Skip to main content

New top story from Time: Biden Reaches the Summit of American Power in a Way Never Imagined

https://ift.tt/3nvF4RQ

This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday.

A President’s joint address to Congress is typically a hectic evening on Capitol Hill. Every member of Congress jams in the second-floor House chamber. Their family members, constituents and, yes, sometimes donors cram into the chamber’s third-floor balcony seats that make Broadway theaters seem gracious in their spacing. Lawmakers get to the chamber early to position themselves along the central aisle so they can have a few seconds of face-time with the President — and get in the camera shots that go to millions of TVs live. As one veteran Republican operative joked last night, “It’s weird watching a State of the Union address and not seeing the whole ‘Sheila Jackson Lee got her seat at 7:24 AM’ thing.” Even in an era of change, some things are constant.

But with seven of every eight seats in the chamber sitting empty last night, the press balcony practicing social distancing and masks still de rigueur, President Joe Biden’s first turn pitching from that joint session was one for the history books. We all knew it would be nuisance and not a novelty. In seats that were off-limits, bands of tape advised no-sitting to remind guests to stay in the spot carrying their name card. Even among Biden’s partisan loyalists, it was some of the thinnest applause I’ve heard in 20 years of covering the annual speech in person and from afar, dating back to sitting in the gallery for the first one of these George W. Bush gave in a pre-9/11 United States.

With fewer members physical present to absorb the sound, every noise registered on the mics. Watching at home on television, every mumble — or in the case of Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, the unfurling of a silver blanket meant to troll Democrats about the children laying under them in refugee camps along the U.S.-Mexican border — was audible. No one struggled to discern any outburst like Republican Rep. Joe Wilson’s 2009 scream at Obama during such a session: “You lie!” An errant cell phone last night became a Twitter whodunnit. (Side note: We are all pretty sure we know.)

Where Biden’s predecessors of both parties treated the evening as a performance to be judged by how often people rose from their chairs, interrupted with applause and for how long, last night had none of that. His speechwriter Vinay Reddy and longtime strategist Mike Donilon didn’t leave breadcrumbs for raucous Pavlovian responses. And Biden, for his part, seemed indifferent to his audience’s response. He seemed to take the sparse clapping in stride and the smaller audience as an invitation to, at some points, stray from the prepared text.

If anything, the lack of unscheduled interruptions helped Biden in ways most Americans may not have recognized. A stutterer since childhood, Biden doesn’t do well with interruption or surprises. When he starts a sentence, either he drives through to the end or he gets tongue-tied. That struggle has been a feature of his speeches on the Senate floor and on the world stage. The fear of stumbling at the Iowa State Fair in 1987 mid-White House run probably led him to plagiarism more than any intent to steal the words he had used plenty of times before with attribution.

Spontaneity is not Biden’s friend. Indeed, you could see times when both Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi caught themselves starting to clap before remembering not to mess with their friend’s cadences. They’d get out of the chair only to wait for Biden’s teleprompters to pause. They didn’t want to knock him off his pace. A year ago, Pelosi marked the end of what might have been Trump’s final turn in that chamber with derision and a ripped-in-two copy of the speech. Last night, she bumped elbows with the President of her party only after he had driven to the end of his final sentence and parked the cart.

As Biden stood at the rostrum last night, it was a reality imagined since at least the 1960s. Biden had a chance to flex. And he did. I’ll leave it to my colleagues to highlight his ideas on policies and politics that flowed from this hour-long speech that will be remembered as much for its novel staging as its high-spending ambition. But nothing can deny this truth: this is not how Biden ever imagined climbing the steps to perhaps the most iconic podium in American politics. Once summoned, he didn’t exactly mimic his predecessors.

Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Taking Muni to Bike San Francisco’s Iconic Rides

Taking Muni to Bike San Francisco’s Iconic Rides By Kate McCarthy Take your bike on Muni using the racks on the front of buses to access bike rides on the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and across the Golden Gate Bridge. Thousands of riders are expected to hop on a bike in May for National Bike Month and Bike to Wherever Day on Friday, May 20 . For people new to bicycling in San Francisco, using Muni buses to avoid our famous hills and reduce overall trip distances is a great way to get to iconic bike rides and scenic parks.   All Muni buses have bike racks on their front that can hold two or three bikes (only folding bicycles are allowed on Muni’s Metro trains and historic streetcars). Using the bike racks on Muni buses to transport your bike is easy! And, if you have questions while you are doing it, you can always ask the operator, who can assist you. Those looking to bicycle in parks, along the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park or across the Golden Ga...

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J 'पवित्र रिश्ता' की वापसी, आशा नेगी ने Video में नहीं लिया सुशांत का नाम, भड़का लोगों का गुस्सा !

सुशांत सिंह राजपूत के निधन के बाद से उनकी चर्चा खत्म होने का नाम नहीं ले रही है। खबरों से लेकर सोशल मीडिया पर केवल  उन्हीं की चर्चा है। ऐसे में पवित्र रिश्ता का हिस्सा रह चुकीं आशा नेगी ने एक from टेलीविजन की खबरें | Television News in Hindi | TV Serials Update in Hindi – FilmiBeat Hindi http:/hindi.filmibeat.com/television/sushant-singh-rajput-pavitra-rishta-telecast-again-actress-asha-negi-troll-for-actor-death-090665.html?utm_source=/rss/filmibeat-hindi-television-fb.xml&utm_medium=23.11.231.151&utm_campaign=client-rss

Breaking News LIVE: Top Headlines This Hour https://ift.tt/30mZeTB

The total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 35 million, including more than 1,066,000 fatalities. More than 27,629,990 patients are reported to have recovered. Follow this breaking news blog for live updates on the coronavirus pandemic as it continues to pose a challenge for health workers and scientists who are in a race against time to produce a vaccine/medicine. 

4th Street Transit Lane Offers Muni a Path Forward

4th Street Transit Lane Offers Muni a Path Forward By Bonnie Jean von Krogh A new transit lane was installed last week   on 4th Street in SoMA as part of the previously approved 4th Street Transit Improvement Project . As the first transit lane put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, this change will help protect Muni passengers as congestion returns to city streets. Transit lanes allow buses to complete trips in less time and turn around back into service more quickly. That means with our limited resources, we can provide more Muni service with the same number of buses, reducing crowding and maintaining better physical distancing onboard. The benefits that transit lanes provide – saving time and avoiding congestion – have become critically important during COVID-19 to protect the health of Muni passengers. Physical distancing requirements mean that Muni’s passenger capacity is cut in a third from pre-COVID levels. When buses ...

FOX NEWS: Mall of America reopens after coronavirus closures, with 150 of 500 stores doing business The Mall of America was back in business on Wednesday, nearly three months after the Minnesota tourist attraction shut down because of the coronavirus.

Mall of America reopens after coronavirus closures, with 150 of 500 stores doing business The Mall of America was back in business on Wednesday, nearly three months after the Minnesota tourist attraction shut down because of the coronavirus. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/3ffiK9A

New top story from Time: ‘We’re Nowhere Close to the Deal’. Coronavirus Aid Package Talks Break Down as Trump Rejects Help for Cities

https://ift.tt/3098lHW WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed Democratic demands for aid to cash-strapped cities in a new coronavirus relief package and lashed out at Republican allies as talks stalemated over assistance for millions of Americans. Another lawmaker tested positive for the virus. Republicans, beset by delays and infighting, signaled a willingness to swiftly approve a modest package to revamp a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that’s running out. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., roundly rejected that approach as meager, all but forcing Republicans back to the negotiating table. Without action, the aid expires Friday. “We’re nowhere close to the deal,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. He said they’re “miles apart.” Stark differences remain between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans, a standoff that is testing Trump and Congress ahead of the November election and putting...

Covid-19-hit China Decides Not to Set Annual Growth Target, a First in Years It is the first time in recent years that officials have decided not to issue a numerical growth target, which is typically seen as a signal of the resources leaders are willing to spend to shore up the economy. It is the first time in recent years that officials have decided not to issue a numerical growth target, which is typically seen as a signal of the resources leaders are willing to spend to shore up the economy.

It is the first time in recent years that officials have decided not to issue a numerical growth target, which is typically seen as a signal of the resources leaders are willing to spend to shore up the economy. from Top World News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2A19qqy https://ift.tt/2TbH2c5 It is the first time in recent years that officials have decided not to issue a numerical growth target, which is typically seen as a signal of the resources leaders are willing to spend to shore up the economy.

History in Motion: New Photos from the 1960s to 1980s Now Online

History in Motion: New Photos from the 1960s to 1980s Now Online By Jeremy Menzies We’ve been hard at work in the SFMTA Photo Archive and recently uploaded two large collections of photos from the early 1960s to the 1980s to our website. These photos, both color and black and white, give a glimpse into the day-to-day operations of Muni and the streets of San Francisco. Here’s a selection of shots from this brand-new batch of photos, many of which have not been seen outside the Photo Archive in years.  This shot shows a typical evening rush hour scene from the mid-1970s taken at Market and Powell Streets.  The color photos from this era are all part of a collection that was most likely used for presentations, studies and as general “stock” type photos of San Francisco, streets and Muni facilities and operations. Subjects include project documentation, copies of maps and charts, street...

New T Third Route in Central Subway Starting January 7

New T Third Route in Central Subway Starting January 7 By Mariana Maguire New T Third service via Central Subway starts January 7 with service between Sunnydale and Chinatown-Rose Pak Station. On Saturday, January 7, the T Third starts its historic new route, providing a direct Metro connection between Sunnydale and Chinatown-Rose Pak Station. Service runs Mondays through Fridays, 6 a.m. to midnight. every 10 minutes and Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to midnight every 12 minutes. The new T Third line vastly improves transportation to and from some of San Francisco’s most densely populated areas and major shopping corridors, expanding transit options and new connections. The new T Third route will travel north to the new Central Subway from 4th & King platform. It will no longer turn onto King Street or run along the Embarcadero and the Market Street subway. Also, the K Ingleside will now travel between Balboa Park and Embarcadero Station. New Connections Customers traveling...

New top story from Time: Swimmer Killed in Apparent Shark Attack Off Maine Coast

https://ift.tt/30QB2IN HARPSWELL, Maine — A woman was killed in an apparent shark attack off the coast of Maine on Monday, a rare occurrence that has only been recorded once before in the state by an unprovoked shark. Maine Marine Patrol said a witness saw the woman swimming off the shore of Bailey Island when she was injured in what appeared to be a shark attack. Two kayakers helped the person get to shore, and an ambulance provided further assistance, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, Marine Patrol said. The name of the woman was not available on Monday. There has only been one recorded unprovoked shark attack in Maine, New England shark expert James Sulikowski told the Portland Press Herald. Sulikowski, who researches for Arizona State University, said it’s possible the shark mistook the person for food. The state Marine Patrol is urging swimmers and boaters to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals.