Natalia Chi
If you listened to Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, Joe Biden’s second speech as president, you’d feel more like you’re watching a shouting match typical of the British parliament than an address to the US parliament. something happened.
Disorganized members of the House, including big-ticket Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, repeatedly interrupted Biden’s speeches to shout, “Liar!”, “Secure the border!” It’s your fault!” he cried. And other hecklers who are unfit for the U.S. Capitol — but wholly fit for this Republican Congress.
Unsurprisingly, ever a politician, Biden has amused, tolerated, and sometimes even tried to argue seriously with their ridicule.
But even more surprising was House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s reaction to his own meeting. he silenced them.
Not once, but two or three times during his long speech, over an hour long, McCarthy looked in the direction of the rowdy house and shook his head sullenly, visibly silencing them. Calm down. This despite reports that McCarthy warned congressmen before his speech that “cameras are on” and “mics are hot.”
Not surprisingly, Greene et al. I didn’t mind McCarthy’s mild pleas in the slightest. They are unlikely to be chastised. In fact, when asked about Wednesday morning’s explosion on Fox News, McCarthy deflected and defended:
“Well, the president was trying to stir up the members, and the members are passionate about it,” McCarthy said.
In a way, was the shashing a symbol of the long, or the short? Some have no desire to be a speaker at all, and many don’t enjoy his overture of working with Biden on various agendas. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time he clashes with other Republicans in the House.
As for Biden, this was a masterclass in class.
During his speech, he refused to respond to rude, childish heckles and heckles, instead begging Republicans to check the facts if they didn’t believe him. When they booed against his proposal that some Republicans want Social Security cuts, he repeatedly said, “Find out,” and said, “I enjoy my conversion.” “said.
This was typical Joe. Long known for his empathy, compassion, and willingness to work across aisles, Biden had a long career in politics, putting an end to the ironic old adage that nice guys end last.
Winning friendships with Republican senators like the late John McCain and Lindsay Graham is one of his hallmarks. In the 2020 election, there were concerns from the left that he was too soft on Republicans. After Biden made his first speech as a Democratic candidate, there were headlines: “Biden Reveals General Election Weapon: Basic Human Kindness.”
That went a long way on Tuesday night — Biden kindly and frankly killed far more Republicans than they deserved.
A few days before the State of the Union address, Rep. Lauren Boebert showed up to pray for Biden’s death. Green repeatedly called for Biden’s impeachment and compared him to Hitler. All three members were recently given seats on the House Oversight Committee by McCarthy.
But unlike his predecessor, Biden brought optimism and benevolence to his speech, choosing to promote American pride instead of American carnage. We talked about what we all have in common. Instead of worshiping and weaponizing grievances, he acknowledged the fears of Americans while promising a better future.
I voted for Biden in 2020 not because I agree with all his policies, but because I believed Biden wanted to make America good again after four years of Trump. Obviously yes.
Perhaps there are drawbacks — I wanted Biden to call out more forcefully Republican extremism, conspiracy theories and election denial, anti-Semitism and bigotry, liars and zealots. They are a corrupting force in American politics and a threat to our democracy.
But he is much more polite than I am. Despite the childish and destructive antics of the rude Republicans, Biden was unfazed and undeterred, refusing to meet them in the gutter and instead kindly killing them. In their efforts to embarrass the , they ended up only embarrassing themselves.
SE Cupp is the host of CNN’s “SE Cupp Unfiltered.”
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