Joe Biden in front of Congress: "He made sure not to speak only to Democrats"

US President Joe Biden in front of Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and White House spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi on April 29, 2021 in Congress.

REUTERS - POOL

Text by: Marie Normand Follow

4 min

America is moving forward again 

."

That's Joe Biden's big message Wednesday night to Congress.

The US president has touted a massive investment plan to create, he said, " 

millions of jobs 

" for Americans who feel left out.

Analysis of this first general policy speech with Célia Belin, doctor of political science and researcher at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Publicity

Read more

RFI: Traditionally, this discourse is very popular with the American population.

Who did Joe Biden speak to on Wednesday night?

Célia Belin:

He made sure not to address only Democrats, his own camp.

He was talking to the average American: to the mother, to those who have suffered from the pandemic, from unemployment.

He presented them with what his administration had already done over the past 100 days to reassure them and restore their faith in America, in its economy, in its democracy, in its ability to recover.

To do this, he is selling a number of investments in society and the economy, in the middle and working classes, to restore their faith in the country's ability to compete with other nations, especially China.

However, is foreign policy little mentioned?    

Joe Biden places his speech under the concept of the systemic rivalry of the 21st century. Who will be the great power of this century? He argues that not only is the United States ahead, it can stay ahead. This message is watermarked throughout the speech. Joe Biden also talks about reviving climate action. On Russia, he also promises to be firm on US interests. But there was no will to raise these foreign policy subjects to levels known under the Bush administration or even the Obama administration where they were much more present. We are really here in the discourse of “reconstruction”.

To boost the competitiveness of the United States and regenerate its middle class, Joe Biden has put on the table a new plan for massive spending on family and education aid, which would be funded by making the rich pay "their fair share." go ". Is it a program inspired by the left wing of the party?

In the face of the crisis, what Joe Biden is doing is putting a lot of money back into the economy, putting everyone back to work. But where the paw of the left of the Democratic Party can be observed above all in this speech, it is in the vigorous defense of the unions, the enhancement of the protection of workers. These are speeches that have not been heard since the days before the presidency of Ronald Reagan, since this turn of privatization and general de-unionization of the American economy. We therefore see here the paw of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and all the progressive movement which mobilized at the start to win the primaries, then to win Joe Biden.

Is there also a message to elected Republican officials as battles loom in the Senate where Democrats have only a narrow majority?

Joe Biden was Barack Obama's vice president, and he saw how Republican obstructionism can destroy a president's political program. He knows that the polarization has become even more accentuated, he has no illusions and he especially does not want to spend months negotiating with them. On the other hand, there is a difference between the subjects on which Joe Biden seems to want to move forward despite their opposition (all the major infrastructure programs and his plan for American families) and a whole legislative section on which he asked the Congress to "work" (gun control, immigration). It seemed a little naive to me or a reflection of a certain helplessness. So on the top priorities, he won't wait for Republicans; but on the rest, he hopes Congress will get to work. Without warranty.

► See also: United States: Joe Biden praises his successes during his first major speech in Congress

Newsletter

Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • United States

  • Joe biden

On the same subject

United States: Joe Biden praises his successes in his first major speech to Congress