LAST UPDATE | 8 Feb 2023
US PRESIDENT JOE Biden called for unity and tried to emphasise conciliation over conflict in his State of the Union address.
The 80-year-old almost defiantly ignored the bitter divisions between Republicans and Democrats and his own low standing with the public in his speech.
He returned repeatedly to common ground, making the case that both parties can back US factories, new businesses being formed and the funding of 20,000 infrastructure projects.
When Biden hit each of these themes, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy politely clapped, even standing to applaud at one point.
It was a sign that Democrats and Republicans can at least agree to a shared set of goals, even if they have very different views of how to get there.
In the midterm election campaign, Biden warned of Republican extremists.
Last night, he portrayed them as partners in governance during the first two years of his presidency.
But then came a comment that generated boos and hoots from Republicans: Biden said some in the GOP were bent on cutting Social Security and Medicare.
That sparked a raucous back and forth that seemed more in line with the reality of the actual relationship between the parties.
The president also invoked domestic and foreign concerns in references to China and Ukraine.
Beijing had brazenly floated a spy balloon across the United States, an embarrassing episode for Biden that culminated last weekend with him ordering the Pentagon to shoot the craft out of the sky over the Atlantic Ocean.
He briefly addressed the incident directly: “As we made clear last week, if China’s threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country. And we did.”
Biden took a moment to pay tribute to Ukraine, addressing one of his guests, Ambassador Oksana Markarova, as representing “not just her nation but the courage of her people”.
He also applauded Congress for giving Ukraine what it needed to face Russia’s brutal aggression, with the United States already having committed nearly 30 billion dollars in security assistance since the start of the war.
In private, administration officials have made clear to Ukrainian officials that Congress’ patience with the cost of the war will have its limits.
Bono was one of the guests at the event, having been invited by First Lady Jill Biden.
Joe Biden remarked: “Twenty years ago, under the leadership of President [George W.] Bush and countless advocates and champions, we undertook a bipartisan effort to transform the global fight against HIV/AIDS. It’s been a huge success.”
In 2004, Bono founded (RED), which fights HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Biden added: “I believe we can do the same with cancer. Let’s end cancer as we know it and cure some cancers once and for all.”
Among his guests at the event were the parents of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old black man whose beating death at the hands Memphis, Tennessee, police has reignited a national debate on policing.
Efforts to reduce police excesses have been sharply restricted by resistance in Congress and there is little prospect of federal action.
Still, Biden expressed awe at the grace of Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells, who following his death has talked of her son’s “beautiful soul” and hopeful certainty that “something good will come from this”.
Biden uttered the phrase “finish the job” at least a dozen times during his address.
It sounded like the makings of a slogan he might employ for a re-election campaign.
But it is highly unlikely he will be able to finish the job on many of the things he referenced, like an assault weapons ban, universal preschool for three- and four-year-olds and forcing companies to stop doing stock buybacks.
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