By Ashleigh Fields
THE CHARLOTTE POST
As he ticked off his administration’s accomplishments during Thursday’s State of the Union address, it was clear President Joe Biden is reinvigorated to undertake another four years in office.
“My purpose tonight is to both wake up this Congress and alert the American people that this is no ordinary moment,” Biden said in his opening remarks. “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault here at home as they are today.”
The first part of his speech focused on the growing tension between Ukraine and Russia. Biden made it clear it’s his mission to keep American soldiers off the battlefield while condemning former President Donald Trump whom he only referenced as his “predecessor” for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming he “bowed down” to the Russian leader.
“It’s outrageous. It’s dangerous. It’s unacceptable,” Biden declared. “My message to President Putin is simple. We will not walk away. We will not bow down. I will not bow down.”
Biden’s message was aimed at a Congress that is at a standstill over a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies. Although the bill passed in the Senate on Feb. 14, it awaits approval from the House of Representatives where Republicans like Speaker Mike Johnson have said they won’t be “rushed” to pass the package.
Partisan politics divide the three branches of government which have failed to agree on policy, electoral and constitutional rights.
“History is watching, just like history watched three years ago on January 6th,” Biden said as he segued into addressing the 2021 insurrection and its supporters. “This is a moment to speak the truth and bury the lies. And here’s the simplest truth. You can’t love your country only when you win. Respect free and fair elections. Restore trust in our institutions. And make clear –political violence has absolutely no place in America.”
Biden went on to highlight special guests Latoya Beasley and Katie Cox, both affected by recent rulings on reproductive rights.
Beasley, who lives in Birmingham, Ala., was impregnated with her first child through In vitro fertilization, a process that allows eggs to be fertilized in a lab as opposed to inside the body. She was looking to have a second child through the process when the state supreme court rendered a judgment that frozen embryos are children, which caused treatment centers to suspend IVF.
Cox was forced to seek refuge in another state to receive a medical abortion after Texas banned the procedure.
“There are state laws banning the right to choose, criminalizing doctors and forcing survivors of rape and incest to leave their states as well to get the care they need,” Biden proclaimed. “Many of you in this chamber and my predecessor are promising to pass a national ban on reproductive freedom. My God, what freedoms will you take away next?”
Women in attendance from the Democratic party wore white to signify support of IVF and the right to choose. As the address continued, Biden commended his administration for promoting reproductive freedom, creating 15 million new jobs, decreasing the racial wealth gap, lowering inflation by 6% and bringing violent crime to a 50-year low.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden attended the address as a guest of U.S. Rep. Alma Adams. He shared that Biden’s suggestions for improving police policy are “great.”
“I’ve met with the Bureau of Justice Assistance today and we talked about funding for training, retention and mental health,” McFadden said. “This is our third time talking and with him creating the Office of Gun Violence Prevention it is absolutely wonderful. “[Biden] is a man of his word. I’m happy to help him lead this charge to prevent violent crime but to hear him say it to the nation solidifies his promise.”
Adams described Biden’s speech as “extraordinary.”
“He hit on everything he should have, gave a synopsis of what we’ve done by telling us where we’ve been, where we are now and where we’re going,” she said. “I was excited to hear him talk about restoring our voting rights, reproductive rights and book bans. He touched on my four Hs of housing, healthcare, higher education and nutrition” through hunger elimination programs.
However, Adams made it a point to comment on “disrespectful” outbursts from Republicans in the gallery who called Biden a “liar” amongst other terms.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t be civil, you might not like what I have to say but at least go back and look at the data,” she said.
Her praise was echoed by Black lawmakers Reps. Maxine Waters, Sheila Jackson Lee and Sen. Raphael Warnock.
“He did a fabulous job, he was convincing, he had all the right issues and he closed like a Baptist preacher,” said Waters.
Lee said she thought Biden was “dynamic.”
“I think it was one of the best speeches he ever gave. I think he spoke to every aspect of American’s diversity,” she said. “I was very concerned about young African Americans. I was very concerned about poor people, and he talked about getting children out of poverty, taking note to highlight his vigor as he banged on the podium to declare Democrats are pushing ahead progressively to “restore the rights of the American people.”
Lee made a point to pull aside Biden and members of his team to advocate for reparations.
“I spoke to him about H.R. 40, the commission to study slavery reparations after. I’m expecting to hear from the White House on that,” she said. “He turned to his staff and said ‘get with Sheila Jackson Lee,’ and I am looking out to the message going out that he’s interested and that we can move forward on that,” said Lee, who also pushed for more support of the CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on hair style and hair texture.
“The CROWN Act impacts people of all backgrounds, but it hurts our [Black] children and our young people the most if you denigrate them for who they are and who their hair is,” she said. “That’s part of their learning, that’s part of the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline, taking away their dignity.”
Warnock saluted Biden for establishing an emergency mission to create a temporary pier in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters.
“I think he spoke directly to the issue. When we see what’s going on in Gaza it’s heart wrenching,” said Warnock, who delivered a speech last week calling for a ceasefire. “The situation is urgent, it’s dire. I think the efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, the hostages released and to remember that a two-state solution is our North star is consistent with my view.”
The Israel-Hamas war has been a huge point of contention among Democrats with lawmakers like Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and Summer Lee who tied head wraps known as keffiyehs around their necks to symbolize support for a ceasefire. Tlaib was censored by her colleagues earlier this year after condemning Biden via social media and other platforms for supporting the genocide of Palestinians.
As Biden’s speech ended, Sen. Katie Britt, a Republican from Alabama, offered a rebuttal on behalf of her party in her kitchen at home, branding herself as an average American mom.
“The true, unvarnished State of our Union begins and ends with this: Our families are hurting. Our country can do better,” she said. “The country we know and love seems to be slipping away and our next generation will have fewer opportunities than we did.”
