Biden Shrugs Off Moderate Pretensions With Address To Congress

President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress last night gave further credence to the view that far from acting as a moderate, transitional president - as had been anticipated by many during his run for the White House - he is governing as a progressive liberal with policies that will see the gov't raise spending dramatically while also pursuing social policies that risk widening already bitter divisions between right and left.

• The American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan Biden talked about last night have already been pored over in detail, and would amount to an extra USD4trn in spending to be paid for by big tax hikes on corporations and those earning over USD400k per annum.
• The fact that Biden is not trying to hide his 'tax-and-spend' direction is a marked contrast to recent Democratic presidents, and is matched by his comments regarding previous difficult terrain for the Dems, including immigration, gun rights, race issues, and voting rights.
• A poll for CNN in the immediate aftermath of the address last night showed 74% of respondents saying Biden's proposals on race relations were a move in the right direction, with 70% saying the same for both taxes and gun rights, and 65% saying his policies were a shift in the right direction on immigration.
• Given the pandemic, in the US - as many other hard-hit nations - there seems to be increased public acceptance of a greater role for the state in the economy and people's lives. This trend could blunt some of the Republican attacks on Biden's speech, given they appear to have widespread, although certainly not universal, support.