About That Chinese Spy Balloon...
And other words you won't hear in Joe Biden's State of the Union address
If you bothered to watch it, or plan to watch the replay of the State of the Union address, there are three words you will not hear: Chinese Spy Balloon.
First, it took the Biden administration a week to acknowledge it existed. Then they dithered about shooting it down as it floated through United States airspace, across the fruited plain, taking pictures and getting all kinds of intel. On Saturday they finally shot it down, then crowed about it as if they did something special.
Two other words you won’t hear: Migrant Crisis. Biden actually mentioned the border, but only to blame Congress for not acting on his Dreamer and immigration reform package and that’s why fentanyl is flooding across the border—like it’s walking in on two legs all by itself.
And let’s also come together on immigration and make it a bipartisan issue like it was before. We now have a record number of personnel working to secure the border, arresting 8,000 human smugglers and seizing over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl in just the last several months. Since we launched our new border plan last month, unlawful migration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela has come down 97%.
But America’s border problems won’t be fixed until Congress acts. If you won’t pass my comprehensive immigration reform, at least pass my plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border. And a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, those on temporary status, farm workers, and essential workers.
Republicans derided, disagreed, and some out-and-outright laughed at this. Some members even yelled, “It’s your fault!”
Three more words that were not mentioned: Defund the Police. However, Biden still had to go there with maligning law enforcement with a broad brush. His guests were the parents of Tyre Nichols. While I get that elected officials want to make points and tug at heart strings in order to bolster and further their agendas, this just came off as cheap theatrics.
But what happened to Tyre in Memphis happens too often. We have to do better. Give law enforcement the training they need, hold them to higher standards, and help them succeed in keeping everyone safe.
Tyre Nichols death was a tragedy, but let’s consider the facts. He was a Black man who died at the hands of four Black cops in a Democrat-majority run city, where they lowered the hiring standards for law enforcement and where there may have been a personal connection between the victim and one of the officers.
And when police officers or departments violate the public’s trust, we must hold them accountable. With the support of families of victims, civil rights groups, and law enforcement, I signed an executive order for all federal officers banning chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and other key elements of the George Floyd Act.
Let’s commit ourselves to make the words of Tyre’s mother come true, something good must come from this. All of us in this chamber, we need to rise to this moment. We can’t turn away. Let’s do what we know in our hearts we need to do. Let’s come together and finish the job on police reform.
So how will sweeping police reform prevent another Tyre Nichols? Wasn’t that last attempt at police reform supposed to prevent another George Floyd?
Inquiring minds.
The last two words that were not mentioned: Gun Control. But as we all well know, Democrats are like a broken record that continually skips on the two words that were mentioned: assault weapons.
Whatever those are.
Do something. That was the same plea of parents who lost their children in Uvalde: Do something on gun violence. Thank God we did, passing the most sweeping gun safety law in three decades. That includes things that the majority of responsible gun owners support, like enhanced background checks for 18- to 21-year-olds and red flag laws keeping guns out of the hands of people who are a danger to themselves and others. But we know our work is not done.
Which is no doubt why Biden is planning to run in 2024. Bugs in every pot, but no assault weapons to be found—or so they think.
One of the more surprising moments of the evening was Biden being roundly booed by the Republican Congress when he made the claim that Republicans wanted to sunset Social Security and Medicare.
Some of my Republican friends want to take the economy hostage unless I agree to their economic plans. All of you at home should know what their plans are. Instead of making the wealthy pay their fair share, some Republicans want Medicare and Social Security to sunset every five years. That means if Congress doesn’t vote to keep them, those programs will go away. Other Republicans say if we don’t cut Social Security and Medicare, they’ll let America default on its debt for the first time in our history.
It was another attempt at cheap theatrics and for once in their lives, the Republicans met the theatrical display in kind. I’m old enough to remember former South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouting, “You lie!” at then-President Barack Obama in 2009 and how shocking that was. The above clip shows how far we have crossed the Rubicon.
There is a ton of great coverage by my colleagues over at RedState, including my analysis on Biden’s labor and workforce lies in the speech: Biden's State of the Union Speech Mentioned Jobs Created and a Sense of Pride; What Country Is He Talking About?
