By Richard Lee

Reaction to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, as expected, followed party lines. Democrats praised it; Republicans criticized it.

Politics aside, here are my observations:

The speech was more of a campaign speech than a State of the Union address. Biden used the speech to tout his accomplishments and to explain how his vision for America differs from that of Republicans.

On the other hand, the speech was short on specifics, and he barely touched on topics such as China and the war in Ukraine.

Critics also will point out that he stumbled at times during the speech, misstating dates and other information. That is true, but he has a long history of gaffes that date back to his younger years.

Body language at the State of the Union also makes for interesting observations. Because protocol calls for the vice president and the speaker of the house to sit behind the president, it becomes awkward when the speaker and the president are members of different parties as they are now. It was no surprise to see Speaker Kevin McCarthy sit silently when Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats stood to applaud something the president said.

What was a bit of surprise was when Biden said some Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare. Republicans reacted with boos and jeers, and McCarthy shook his head no. Biden seized on the moment (although the cynic in me suspects the moment was scripted) and was able to get members of both parties to applaud (a rarity at State of the Unions).

At State of the Unions, presidents not only talk to Congress; they speak to voters. As CNN’s Oliver Darcy wrote before the speech:

“The speech will reach many Americans who do not normally tune into the news and follow the day-to-day happenings of Washington. In fact, it is often the largest audience that a president will speak to in any given year. Last year, for instance, more than 38 million people tuned into Biden’s speech. For context, 12.4 million people watched the Grammy Awards on Sunday.”

But the most important audience for this year’s speech was Biden’s fellow Democrats, many of whom have been speculating about his ability to win another term. The speech was his way of saying that despite his age, he is physically and capable of governing for another term to “finish the job” he has begun. He used the phrase “finish the job” a dozen times during the speech.

As with reaction to the overall speech, he has what it takes to finish the job. In the end, it will be the voters who will decide.

That’s democracy.

Richard Lee, executive director of the Jandoli Institute, is a professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University. He covered politics and government as a reporter and later served as Deputy Director of Communication for two New Jersey governors.

Categories: Jandoli Institute, Media, Politics