Tuesday Reads: State of the Union

Good Morning!!

I can’t understand how it happened, but I’m sick again with the same symptoms I had a few weeks ago. I’m coughing so much that my stomach muscles are sore. It hurts every time I cough. This started out with a sore throat that lasted three days, and then the coughing began. I’m also going through Kleenex at an unbelievable rate. I didn’t have a single cold for about two years during the pandemic, but now I keep catching things. I don’t know how either, because I stay home most of the time. The only explanation I have is that other people in my building are not taking as many precautions as before. Almost no one wears a mask anymore. Anyway, this may not be much of a post.

As everyone knows, the State of the Union address is tonight. It will begin at 9PM. I’m still worried about whether there will be adequate security for President Biden. Will anyone be checking to make sure none of the insane House members bring guns with them?

From Raw Story: Christianity ‘has devolved into a rabid tribe’: Lauren Boebert bashed for praying for Biden’s death.

Speaking to a church audience, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) told the crowd to pray for Joe Biden: “May his days be few and another take his office.”

It isn’t the first time she’s made such a “prayer.” She’s been using the line “may his days be few” since 2022, when she spoke to the Charis Christian Center Family Camp Meeting in Colorado.

It once again caused an uproar among those on social media who saw the video.

“THIS is the self-proclaimed party of Jesus Christ,” tweeted political commentator Lindy Li. “This is the self-appointed party of Christianity SHAME ON YOU! This is why church pews are emptying at a ferocious rate. Why increasing numbers of Americans now say they are religiously unaffiliated. Christianity in America has devolved into a rabid tribe of Talibangelicals and gun-totin Y’all Qaeda fanatics.”

Others noted that her so-called “sermon” included her promoting her legislation to impeach the president and argued that bringing politics into church pews is yet another reason that churches should lose their tax-exempt status.

Another called it a federal crime to threaten the president, which Boebert has gotten away with in the past because she’s not asking activists to actively kill, but rather praying for death.

I just hope that Boebert and Marjory Taylor Greene and the rest of the crazies will be frisked on the way in.

Here’s a preview of the speech at The Guardian: Biden set to highlight economic gains in State of the Union address – live.

State of the Union addresses are usually a pretty big deal – it’s a major opportunity for the president to set the tone for the year in front of the most important people in Washington. This year, the stakes for Joe Biden are even higher. The 2024 presidential election is already looming on the horizon, and while Biden has yet to officially launch a reelection campaign, he is expected to do so in the next few weeks.

Biden has been prepping for his speech for weeks and is expected to lay out an underlying theme of unity, angling for stable leadership over one drenched in partisan disarray. He is expected to speak at length about the achievements of the last two years, including the passage of the $1.2tn Bipartisan Infrastructure bill that was passed in 2021 and invests in repairing America’s roads and bridges, among other investments. He will also touch on recent good news around the economy, including a low unemployment rate and the decreasing inflation rate.

Republicans are already readying up their punches in response to tonight’s address as the party tries to make their own case to Americans that Democrats have failed while in power…..

It’s been less than a year since Joe Biden delivered his first State of the Union address on March 2 of last year, but a lot has changed over the last year. Top of mind for many Americans has been the economy, with inflation rising to decades-high level over the summer. Republicans gained a slim majority in the House during the midterm election. One thing has not changed: The war in Ukraine is still rattling on.

In last year’s 62-minute speech, Congress was largely unified in support of Ukraine, with the invasion having taken place just a week prior. Both Democrats and Republicans were wearing yellow and blue in solidarity with Ukraine, and some held small Ukrainian flags.

This year, First Lady Jill Biden has invited Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova to be her guest to the address for the second year. Markarova received a standing ovation when she was introduced during Biden’s speech last year.

Biden is expected to ask for bipartisan support in sending more aid to Ukraine as the anniversary of the invasion approaches. Yesterday, NBC News reported that Biden is expected to travel to Poland later this month for the anniversary, though the trip has not been confirmed.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is doing the GOP rebuttal to the speech.

SOTU rebuttals are often the kiss of death for the speaker’s career. Remember the ones by Bobby Jindal and Marco Rubio? I hope that holds true for Sanders. For old time’s sake you can check out these NYT articles:

Governor Jindal, Rising G.O.P. Star, Plummets After Speech.

My Fellow Americans … I’m Thirsty.

Here’s another preview from the AP:

From the article: What to Watch: New political vibes this State of the Union.

Look for new faces and fresh political dynamics as President Joe Biden delivers this year’s State of the Union address, coupled with attention to some old problems brought back into painful focus by recent events.

The president on Tuesday night will stand before a joint session of Congress for the first time since voters in the midterm elections handed control of the House to Republicans. Biden, like presidents past, will make the case that the nation is strong and that better days lie ahead. But he finds himself in choppy waters as he passes the halfway mark of his term.

After a series of legislative victories during the first two years of Biden’s term, Republicans are looking to undo some of his early wins. Recent mass shootings and a police killing in Memphis, Tennessee, have brought renewed focus to the issues of gun violence and excessive police force. And on the foreign policy front, Biden faces the formidable task of keeping a Western alliance — and the American electorate — united behind Ukraine in its effort to repel Russia’s ongoing invasion. He’s also dealing with fallout from the U.S. downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that floated across the U.S. last week. On top of all that, a special counsel is investigating how classified information from Biden’s days as vice president and senator ended up at his Delaware home and former office.

Read the AP’s suggestions of what to watch for in the speech at the link.

Storeis

From the White House website: The White House Announces Guest List for the First Lady’s Box for the 2023 State of the Union Address.

A few of the guests, from Twitter: