USAToday: Dark Brandon shows up at State of the Union, mops the floor with lost Republicans

[pnwmom]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/02/08/state-union-biden-deflects-republican-heckling-sarah-huckabee-sanders/11202538002/?fbclid=IwAR0HrQU6FMqnPeaj1FeFNj_hpUETrXqPxq8gnCCEpTKx6NA9QgdC7OI7Mj8

President Joe Biden, at the ripe age of 80, came out with ample vim and vigor in Tuesday night’s State of the Union address and proceeded to mop the House floor with the howling, discombobulated remains of the Republican Party.

Preaching populism and leaning hard on his noted skill as the empathizer-in-chief, Biden bounded through a speech that acknowledged the nation’s struggles while remaining unerringly optimistic. He went off script regularly, parrying Republican lawmakers who heckled him, at one point backing the whole party into a corner and getting them to swear to protect Medicare and Social Security benefits.

I’ve never seen anything like it in a State of the Union speech – they ran at him like a pack of lemmings and, with a wink and a grin, he politely directed them to the cliff.

Joe Biden's State of the Union pep shows a reelection run may be coming

Whatever the White House cooks are feeding Biden these days, I’d like a plate of it myself. It’s like he’s Benjamin-Buttoning all of a sudden. And as he ponders running for reelection and nervous Democrats eye a younger candidate, Tuesday’s speech suggests he’s still got it when it comes to retail politicking.

SNIP

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. Dark Brandon was in great form

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

2. He was indeed. I don't know what I was expecting, but not this.

Full Biden, unchained.
No more F's left to give.

[The Unmitigated Gall]

3. Brandon Targaryen. Love it!

[Evolve Dammit]

8. great pictoral!

[sheshe2]

4. Oh snap ;)

[Emile]

5. Bwhaha, great headline!

[pnwmom]

6. The piece has another great title on the Google page:

Dark Brandon descends on State of the Union Address, Melts GOP

[nolabear]

7. Gosh, USA Today on board!

They’re not exactly a bastion of liberal politics. 😏

[pnwmom]

11. Right? That was my reaction, though maybe some here have forgotten.

They are centrist, at best.

[Hekate]

9. So lovely. I cannot stop smiling this morning.

[cilla4progress]

16. Me too, Hekate!

Basking in the afterglow!

[peggysue2]

10. Last night was a Master Class in how to handle crazy

Even a flying monkey like MTG. Or the lies Republicans embrace about SS, Medicare and Medicaid.

POTUS handled it with firmness, grace and humor.

It was, indeed, a thing of beauty.



And as far as I'm concerned? Joe Biden sealed the deal last night for a second run. The pathetically old, sleepy Joe memes just don't cut it.

USA Today is absolutely correct: Dark Brandon was in the House and he made Republicans shriek.

Thank you, POTUS!

[pandr32]

12. It was a thing of beauty to watch.

[PatSeg]

13. Oh, I love this

"...they ran at him like a pack of lemmings and, with a wink and a grin, he politely directed them to the cliff."

[crickets]

19. It's a great turn of phrase that perfectly captures the moment. nt

[Cha]

14. And, I read the Dem Leaders were

Al in For PJB Before his Brilliant SOTU speech!

TY

[CaptainTruth]

15. Great article! Thanks for posting.

I really don't think Republicans expected what Joe dished out.

[PatSeg]

20. Yes, Joe Biden has a very long history

of people underestimating him. He is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

[CaptainTruth]

21. +100 And I'm glad to see it.

He's one of those people who just quietly does a good job, without show or flash.

[PatSeg]

22. And he's been knocked down

so many times in his life. He just gets up and tries again. As much as republicans have ridiculed and dismissed him over the years, in truth he was the one Democrat they didn't want to run against especially in a presidential election.

Biden has an appeal that ordinary people respond to, something republicans can't simulate. They keep looking for their next Ronald Reagan, but they ended up with Donald Trump!

[Captain Zero]

17. Don't change horses in the middle of the stream

nt

[betsuni]

18. Comment I saw somewhere: Biden turned the SOTU into STFU.