WASHINGTON.- With its popularity stagnant and looking at it in 2024, US President Joe Biden made a strong defense of his economic policy before Congress in his speech about state of the union by affirming that the country is coming out of the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic stronger, and his government is building an economy in which “no one is left behind”, a new attempt to calm the anxieties of the people before the inflationary outbreak and the threat of a recession. “Let’s finish the job”repeated Biden, several times.
Biden’s speech, which lasted for more than an hour, focused almost entirely on his domestic agenda, his vision of the economy, his infrastructure plan, racial violence, the defense of the right to abortion, health, and education. , and his iron determination to build an economy anchored in the strengthening of the middle class, industry and national production. Biden touched on two foreign policy issues: the competition with China, and the war in Ukraine.
The president’s message had a specific objective: to lift the spirits of Americans, who, despite improvements in employment and wages, believe that the country is moving in the wrong direction.
“Too many people have been left behind or treated as if they were invisible. Maybe that’s you watching at home. You remember the jobs that left. And you wonder if there is still a way for you and your children to get ahead without walking away. I understand. That’s why we’re building an economy where no one is left behind.”, dBiden. “The jobs are coming back, the pride is coming back because of the decisions we made in the last two years. This is a blueprint for working people to rebuild America and make a real difference in their lives.”remarked the president.
Biden arrived on Capitol Hill tonight to deliver his second State of the Union address at a pivotal moment in his life, and in his long political career. The campaign towards the 2024 presidential election begins to gain heat and media space, and the United States – and the world – await in suspense a decision from Biden on its future. Biden has repeatedly said that he intends to seek his re-election, but has left the possibility of stepping aside latent.
At 80, Biden is already the oldest president in US history., and if he sought a second term and obtained it, he would be 86 years old when he left the White House. A recent poll by the AP news agency revealed that just 22% of the country believes he should run again for the presidency because of his age. Biden promised to announce his decision earlier this year, and some see the delay as a stronger intention to compete.. The speech gave Biden one last chance to make his best case for staying in the White House, if he ever decides to try.
Against this background, Biden’s message, the third he has offered in Congress to senators and congressmen, tried to closing the gap between the discontent and anxiety of the people and the vision of the White House that Biden leads a good administration that is solving the problems.
“The story of the United States is a story of progress and resilience,” Biden said. “We are the only country that has emerged from each crisis stronger than when we entered. That’s what we’re doing again.”he said when opening his message.
Inside the Biden government they believe that his presidency has been successful, and he has managed to amass several historic achievements. They mention, for example, the more than 12 million new jobs –more than any other mandate of any other government–; the infrastructure law that generated a strong expansion of public works –“It is pride. That is what we are also building: pride”he said about the works– and the fight against climate change, or his plans to expand social and health coverage for Americans, in addition to the reconstruction of the historic alliances of the United States with Europe to help Ukraine against the invasion of Russia.
But the vast majority of Americans have an antagonistic vision: only 36% believe that Biden has had “great achievements”, according to a recent poll by the Washington Post and the ABC network. 62% of the country believes that the Democratic administration “has not achieved much” or has achieved “little or nothing”, according to the same poll.
And although the inflation has begun to slow down, the rise in the cost of living and the rise in interest rates by the Federal Reserve to curb prices caused damage to the pockets of Americans. Despite the improvement in employment, and even though the economy has so far managed to dodge a recession, 55% of Americans said in December that they had financial difficulties at home, according to Gallup.
Despite this discouraging panorama, Biden emphasized his economic agenda and cited the improvement in employment – unemployment is at 3.4%, a historical floor – and other indicators, such as the increase in wages, or the creation of 10 million small businesses as irrefutable evidence that his economic policy has given results. The Republican Party, now in opposition, strongly rejects that conclusion and Biden’s “socialist” policies.
Far from promoting free trade as in his years in Congress, Biden embraced the protectionist agenda that was born with Donald Trump: “We are making sure that the supply chain for the United States starts in the United States,” he said.
Biden stuck to two definitions that are repeated year after year. He closed with the traditional message that the state of the union is “strong”, and rehearsed a call for unity by calling on Republicans and the country to work together, right in the middle of a strong fight with the opposition, which refuses to to raise the debt ceiling so that the US government can continue paying the bills.
“To my Republican friends, if we were able to work together in the last Congress, there’s no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress,” he said.
But the Republicans gave him one of the most hostile stands in living memory for a State of the Union address. Biden was booed, heckled, and also yelled at “liar.” Defiantly, Biden responded whenever Republicans tried to derail him, even attempting to use the environment to his advantage to reinforce the central points of his speech. In the end, Biden closed with a traditional phrase.
“Because the soul of this nation is strong, because the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the State of the Union is strong,” he said.