The “Hail Mary” Speech Biden Should Have Delivered
With my old speechwriter hat on and channeling my former Democratic self, I write the speech Joe Biden should have delivered at Washington, DC’s Union Station
As a former speechwriter for a Cabinet official, US Senators, and candidates, I have an annoying urge to rewrite speeches I don’t like. It’s an occupational hazard. As a former campaign operative, speeches that qualify as “tactical” or strategic events invite critique, with an occasional, “that’s not what I would have said.”
This is one such time. Biden’s failed Union Station “Threat to Democracy” 2.0 (after his equally disaster “Dark Brandon” September 1st speech in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall) only confirmed what intelligent voters already knew: The Biden Democrats are tone deaf to the “kitchen table” concerns of most Americans and reeking of hypocrisy and projection regarding “threats to democracy.” This is not the President a lot of voters thought they elected in 2020.
Democrats should be grateful that the speech went largely unwatched and unreported. Even as a screed to their loyal base to gin up turnout, it fails to move the dial. The election cake is not only baked and out of the oven and voters are applying bright red icing and candles. Frankly, it confirms that Biden and the White House’s political instincts and operation are a toxic brew of incompetence and delusion.
Expect the coming electoral bloodbath to result in a White House staff housecleaning. And expect them to double down on their delusion. “If only we’d accomplished more,” or fought harder, the worst among them will bleat, citing federalizing integrity-free elections to spending even more money on favored constituencies. I hope they prove me wrong.
Biden’s latest missive started with a dramatic rendition of the violent assault by a deranged attacker on the Paul Pelosi, the 82-year-old husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. No mention that US Capitol Police failed to monitor cameras positioned outside where the attacker broke into their San Francisco home. Also no mention of the most recent politically motivated threats or attacks on Republican candidates for office this year, including gubernatorial candidates Darren Bailey (IL) and Lee Zeldin (NY), and most recently, New Hampshire US Senate candidate Don Bolduc. Didn’t fit the narrative, apparently.
Allow me to pull my old Democratic cloak out of storage and dust off my former speechwriter’s hat to draft a short “closing message” election speech I would have written for President Biden.
Note: I may not agree with everything being said here, in style or content. Again, like C.S. Lewis channeling Screwtape in his famous “Screwtape Letters,” I’m imaging being a Democratic operative. Smart campaign operatives, like successful lawyers, often spend more time studying their opponent’s case than preparing their own. But the major difference here is in style and tone. It might not work, but would be more effective than what Biden delivered this week.
The mission of this speech is to reconnect to Americans by acknowledging their concerns, reconnecting, and demonstrating an ability to inspire. None of which he has demonstrated over most of his presidency. Politically, it is written to at least soften his negatives and make the election less about his agenda and record. It is not written to motivate the base, but lower the thermostat and attract swing voters and reset the stage after November 8th.
Here’s my first draft, imperfect as it is, of the speech Joe Biden should have delivered. Sadly, it’s one he seems incapable of giving.
My fellow Americans, good evening from Washington’s Union Station. This is a special place that I know well. As a US Senator from Delaware, I was here everyday the Senate was in session, boarding trains back and forth to Wilmington. Millions of Americans - commuters from as far away as West Virginia and New York and visitors from dozens of states depart and arrive here almost daily.
I’m speaking to you from this 115 year old facility because it represent so much of America. It’s history. It’s growth and expansion. The diversity of our people. Our freedom of movement, and association. Our connection to families, neighborhoods, communities and cultures.
Next week, we join together to engage in a sacred American right and ritual, the cornerstone of our democracy. We vote. We should have high confidence that the votes will be counted with accuracy and integrity. It may take a few days, given the large number of mail in ballots, but American will collectively express their support for the people they will entrust with the governance of our states and nation.
I also know that for me and my administration, for many of you, this is our mid-term report card on our progress.
I’m proud of the work we’ve done. We are recovering from the pandemic. Schools have reopened, and our economy is returning to normal, the world’s strongest. Employment growth is strong.
But I know we have challenges. We need to acknowledge and tackle them. Inflation is way too high, and must be tamed. Wages are up, but they are not keeping pace. Energy prices have moderated, but remain too high, and are a driving force behind higher food prices.
Shutting down the economy under my predecessor has had consequences. Trillions of dollars had to be invested to jumpstart our economy. We’ve learned from both mistakes and successes.
We have other challenges. Crime is on the increase. Too many cities face the scourge of homelessness, driven by addiction from drugs that are finding their way across our border. We lose more people to fentanyl deaths every year than we lost during the entire Vietnam War.
Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has had global consequences. Supply chains for everything from computer chips to infant formula have been affected.
We’re working urgently through those challenges. And we have more to do.
As a country and a government, we continue to learn from our mistakes. Closing down our schools for as long we we did put our children months if not years behind in their development. We must never do that again. Parents and families must always reign supreme in the education, growth, and development of our children. Teachers and parents have always worked together to raise, educate, and grow our future leaders. We must restore that partnership.
We have always had threats to democracy. We survived a Civil War. We made it through two world wars. We survived and won a 40-year Cold War with the former Soviet Union. But totalitarian and malevolent forces continue to threaten domestic and global peace and security. Now, foreign and domestic extremists sow disinformation and dissent to divide us from each other.
But lockdowns and increasingly divisive rhetoric, both in our social media and our politics, have served to divide, instead of unite us.
When I spoke to you for the first time as President, I promised to unify our deeply divided country. I not only haven’t succeeded, it’s getting worse. Sometimes, I have strayed from my own mission. For that, I take full responsibility. But as I enter the next two years of my presidency, I recommit to you my pledge to end the division and promote what’s unifies our country, to be the President you elected in 2020.
Whether or not I seek reelection in 2024, I dedicate myself and my administration to this great mission in whatever time you and God provide. To change our national tone to one that heals and unifies. It will start with me. But I need your help.
For those of you voting on Election Day or before, or preparing to send in your mail ballot, I ask you this: please elected representatives who are committed to this great mission, to reach across aisles and communities to bring us together.
Send me a congress that I can work with to unite our great country. Reject those voices that seek to divide, demean, and destroy. Our destructive rhetoric is poisoning our ability to work with each other to solve the problems that frustrate us, and deny the progress we all seek.
You can also join me in that mission as we continue to reconnect with our neighbors and communities. To engage in conversations dedicated to finding common ground and creative solutions.
I know it is possible because we’ve done it. We did it on a major infrastructure bill. We did it again on the CHIPS act, to bring computer chip manufacturing back to the United States. We can do it on so many more issues, from homelessness to immigration reform.
But first, we must reject divisive and destructive voices in social media. Government cannot and will not censor these voices, short of calls for violence or other illegal activity. But we must not reward those angry voices with our clicks and eyes. We must collectively and individually reject extremism in all its forms. We must find common cause. The name calling and disparagement must stop.
Let us rededicate ourselves to what makes America exceptional. Reconnect and serve your neighbors and communities. Do a favor for someone, for others. Americans have always put others above self. In doing so, we build trust through acts of kindness, toward a culture of service.
Today, let’s commit to turn a corner, to change course. Let us rediscover civility, bipartisanship, and the art of compromise. It starts with me. Hold me accountable. And join me in this important cause. Help me accomplish this mission.
When you vote, remember this old saying: that which gets rewarded, gets repeated.
Reward the candidates committed to positive visions and solutions, and genuine bipartisanship. Reject those who divide us. But above all, be sure your voice is heard in this important election. I will accept your verdict and commit to work with whomever you elect to serve our great country.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. Are best days are ahead. Goodnight.
Perfectly stated. Sad that Biden is incapable of bipartisanship