Feb 10, 2023 3 min read

I applaud President Joe Biden for presenting a spirited, comprehensive, and excellent State of the Union Address, surely knowing that parts of it would trigger insults and heckling from the many Republican members of Congress who want to humiliate him and deny him any further accomplishment.

The catcalls, including the use of profanity, ensued: a lack of respect and decorum which was not a surprise and for which the groundwork had been laid based upon the actions of some during prior presidents’ annual reports to the nation.

Although he mangled a number of words as he often does, the president managed to present a detailed list of accomplishments and a wish list for the final two years of his first term: initiatives which admittedly will be hard to achieve with a divided Congress.

The president did not shy away from controversy, proclaiming in front of the Supreme Court justices who took away the inalienable right to an early pregnancy abortion the need to codify reproductive rights in law. He also spoke at length about the grave threat to democracy that we have faced in recent years and how it continues to exist, having beaten back for now the threats to it.

The president struck the proper balance in noting his gratitude for our many heroic law enforcement officers while also pleading for legislation which would enact police reform, stating as the grieving parents of the late Tyre Nichols looked on from the gallery the need to take steps to ensure that no other family must suffer the death of a beloved son at the hands of out-of-control police officers.

Biden called for an increased level of taxation on the 100 American billionaires, and for a quadrupling of the tax on corporations’ stock buybacks, from 1% to 4%. Neither proposal is likely to gain traction with those on the opposite side of the aisle, who are certain to protect their wealthy individual and corporate donors.

It was interesting to note the many occasions within the speech during which Republicans applauded, including Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, many of those instances also triggering them to stand.

The president laid a path for cooperation with reasonable members of the opposition and he tried to smooth the way for that result by warmly greeting McCarthy, congratulating him on his election, and opening the door to meetings of the minds and compromise. Will there be Republicans who accept the Biden olive branch to address the many problems which face our country or will we see two years composed primarily of investigations of the president and his family? Which path is the one which voters want?

Oren Spiegler is a resident of Peters Township.