Biden takes over the Republican Party

President Biden appeared to outpace Republicans in the House of Representatives Tuesday in an address to Congress, teasing GOP lawmakers for cutting spending related to the national debt limit and enduring regular yelling and name-calling in a speech that lasted more than an hour.

Throughout his administration, the president has faced growing bipartisan doubts about his ability to lead the country for another four years, but after this week’s speech, even some Republicans, including his top political enemy, have complimented the president.

“I disagree with him on most of his politics, but he put into words what he felt and ended the evening much stronger than he started. Give him credit for this,” former President Trump shared on his Truth Social account immediately after Biden’s speech ended.

As Biden prepares to announce his re-election bid in the coming weeks, his address to Congress — in prime time on the national stage — showed that he can still be an old-school Biden: nimble, cunning, and quick to strike back.

Democratic strategist Eddie Weil said Biden “looked ready to hit the road in 2024.”

“[The address] showed a president who had fun playing with his opponents,” Weil said.

And the president didn’t just stick to the script. In some of the most tumultuous moments in the room, House Republicans have openly argued with Biden, yelling “liar” and “it’s your fault” in response to some of his policy proposals.

Biden has shone in some of these moments, avoiding the gaffes for which he is sometimes known.

The most memorable moment of the skirmish between the President and the Republican Party came when the President suggested to some Republicans that Social Security and Medicare be “shut down”, leading to shouts of “boo”, “no!” and “liar!” from the audience.

“Guys, as we all seem to agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right? Shouldn’t they be touched? Everything is fine. Everything is fine. We have unanimity! Biden said, apparently settling political differences on live television.

His answer seems to have worked. This immediately put Republicans on the defensive while solidifying Biden’s credibility as the adult in the room.

“I didn’t expect Joe Biden to take on the crowd and win,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who left Congress earlier this year, tweeted Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the exchange what the president had put Republicans on “protection.” Biden later recalled during a speech in Wisconsin that the Republicans “of course didn’t like that I called them to this.”

Speaking on Fox News on Wednesday morning, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who occasionally shook his head while sitting behind Biden during his speech, accused the president of using a “political ploy” to “incite” members of his party. . into a reaction.

“But the only thing we have to be is we have to be smart. We need to be smart, not fall for the bait, stay with the American public in what we want to do,” McCarthy said.

Ivan Zapien, a lobbyist and former Democratic National Committee staffer, said Biden expressed confidence in his address and brought politics back to a point where ridicule from the other side could be a positive thing.

“I thought that his speech had the right tone, stated his political views strongly, but was open to discussion. But above all, I think the tone of the entire night, including the hooting and screaming, was positive. Biden, being Biden, has brought our politics back to the point where we can boo and yell and cry and still do something for the country – that’s the message that I think the country needs,” Zapien said.

On Tuesday, the president said about a dozen times in his address that he wants to “finish the job” that the Americans gave him when he was elected in 2020 by backing the 2024 proposal.

Nyera Haq, a SiriusXM host who served as a senior aide in the Obama White House, predicted that Biden would bring the same energy in 2024.

“The man spent almost an hour in the cell, when I would have been destroyed and would have needed sleep. This is a Biden who can get on the campaign trail by showing compassion to tense voters, chatting with union bosses and giving Democrats the sense of resistance they want to see,” she said.

The President is expected to announce that he is officially running for re-election in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, the White House hailed Biden’s performance on Tuesday as a success.

“If you’re talking split screen, you’ve seen it from the president and you’ve seen what the Republicans have been doing, which is taunting and behaving in a way, again, Americans don’t want to,” Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday. “They told us very clearly after the midterms what they wanted.”

Republicans other than Trump also praised the president, saying that his handling of the bullies will be remembered.

“Those who interrupted the president – ​​putting aside questions of decency – trying to demonstrate what kind of fighters they were, in fact, allowed Biden to grab their hands and say: “Stop hitting yourself.” Ultimately, that’s what the speech will be remembered for, not what Biden said, be it good, bad, or significant,” said Doug Hay, GOP strategist.

Biden joined the Union in the wake of polls that showed much of his legislative accomplishments did not resonate with much of the American public. And while even a strong appeal to Congress is unlikely to make a difference on such issues, Democrats hope Biden’s determination will help him succeed in 2024.

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“For Biden, this is very personal, but his optimism, sincerity and focus on achieving the goal will be his superpower before re-election,” Zapien said.

Biden traveled to Wisconsin on Wednesday, trying to build on the momentum of his address to Congress and redouble his argument that the economy is improving because of the steps taken by his administration. He then travels to Florida on Thursday to double down on his comments on the state of the nation on protecting Social Security and Medicare.

“Last night I reported on the situation in the country. It’s strong. He’s strong,” the president told union workers at the Wisconsin Workers’ Training Center in DeForest, Wisconsin, on Wednesday. “It’s strong because of you.”

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