When oh when will the babbling idiot address the Nation ?.

[Kevin]

So now we find out why the delay on addressing the nation.

1) He was waiting for the biggest piece of legislation in the last generation to be passed.

2) He wanted to mark the occasion of that legislation to coincide with the one year anniversary of the declaration of the pandemic.

He gave a speech wildly different in tone than Trump ever did.

on edit - I forgot about Medicare under LBJ and Reagan's revamping of the tax code, so this is only the biggest piece of legislation is the last generation, not the last two. Ah, hyperbole, thy name is politics...

[Dave Grubb]

I was unable to listen and thus employed what has become my norm for similar speeches---I read the transcript this morning. Independent of my own, possibly partisan beliefs, I was struck by the change in "tone". It was frank, concelatory, hopeful and at times moderately self laudatory. I thought it overall to be credible and factuaral.

From the transcript this part seemed to summarize to me the overall tone of the speech:

And finally, fifth, and maybe most importantly: I promise I will do everything in my power, 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. And that’s not hyperbole. I need you.

I need you to get vaccinated when it’s your turn and when you can find an opportunity and to help your family and friends and neighbors get vaccinated as well.

Because here’s the point: If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the Fourth, there’s a good chance you, your families, and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day. That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together.

After this long hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.

But to get there, we can’t let our guard down.
.
.
.
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A July Fourth with your loved ones is the goal—but a goal. A lot can happen; conditions can change.

The scientists have made clear that things may get worse again, as new variants of the virus spread.

And we’ve got work to do to ensure everyone has confidence in the safety and effectiveness of all three vaccines.

In a word, refreshing

[Dave Grubb]

So---I have to ask---does the absence of derogatory and divisive comments mean that the speech failed to live down to the critics expectations

[Honda]

I thought the speech was pretty well written and he did a good job delivering it. There were portions that I found to be vague and misleading but then again he is ithe United States and that is par.

[Mike]

I was pleasantly surprised. Finally a little dignity returns.

[Sandman]

... Finally a little dignity returns.

What Mike said.. Very Presidential presentation..

[Dave Grubb]

I was pleasantly surprised. Finally a little dignity returns.

I agree. I also read in the WSJ this morning that Biden wrote the speech himself

[Mike]

It will take more than one speech to convince me, but maybe he isn't quite the bumbler he seems to be.

[Honda]

It will take more than one speech to convince me, but maybe he isn't quite the bumbler he seems to be.

I think it depends on the situation. Like most presidential addresses of course he was aided by a teleprompter and had lots of time to rehearse. Like you I was impressed with his delivery. I sincerely hope he can do the same thing in an unrehearsed situation.

[Independent Voter]

Oh WOW , the leader of the formally free world actually read a speech off a teleprompter for 25 minutes. I'm impressed , not . He refused to give any credit to Trump for his actions in removing red tape and getting the vaccine available for distribution.

I thank him for showing , on the surface , sympathy for those who lost loved ones. However , the rest of the speech was nothing but a threat to close down the Country if you don't tow the line and wear your face diaper. Vaccinations for everyone by May BUT, two months later you can have a BBQ with a few family members ?.

No mention of re-opening schools [ which would be safe ] but the teachers union is against it and he won't go against his donors. No mention of positive WO Han Flu cases walking across our Southern Boarder . NO PROBLEM , just stuff them on busses and send them to the interior and let those places handle the problem.

All in all , a very bland 25 minutes that I'll never get back .

BUT , I suppose it could have been worse .

[Kevin]

Trump spent four years taking credit for everything including the sunrise. He can toot his own horn.

To correct you, he did not say everyone would be vaccinated by May. He said there would be enough supply to vaccinated nate everyone by then. It still has to be administered. I heard no threats.

True, no mention of the border issues. He has been in office for 60 days, why hasn't he solved this issue? Chop chop, buddy. Just because none of his predecessors had in 50 years, what is his problem?

Regarding schools, that is a local issue. He cannot force a solution. School reopenings are a problem for local school boards. What this relief bill does is provide money to help local school boards implement safety measures. Dunning him for something outside his control is kind of odd. He can't wash your car for you, either, so if it comes back from the detailer with water spots, don't blame him.

By the way, no one ever gets a do over on time. It only flows one way. If you had spent that 25 minutes doing something enjoyable or if you were being waterboarded, you would not get that time back in either case. Just saying.

[Honda]

I'm just going to let Biden and his left-wing agenda bide their time and see where it goes. I don't know how much time we have at the border I do believe that it is a serious crisis. And yes he's only been in office for 60 days and he's made it worse at the border.

[Kevin]

I agree, it is worse at the border.

It is easy to make this worse. It is much harder to make things better.

He chose poorly.

[CactusCurt]

I was completely underwhelmed. Those are way higher marks than I ever gave trump.

[Dave Grubb]

IV---not to be argumentative---but prior to trashing anything coming out of Biden's mouth, be it assisted by teleprompter or not---do yourself a favor---read one of trump's---"off the reservation speeches". There is a plethora of examples from which to choose.

The english language is not something he has mastered

For the record, I seldom speak extemporaneously, primarily because I tend to omit things I want to say. What once was printed notes, is now often a tablet or a laptop.