangers posed by Trump and his follower’s ongoing assault on democracy, and (3) the danger of widening inequality to democracy because big money inevitably affects politics (which is why the rich must pay their fair share, why monopolies pose dangers not just for consumers but for democracy, and why measures such as the refundable Child Tax Credit are so urgently needed), (4) America’s role in the world providing leadership on today’s challenges of authoritarianism (as exemplified by Putin), and (5) the power of American democracy to overcome other global challenges such as pandemics and climate change.
In these ways, Biden’s speech should be a modern version of FDR’s State of the Union address in 1941 – FDR’s “Four Freedoms” speech, in which Roosevelt proposed that people “everywhere in the world” should enjoy the freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. FDR delivered that speech before Pearl Harbor, when the nation was deeply divided about going to war. The parallels today are the global threats of authoritarianism as well as pandemics and climate change. FDR noted that freedom and democracy are inextricably connected, and that the benefits of democracy include economic opportunity, employment, social security, and adequate health care. Biden should reiterate these benefits, and explain what he has done and will do to advance them in the richest nation in the history of the world.
We need to understand why and how a democracy works. Biden has to wake us up. Plain and simple it’s freedom. We need to protect freedom at all costs. The insurrection was a trial balloon and republicans have evolved into fascism and are our biggest threat to our democracy and freedom. If your unhappy with some elements of our society then get involved. Get your hands dirty. Don’t give your freedom to a dictatorship. Plain stupid. John Kennedy said it best “ Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country “ We’ve had it easy until now. We could see our enemies but now the enemy is within. Let’s save our democracy. Uniformed soldiers can’t help us with this one. Truth,Justice and the American way. Let us unite and that is our most effective weapon.