Joe Biden’s angry, divisive State of the Union address in early March revealed the disconnect between the media and the average American.
He shouted through the first 30 minutes of his speech as if he was on stimulants. It didn’t help that he chose to focus his remarks on Ukraine and the 6th of January before any other issues that Americans care about.
Biden mispronounced Laken’s name when he finally addressed the illegal immigration issue, which is consistently near the top in polls. He called the murdered Georgia student, “Lincoln.” Biden’s comments on the economy weren’t much better. He tried to take credit for the fact that the deficit was still near record levels while ignoring stubbornly high inflation rates and astronomical interest rates which continue to burden American families.
It was a bad speech both in terms of its content and its delivery. Members of the media rushed to call it “fervent” and “energetic,” Joe Scarborough even going as far as to say Biden made Republicans appear like “fools.”
It’s really amazing. https://t.co/uFH6zHoypF pic.twitter.com/oKvSTpbOFM
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) March 8, 2024
Morning Joe’s host said, “It was by far his best speech during his presidency.” “Strongest and most importantly for those who thought, ‘Oh he’s old’. He’s to that, man…. he has made the Republicans look foolish time and again.
It’s time to get comfortable because apparently, the average person does not share the views of elites who drink wine and never worry about how to pay for their groceries or mortgage. It’s panic time for Democrats after the numbers on Biden’s State of the Union address.
Wait, you mean shouting uncontrollably and mocking voter concerns wasn’t actually the best speech in presidential history? pic.twitter.com/hhAKmUrvP3
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 13, 2024
But it’s not only that Biden did not get a boost. He hit a record low for his approval rating after the speech.
Biden has seen no State of the Union poll bump yet. In fact, today’s updated approval rating average is a new all-time lowhttps://t.co/hBrpbNmo7Q pic.twitter.com/kDP2Fc4xjK
— G Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) March 12, 2024
The Democrats are not going to take any of these lessons to heart. The most obvious is that results matter over rhetoric. It’s not always the case, but it is a fact in politics when things are bad enough. Most Americans don’t “like” Donald Trump. But that doesn’t matter because they are more concerned about their bank accounts and how the border crisis will continue to affect their community.
Biden’s biggest concern is ultimately this. Voters see Trump’s flaws, but they also see the flaws of his current presidency, both in terms of his character and in terms of his disastrous policies. It’s difficult to imagine what would change this dynamic if the “fiery” State of the Union that the press thought brilliant did not.
There is little that can be done to address the major issues facing America in the eight months before the election. The interest rates won’t drop fast enough for home ownership to become a reality again. The cumulative price increases have been baked in and inflation is still close to twice the normal rate. The Biden administration is not planning to take any action to deal with the illegal immigration problem.
What you see is exactly what you get. This is a code-red for Democrats hoping to simply shout about the 6th of January to ensure their reelection.
