He brought up hope, accomplishments and an "optimistic" future - was anyone listening?
He started out with a joke. “If I was smart I’d go home now,” and Joe Biden delivered it with the aplomb of a road warrior politician, or perhaps a road warrior standup comic.
With a bit of Don Rickles channeled through Jimmy Stewart, Joe Biden walked onto the largest stage on the planet Thursday night and struck the right chord from the moment he stepped up to speak. He needed to quickly unite a crowd that included a few morons who later sounded like they were from a Woody Allen Movie.
Biden wasted no time with his plea of unity by reminding the world that the enemy of America is neither Democrat or Republican, but Vladimir Putin. As if he were a college professor teaching a class he warned us that, “If you think he will stop at Ukraine, he will not."
To further that metaphor later in his speech Biden literally stopped to explain exactly why more immigration judges will help drive down the number of illegal immigrants. It was a hallmark lecture using facts. "Look at the facts. I know you know how to read," Biden chided his critics.
As for the aesthetics, Biden appeared energetic and didn't shy away from a couple of Jimmy Stewart-esque affectations. You half expected Biden to blurt out, "You wonderful old Savings and Loan!" but he didn't.
Biden's performance leaned on a lifetime of experience on a variety of stages, including on television, in stadiums, coffee shops, liquor shops, weddings, family outings, union halls, pubs, churches, little league games, county fairs, state fairs, PTA meetings, school meetings, fire stations, police stations, restaurants, grocery stores and lemonade stands.
He’s probably done more venues than the Rolling Stones.
Biden found his stride and spoke to hope while also scolding those who supported the insurrectionists.
“You can’t love your country only when you win,” Biden said.
Biden also sailed through a wide variety of topics - from the size of servings of certain packaged foods, including snickers bars to climate change. I can honestly say I have never heard a presidential speech which included the size of snacks and the potential decimation of humanity via climate change.
I know. I guess I don't around much. Forgive me.
Biden spoke for unions, public education, female reproductive rights, human rights, Israel, Ukraine, and innocent Palestinians while also demanding Israel act prudently because the end game includes two separate states. How's that for a mouthful?
Biden also destroyed the notion that the Jan. 6 Insurrectionists were patriots. "Some of you here seek to bury the truth about Jan. 6. I will not do that," Biden said.
"No billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or a sanitation worker," Biden said at one point to tumultuous cheers - from the Democrats. The Republicans looked like someone just woke up from a nap on the veranda. They just didn't want to be bothered with that.
The GOP response to Biden? The Republican response was a plea to the heartstrings delivered without the heart it hoped to convey. But then again, the Republicans have perfected the art of heartless manipulation to pull at your heartstrings.
Biden had the better night. He also had center stage. He had a Joe Biden acceptable number of miscues. But he gave his opposition fodder by merely showing up. He knew it and didn't care. He turned it to his advantage, telling Republicans to not even try to cut social security because "I will stop you."
Biden succeeded in defending his record and projecting a hopeful future - one he has to realize he won't be around to see.
Those more cognizant of the vicissitudes of this particular administration can perhaps speak to the socio-economic, international and national political policies of the current administration better than myself - but certainly not better than the school lecture Biden put on Thursday night in those key moments where he destroyed the Republican party for their hero worship of an opponent Biden did not name.
That's probably the biggest dagger to Trump. He loves when people say his name. It puffs him up with pride.
But Biden for the most part didn't bother and didn't seem to care who Trump was. He was more interested in explaining to people why his ideas were better - the snide look of derision at Trump was only implied - well mostly.
This was Joe Biden being Joe Biden. He did it off the cuff. He did it well.
You'd think the Biden camp would understand the American public, which has been on a strong diet of Donald Trump because there's little or no Joe Biden on the menu, would enjoy a little more of this interactive version of the president.
The country needs to see this more often if for no other reason than to counter program the mindless and cancerous barrage of disinformation and absolute insanity spewed by Trump. But that's always been the case during Biden's presidency - we need to see more of him.
One has to wonder if the State of the Union Address was a strict "one-off" or if it signals a change in course of a ship of state that desperately needed to get out of the doldrums.