Pardon My Parsing Political Podcast

Some people take responsibility for problems while others will attempt to blame anyone else they can - Biden takes the low road in this Constitution Hall speech and blames the Republicans for everything wrong with the Country while ignoring everything the Democrats have done over the past several years. 

However, he still delivers a better speech than Kevin McCarthy did before him - but just barely. That isn't to say that this speech will win Biden any votes. It probably won't.

Kevin McCarthy, the likely Speaker of the House in 2023 delivered a speech in Scranton PA hours before President Biden did the same. He pre-attacked the President in an excellent strategic move, but the speech - both as written and in the delivery - was just ok. 

He definitely got in some good punches and it had some great info as well. 

Check back next week for Biden's Speech. 

We might have uncovered the most inspirational, yet negative, line in American politics, "Doubt Yourself". 

In this speech to wrap up the Constitutional Convention - Benjamin Franklin drives home the idea that compromise - is necessary and can be good. The everyone has biases, but that can be good. And that even the constitution is likely flawed - but that is ok. 

Thomas Jefferson makes his case that his former Vice President was committing treason and attempting to take over a large portion of the United States. 

Did you know about it? We didn't. 

A very cool speech about a piece of history - that was very important at the time, and yet not many people talk about today. 

The more you think about this speech the weirder it gets. 

If we could delete the middle of this speech we would, but it is still an amazing and moving speech. It conveys both the sinister nature of the time, while foreshadowing the future. However, it also exposes some of the issues that we ourselves in our own government - especially during important times. 

With the January 6th "Hearing" going on and speculation about the intent of the President - it is interesting to think what would have happened if something bigger happened - and Pence was made President. Would he have Pardoned Trump? Would it have cost him his career the way that it cost Ford? And, would people come to realize the benefit of allowing the country to move past the issue. 

We explore it all. 

On Pardon My Parsing we examine speeches by breaking them down to their basics. When listening to President Biden this time though - something caught our attention - he changed a story from his youth. His folksy manner is what it is, but this is a weird low. 

He didn't need to change the story - he could left it alone - and it could have still worked. 

The amazing thing is that this was likely added by a speechwriter - who probably wrote the previous version as well. Collusion for a pointless lie. 

This isn't Watergate - but if the President is willing to lie when there is literally nothing at stake - what is he willing to do when the lie means something? 

In Pennsylvania in 1876 there was a big celebration. A lot had happened in our young country in just 100 years - but women were still not equal. One of the women invited into the VIP area of the event - and not allowed to speak still wanted her presence to be known. So, not only did she write a speech, but she made copies and she and her friends handed them out to those in the crowd. 

Boom. Now that is a firework. 

Vice President Pence recently presented his plan for the economy at the University Club of Chicago. It is notable for several reasons - but primarily because this can easily be listed as the first real campaign speech of 2024. 

Buckle up People.