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President Joe Biden addressed socially-distanced, mask-wearing members of Congress for more than an hour Wednesday night, touching on themes of jobs for the middle and lower class, and keeping any post-pandemic recovery going.

It was an effective speech, said G. Terry Madonna, senior fellow for political affairs, Millersville University, even if you dont agree with what he said.

The point to be made about the speech, Madonna contended, is that he went to his strengths when he started out, and then he talked about how to expand the economy, how to make it work. and it has to be from the middle out.

That was a big theme of the speech, Madonna noted, and was how he defended these changes that he wants to make in the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan and in the $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan that has passed the House and probably isnt going anywhere in the Senate.

He would need 10 Republican votes.

Nick Clark, associate professor of political science, Susquehanna University agreed with Madonna.

Biden clearly focused on economic, bread-and-butter issues far more than cultural issues, Clark said. He has really laid in to achievements, policies and proposals designed to improve the financial and physical health of Americans.

There have been some bipartisan nods, Clark noted, with the president acknowledging a kind act from Senator Mitch McConnell a couple years ago and the efforts of the group of Republican senators to introduce a Republican version of the infrastructure bill.

Biden also signaled more of a willingness to compromise around this than he did with the earlier stimulus bill.

Time will tell if that happens, Clark said.

Biden mostly avoided discussing any of the controversial culture wars issues, other than his calls for more gun regulations and immigration reform toward the end of his speech, observed Robert Speel, Penn State University Associate Professor of Political Science, The Behrend College.

His emphasis on creating American jobs, expanding access to preschool and college education, expanding access to health care, increasing the minimum wage, and increasing taxes on millionaires will all probably be relatively popular among Republican voters, if not Republican members of Congress, Speel said.

But, cautioned Speel, continued antagonism among many Republican voters toward Biden overall, promoted by former President Trump and some in the conservative media, will only strengthen resolve among those Republican members of Congress to resist support for Bidens proposals.

Speel thought Bidens delivery was about as good as any speech he has given before.

His interest in lowering the amount of hatred in Washington and in advocating for ideas that can gain support from voters for both major parties will probably continue to help his overall approval ratings in polls, Speel said.

Clark didnt think the speech would provoke as much hate on the other side of the aisle as either President Trump or President Barack Obama used to.

Biden is just so more low-key, Clark said. Republicans will oppose most of his proposals, and there are some truly progressive and costly ideas amongst those, but I think it will not inspire the same passions on either side. His supporters will argue it is because he is calmer and more moderate; his opponents will say it is because he lacks energy or youth, but either way, it appears that the bitterness of politics has deescalated under his leadership thus far.

Meanwhile, Speel noted the importance that for the first time in U.S. history, two women (Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) sat behind the president as he gave a speech to Congress.

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Expert: Biden's speech started with strengths, shifted to plans - Sunbury Daily Item