Tuesday, February 7th 2023, United States President Joe Biden gave the State of the Union Address in the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives, here are some takeaways from this speech.

It is clear that the purpose of this speech, other than it being a Union Address, was to test the waters of how people would react, especially Democrats, if he ran for reelection in the 2024 Presidential election.

Although sticking with the message of unity, a common theme with speeches made by presidents, he baited the right, not only to show the Democratic Party that he is competent and wont be taken advantage of, but to show the people of the United States that the Republican Party are incapable of bipartisanship and compromise, which he achieved in doing so.
The best example of this was his address about Medicare and Social Security. If his goal was to rile the GOP up, he accomplished that mission. During this address, he accused some House Republicans of wanting to cut these benefits, in order to make fiscal progress in our debt. His exact wording was “some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset after five years.”

This was in reference to Sen. Rick Scott, a Senator in Florida and the former National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman, in his “Rescue America Plan.”

Although McCarthy has said this plan was “off the table,” this statement made by Biden was enough to enrage House Republicans enough for them to make a scene.

Outraged Republicans heckled and shouted at the president after this statement, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene yelled out “liar” and even said it was Biden’s fault for fentanyl deaths, because of his lack of closure at the border.
McCarthy, who is maintaining a narrow lead, even shushed the Republicans making a scene, the same Republicans who consistently voted against him.

Populism was a big angle during this address, but instead of the direction former President Trump maintained, Biden went the other direction, going after oil and gas company profits, “wealthy tax cheats”, corporate stock buybacks, and billionaires.
“No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a school teacher or a firefighter,” Biden said.

Although a hot button topic, not much was said about the war in Ukraine, instead giving a quick statement to the Ukraine ambassador that was present.

“We will stand with you as long as it takes,” the President said.

The quick transition away from the issue in Ukraine, as well as the less than notable mention about the Chinese surveillance balloon, creates a message of American first politics, with little emphasis on foreign policy.

There was also no mention of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, which has a possible humanitarian crisis forming in the near future.

A fine line was walked by Biden about police reform and criminal justice, creating more strife between the Democratic Party and the GOP.

“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” said Arkansas Gov. Sara Huckabee Sanders while delivering the GOP response to this address, accusing Biden of being taken by the “woke mob.”

Biden, however, is going about this issue from a different angle.

“It’s up to us,” said Biden while talking about Tyre Nichols, who was beaten to death during a traffic stop by Memphis police; his parents were in the audience after being invited by Biden himself. “We all want the same thing-neighborhoods free of violence, law enforcement who earn the community’s trust, our children to come home safely, equal protection under the law. That’s the covenant we have with each other in America.”

After this quote, Biden received standing applause from both parties, disproving the Republicans characterization of Biden holding an extreme left view on the issue of policing.

Most of this speech was centered around the economy, which Biden praised himself for record low unemployment and declining inflation.

His attitude to help the economy is to pass legislation and “finish the job.”