{"id":17021,"date":"2023-02-17T21:54:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T07:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=17021"},"modified":"2023-02-17T21:54:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T07:54:08","slug":"biden-connects-in-confident-optimistic-state-of-the-union-address","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2023\/02\/17\/biden-connects-in-confident-optimistic-state-of-the-union-address\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Connects In Confident, Optimistic State Of The Union Address"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Emil Guillermo

<\/em>My father was one of the first Filipinos to arrive in America in the 1920s.\u00a0 If Willie Guillermo were alive, he\u2019d be 118 this month.\u00a0 More on dad at the end of this piece. I just know that as a union restaurant worker all his life, he would have loved President Joe Biden\u2019s State of the Union address.

If you thought you were invisible, left out, and unseen in America, Joe Biden saw you on Feb. 7.

Need cheap insulin? Tired of high late payment fees on credit cards? Feeling that the billionaires and the corporates get too much special treatment and don\u2019t pay their fair share of taxes?

Joe Biden was talking to you on Feb. 7. He\u2019s got the back of the American middle class.

Asian American parts were also clear in the State of the Union address.

You\u2019ll recall Brandon Tsay, the brave 26-year-old who singlehandedly disarmed the Monterey Park mass shooter at the second dance hall location in California. When Tsay stood up and was recognized by President Biden, it was our moment.

Biden saw us and knows our pain. He called for a ban on assault weapons once and for all, saying that in the 10 years, the ban was law, mass shootings went down. After Republicans let it expire, mass shootings tripled.\u201cLet\u2019s finish the job and ban assault weapons again,\u201d Biden said.

Finishing the job was one theme in a SOTU address that left no doubt. President Biden intends on running again in 2024, the ageists be damned.

That struck me as the one thing hounding Biden leading up to speech night. I detected a touch of ageism out there, which is no less hideous an \u201cism\u201d than racism or sexism.

And it\u2019s not just among Republicans. There\u2019s a feeling that Biden isn\u2019t vigorous enough for the job. Or that he\u2019s lost a step and is just not up to being the president. It\u2019s probably why 62% of the American people don\u2019t believe Biden has accomplished much during his time in office, according to a Washington Post\/ABC opinion poll. A different NBC News poll said 48% felt very uncomfortable about a Biden run.

But if you saw his State of the Union address, you don\u2019t have to worry about Biden.His accomplishments? You just haven\u2019t been paying attention. Between the Chips Act ramping up the semiconductor industry in America and the infrastructure plan, Biden has actually done more than you\u2019d expect righting the country immediately after four years of Trump.

The number of things Biden mentioned in his speech was rather astonishing, but they were still only first steps, as he continued to urge Congress, \u201cLet\u2019s finish the job.\u201d One thing that was apparent from the beginning was a more united feel in general in the House chambers. You could tell by watching Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They were like partisanship meters. Harris would jump up and cheer; McCarthy would sit still. On occasion, they both stood and applauded, like on Biden\u2019s \u201cBuy America\u201d plan.

Or when Tyre Nichols\u2019 family was introduced and the call was for police reform. During that section, Harris and McCarthy both stood and applauded at the same time.

It was an adult government in action.

Of course, there was one moment in particular when the immaturity of divided government reared its ugly head and the juvenile bickering returned. Decorum? What\u2019s that?

When Biden called out Republicans for wanting to put Medicare and Social Security on the line in exchange for a debt ceiling raise, Republicans jeered loudly. Georgia\u2019s Marjorie Taylor Greene could be heard yelling out, \u201cLiar.\u201dBut Biden was in charge and responding with a cool but feisty demeanor.

The president has long said Medicare and Social Security are not endangered under his watch.\u201cWe\u2019re not going to be moved into being threatened to default on the debt if we don\u2019t respond,\u201d said Biden, confidently off script and in control as he addressed the Republicans.

It really was Biden at his best. If you had doubts about him, watch the State of the Union address again on CSPAN. He both stood up to his detractors and related to America.

On abortion, he said, \u201cIf Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it.\u201cHe also urged the passing of the bipartisan Equality Act to ensure LGBTQ Americans, \u201cespecially transgender young people, can live with safety and dignity.\u201d

On immigration, Biden said if comprehensive immigration reform doesn\u2019t pass, at least pass his plan to provide the equipment and officers to secure the border. And for the DACA Dreamers, once again, Biden called for \u201ca pathway to citizenship.\u201d

He covered a lot of bases. But in the end, it came down to the basics. Our democracy. Biden closed with an appeal to bipartisanship.

\u201cEvery generation of Americans has faced a moment where they have been called on to protect our democracy, to defend it, to stand up for it,\u201d Biden said. \u201cWe have to see each other not as enemies, but as fellow Americans.\u201d

We may not be there totally yet, but it didn\u2019t stop Biden from giving his grade of the nation, 4x strong.

Said Biden: \u201cBecause the soul of the nation is strong, the backbone of this nation is strong, because the people of this nation are strong, the state of the union is strong.\u201d

It brought one of the night\u2019s longest applause breaks before he closed reassuringly.

\u201cI\u2019ve never been more optimistic about our future, about the future of America.\u201dThe TV audience was just around 30 million, smaller than the 38 million who watched the SOTU in 2022. But it was still by far the largest single audience the president will address in the foreseeable future. Biden is going to battleground states. He\u2019s making the case. The president wants another term. And he just might deserve it.

My Dad<\/strong>
The speech did make me think of my father. My new Amok monologue, \u201cEmil Amok: Lost NPR Host Found Under St. Marks\u201d is really the story of my father who came to America in 1928, and how his history changed my life.

Get tickets\u00a0here<\/a>: https:\/\/www.frigid.nyc\/event\/6897:338\/<\/a>

<\/em>Come see it Feb. 16-March 4 in New York City at the\u00a0FRIGID Fringe Festival<\/a>. And even if you\u2019re not in New York, get tickets to see it from home on your computer, wherever you are, Hawaii!

Head to the link for tickets to the\u00a0live stream.

I will talk about this column and other matters on \u201cEmil Amok\u2019s Takeout,\u201d my AAPI micro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>; my\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel; and\u00a0Twitter.<\/a>\u00a0Catch the recordings on\u00a0www.amok.com<\/a>.

EMIL GUILLERMO<\/strong> is an independent journalist\/commentator. Updates at\u00a0<\/em>www.amok.com<\/em><\/a>. Follow Emil on\u00a0<\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a>, and like his\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>\u00a0page.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emil Guillermo My father was one of the first Filipinos to arrive in America…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[29,20],"tags":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=687%2C973&ssl=1",687,973,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=212%2C300&ssl=1",212,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=640%2C906&ssl=1",640,906,true],"large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=640%2C906&ssl=1",640,906,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=687%2C973&ssl=1",687,973,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=687%2C973&ssl=1",687,973,true],"ultp_layout_landscape_large":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=687%2C800&ssl=1",687,800,true],"ultp_layout_landscape":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=687%2C570&ssl=1",687,570,true],"ultp_layout_portrait":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=600%2C900&ssl=1",600,900,true],"ultp_layout_square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=687%2C715&ssl=1",687,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=383%2C500&ssl=1",383,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=687%2C973&ssl=1",687,973,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=540%2C299&ssl=1",540,299,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?resize=375%2C250&ssl=1",375,250,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"Candid Perspectives<\/a> Featured<\/a>","tag_info":"Featured","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/CP-Biden-SOTU-color_2023.jpg?fit=687%2C973&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17022,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17021\/revisions\/17022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}