23
Feb
Feb
The most revealing part of President Biden’s State of the Union address was not the raucous partisan heckling but the moment of bipartisan consensus that emerged from it. At one point, Biden referred to a plan floated by several Republicans to “sunset” Social Security and Medicare, at which point the Republicans in his congressional audience erupted in furious denial. Adeptly turning this to his advantage, Biden concluded: “Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right? We have unanimity!” By “off the books,” he means that they will not be part of any negotiations over spending.