We watched the State of the Union last night and were well rewarded for our civic participation. Biden really hit one out of the ballpark with his speech. While not normally considered to be an erudite public speaker, his folksy demeanor parried well the steady stream of Republican catcalls thrown at him during his speech. I am still giddy with how he first baited members of the Republican House caucus and then when they took the bait, he boxed them in, making them swear on live TV not to cut Social Security or Medicare. Add these two programs to defense spending, which no one wants to cut, and you are talking about the vast majority of the Federal budget. How are House Republicans going to have a debt ceiling impasse, hold the country hostage and demand budget cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, when most of the budget is now off limits? By all appearances Biden has successfully negotiated an end to the debt ceiling crisis, before it even got underway. In addition to heading off the debt ceiling impasse, Biden’s speech effectively kicked off his still unannounced 2024 reelection campaign. He tested twelve times what is sure to become his new campaign slogan, “Let’s Finish the Job!”