Life, liberty and the pursuit for unity. 

   On Tuesday, March 1, 2022 the 46th President of the United States: Joseph Biden delivered a profound and compelling speech that conveyed not only his personal ideology, but that of the nation during his State of the Union Address. With a number of pressing issues to take into account, Americans across the nation tuned in to see where their federal government stood. In considering these expectations it is safe to say that this year’s State of the Union Address delivered more than just that. 

   By centering on international reform and domestic policy, the President covered a range of topics that serve to be key markers for his legacy. For instance, this speech highlighted Ukraine, inflation, COVID, and a 4 Point “Unity Agenda”. 

• Ukraine became a focal point of Biden’s address with the highlight of Russia’s invasion. One of his first remarks began with his display of solidarity for the Ukrainian people. In fact this topic was one of the few that received a bipartisan standing ovation! Overall, many Congress members demonstrated their support for Ukraine by wearing blue and yellow. Most profoundly, Biden set and maintained a strong stance against Russia by citing the measures America was going to take against the Russian invasion. 
• During his speech, Biden also called for “bipartisan ‘reset’” regarding the nation’s polarization from the COVID pandemic. And even called out the American public to get back to work and “fill our downtowns” and to keep schools open!
• Biden also added a dose of economic nationalism by emphasizing the passing of a number of bipartisan bills, i.e. Covid relief bills. 
• Along with these points, President Biden made it clear that unity is where America needs to be in terms of its domestic and foreign agenda (relating the focus of this back to the Russia-Ukraine crisis).

   When considering the perspectives of the students from Pembroke Pines Charter School, their reactions to the President’s first State of the Union were split on the quality of the content covered during the speech. (NPR, CNN)

   “As I was watching the State of the Union I felt like there was something lost in translation. Having watched part of it I understood that this moment is important for the President to present to the public what he has done so far and clarify his position on certain issues; however, I feel like the President was a little too focused on the foreign part… I wish he would have covered our nation more in depth…” — Freshman Tomas Perez – Soto 

   “While I may have missed the live broadcast of the Address, I was genuinely impressed by the way many have taken on what President Biden had proclaimed. As I was rewatching certain moments of his speech, it can certainly be said that there were a number of memorable moments – I especially loved the reactions and facial expressions coming from Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi.” — Sophomore Roselena Bastidasespino 

   “When it comes to Biden’s speech that Tuesday I felt pretty confident that our government has at least some direction when it comes to dividing up policies. Everyday one hears about the differences between the Democratic and Republican parties, but with this Address that was not the case; many Congressional members stood in unity to support the Urkrainians and in many instances they clapped in many unexpected moments. Nonetheless, I believe that this speech showed a positive indication that the United States is going to come back stronger than ever before as COVID becomes less a focal point in our lives.” — Sophomore Valeria Mesa 

   “For me, I felt that Biden’s performance didn’t live up to expectations. While he may have covered the ‘hot topics’ at the moment I believe that he left out the most crucial aspect of a State of the Union address: pride. While he is our Commander in Chief his lack of enthusiasm made the speech a little lackluster in some aspects. For a mere hour of speaking Biden’s State of the Union definitely brought the nation a big wake-up call for what is to come at the federal level…”— Junior Christian Innusa 

   “I found this year’s State of the Union address to be quite reflective of the times we are in. As a teenager I may not understand to the fullest degree the severity behind some of our country’s key issues, however I see the value in bringing them to light whenever best – and what better platform than during a State of the Union Address. When it comes to the audience though I found it to be a bit uncalled for when certain members of Congress would be interrupting his speech; but what I can take away from this moment is that everyone – including those you may not agree with – deserve the same respect as you would want them to treat you.” — Junior Daniel Rodriguez 

   “As I was watching the speech I couldn’t help but notice the distinct difference in atmosphere compared to that of last year. While presidents naturally command a room, that Tuesday I saw a president that presented a calm, yet firm demeanor. Seeing how culture has changed in terms of political breaking points, I believe that his approach was amerable.” — Senior Mike Brown