Next Wednesday, April 28, Joe Biden will give, for all intents and purposes, his first State of the Union address. It is not officially called that since a president’s first address to a joint session of Congress is not considered a “State Of The Union.” The reasoning? During a president’s first few months in office, he hasn’t been around long enough to get the lay of the land!
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, has given us a preview of what the President will discuss:
“Certainly, you can expect that he will talk about all of the priorities and his commitment to building the economy back better, getting the pandemic under control, addressing the challenges we face around the world.”
That’s great, but I hope Biden addresses the 800-pound gorilla in the room as he speaks to Congress and the nation. Perhaps something like this:
On January 20th, I was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. I know some of you did not vote for me. But as I have said, I plan on being the president for all Americans. Look, folks, I know a good many of you do not believe the 2020 election was fair. That it was somehow rigged. That the other guy won. I understand why you think that way. But it is simply not true. There are some members in this very chamber who have fed you that lie and continue to do so. Many conservative news outlets have fed you that lie and continue to do so. Things have gotten so bad that many are referring to this whole situation as “The Big Lie.”
Folks, the 2020 election has been scrutinized six ways from Sunday and, for all that have looked into it, it’s the same conclusion … the election was fair and secure. Government officials, judges and elected leaders, mostly Republicans, have publicly acknowledged confidence in the election. In fact, William Barr, who many have said acted more like the former president’s personal lawyer instead of the lawyer for the United States, said he had “not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said, “There was no indication or evidence that there was any evidence of hacking or compromise of election systems on, before, or after November 3.” He, like Barr, was appointed by the former president.
It is now six months after the election. We have seen what all the lying about election fraud has cost us … a violent attack on our nation’s Capitol. A country more divided than ever. This has got to stop and it has to stop now. There are just too many important things we need to do, right now, to help get us out of this pandemic and economic crisis.
I beg every Republican member of Congress to join me in moving forward with policies that will help the country thrive like never before. Put the political maneuvering and divisive politicking aside … put country over party … and let’s bring this country back, and together, again.
Yes, something along those lines would be great, don’t you think?
Photo | politico.com
