President Joe Biden said a lot of important things to Congress and the nation last night from the podium white supremacist insurrectionists defiled four months ago. The most important was that one simple sentence. No waffling, no qualifying, no base-targeted slogan-hedge, just the best advice an elected official can give to strengthen this nation right now.
Go get vaccinated, America.
“Just more government,” Governor Kristi Noem whines about President Biden’s speech last night. “What happened to the American Dream?”
The pandemic happened to the American Dream. The only way to end the pandemic is for every American to follow the President’s advice and get vaccinated. Government made those vaccines possible. Government supported the years of research that preceded this crisis and provided the basis for the swift development the new life-saving coronavirus vaccines. Government made possible the swift distribution and free availability of these vaccines to every American adult.
Tonight, I can say because of you, the American people, our progress these past 100 days against one of the worst pandemics in history has been one of the greatest logistical achievements, logistical achievements this country has ever seen.
But as the President made clear, the last mile of that logistical achievement depends on individual action, not big government. It depends on every one of us driving that mile to Avera or Lewis Drug or the Prairie Winds Casino, rolling up our sleeves, and singing Pat Benatar to our dutiful nurses.
President Biden reminded us last night that “we the people are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant capital. Not some powerful force that we have no control over.” We the people brought the coronavirus vaccines from hope to research to production and distribution. Now only we the people can drive the stake through the pandemic’s heart and protect the American Dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for everybody by lining up to get vaccinated.
When I was sworn in on January 20, less than 1% of seniors in America were fully vaccinated against Covid-19. 100 days later, 70% of seniors over 65 are protected. Senior deaths from Covid-19 are down 80% since January. Down 80% because of all of you. And more than half of all the adults in America have gotten at least one shot. At a mass vaccination center in Glendale, Arizona. I asked a nurse, I said ‘What is it like?’ She said, ‘It is like every shot is giving a dose of hope.’ That was her phrase, ‘A dose of hope.’ A dose of hope for the educator in Florida, who has a child suffering from auto immune disease, who wrote to me that she was worried about bringing the virus home.
She then got vaccinated at a large site in her car. She sat in her car and she got vaccinated and just cried. Cried out of joy and relief. Parents seeing the smiles on their kids’ faces for those who are able to go back to school because teachers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers have been vaccinated.
Grandparents hugging their children and grandchildren instead of pressing hands against the window to say goodbye. It means everything. Those things mean everything. You all know it better than any group of Americans. There is still more work to do to beat this virus. We can’t let our guard down [President Joe Biden, address to Congress, as transcribed by Politico, 2021.04.28].
Cory, I disagree. ““we the people are the government. You and I. Not some force in a distant capital. Not some powerful force that we have no control over.” THAT was the line of the night. Through the speech (including plenty of victory lap/success touting moments) the President used the pronoun “we.”
This is the pathway I had hoped for when Democrats regained legislative majorities and the White House — that they would govern; that they would pass legislation and take administrative actions to make the lives of Americans better (at least the 99% better). Give the GOP about a week longer to be part of the process, or kill the filibuster in the Senate and begin steamrolling what Americans indicate they need.
Now the Democrats need to specifically call out those who obstruct the movement to make lives better — not a general party condemnation of the GOP, but specific people hurting their constituents back home. Follow up on the “we the people” are the government and start removing the government actors who are not “we the people” or do not act for “we the people.”
This is the transformative moment this nation needs to put politics, governance, the will and welfare of the people, and democracy back on track.
‘O’, I think you are AGREEING w/Cory-not disagreeing! The rest of your comment, tho, I pretty much agree with you. The three stooges representing us in congress need replacing with ‘we’ who don’t excuse a POTUS inciting a riot and stirring up a “Big Lie” and all the time padding his pockets with donated money from supporters who decry raising taxes for good of all but never hesitate to throw millions of dollars toward the man who stuffs a big part of it in his own accounts simply because they swallowed the ‘con’.
Biden was like a breath of warm, moisture laden spring air last night.
Down to earth, understanding of America’s problems and giving solutions. Unlike the GOP that promises ‘Health care’, prosperity, no new taxes etc etc etc by using FEAR of the other party to and lies to gain power.
Answers they have none-throwing fear of others they have plenty.
The frase that struck me over and over again was Biden’s repeated use of the phrase “because of all of you” when describing many of the positive develpments in the Country since he took office. Conspicuously missing was the repeated “I” did this and “I” did that and because of “me, me, me, me” of Trump’s typical rants, ad nauseum. I don’t know if Biden giving credit to others will market as well as Trump’s constant but false claims that he alone caused any positive occurance in the Country (whether genuine or steming from Trump’s overzealous imagination), but I found Biden’s self-deprecating approach particularly noteworthy and refreshing.
bearcreekbat, I agree. I would have LOVED to see a true call out of who that “we” was on issues. How awesome would it have been to have a, “those of you here who voted to . . . please stand.” moment or two?
Now that credit has been given (even where clearly not earned by our GOP friends) and olive branch extended, it is time to earn that credit, join “all of you,” join “we,” or drop the hammer: kill the filibuster and move an agenda forward (an agenda supported by the majority of Americans) with a newly defined “except for . .. ” and limited/exclusive “we.” I believe that was implicit in The President’s “doing nothing is not an option” articulation.
Favorite line:
“Time and again throughout our history we’ve seen charlatans, con men and phony populists who sought to play on our fears and appeal to our worst appetites and pick at our oldest scabs for their own political gain,” Biden said. “They appear when the nation has been hit the hardest and when we’re at our most vulnerable.”
“Our nation needs a president who is not in it for himself but for others, who unites us, not divides us,” Biden said. “A president who appeals not to the worst of us, but to the best. A president who cares less about his TV ratings and more about the American people. A president who looks not to settle scores, but to find solutions. A president guided not by wishful thinking but by science, reason and fact.”
“That’s the kind of president I hope to be,” Biden added.