President Joe Biden repeatedly claimed that he wanted to bring unity between the political parties during his State of the Union address — but trashed Republicans consistently throughout it.
The digs at Republicans, which were peppered throughout the speech, glaringly overshadowed the message of crossing party lines to work together for the good of the nation.
“To my Republican friends, if we could work together in the last Congress, there is no reason we can’t work together in this new Congress,” Biden said. “The people sent us a clear message. Fighting for the sake of fighting, power for the sake of power, conflict for the sake of conflict, gets us nowhere.”
Biden reminded Americans that one year ago, he offered a “Unity Agenda for the nation.” He pointed to several things that were accomplished with, at least some, bipartisan support since then — including making it easier for doctors to prescribe effective treatments for opioid addiction, a gun “safety” law, and the Heath Robinson PACT Act.
“But there is so much more to do. And we can do it together,” Biden said.
Biden called for Republicans and Democrats to work together on issues including fentanyl, “greater access to mental health care at school,” and holding social media companies accountable for the impact that they are having on children.
“And it’s time to pass bipartisan legislation to stop Big Tech from collecting personal data on kids and teenagers online, ban targeted advertising to children, and impose stricter limits on the personal data these companies collect on all of us,” Biden asserted.
Later in the speech, Biden said, “we must be the nation we have always been at our best. Optimistic. Hopeful. Forward-looking. A nation that embraces, light over darkness, hope over fear, unity over division. Stability over chaos.”
“We must see each other not as enemies but as fellow Americans. We are a good people, the only nation in the world built on an idea,” Biden continued.
Yet, in the same speech, Biden blamed January 6 and former President Donald Trump for the attack on Paul Pelosi.
“For the last few years, our democracy has been threatened, attacked, and put at risk. Put to the test here, in this very room, on January 6th,” Biden claimed. “And then, just a few months ago, unhinged by the Big Lie, an assailant unleashed political violence in the home of the then-Speaker of this House of Representatives. Using the very same language that insurrectionists who stalked these halls chanted on January 6th.”
The “Big Lie,” of course, is what Democrat politicians and media personalities called Trump’s claims about the election being “stolen” in 2020.
Biden said we “must give hate and extremism in any form no safe harbor.”
The president also accused Republicans of wanting to gut Social Security and Medicare, despite Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying during an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that cuts to the programs are off the table regarding the discussions about raising the debt limit.
“Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I’m not saying it’s the majority,” Biden said, provoking a loud response from lawmakers and others in attendance. “That means if Congress doesn’t vote to keep them, those programs will go away.”
BIDEN: “Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset. I’m not saying it’s the majority.”
MTG: “Liar!”
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 8, 2023
The claim caused an uproar in the room, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shouting at the president that he is a “liar.”
This dishonesty on entitlements totally undercuts his message on bipartisanship. He’s not serious about working with Republicans. This speech has gone off the rails. #sotu2023
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) February 8, 2023
“This dishonesty on entitlements totally undercuts his message on bipartisanship. He’s not serious about working with Republicans. This speech has gone off the rails.” tweeted Scott Jennings, a former member of President George W. Bush’s administration and CNN commentator.
