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Mr. Rivera, who is Puerto Rican, said he doesn’t like the way Mr. Trump talks about immigration and the southern border, but is planning to vote for him anyway. “Biden? I don’t know,” Mr. Rivera said. “It looks like we’re weak, America’s weak. We need someone stronger.”
—from a New York Times piece about Joe Biden’s waning support in minority communities.
Epiphanies arrive unannounced in American politics. They can come at any time. John Kerry sank his presidential campaign early on when he gaffed, “I was for the war in Iraq before I was against it.” (Or was it the other way around?) Bill Clinton revived his presidency when he gave a great speech in Oklahoma City after the bombing there. One thing is certain: When the media says we’re at a turning point in the campaign—or, as Wolf Blitzer would say, “a major, major turning point”—it ain’t necessarily so.
Biden’s State of the Union message on Thursday may or may not be one of those. He’ll have other chances to upend Orange—his convention speech this summer, the debates in the fall (if Chicken Little shows up), the unforeseen crisis or tragedy, a brilliant response to a Trump gaffe.. But the SOTU is an opportunity to meliorate the deepening impression that he’s too weak for the job. He will, of course, go the laundry list route—citing his various accomplishments, which are numerous (and have been under-appreciated). But he shouldn’t dwell too long on that stuff. He needs to be bold.
John Ellis makes a strong point about a gracious—but slightly wicked—thing that Biden can do. He can praise Mitch McConnell:
We may not have always agreed on policy matters, but Mitch is a man true to his word, and a giant in the Senate for 40 years now. He will be missed by all those who believe that getting things done is more important than going on TV. Mitch, on behalf of the people of the United States, we thank you for your service as your party’s leader in the Senate and look forward to continue working with you on the pressing issues facing our nation.
And then, Ellis goes on:
Biden’s remarks will put a large number of Republican members of the Senate and the House of Representatives in an uncomfortable position. They know they should stand up and applaud McConnell, a party leader for four decades and one who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for GOP candidates all across the country. They also know that Big Don will be watching and making mental notes of who stood and who remained seated.
He will be unhappy with those who stood. He hates McConnell. He interprets expressions of support for McConnell as acts of disloyalty to him.
What fun. I’m all for anything that discomforts The Party of Orange.
Here’s another possibility: At some point during the speech, Marjorie Taylor Greene or one of the other right-wing nutters will stand up and start heckling the President. Biden should call her out by name: “Sit down, Marjorie. Didn’t your mama teach you manners?” He should not let any opportunity pass to throw a punch at the rude and the boorish. (The Rude and the Boorish—a possible Trump streaming series?)
There are two other areas where Biden will need to be bold: Gaza and the border. Regular Sanity-readers (Sanitoids? Sanitaries?) know my positions on these two issues. But Biden could sharpen the contrast.
On the border, he could say:
“We all know there’s a crisis at the border. I’ve tried to work with my Republican friends to solve it. Together, we crafted the toughest border bill in recent history—and then Donald Trump decided to trash it, for the most cynical of reasons, because he wants a chaotic border. He wants it as a campaign issue…Well, the American people want a solution not cynicism. And I’m done waiting for the Republicans to come around. So, I’m announcing a national state of emergency tonight. I’m closing the border, for the time being. I am sending elements of the 1st Cavalry and the 4th Infantry Division to patrol the border—and I’m empowering them to arrest anyone who comes across illegally. I’m also, temporarily, suspending all refugee applications at the border until we can get control of the process. This is a sad thing to do. The vast majority of people seeking refugee status have good reason to flee their homelands. The see America, rightly, as their last best hope. But the current situation can not continue. America’s security is too important. And Mr. Trump, shame on you, for playing politics with it.
On Gaza, he could call out Bibi Netanyahu directly:
I have a personal message for the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. We’ve been your best friend, Bibi. We’ve stood with Israel—without flinching— during its toughest moments over the past 75 years. It’s a great moral cause, the restoration of the original Jewish homeland. We—I, personally—stood with you after the Hamas atrocities of October 7. We believe Israel has a right to defend itself, aggressively, against the Hamas terrorists. But you have taken advantage of our friendship. Your response in Gaza has been disproportionate. You have allowed a terrible humanitarian crisis there. You have ignored our pleas for a cease fire. That is unacceptable. And so, until a cease fire is declared, I’m stopping the delivery of all offensive weapons to Israel. We will continue to help Israel defend itself. We will give you all the Patriot missiles and Iron Dome systems and advanced radars that you need. But not a single bullet until you arrange a cease fire…and, going forward, no offensive weapons until you make a total commitment to a two-state solution. It’s time for the carnage to end.
Now, he may lose some Jewish support if he does this. But he will be perceived as strong…and bold, and principled. He needs that desperately right now, lest the barbarians breach the gates.
Sometimes I disagree with my golf partner, Joe. This time not on anything. I’ve been extremely disappointed with the Biden campaign. Except for what seem like random moments it has been weak, passive, lazy, the opposite of bold. He is far better than his campaign has shown to date. There is a frequent pattern in losing campaigns. The candidate stays with a cautious losing campaign until the last few days when he or she suddenly start saying what they should have said long before. Joe Biden says this is the cause of his life, this is existential. It’s way past time to show it
Thank you. Would that Biden would do both things.