A Real President Speaks

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Political commentary

Last night, President Joe Biden gave a televised speech marking the one-year anniversary of the week the pandemic brought much of the United States to a screeching halt.   Rarely do I watch presidential speeches, typically preferring to read the transcript later, but I made an exception last night, for I wanted to see this one for myself.  I’m glad I did.

It was so wonderful to see a president who both spoke and acted like a President, who articulated and spoke in whole sentences without rancor.  His message was positive, but cautiously so.  There was no braggadocio, no ranting, no finger pointing or facial contortions, no hateful rhetoric, no self-promotion … just a man with a message of hope.

I don’t wish to dwell on the comparisons of the former guy’s speeches to Biden’s speech last night, but the contrast was so stark that one cannot help but note a few differences.  Biden’s tone was even, but not without passion.  Not once did he point a finger of blame at any person or group, not once did he raise his voice or make a Nazi-style fist.  And, perhaps most importantly, he did not say that he alone could fix this, but instead he said …

“I will not relent until we beat this virus. But I need you, the American people. I need you. I need every American to do their part.”

This, my friends, is how a real president acts and speaks.  This is what we have missed so badly for the past four years.

Midway through his first 100 days in office, Biden might have been tempted to use his first nationally televised speech merely to take a modest victory lap over the passage of the nearly $2 trillion coronavirus relief package that he signed into law earlier on Thursday, but he did not.  Instead, mixing empathy with hard realities, he provided a blueprint for returning the country to some sense of normalcy by summer, while appealing to all Americans to help him make it happen.  He did not sugar-coat our situation, but his message was one of hope.

President Biden’s approval rating stands today at 53.1% … one that eluded the former guy for his entire four years during which he never once even reached a 50% approval.  We now have a president … let’s hope Congress can find a way to work with him for the sake of this nation and We the People.

In case you missed the speech, The Washington Post has provided a full transcript.

24 thoughts on “A Real President Speaks”

  1. I knew one day it would be this way again. This is what normal is like. With the GOP and the “former president”, “wicked, wicked this way comes.” The institution has opened its doors and the inmates are trying to run the country again. O_o — Suzanne

    Liked by 2 people

    • Let’s hope this professionalism and compassion in our government can last for more than just four years. We still have the republicans in Congress attempting to obstruct as much as they can. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Granted that actions speak louder than words, and I’m sure he will fall short in some areas, but at least I think he is trying. He’s left with a mess to clean up, but … with a little bit of help from Congress, he might just manage it.

      Like

  5. Good points, Jill: a president who behaves as a president.

    But that is a bit of a low bar. One hopes that he will also continue to push for the 15 dlr/hour min. wage and the tripling of education funding, as well as hopefully being bolder on mass transit funding, library and pro-bono legal aid, especially relating to debt law (and at the very least, medical debt forgiveness) and maybe even getting us closer to a single payer health care system?

    stay safe,
    -Shira

    Liked by 3 people

    • Joe doesn’t have quite the charisma that President Obama had, but he speaks well and from the heart. Such a beautiful relief from the former guy.

      Yes, there is a low bar now, thanks to the last four years. Anybody who can form a full sentence beats the last one! But, I think Biden is solid, speaks from the heart, and genuinely cares about the people of this country. There are many, many issues he will need to deal with, and no doubt we each have our own priorities, but I think that right now, voting rights and the pandemic take precedence in my mind.

      You too, my friend … keep safe and be happy.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Now it finally goes on. But don’t wait for Germany’s praise, Jill! One is annoyed here because the USA had bought up all the raw materials for the vaccine preparations, and Europe is now not receiving enough vaccines for weeks to come. 😉 Have a beautiful weekend! Michael

    Liked by 2 people

    • I do agree with you, Michael, that we should be sharing, not hoarding. I read the other day that we have excess of one of the vaccines … we should be sharing it with the poorest nations first, then with other nations ’round the globe as much as we possibly can. You have a beautiful weekend also, dear friend!

      Liked by 1 person

      • As i had heard Biden is doing just this. Germany is ranting, because here they (our politicans and responsibles) had tried to hoard vaccines, by themselves. They would be praised as the “big caregivers”. 😉
        One should not try playing with lives.
        Enjoy your weekend as well, Jill! Michael

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Jill, from many accounts, the speech was well received. And, it is nice to hear a president speech where someone or some group is being demonized while he tells us how great he is.

    I read where the former president wants credit for pushing the vaccine with Operation Warp Speed. And, yes he should get credit for finally moving things forward. Yet, the whole picture must include he pushed a vaccine that fewer people in his party will take as he called the whole thing a hoax for too long and mishandled the communication process and lacked seriousness of purpose.

    Keith

    Liked by 6 people

    • I agree … I found it beautifully sane, to the point it almost lulled me to sleep, but that’s okay! I have trouble giving the former guy credit for anything related to the pandemic, for he did so much harm in calling it a ‘hoax’ and saying it was ‘no big deal’ when, according to his interview with Bob Woodward, he KNEW just how lethal it was. From declaring it wasn’t a big deal to suggesting the injections of bleach to fudging the numbers … he is responsible for the fact that as of today we have over 545,000 deaths, the highest per capita on the globe. So, credit? Nah, I cannot give him credit for anything.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Jill, he truly whiffed with the ball on the tee to be the leader we needed and more people died than should have. All because he believed he would benefit by downplaying it and calling it a hoax. That is not leadership, that is self-centeredness. Keith

        Liked by 2 people

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