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.
Why wouldn’t he?
Talking at that pace and intensity for that long is tiring for anyone NOT 81 years old.
I used to deliver a keynote to 3-400 people, twice a month as part of corporate onboarding.
Absolutely this.
Obviously my experience was not as high stakes as a SOTU, but it was fucking exhausting. I knew the content well enough that I could deliver it in my sleep and actively did so when I was sick, hungover, generally tired and (usually) just okay.
Regardless of my initial state, I was at my tether after 90 minutes of being “switched on” and engaged. I am not an octogenarian.
That was with the benefit of delivering repeated content. Biden doesn’t deliver this same speech twice a month. I’m sure he practiced but it’s still a big ask regardless of age.
Some people recharge by socializing.
And hopefully you’re not saying that as a thinly veiled comment associated to the “not fit for president” foreign narrative operations.
No, I’m saying this as someone who used to teach for a living. :) Extended talking and working a room is exhausting!
Friend, thank you for your service. Teaching is hard work!
(And sorry about my accusations; there’s so much disinformation going on these days…)