The undecided voter was not impressed by the State of the Union

The Counting of a Times When President Biden Was Running for a Second LegisllectionTerm, and What Happens When He Gets It

If you appear to not have a lot of fight in you, that’s not really appealing to people who want that.

“This is sacrilegious for a speechwriter to say but, it’s actually not in the words he says but in the way he presents those words,” said Sarada Peri, who was a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama.

President Biden had yet to launch his reelection campaign in February of 2023. He had said he was planning to run for a second term, but there were a lot of people in his own party who wondered whether he was really up for it.

“Some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset,” Biden said, prompting a cacophony of boos from Republicans. Biden kept negotiating in real time. And thus began a moment that quieted Biden’s critics and soothed nervous supporters.

With so much attention in recent weeks to Biden’s age, his physical limitations and the occasional mix-up of foreign leaders’ names, it both raises the stakes for this speech, where he is most likely to get one of his biggest television audiences of the year.

After that spontaneous moment in last year’s speech, questions about Biden’s political plans quieted down and the Democratic establishment quickly fell in line behind the incumbent president.

“For those that see the president working off a teleprompter, it was a strong example that the president’s still got it,” said Faiz Shakir, who worked on the 2020 campaign for Burlington’s senator. He’s got his wits, he has humor, and he’s got his fight.

He said the speech worked on two levels: Biden was standing up for popular programs, and taking the fight directly to his Republican antagonists in Congress.

What Do We Really Need to Know About Biden and Trump at the End of the State of the Union? – Jean-Pierre at the White House

Poll after poll show voters still wonder whether Biden is too old for the job. The report said Biden was “a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and that he had mishandled classified documents.

As part of an effort to push back against that assessment, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre again cited that moment in the House chamber. Jean-Pierre told reporters it was seen at the last State of the Union. He was able to talk while giving the important speech.

The White House has said Biden will lay out what he’s done for the American people so far and his vision for the future. He’ll talk about protecting and implementing his agenda, including getting rid of junk fees.

And he’ll draw contrasts with Republicans on economic policy, protecting democracy and reproductive rights — a day after former President Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee in the race.

There will be updates on the war in Gaza, an effort to harangue House Republicans into voting for Ukraine aid, and talk about finishing the job on a long list of domestic priorities.

At the end of his remarks, she said she didn’t have any better sense of how he plans to keep troops like her son safe. She wanted more depth and not a speech that hit all the bases.

She has not been enthusiastic about the second Biden and Trump match up.

“I want to be able to take bits and pieces from their records and put them together with a few ingredients and make the perfect president,” she said.

She tries to watch the State of the Union every year, usually with popcorn and wine. This time she was paying attention to how she’ll vote.

Women aged 50 and up are seen as the biggest wildcards in the election. They are, as a group, reliable voters, who are more politically moderate and less partisan than many other voting blocs.

While Seagraves is just one voter — not a representative sample of the electorate — her experience shows that Biden’s campaign has a lot of work to do.

A nurse by training, Seagraves is now working for hospitals and tech companies. She is a frequent voter, though in these times of political polarization, she says she’s long had a rule of avoiding talking about politics, “because to me, it was a bunch of people screaming at each other on TV and I really hate conflict.”

“Being a caregiver, having aging parents, having a daughter, having a son who’s in the military,” she said. “Having, you know, all the things I have to worry about going forward for myself in my future and retirement, it’s just, there’s a lot on the table.”

The birth of a daughter and the Alabama Supreme Court decision that upholds Roe v. Wade: A touching tribute to Seagraves

Seagraves has a daughter and reproductive rights are important to her. She is appalled by the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that stopped in vitro fertilization treatments there.

So it got her attention when Biden, about 10 minutes into the speech, described how the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade affected the ability of women to get IVF treatments and emergency abortions.

“Wow, I’m glad he’s addressing that one head on,” she said, noting that even some of her Republican friends are upset about what is happening with reproductive rights. I like that he’s giving it a lot of time.

“Yes!” My daughter took a job in the school district in Tennessee that was less generous than the one she had in Texas. She said that it was a labor of love.

“My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that have defined America: honesty,decency, dignity, equality, to respect everyone, to give everyone a fair shot, to give hate no safe harbor,” Biden said.

Quiz: How did you do on yesterday’s Super Tuesday pop quiz? This week’s news quiz is a chance to redeem yourself if you didn’t get the score you wanted.

A Tale of Four Strangers: Theoretical Perspectives on Films nominated for an Oscar, Part II: Tips for Preethi Harbuck

The show is terrible but watchable, like other shows in the genre. four couples attempt to find a third in polyamory

The films nominated for an Oscar take on tough topics. Linda is of the opinion that they should be seen anyways as they can be hard to watch.

Traveling with a young child can be frightening. A mother of six, Preethi Harbuck runs the “Local Passport Family” website. With the right mindset and preparation, she says it can be fun for all. Here are her tips:

Source: Takeaways from Biden’s SOTU; Trump poised to take control of RNC

The Haitian gangs: what have they learned about the armed armed opposition to the Haitian president’s ousting? An update from the Republican National Committee

Haiti extended its state of emergency for another 30 days. The country’s main airport in Port-au-Prince has been surrounded by gangs, while the acting Prime Minister is stuck in Puerto Rico. After a series of coordinated attacks on government buildings, the gangs are demanding Henry’s ousting. There are some information about the violence in Haiti.

The Republican National Committee meets to elect new leadership today. Several people are expected to be picked by the committee, including a family member.

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