One prominent liberal felt the speech “left a little to be desired” in its ambition. A veteran Republican strategist called it a “missed opportunity to lead.” And the conservative leaning New York Post mocked President Biden for drawing fewer viewers than his predecessors did in similar speeches.
But, in the days that followed Biden’s first State of the Union address, Democrats felt better about what they heard. Gone was the talk about being a “transformational” president in the mold of Franklin Delano Roosevelt or Lyndon Baines Johnson. Gone was the talk about sweeping legislation changing almost every facet of American life.
That political downsizing made the speech boring, to some, but Democrats believe that slow and steady won the race in 2020, when millions of voters preferred Biden’s promises of boring competence over the chaos of the previous four years. CONTINUED
Paul Kane, Washington Post
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