The 29 must-see lines from Joe Biden's Philadelphia speech

A speech worth reading.

One of the consistent pieces of feedback I hear about “So What” is that a) people love my breakdowns of Donald Trump’s speeches and interviews and b) they want me to give the same treatment to other politicians.

Which is a very good idea.

I was intrigued by President Joe Biden’s speech on Wednesday in Philadelphia — aimed at rallying black voters to his cause. In it, Biden laid out a VERY pointed critique of Donald Trump — presaging the sort of messaging we can expect on TV ads in swing states in the coming months.

I went through the transcript of Biden’s speech and pulled out the lines you need to see. They’re below.

1. “Because Black Americans voted, Kamala and I are President and Vice President of the United States — because of you. That’s not hyperbole.”

True! Without the overwhelming support of black voters in South Carolina, Joe Biden never wins that state’s primary. And without that win, he has no momentum going into Super Tuesday. And without sweeping Super Tuesday, Biden isn’t the nominee. In the general election, Biden won 87% of the black vote — the best he did among any racial group.

2. “And with your vote — with your vote in 2024, we’re going to make Donald Trump a loser again.”

Biden is purposely poking the bear here. He knows that the worst thing you can be in Trump’s world is a loser. So he calls him one.

3. “When Trump was president, he said — and he said this — he took responsibility for none of it — said, ‘It’s none of my responsibility.’”

That’s not the exact quote. Trump, in the early days of Covid, sought to deflect blame for the lack of effective tests available. “I don’t take responsibility at all,” he said, adding that the blame should instead lie with “rules, regulations and specifications from a different time.” Er, ok.

4. “Because you voted, we’re invested more money than ever in the Black families and communities. A promise made and a promise kept.”

This is a very hard claim to fact check. What exactly does investing more money in black families and communities entail? For what it’s worth, here’s the White House talking points on what they have done for African American families.

5. “I promised to access affordable high-speed Internet because now Internet is just as important as it was in the days of Franklin Roosevelt — electricity was generations ago.”