Who Knew Biden Had It in Him? Biden Crushed the State of the Union | Opinion

Okay, I'll admit it: Joe Biden surprised me last night.

I didn't expect it. These major-league speeches are judged on both style and substance, and the presumption, after months of incessant question-raising about his age, was that the President would present like the title character in Weekend at Bernie's.

But a prizefighter emerged from the door in the House chamber and gave a more electrifying State of the Union than I've seen in years. And he delivered a message sure to play well among the working-class voters I long represented in Ohio.

The speech transparently served to kick off the president's re-election campaign. And it should put to rest any questions over whether Biden is too old to run again.

It's not just that he appeared engaged. It's that his energy matched the substance of his remarks. He was, to use an old word, a pugilist—he appeared like a hard-nosed boxer. Many of us presumed that he would wage the coming campaign on defense, framing himself as the safe alternative to the resurrection of former President Donald Trump's chaos. But that appears not to be the White House's strategy at all. Biden's intent is to jab at the GOP's glass jaw until it eventually shatters. And he's already landed some nasty blows.

His posture was clear from the outset. I expected him to focus initially on his various bipartisan achievements—a generational investment in infrastructure, new manufacturing jobs at home, and more. But he chose instead to begin by taking the fight to the GOP on Ukraine, pointing out that MAGA wants to walk away from a democratic ally suffering under the thumb of Russian aggression—a move that would have President Ronald Reagan turn in his grave.

As someone who spent years representing Reagan Democrats in Congress, I can guarantee that his resolve will resonate with working-class voters, especially those key communities filled with Ukrainian and Eastern European Americans.

But he didn't just posterize Vladimir Putin and the MAGA Republicans who have cozied up to him. His speech took it to former President Trump time and time again. He didn't simply tout the generational bipartisan investment Washington is making in roads, rails, wires, and other infrastructure—he pointed out the Republicans who voted against the bill are now trying to take credit for the improvements it funds. More than that, he highlighted his commitment to making sure the government commits to buying American—a policy that the GOP refuses to support. He called China out as well, vowing to ensure that America's industrial sector will compete and win in any global competition. Again, these are differentiating distinctions that will play well with working-class voters—and they were matched by the president's tone.

"I will veto," he declared.

"I will stop you," he said at other points.

"I won't let that happen."

He was using phrases that were strong and unequivocal. He put his administration on the side of working people on drug prices and jobs. He jujitsu'd the hypocritical Republicans on immigration who folded when Trump pressured them to kill a bipartisan bill that would have beefed up border security and streamlined the process of getting people in the country.

In each case, the young and inexperienced Republican speaker, Mike Johnson, was left to look over the president's shoulder squeamishly blinking. Trump's little toady personified weakness, appearing confused, confounded, almost lost.

The speech was, to my Midwestern ear, lacking in some of the empathy that working-class voters deserve in the present circumstances. The President is right that the economy is strong and inflation is coming down—but for many of my former constituents, the fruits of the recovery have yet to hit and prices remain too high.

Working-class families waiting for middle-out economic growth to hit may take heart in the president's tenacity, but they are right to wonder when their lives will improve. But of course, it's hard to be aggressive and empathetic at the same moment—there will be time for Biden to exude his warmth down the line.

Most important, in the course of the coming campaign, the president will need to paint a clear vision for how the economy will grow to everyone's benefit. He's right, of course, that the rich families and deep-pocketed corporations should pay their fair share of taxes. But there's a huge opportunity right now for us to build new clean energy industries and infrastructure; we can simultaneously save the planet and drive economic growth.

To make that vision a reality, however, the country will need more of the fighting Biden on display in the House chamber last night. The GOP is now on notice that he's ready, willing, and able to take them on. The first hurdle of the campaign has been confidently cleared, but presidential races are tests of personal endurance and grit.

If Fighting Joe can keep this pace for the next eight months, American democracy will endure and the MAGA movement will quietly rest on the dustbin of our nation's storied history.

Tim Ryan is President of We The People Action Fund" and "Senior Advisor, Progressive Policy Institute's Campaign for Working Americans.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.