reactions to SOTU

I somehow managed to miss the State of the Union address, but if you're interested, here's a compilation of mostly tweeted reactions to it from the right. Biden apparently tried to spin border security as a success despite the hemorrhage happening down south; he called for people to stop being adversarial after he himself blamed the unvaccinated for the continuing pandemic; and he apparently added some puffery about funding the police while also advocating for gun control. The whole thing sounds like a mess of lies and confusion, no different from the presidency itself.

Stephen Green's "drunkblogged" reaction:

Tucker Carlson's thoughts from just before SOTU:

What is the state of our union tonight? Well, in a word, it is fragile, very fragile. The United States is poorer, it’s more fearful, it’s far less free than it was when Joe Biden became president just 13 months ago. Joe Biden inherited a divided country, a very divided country, and then he proceeded to make it much angrier. History will judge Joe Biden for that, but in the meantime, voters already are. Biden’s poll numbers have dropped to the point that it’s impossible to explain them without admitting that [he is] at fault.

The question is: how does he explain his failures? And the answer is, mostly, he doesn’t. Biden is guaranteed to make sympathetic noises about inflation and gas prices, he has no choice but to do that, but he also has no answers. He cannot fix the problems that he has caused. Thankfully, from his perspective (and we’re preparing you, this is very cynical), Biden now has a war to talk about, and of course that’s what he will do tonight. The White House understands the invasion of Ukraine is a chance to change the subject, it is what Bloomberg News described today as a ‘political reset.’ So, forget what Biden did to your country, and your economy, and your school, Joe Biden is Winston Churchill now.

Some are saying "Tucker called it."

Lauren Boebert: "The best way to improve the state of the union is for Biden to announce his resignation." Boebert, a member of the house of Representatives, apparently interrupted Biden's speech by yelling about the 13 US servicemen killed during the botched pullout from Afghanistan. Democrats present at the speech reacted to Boebert with boos. Mainstream media report that Boebert's shout happening right as Biden was mentioning his dead son (probably the only honorable Biden).

Bizarrely, fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib, a member of the so-called Squad, is supposed to deliver a response to Biden's SOTU address. I'm morbidly curious what she'll have to say, but at a guess, she'll say Biden's not being leftist enough.

If you want a glimpse at what the left is saying, here's ABC News's analysis: "Biden trims sails with fresh bid for 'unity': ANALYSIS; Biden's prescription Tuesday night was to go smaller."

It was barely 10 months ago that President Joe Biden walked into a similar setting in the House chamber -- with far fewer guests though far more masks -- to declare that the nation was "ready for takeoff."

"America is on the move again," Biden said marking the eve of his 100th day in office, "turning peril into possibility, crisis to opportunity, setbacks into strength."

Peril, crises and setbacks have dominated the ensuing months -- alongside frustration, anger, drift and even dread. They converged to create the chaotic forces that surrounded Biden's first official State of the Union address.

Biden's prescription Tuesday night was to go smaller -- not so much in terms of rhetoric, but in terms of achievable goals. Bold proposals for trillions in new spending were replaced by new inflation-controlling proposals, somewhat vague goals included in a "unity agenda for the nation" plus the promise that measures already passed will deliver bigger results.

On the major world crisis of the moment, Biden sought to channel the measure of unity on the side of Ukraine into something bigger. He drew bipartisan applause as he outlined new steps aimed at isolating Russian President Vladimir Putin and those around him.

"American diplomacy matters," the president said. "Putin was wrong. We are ready."

It was a speech crafted for a particular perilous moment, mindful of the challenges the nation is facing, and of the possible if not inevitable political blowback against the party in power. Even as Putin's forces advance on Kiev, the president warned that the current conflict in Ukraine will incur "costs around the world" -- including soaring gas prices.

"I know the news about what's happening can seem alarming to all Americans," Biden said. "But I want you to know, we're going to be OK. We're going to be OK."

Read the rest on your own if you're so inclined.

Blue on blue: "Democrats Smack Each Other Around After SOTU."