President Biden’s first address to a joint session of comments spanned 67 minutes, a host of costly topics and a gulf of partisan reaction.And for the discerning eye, the lofty rhetoric loaded into Biden’s teleprompter laid bare the night’s winners and losers…
WINNERS
Former President Donald J. Trump: Biden hailed the COVID-19 vaccines distributed across the U.S. as a “dose of hope.” That hope was launched on Trump’s watch under his Operation Warp Speed program.
China’s Xi Jinping: Biden offered no direct condemnation on pollution or military aggression in the region. “In my discussion with President Xi, I told him we welcome the competition – we’re not looking for conflict,” he said.
BIDEN’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS: EVERYTHING TO KNOW
Members of Congress who watched from home: No masks, comfortable couch and no awkward fist bumps or elbow bumps necessary.
IRAN: No mention of staunch ally Israel. And not a peep about reports former Secretary of State John Kerry dished details of covert Israeli actions to the Iranians.
LOSERS
Messaging on wearing masks: Are they necessary even among the fully vaccinated or are they not? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris remained masked-up mere feet behind the maskless Biden throughout the speech.
Eloquent English: Aside from some scrambled syntax and sentence structure that can trip up anyone talking non-stop for more than an hour, Biden also uncorked some headscratchers. Exhibit A: “We have to do more than build back better. We have to build back better.”
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American taxpayers: Biden waxed about the societal virtues of raising taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans. But those hikes have a trickle down impact as employers and affluent entrepreneurs eye more welcoming shores — and take American jobs overseas with them.
The border: The plight of migrants, or the strain their arrival has placed on U.S. resources, didn’t rank a line.