Political Rewind: Breaking down Biden's State of the Union speech; How will voters respond in 2024?

Caption

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., as Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., watches after the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington.

Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / AP Photo

The panel

Andra Gillespie, @AndraGillespie, professor of political science, Emory University

Anthony Michael Kreis, @AnthonyMKreis, professor of constitutional law, Georgia State University

Leo Smith, @leosmithtweets, GOP consultant and president, Engaged Futures

The breakdown

1. President Biden delivered his State of the Union address last night.

• The president touted several of his administration's key accomplishments, including funding infrastructure and lowering insulin prices.
• In a verbal battle with Republicans, Biden spoke on the debt ceiling and Medicare, seemingly putting conservatives in a position to agree with him.

2. Biden's speech may have been the unofficial start of his 2024 bid for reelection.

• Georgia's Raphael Warnock and Buddy Carter have both worked with the president to reduce the cost of insulin and provide over-the-counter hearing aids.
• Biden referred to industries that "went away," leaving small towns built around manufacturing to dry up, like Georgia's textile industry.

3. The College Board removed parts of their AP African American History course after facing political backlash from Florida.

• The changes come after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the program, calling it "woke indoctrination masquerading as education."
• In an NPR interview, College Board CEO David Coleman maintains that no authors have been banned from the curriculum. He also states the course was under review before Governor DeSantis' critiques.

Thursday on Political Rewind: The AJC's Kevin Riley joins the panel.