State of the Union: Biden is showing fire and resolve on Ukraine. America needs that, too.

My fellow Americans, the state of the union is resilient. We are a fortunate nation, lucky in our geography, our human and natural resources, our neighbors and allies, and in our founding values.

So snap out of it.

I know, I know. President Joe Biden can’t start his State of the Union address that way. But I’d love it if he did. I’m looking for fire and resolve – the kind of steeliness we’ve seen as he has dealt with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked, surreal yet tragically real war on Ukraine.

Putin is trying to kill a democracy and revive a dead empire. His unhinged quest is doomed, but former President Donald Trump repeatedly calls him smart. At the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday, Trump bragged about getting along with Putin and other strongmen. He also said U.S. leaders are dumb and Biden is “bad and weak and grossly incompetent,” disrespected and responsible for “a chaotic world.”

This is projection on a galactic scale.

Biden's chance to show steel

Biden has in fact reinvigorated NATO and U.S. alliances after the chaos of the Trump years. He rejoined the Paris global climate agreement that Trump quit, and negotiators may be on the verge of reinstating a version of the Obama-era Iran nuclear containment deal that Trump blew up. In the past few weeks, Biden has rallied NATO and the West to bolster Ukraine and punish Russia, and pioneered an extraordinary strategy of announcing Putin’s war plans before Putin could execute them.

On Tuesday night, in his big showcase speech, Biden has a chance to show this steely side – and not just on Ukraine.

Clearly America has suffered terrible losses, with nearly 950,000 dead in the COVID-19 pandemic. But dwelling on pain, or lamenting the polarization that divides us, would do the country a disservice. It’s time for tough love. We have problems, but we also have the resources, ideas and often the will to solve them.

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Biden signed a breakthrough bipartisan infrastructure law that will expand internet access and electric car charging stations as well as modernize water systems, roads and bridges. And even as Russian forces attacked Ukraine, Biden lifted spirits by introducing Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman ever nominated to the Supreme Court. Her joy in the historic moment was contagious, and a reminder of racial progress despite so much more work to be done.

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We’ve also made progress on COVID. Three-quarters of Americans have received at least one vaccine shot, nearly two-thirds are fully vaccinated, and the federal government has eased guidelines on indoor masking, based on metrics such as case and hospitalization rates. Too many people remain unvaccinated and vulnerable, but I don’t want to hear Biden begging them to reconsider. They’ve “done their own research” and made their own misguided choices. It’s time to move on.

The economy is also recovering from the darkest days of the pandemic, with soaring job growth and 4% unemployment. But inflation and supply chain issues are taking a toll, and severe global sanctions on Russia will drive up oil prices even more. As Biden said last week, “Defending freedom will have costs for us” as well as Russia.

Even before the Ukraine war, 59% of Americans in a recent Quinnipiac Poll said the economy was getting worse. Yet 68% in that same poll said their personal finances are good, compared with only 8% who rated them poor. 

The disconnect recalls the 2012 presidential campaign, when the country was recovering from the Great Recession but Democrats kept muffing the famous question that helped Ronald Reagan win the 1980 race: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Biden needs to step into the role he played then, as vice president, when he came up with the party's pithiest and best response: “Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.” 

What would Republicans do?

America still has plenty of real problems and real pain. Biden’s job approval ratings are low, and Democrats are pessimistic about the midterms.

When in trouble, it’s always useful for Democrats to ask themselves, what would Republicans do? In this situation, they’d claim every ounce of credit for achievements, ignore failures and, if they’re Trump, make wild boasts and accusations untethered to reality. 

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So what should Biden do? He has endured personal tragedies and is known for his empathy, but right now we need determination, not consolation. Highlight U.S. global leadership, solidarity with Ukraine, the Jackson nomination and progress on COVID and jobs. Note that America is no longer in Afghanistan. Recast 2021 failures as goals for 2022. Praise the Democrats' big tent, with shout-outs to House progressives and Sen. Bernie Sanders as well as Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema.

And if Biden must plug vaccines, which is not the same as pleading, cajoling or mandating, how about: COVID-19 vaccines are a miracle of the modern age and the major reason the state of the union is better off than it was two years ago.

Jill Lawrence is a columnist for Paste BN and author of "The Art of the Political Deal: How Congress Beat the Odds and Broke Through Gridlock." Follow her on Twitter: @JillDLawrence