Reactions To Biden's State Of The Union Address

 

As we surveyed the morning- after reactions to President Biden's State of the Union Address, a common theme was that he, once again, far exceeded expectations.  Delivering a forceful, high energy message that Democrats were fighting for democracy both here (January 6 accountability, voting rights) and abroad (Ukraine), for freedom (reproductive rights), and for a robust economy that needs to be fairer (corporate taxes, lower drug prices), Biden came across as in command and confident.  Stressing how he and Democrats favored those policies that broad majorities of Americans want, as opposed to Republicans in Congress, will be a central part of the campaign message going forward.

Apparently, he hit the right notes:

More than 6 in 10 Americans who watched President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address had a positive reaction to the speech, according to a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, with a smaller 35% reacting very positively.

That pattern of widespread but tempered positivity mirrors the reception for Biden’s speeches in previous years. Last year, 72% of viewers reacted positively, with 34% saying their reaction was very positive – the lowest “very positive” number in CNN’s polling dating back to 1998. In 2022, 71% had a positive reaction, with 41% saying their reaction was very positive. [snip]

Americans who watched on Thursday said, 62% to 38%, that the policies Biden proposed will move the US in the right direction, rather than the wrong direction. In a survey conducted before the speech, just 45% of those same people said Biden’s policies would move the US in the right direction.  [snip]

... Before the speech, 51% of independents expressed at least some confidence in Biden’s ability to carry out his duties, and that rose to 68% among the same group of independents after the speech. Perceptions of Biden’s ability to carry out the duties of the presidency did not change significantly among either Democrats or Republicans who tuned in...

He scored well on his immigration policy and on his policies moving the economy in the right direction.

One State of the Union Address doesn't make a presidency, but it certainly could have broken this one at this crucial time.  He wasn't Roosevelt, Kennedy, or Obama, but he didn't need to be and never could be. But maybe just this Joe Biden, the perennially underestimated Joe Biden, will come through again, as he has in the past.

Meanwhile, the reviews for the Christofascist Republican response, delivered by newbie Sen. Katie Britt (Christofascist- Alabama IVF) were scathing (and that's just from fellow Christofascist Republicans!) Republicans in disarray!  Sad!

(Photo: 2024 SOTU, with VP Harris, President Biden, and shrinking MAGA Mike Johnson / Reuters)