For those of us willing to put aside partisanship and really listen to President Joe Biden, there was so much to learn from our septuagenarian president this week.
During Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, we found out that Russian President Vladimir Putin is dangerously close to losing popularity in Iran.
We learned the value of a pound of Ukrainian people and the importance of love in attracting employees.
The president informed us that walls don’t stop vaccines and deer don’t wear Kevlar vests.
And we felt reassured when he whispered words of comfort, and inspired when he told us to win one for the Gipper (well, kind of).
These nuggets of wit and wisdom were put together in a clip Thursday by Grabien founder Tom Elliot, who dubbed it, “SUPERCUT!@POTUS: The State of the Union is … [indecipherable].”
SUPERCUT!@POTUS: The State of the Union is … [indecipherable] pic.twitter.com/PWbZ8yMa7U
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 3, 2022
Of course, Biden didn’t really mean to say any of these things that many have delighted in repeating and ridiculing ever since.
But that’s just the point — this president who can barely string together coherent sentences when they’re presented for him on a teleprompter can’t be trusted to lead in a world teetering on the brink of a global disaster.
Some of these major gaffes came from somber moments when Biden attempted to send a strong message to Putin that his might couldn’t overpower the spirit of Ukraine even as Russian forces pushed further into the nation.
“Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he’ll never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people,” Biden flubbed this important line. Behind him, Vice Presiden Kamala Harris mouthed “Ukrainian” in an unconscious correction.
When he tried to extol the virtues of the nation that is under attack from Putin, the president once again substituted a humorous one-liner for an inspirational message.
“And a pound of Ukrainian people. The proud, proud people — pound for pound — ready to fight with every inch of [gibberish] they have,” Biden said.
Even his attempts to convey confidence on the domestic front were undermined by his verbal blunders.
“Because you can’t build a wall high enough to keep out a vaccine,” Biden pointed out. “A vaccine can stop the spread of these diseases.”
Not only is the former statement arguably false, but it’s also ridiculous enough to detract from the message he was trying to convey in the latter.
His take on staying competitive in a global workforce delivered another quotable misspeak when compared with the White House’s prepared version of the speech.
“To compete for the jobs of the future, we also need a loving playing field,” Biden said instead of “we also need to level the playing field.”
However, the funniest line of the night (and my personal favorite) came from a short ad-lib while advocating for gun control.
“Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines over 100 rounds. You think the deer are wearing Kevlar vests?” the president asked, daring the viewer not to conjure up the most amusing mental image.
It wouldn’t be a Biden speech without whispering, and he didn’t disappoint with empty reassurances to the American people in the face of soaring oil prices and grave geopolitical upheaval.
“We’re going to be OK. We’re going to be OK,” he rasped.
The last line of the night garnered much attention. Biden ended his speech by saying, “Go get him!” — leaving many wondering to whom he was referring.
In many respects, politics is a game, and ridiculing one’s opponent is all part of the fun of it. Supercuts like this one will be spliced into Republican campaign ads and become fodder for political commentators.
However, these are serious times with many potential disasters just on the horizon that will require the United States — as a superpower — to employ a competent leader who exudes strength and determination.
What we have instead is a doddering 79-year-old career politician who routinely embarrasses himself and this nation while the whole world is watching — and laughing at us.