The words Biden spoke — and didn’t

On his 50th day as the Most Powerful Man Person in the World, President Joe Biden delivered his first prime-time address, in which he used one word a lot, and a related term, not at all.

Used incessantly was “vaccine,” which he came close to begging the audience to use.

Unmentioned was Donald J. Trump, the man whose efforts as trail boss led to the vaccine being ready when Biden took the oath of office. 

It was small of him not to acknowledge his predecessor (not that Trump ever had a decent word for his predecessor) and it was wrong of him to say that many people felt that his goal of vaccinating 1 million Americans a day by his 100th day in office was too optimistic.

Actually, most critics said that close to 1 million were getting vaccinated already, and Biden’s goal should have been set higher.

Like I always say, set your goals low enough and you are sure to achieve them.

Biden’s composure was settled, calm, and very empathetic, in direct contrast to Trump, who was always all bombast and self praise. Nor did Biden take a swipe at anyone or invent insulting nicknames. (I kind of gmiss the nicknames.)

Biden said that some little old lady in Philadelphia during the campaigned begged him: “Just tell me the truth.”

I never trust a politician who promises to tell me the truth, not since Jimmy Carter said, “I will never lie to you.”

He lost my vote right there, because everyone knows sometimes presidents have to lie. Carter either knew that and lied, and was too stupid to know that.

Watching him govern, I think it was the latter.

In attempting to knit the country together, Biden bemoaned that states were pitted against each other and concluded with a terrifying thought, “the government is us.” It reminded me of Walt Kelly’s line that “the enemy is us.”

Not me, I thought. Hardly anyone I vote for gets elected. 

States are pitted against each other, but Johnson & Johnson, and Merck, who are competitors, but are working on the vaccine together, said Biden in praise.

Scorn was heaped on those wrong-headed Americans who are taking some sort of misguided revenge on Asian-Americans, and that must stop.

Biden said it was unAmerican, and it is.

Here he could have mentioned Trump’s habit of referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” or “Kung flu,” but he passed on that.

At one point he took a pamphlet out of his pocket, one that he always carries, with the current American virus death count. He mourned those lives, and moments, something Trump was incapable of doing.

A lot of Americans are getting vaccinated, and by May 1 everyone will be eligible to get the vaccine, Biden said, although that does not mean everyone will get it then.

But, symbolically, by Independence Day, July 4th, Americans will be able to gather (in small groups) to enjoy a cookout (assuming all goes well).

He said that was a goal.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of college kids (future leaders?) are on spring break.

The shots they are taking are ingested, not injected.