How'd he do?

Grading Pres. Biden's SOTU speech

If you watched last night’s State of the Union (and wasn’t that a lovely, cordial start with applause all around?), come sit by me.

What did you think? Did he leave anything unsaid? Would you have said something differently that he did say?

I liked, among other things, this portion where he showed his fangs just a little:

Now, some members here are threatening to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act.

As my football coach used to say: Good luck in your senior year.

Make no mistake, if you try to do anything to raise the cost of prescription drugs, I will veto it.

He also said he would protect Social Security and Medicare from Republican attempts to sundown either program in what — to me — was one of the most beautiful debate flourishes I’ve seen in a while. He extracted, on camera, a promise from Republicans that they’d stop their ignorant attempts to cut either programs.

We were applauding at home.

It is always telling to watch members of one party sit rather than applaud things such as affordable insulin, a fair corporate tax, affordable child care, and green energy. It was also telling to watch Barely Speaker Kevin McCarthy mouthing, “That’s not true” when he disagreed with the facts of Trump’s increase of the federal debt, and having to shush — at least four times — the Congresspeople who kept heckling (looking at you, Madge).

Madge, in her fugy coat

I will always enjoy political call-and-response from the other of the more challenged among the Congress members.

Here’s the full text. Go ahead. Be a Monday morning quarterback speechwriter. Me, I’d stop using the device of “Folks, I’m going to get criticized for this,” followed by something like “but we’re going to get everyone a well-paying job,” but that’s just me being picky. You?