This week, President Joe Biden gave his first address to a Joint Session of Congress, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi conveniently scheduled to coincide with the 100-day mark of his time in the White House.
The event could have been an opportunity for Biden to show the strength of America and fulfill his campaign promise of unity in Washington, D.C. The majority of congressional members, who are vaccinated, could have been sitting side-by-side together in the chamber without masks.
The message would be clear to the American people that while the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic knocked them down, they are resolved and moving forward. A message could have been sent to the Chinese Communist Party about the strength and endurance of America after they unleashed the virus on the world. Biden could have set an example that America leading the way on science and ingenuity to develop three vaccines within a year has paid off and taken the country back to normalcy.
Instead, it was a pathetic display of COVID theater. Of 535, only 200 members were present. All were masked and seated far away from each other. The House chamber was practically empty, a stark and sad display for the television cameras.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a government entity Biden administration officials often tell Americans to listen to, vaccinated people can be indoors together without masking.
“You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart,” the CDC website states. “You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying 6 feet apart.”
During the bizarre display, Biden ironically told Americans they should be vaccinated. Many people surely responded by asking, “What’s the point?” After all, fully vaccinated members of Congress aren’t acting like they are immune to the disease through the vaccine (implying it doesn’t actually work) and are continuing to mask and socially distance from their vaccinated colleagues.
“Everyone over the age of 16, everyone – is now eligible and can get vaccinated right away. So get vaccinated now,” Biden said.
Speaker Pelosi claims a limited capacity event was chosen for “safety” reasons, but that isn’t true. Not to mention, Pelosi had no concerns over safety when she was running for Speaker and allowed members who tested positive for the disease to enter the chamber, so long as they were casting a vote for her.
“Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), who announced she tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 28, is slated to be present at the Capitol on Sunday for the Speaker’s vote,” The Hill reported.
“Miami Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson cast her vote Sunday for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from inside a new plexiglass enclosure that sprang up on the House floor overnight, a way to keep House members designated as being in “quarantine status” separate from other lawmakers,” The Miami Herald detailed.
Biden’s address to a “joint session” was hardly a session at all. The message he sent is that the State of the Union is weak, and America is still desperately crippled. He could have done the opposite by showing some leadership, tossing aside the theatrics and bolstering America’s strength. He chose not to.
