Joe Biden Told the Governors that American Can Accomplish Anything: A Look at Audience Adaptation

Joe Biden, White House Photo

“I’m more optimistic about this nation’s future than I’ve ever been.”

So said United States President Joe Biden in a brief speech to the National Governor’s Association Winter Meeting, delivered in the White House East Room on February 23, 2024. He offered a message of pride and optimism. He adapted to his audience to seek unity, encourage joint effort, overcome disagreements, and solve problems.


Biden Reached Out to His Audience

Biden’s audience was an assemblage of state governors. Many of them were Republicans, while Biden is a Democrat. Unlike Congress, however, governors actually need to get things done. They are, after all, responsible for the administration of their own state governments. The cycle of “no, no, no” that often dominates legislatures doesn’t work for governors, because the public looks to them to administer their states’ affairs. That feature of governorship can make them more amenable to a productive message.

So, Biden said:

“Governors know the measure of success isn’t how many partisan points we score. It’s: Did we fix the problem? Did we fix the problem?”

Biden pointed out that, although people can argue about policies, they can still agree on common goals:

“We disagree on how to fix the problem many times. We’re all here for one reason: to fix the problems — to get things done for families, for communities, for the country.’”

The United States Has Great Capacity for Good

Can the nation fix those problems? In a political atmosphere of negativity, Biden stressed that the nation can, indeed, accomplish its goals:

“I mean this sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. We’re the United States of America, for God’s sake. Nothing, nothing, nothing is beyond our capacity.

“When have we ever set a national goal we failed? When? When have we ever come out of a — not come out of a crisis stronger than we went into the crisis?”

Biden had a point. Indeed, we all learned in high school that President Franklin Roosevelt made the United States of America the “arsenal of democracy” in World War II. The Federal Reserve points out that “the dollar remains by far the dominant reserve currency. The United States’ dollar is the world’s reserve currency.” As our nation sinks into rancor, helplessness, and anxiety, Biden offered confidence and hope. He emphasized that the United States of America, a nation of boundless ability, is still the world’s leader. 

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Are We Working Together?

Joe Biden Speaking to Governors Association

We might never all agree: the United States is a huge, diverse nation. Can we nevertheless find common cause? Biden reminded us that success requires joint effort:

“Nothing is beyond our capacity if we work together. So, let’s keep working together. Because you’re the best hope we have — the governors.”

That is a big if: “if we work together.” Biden reminded us that we can never accomplish our goals if we are constantly tearing each other apart. As I look around, I still see most Republicans denying something so simple and obvious as the 2020 election results. The Republicans can’t even manage to vote in favor of their own border control bill. Biden did not ask the governors to agree with him; he asked them to work together toward common goals.


Getting People to Listen?

This all leads me to wonder why Americans rarely listen to Biden’s simple, obvious lesson—the need to work together? In part, probably, old ethnic and economic disparities rise against us, again and again. In part, some members of Congress seem more beholden to narrow interests than to the nation’s good.

What is to be done? First, Biden wisely chose an audience of governors. Public speaking is all about the audience. Temporarily bypassing Congress, Biden reached out to an audience that needs to accomplish things. He focused on the governors’ shared need to get things done.

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Second, however, Biden and his surrogates simply need to get the message out more often. An audience of governors is great—vital—central—but not enough. Many people too easily shrug off a message of cooperation and goodwill, welcome though it is. Still, Biden sits in what President Theodore Roosevelt called “the bully pulpit.” Part of sitting in the bully pulpit is just to climb out of the background and address the public, over and over, to send the welcome message far and wide. That is, as I wrote earlier, how President William McKinley persuaded the public to adopt the peace treaty that ended the Spanish American War. If President Biden has a good message, and I think he does, he needs to pound it into the nation’s thoughts.

Overall, Biden suggested simple attitudes: working together. Seeking common cause. Negotiating differences. Working for the whole nation, not just a tiny piece of it. Adopt those simple attitudes, President Biden implied, and no one can stop us.

Was he right? Or is it too late? Post your thoughts in the comments.

by William D. Harpine

Copyright ©  2024, William D. Harpine

Images: Official White House photo; White House YouTube page