'Statesman' praised for his leadership as president

(The Center Square) – “Leadership” by a “statesman,” Democratic North Carolina political leaders say, was evident when President Joe Biden gave an Oval Office address.

Seventy-eight hours of silence to the nation he leads since Sunday’s awkward exit for reelection ended Wednesday night with President Joe Biden speaking to Americans. The state's Democrats heaped praise on his presidency; Republicans since Sunday have offered prayer for his health, criticism for his administration, and one after the address called his words hypocritical.

His explanation for why he left the presidential race against former President Donald Trump was the need “to unite my party,” “unite our nation,” and said the “best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.”

“Thank you, Joe Biden, for your leadership and the power of your example,” Gov. Roy Cooper wrote on social media. “Tonight Americans and people around the world saw what leadership looks like, putting our nation and our democracy first.”

By the numbers, Biden strung together 1,621 words, according to the official transcript from the White House. He stumbled over some. It went for 11 minutes and the frail-looking president not before, during, or at conclusion ever looked into the camera directly in front of him, instead keeping eyes affixed – as he did July 14 after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump – to the teleprompter with his speech to the right of the camera.

In citing accomplishments he spoke falsehoods, led by 2024 election hot buttons border security and the economy. Of the former, he said “border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office.” Of the latter, he said the country was in “the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression” on his Inauguration Day.

Customs and Border Protection reports 2,372,204 apprehensions and encounters at the southwest border in fiscal years 2017-20, a four-year total lower than each of fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Ten months into the COVID-19 era at Biden’s inauguration, inflation was 1.4% and today is 3% – down from a 40-year high of 9.1% in the administration’s 17th month.

Democratic Rep. Alma Adams referenced Biden becoming president “just two weeks after a violent insurrection” and said it proved “our democracy had survived. Now, to preserve that gift, he’s passing the baton back to the people.” She listed accomplishments by the president and said he and Vice President Kamala Harris “put people over politics.”

“His ability to work and earn support across the aisle made him a respected statesman, and his courage to take a stand, even when he stood alone, will render his legislative record unforgettable and improve the lives of every American for centuries to come.

“However, it was his selfless bow, his show of love for the American people who will choose his successor, that we will remember with the most fondness.”

Rep. Deborah Ross, on X, wrote that Biden “has been a remarkable president and accomplished more in 3½ years than some do in two full terms. His decades of public service have brought different leaders together, driven progress, and made America a better, fairer country.”

Rep. Kathy Manning, on social media, wrote, “President Biden is an excellent president and a good man. His lifetime of public service has made our country a better place and I’m proud to work alongside him.”

Republican Sen. Ted Budd had a different take on Biden’s tenure, drawing in Harris during a television interview Wednesday night. He said, “Obviously, if Joe Biden hasn’t been competent in the last while in the White House, it’s been her that’s been running the show, and it’s been her that’s made American have the challenges that it’s had.”

And of Biden and the speech specifically, he said, “He talked a lot about democracy, but for all of that talk by a Democrat about democracy, he sure wiped away 14 million votes for him to hand it over without a single vote for Kamala Harris. That’s completely hypocritical. He didn’t address the issue of cognitive impairment, which is one of the core reasons, but really, it’s because he was losing badly to President Trump as I believe he will to Kamala Harris as well.”