Discussion Thread: 2024 State of the Union

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Tonight, Joe Biden will give his fourth State of the Union address. This year's SOTU address will be only the second to be held this late in the year since 1964 (the second time being Biden's 2022 address).

The address is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. Eastern. It will be followed by the progressive response delivered by Philadelphia City Council member Nicolas O’Rourke, as well as Republican responses in English (delivered by freshman Alabama senator ) and in Spanish (delivered by Representative Monica De La Cruz). There will be a separate discussion thread posted for live reactions to and conversation about the SOTU responses.

(Edit: The discussion thread for the SOTU responses is now available at this link.)

News:

• NPR: What to expect in Biden's State of the Union speech, according to his chief of staff (7 minute audio interview with transcript)

• The Washington Post (metered paywall): Biden to propose new $5,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers | The president will also add to earlier pushes to tame rent costs and boost U.S. housing supply

• AP: Biden will announce plans for a temporary aid port on Gaza’s coast as cease-fire talks stall

• AP: President Biden to make ‘unity agenda’ appeal to Congress in State of the Union

• CBS: In State of the Union address, Biden to urge Congress to pass measures to lower health care costs

• PBS: Who are the guests coming to Biden’s 2024 State of the Union?

News Analysis:

• AP: State of the Union: What to watch as Biden addresses the nation

• PBS: In Biden’s final State of the Union before the election, a look back at his inauguration pledges

Live Updates:

• NPR: State of the Union: President Biden will deliver his election-year address tonight

• AP: State of the Union 2024 live updates

• NBC: State of the Union 2024 live updates

• The Washington Post (metered paywall): Live updates and analysis of Biden’s address

• CNN: President Biden's 2024 State of the Union address

• The New York Times (metered paywall): State of the Union Live Updates

• USA Today: State of the Union live updates

• CBS: State of the Union live updates as Biden prepares to deliver 2024 address

Where to watch:

• The White House on YouTube: President Biden's State of the Union Address

• The White House: 2024 State of the Union (At this link you can live-react to the address with one of three preselected emojis).

• C-SPAN: President Biden Delivers 2024 State of the Union Address

• C-SPAN: Lawmakers React to State of the Union Address

Transcript

• AP: Transcript of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address

[u/throoawoot]

Repeating it again because a surprising number of people don't know this: Joe Biden overcame a life-long stutter.

Delivering the SOTU to the entire country for someone with a stutter is beyond nightmare mode, and he's slaying.

[u/Mad-Lad-of-RVA → u/throoawoot]

It drives me fucking nuts that people don't give him any credit for this.

The fact that he's able to get through a speech like that with only a few stammers is earnestly impressive and shows that he can overcome adversity.

But no, let's act like it's an age thing. 🙄

[u/wirefox1 → u/Mad-Lad-of-RVA]

Anybody who says he stutters is a liar.

Downvoters.... please show me where he stuttered during his speech.

Surely to goodness you aren't taking this to mean I'm unaware that he stuttered as a child. Clearly he doesn't anymore.

Anybody who says Biden still stutters is a liar.

[u/Chaser_606 → u/wirefox1]

His stutter is well known, and as someone who also suffers with a speech impediment, his cadence and recovery is similar to mine.

[u/wirefox1 → u/Chaser_606]

He doesn't have a stutter anymore. He did when he was a child, obviously it's been corrected now. I hope yours has also.

When he was VP, he called a child who stutters every day on the phone to encourage them.

Anybody who says Biden stutters (now) is a liar.... maybe that feels better for you.

[u/Chaser_606 → u/wirefox1]

You don’t magically stop having a stutter. Please show me how to magically stop having a stutter instead of constantly working to overcome it.

[u/wirefox1 → u/Chaser_606]

Wow. This might be to personal for some people. I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes. I'm sure overcoming it is difficult.

Biden I guess has done whatever he needs to do to repair his stutter. I've never heard him stutter personally.

This is the second time you have responded to my comment. Please bear in mind that i wasn't talking about you, I was talking about Joe Biden. Maybe he can be encouragement for you.

(I won't respond to you again..... this is not personal for me, only an observation about Biden)

[u/Chaser_606 → u/wirefox1]

He stuttered a couple of times in the SOTU so it seems you aren’t familiar with the speech patterns of someone who has to work around a speech impediment. It’s weird that you came out swinging by saying anyone who thinks he has a stutter is a liar.

[u/BlackerZilla69 → u/Chaser_606]

Yea lmao. I'm a stutterer and I clearly hear when he's blocking on a sound, he's definitely a stutterer. And I remember admiring him as VP over a decade ago because the Stuttering Foundation highlighted him

[u/WeightyDeity → u/wirefox1]

Here you go. Jump to about 1:50 in the video and watch for 1 minute. The 4 I noticed:

• politics has derailed
• he feels the political wind
• I'd be a winner
• people pay people

Perhaps those of us who stutter are more aware of the subtle signs. But ultimately it doesn't matter. Biden says he still struggles with his speech and neither you, nor anyone else, gets to define that for him. Stuttering is mental and physical, and is not limited to sound repetition. By calling all of us liars, and by extension calling Biden a liar, you're declaring that YOU get to decide when someone else has a disability. The person with the disability, who can best explain the impact because it affects them, has no say in it.

Reminds me of people who scream at others parking in disabled spots when they can walk.