State of the Union:

Featured image by Fred PO. Follow the link for more of this artist’s work.

I listened to the State of the Union address last night, following it on Timcast IRL, and for the most part I thought that Biden attempted to rally everyone in a mostly non-embarrassing way. It was a different tone from the President, talking about the need for unity, his attempts to empathize with the struggles of the American people, to stir our national pride against the aggression of Putin, and his attempts to show how he is able to organize the world against the incursions of the Russian Federation against the Ukrainian people. He tries to comfort and console an American people, weary of war, seeking an end to the pandemic restrictions, and a return to a sense of normalcy.

I would have loved to believe it is all genuine and sincere. But recent history tells me differently. It felt as though I was watching either a campaign speech, or that Biden was trying to sound like a Republican. It felt as though the administration was reading the tea leaves or gauging which way the political winds were blowing, and trying to adjust accordingly. Biden ran as a moderate, but his first year was pushing a very progressive agenda.

The voters that got Biden elected were a mixture of uber-progressives, niche issue voters who galvanized in their hatred for Donald Trump and cast a historically high number of votes in an election with many temporary changes to voting procedures due to a global pandemic. His ascension to the White House brought many of those voters and interests into the halls of power, and stood by as the radicals drove the agenda. They attempted to consolidate their gains by making permanent the changes that gave them entry, actively fought any security measures, and continued to stoke the division and malice toward those who chose the other guy.

I want to believe that Biden is being genuine, but I simply cannot do so. We didn’t lose things to Covid. They were taken from us by decree and edict. Before, we could go freely where we wanted, uninhibited by masks, and thought it would be ludicrous to have to show proof of a medical procedure to enter a gym, bar, or restaurant. We could go to the store without being accosted about a piece of fabric on our faces. We could go about our lives not worrying whether our political beliefs would cost us our jobs, our livelihoods, our friends, or worry that what we think about our government would cause them to spy on us or make them consider us a terrorist. Nothing that Biden could say will sway me away from the anger I feel at the government telling the people who is “essential.” Nothing Biden can do could stop me from being at the very least skeptical of the government.

Biden, and his administration, still cling to the progressive idealism that is fueling many of the problems here at home. Their stubbornness on energy and desire to appease the green crowd adds fuel to the rising cost of energy. Begging other oil producing nations to lower prices while doing nothing but paying higher prices does nothing to incentivize them to change. Shutting down nuclear facilities, exploring other technology, or for that matter, understanding the cost-benefits of various forms of energy and how much subsidizing needs to go into them for them to be competitive.

Biden is a boss. While Zelensky is a leader. Below I have a neat little infographic for your viewing pleasure.