President Joe Biden addressed the nation recently in his fourth State of the Union speech, and he didn’t mince words when speaking of his predecessor and the challenges facing our country if Trump were to be reelected to office. “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today,” declared Biden from the floor of the United States House of Representatives.
While Biden spoke frankly about the misdirection, mistakes and misogyny that defined the Trump administration, he did not focus the entirety of his message on criticism. He spoke confidently of the successes and improvements that have been made during his administration. “Folks, I inherited an economy that was on the brink,” he said. “Now our economy is literally the envy of the world.”
He didn’t make such a statement without hard facts to back it up: “Fifteen million new jobs in just three years. A record. A record. Unemployment at 50-year lows. A record 16 million Americans are starting small businesses, and each one is a literal act of hope, with historic job growth and small-business growth for Black and Hispanics and Asian Americans. Eight-hundred-thousand new manufacturing jobs in America and counting. Where is it written we can’t be the manufacturing capital of the world? We are and we will.” The president went on to describe other successes, including manufacturing, infrastructure, health insurance, wage equality, reproductive health, clean energy, private-sector investments and agricultural support — just a few of the many successes to date of the Biden administration.
President Biden’s speech was frank and honest. He demonstrated his capability and prowess through the speech itself and by hallmarking successes from his administration.
The American people listened, and the rest of the world did too.
The Democratic National Committee had this to say: “During his State of the Union address, President Biden spoke directly to the American people about his work driving the greatest comeback in the world and the inflection point we’re now at. Millions of people across our country saw that the choice they have this November is between an America where everyone gets a fair shot and our freedoms and democracy are protected or Donald Trump’s self-serving, hate-fueled America with less freedoms and more division.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
It appears from the results of Super Tuesday that the economy will be key for President Biden’s administration to continue into his second term. Encouraging Americans to vote is critical when a race is so hotly contested and demographically divided. Minority votes will be critical. A recent CBS News poll indicates that Black and Hispanic votes, while reduced slightly from their support of Biden in 2020, still support him staunchly over Trump: “A large majority of Black voters says they will vote for Mr. Biden this year. But his current support trails what he got in 2020. The president still has an edge with Hispanic voters now, but his margin over Trump is smaller than it was in 2020.” Getting the truth about the economy to several key voting groups — including minority voters, white voters with college degrees, women and suburban voters — will be critical to ensuring that Biden solidifies his second term.
What I found most interesting in this CBS News poll was not so much what the analysis showed about Biden, but what it showed about Trump’s support. We all know that getting voters to the polls has historically been more important to Democratic candidates than Republicans. This poll shows, however, that Trump’s most staunchly held voting groups haven’t gained an inch over the past four years. His most ardent supporters — white evangelicals, white people with no college degree, men, and voters over 65 — have hardly moved the needle since the 2020 exit polls were taken. For instance, 76 percent of white evangelicals said they voted for Trump in 2020. In CBS News’ 2024 poll, just 77 percent of white evangelicals said they will vote for Trump. In white voters without a college degree, Trump has slightly lost ground — with 67 percent saying they voted for Trump in 2020 and 66 percent saying today that they intend to vote for Trump. Quite telling.
Despite our differences in political ideology, it is my hope that all of America can join together in recognizing that we can do better than returning to an administration intending to seek revenge and retribution. As President Biden said so well in his State of the Union address: “Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are the oldest of ideas. But you can’t lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future and what can and should be done. … So, let’s build the future together. Let’s remember who we are. We are the United States of America. And there is nothing — nothing — beyond our capacity when we act together.”
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.
