Former Obama adviser David Axelrod is urging President Joe Biden to “proceed with caution” ahead of his State of the Union address and not deliver a speech that focuses more on his achievements than the struggles facing the nation.
In a guest essay published by The New York Times on Monday, titled, “Mr. President, It’s Time for a Little Humility,” Axelrod wrote, “The speech will command the largest television audience the president is likely to enjoy this year, and the temptation will be, as it always is, to herald his achievements and declare that we have navigated the storm.”
“But, Mr. President, proceed with caution. Talk about the things you and Congress have done to help meet the challenges Americans are facing, for sure. Lay out your goals for the future, absolutely. Offer realistic hope for better days ahead,” he continued. “We desperately need it. But recognize that we are still in the grips of a national trauma. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans believe we are on the wrong track, and people will have little patience for lavish claims of progress that defy their lived experiences.”
Axelrod went on to note the negative impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on millions of Americans.
“The state of the union is stressed. To claim otherwise — to highlight the progress we have made, without fully acknowledging the hard road we have traveled and the distance we need to go — would seem off-key and out of touch. You simply cannot jawbone Americans into believing that things are better than they feel,” he suggested.
Axelrod noted that in a January press conference, Biden “energetically sold a litany of achievements” but “only sparingly” acknowledged the “trials this country has endured.”
“He got the emphasis and proportions wrong, spending more time pitching his successes and touting progress than he did recognizing the grinding concerns that have soured the mood of the country,” he said.
He also suggested that even though the Omicron wave of the coronavirus will be over by the speech “the nation likely will still be in a funk, and its people will want to hear their president recognize why.”
Axelrod went on:
“What Americans want to hear is genuine understanding of what we have been through, together and a clear path forward — less about Mr. Biden’s accomplishments than about the heroic, unsung sacrifices so many have made to see their families and communities through. They will want to hear less about his ‘transformative’ legislation than the specific, practical steps Mr. Biden has taken, and is recommending, to help reduce inflation, curb violent crime and, of course, effectively confront any future waves of the virus. They want it to be less about him than us.”
Finally, he said Biden’s “great strength has been his preternatural empathy.”
“Now, he needs to find that voice by telling the story of the ordeal so many Americans have shared, honoring their resilience and painting a credible, realistic picture of how we can all reclaim control of our lives,” he added.
