Tonight, Thursday, March 7th, is the State of the Union Address so lets keep everything related to it (including the Republican response) confined to this thread.
This is probably one of the most important speeches Biden can give this year. He has to come across as “Present”, not just “President”.
This will set the tone for the campaign the rest of the year and will be second only to the Democratic Convention speech in August for visibility.
Watch it live here:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2024/
Or through your favorite news source.
The Republican response will be delivered by Senator Katie Britt of Alabama:
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/07/1236338784/katie-britt-alabama-republican-biden-state-of-the-union
Very good speech!
Full transcript is here:
https://time.com/6898705/read-president-joe-bidens-2024-state-of-the-union-address-full-transcript/
Republican response from Katie Britt here:
I encourage you to watch the video and not just read the transcript. Reading it doesn’t carry just how breathless and borderline weepy her delivery is.
It was all great. Until that Israel section. Absolutely no hint of why Gaza needs a fucking dock. And still blindly taking Israel’s negotiating position which isn’t going to obliterate our credibility as a negotiator at all. It certainly isn’t realistic. This isn’t a bank robbery. Those hostages are going to be released after Israel demonstrates good behavior, not for a temporary cease fire.
Bibi is going to hate this part:
"As we look to the future, the only real solution is a two-state solution.
I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel and the only American president to visit Israel in wartime.
There is no other path that guarantees Israel’s security and democracy.
There is no other path that guarantees Palestinians can live with peace and dignity.
There is no other path that guarantees peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia."
For those who might have missed Bibi’s position:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/middleeast/netanyahu-palestinian-sovereignty-two-state-solution-intl/index.html
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/19/1225574007/netanyahu-says-he-told-u-s-that-he-opposes-palestinian-state-in-any-postwar-scen
Oh yeah. I just wish there was even a hint of a recognition that Israel is not willing to have a two state solution.
I don’t think it’s ENTIRELY Israel. Definitely Bibi and Likud.
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/israel-right-wing-netanyahu-palestinian-authority/
Eh, it’s as much Israel as Biden sending weapons is the US.
Bibi loves that because he can basically permanently avoid a 2-state solution, and if it ever does happen, it’s just official apartheid. Separate, as the United States learned the hard way, is never really equal. The only realistic solution is a single secular state.
The only realistic solution (um akshually) is a secular federation of two otherwise independent states. Technically it’s a 3-state solution, more if they want it