Thread by @jentaub

Looking forward to @POTUS address tonight. Intimate gathering. Ninety-nine days. @JoeBiden and Dems bring results

#JointAddress

While we wait there's a hot mic. Someone is saying "Eliot Engel is upset."

In comes President Biden. A round of applause and plenty of fist bumps.

As Biden handed a copy of the speech to @SpeakerPelosi, he said, "thanks for having me."

"Madam Speaker and Madam Vice President. No President has ever said those words from this podium, and it's about time."

Still taking this in. We have come so far. Thank you @VP and @SpeakerPelosi

I'm not live-tweeting the speech as it's available for all to read here. But I'll make some comments.

Here's a link to the prepared remarks so you can follow along

whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/…

Interestingly, when he strays from the script, it is to add additional expressions of gratitude. Words like, "thanks to all of you" when discussing the vaccination program.

Another example.

Script said:
"Senior deaths from COVID-19 are down 80% since January. Down 80%."

And @JoeBiden added to the end of that "because of you."

Also, showing compassion, he added to the script when it discussed the cars in line for miles waiting for a box of food.

"All of this is through no fault of their own."

"And, maybe most importantly, thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we are on track to cut child poverty in America in half this year.
In the process, the economy created more than 1.3 million new jobs in 100 days. More new jobs in the first 100 days than any president on record"

Love this too "Throughout our history, public investments and infrastructure have transformed America."

Big applause for this: "The American Jobs Plan creates jobs replacing 100% of the nation’s lead pipes and service lines so every American, so every child – can turn on the faucet and be certain to drink clean water."

♥️In the script: "I'm asking the @VP to help lead this effort"

And @JoeBiden added "because I know it will get done."

"The American Jobs Plan will put engineers and construction workers to work building more energy efficient buildings and homes. Electrical workers installing 500,000 charging stations along our highways."

He added: "So we can own the electric car market"

Script: "The American Jobs Plan will create millions of good paying jobs – jobs Americans can raise their families on."

And @POTUS added: "As my father would say, with a little breathing room."

He added "Good guys and women on Wall Street, but" before the scripted

"Wall Street didn’t build this country. The middle class built this country. And unions build the middle class. . . "

"And that’s why I’m calling on Congress to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act – the PRO Act — and send it to my desk to support the right to unionize."

"let’s also pass the $15 minimum wage . . .Decades ago we used to invest 2% of our GDP on research and development," now less than 1%.

Biden is doing an EXCELLENT jobs selling the American Jobs Plan

"I like to meet with those who have ideas that are different" is an addition before "We welcome ideas. But, the rest of the world isn’t waiting for us. Doing nothing is not an option."

This part about Secretary Blinken and President Xi sounds new. Not seeing it in the script.

I love this emphasis on expanding from 12 years of free public education.

"The research shows that when a young child goes to school—not day care—they are far more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college"

He added "or something after high school"

New language about jobs in cybersecurity and metallurgy. . .

Yes to this

"We guarantee that low- to middle-income families will pay no more than 7% of their income for high-quality care for children up to the age of 5. The most hard-pressed working families won’t have to spend a dime."

and this

"Third, the American Families Plan will finally provide up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave."

Sold on the American Families Plan too.

yep to this too "Let’s give Medicare the power to save hundreds of billions of dollars by negotiating lower prices for prescription drugs."

Another addition from Joe: "It's in our power to do it. Let's do it now."

Right before he said "This is all about a simple premise: Health care should be a right, not a privilege in America."

All good

"Let’s start with what I will not do. I will not impose any tax increases on people making less than $400,000 a year. It’s time for corporate America and the wealthiest 1% of Americans to pay their fair share."

"We’re going to reform corporate taxes so they pay their fair share – and help pay for the public investments their businesses will benefit from.

"And, we’re going to reward work, not wealth."

Love this too

"We take the top tax bracket for the wealthiest 1% of Americans – those making $400,000 or more – back up to 39.6%.

"That’s where it was when George W. Bush became president."

"We’re going to get rid of the loopholes that allow Americans who make more than $1 million a year pay a lower rate on their capital gains than working Americans pay on their work.

"This will only affect three tenths of 1% of all Americans."

Follow the Money, @JoeBiden

"And the IRS will crack down on millionaires and billionaires who cheat on their taxes."

"Look at the big tax cut in 2017. It was supposed to pay for itself . . . Instead it added $2 trillion to the deficit. . .Instead of using the tax savings to raise wages and invest in research and development – it poured billions of dollars into the pockets of CEOs. "

Truth

"Just 650 people increased their wealth by more than $1 Trillion during this pandemic. They are now worth more than $4 Trillion.

"My fellow Americans, trickle-down economics has never worked. It’s time to grow the economy from the bottom up and middle-out."

BIG APPLAUSE for this. It's really what we all fear. That this is just temporary

"We have to show not just that we are back, but that we are here to stay. And that we aren’t going it alone – we’re going to be leading with our allies."