The largely ceremonial and usually useless State of The Union (SOTU) speech finally lived up to expectations. It was a surprisingly accurate assessment of the state of our ever-more tenuous union. I don’t write to join the nearly unanimous praise (relief?) over Biden’s performance. He did indeed step over the rather low expectation bar that preceded the event. Even critics had to admit that he was not comatose.
Steve Nelson-- I agree with your assessment of President Biden's State of the Union Address, but I write to ask a question: What do you hope to accomplish with your pessimistic title and confusion. I'm thinking especially of your young readers. I just found an essay I wrote a couple years ago about Stuart Stritzler-Levine, whose view of relationship between democracy and education differed from yours. I wonder, too, what you would think of his profound trust in us. --Bill Nichols
Steve Nelson-- I agree with your assessment of President Biden's State of the Union Address, but I write to ask a question: What do you hope to accomplish with your pessimistic title and confusion. I'm thinking especially of your young readers. I just found an essay I wrote a couple years ago about Stuart Stritzler-Levine, whose view of relationship between democracy and education differed from yours. I wonder, too, what you would think of his profound trust in us. --Bill Nichols