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As we celebrate the culture and contributions of Black Americans this month, we’re spotlighting those who are working to bridge racial divides and honor the experience of being Black in America. Today we highlight Delano Lewis. Born in Kansas, the son of a railroad employee and a homemaker, Lewis earned his law degree and went to work at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Peace Corps. He then spent 20 years in the private sector before becoming CEO of National Public Radio in 1993. As he planned to retire, he was once again called into service by then-President Clinton, who named him the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa. After leaving his post in 2001, he turned to teaching, becoming the founding director of New Mexico State University's International Relations Institute. Lewis now gives back by sharing what he learned from his leadership experiences as an author and speaker. Truly an inspiring life of service and accomplishment. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor
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The Joe Show
It’s that time again. The pomp and circumstance of the State of the Union is here—when Americans tune in to see which side of the aisle stands to applaud for which lines. Okay, maybe there’s a little more to it than that, but not much. In reality, the SOTU doesn’t connect much to Americans anymore. In fact, only about 16% of us even watch it. That fact won’t make it much easier for President Biden, who faces a bitterly divided Congress when he delivers the annual address tonight at 9 p.m. ET. If you’d like to share your thoughts on the “real” state of the union, click here [ [link removed] ].
What’s on his mind? U.S. job growth, the war in Ukraine, the rise in domestic manufacturing, the ongoing pandemic, and America’s strategic competition with China will dominate the speech, according to the White House.
A couple of firsts. Tonight will be the first time since 2019 that the president and congressional leaders are permitted to bring guests to the event, which will be attended by every member of the House and Senate, all nine Supreme Court Justices, most of the president’s Cabinet, and the diplomatic corps. It will also be the first time that Biden gives the historic speech before a divided Congress, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy behind his left shoulder.
He needs this. For Biden, there’s a lot riding on this speech. Despite record job growth and new data indicating that inflation is slowing, polls show that Americans remain deeply pessimistic about the state of the economy. They blame Biden for rising interest rates and worry about a possible recession. An NBC poll found that only 36% of U.S. adults approved of Biden’s handling of the economy. —CNBC [ [link removed] ]
MORE: Americans not feeling impact of Biden agenda, Post-ABC poll finds — [ [link removed] ]The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
Steele: Rising above gridlock to govern
“At times, our politics can be a bit like a rash: unsightly, irritating, and lacking in intellectual or ideological coherence. Bipartisanship is the ointment we put on that rash. Yes, bipartisanship is hard, messy at times, and always unforgiving. Rising above the gridlock requires much of our elected officials, especially as more and more Americans have come to believe our government is at a standstill. That’s why we send them to our Nation’s Capital — to be the leaders who will forge bipartisan commitments to long-term strategies which will move our nation forward and are conducive to enhancing the security and prosperity of every citizen.” —Michael Steele from Peter G. Peterson Foundation [ [link removed] ]
Michael Steele is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former chair of the Republican National Committee. He is a member of Bipartisan Policy Center’s Board of Directors.
MORE: Milind Thakar: With a parliamentary system, America could avoid gridlock and instability — [ [link removed] ]The Fulcrum [ [link removed] ]
Wow, something they agree on!
What’s one area of bipartisan unity in Congress? Antipathy toward TikTok—or, more accurately, to the social media platform’s China ties. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are proposing measures from banning the popular video-sharing app from use in the U.S. altogether to requesting that dominant app stores drop it. The push is based on concerns that the app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, poses national security and privacy risks based on the data it collects from users. Security experts have expressed similar concerns about the app. Cyrus Walker, founder and managing principal at cybersecurity firm Data Defenders, says that because TikTok is owned by a Chinese-based company, it’s possible that the government could use the app to spread disinformation or amplify negative views towards the U.S. Stay tuned. —The Hill [ [link removed] ]
MORE: China seeks to fix U.S. ties after balloon incident while saving face — [ [link removed] ]The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]
Bloeser, Harward & Williams: The American anti-democratic streak 
“Many Americans view those in the other party as existential threats to the country—and closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, and unintelligent too. All this coexists with growing evidence that more people are willing to support political violence under certain circumstances. Many citizens prefer leaders who are willing to undermine democracy if it means protecting people like themselves from groups that threaten their values or status. Although most Americans do not subscribe to these beliefs, a substantial portion of the country does. Leaders who actively promise anti-democratic action may come and go, but we fear the appetite of many Americans for such actions may always be a persistent threat.” —Andrew Bloeser, Brian Harward & Tarah Williams in The Conversation [ [link removed] ]
Andrew Bloeser is an associate professor of political science and the director of the Center for Political Participation at Allegheny College. Brian Harward is a professor of political science at Allegheny College. Tarah Williams is an assistant professor of political science at Allegheny College. 
MORE: Which are the world's most and least democratic countries? — [ [link removed] ]Quartz [ [link removed] ]
Tausanovitch: Ending the partisan tug of war 
“America has a two-party political system that encourages candidates to appeal, first and foremost, to members of their own party—while locking out independents, third parties, and other sources of competition. For the most part, instead of working together to solve the nation’s problems, the two major parties engage in an endless tug of war. Disagreement is to be expected in a democracy, but at the end of the day, representatives should be motivated to find areas of agreement and to pass legislation that the public supports.” —Alex Tausanovitch from Center for American Progress [ [link removed] ]
Alex Tausanovitch is a senior fellow in democracy policy at Center for American Progress.
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Thornburgh: Open the primaries to every voter
“[E]very voter should have the right to vote in every election. We all pay for elections, and we should be invited to the elections we pay for. Right now we exclude the 400,000 or so veterans, the 50% of young voters, and the third of Latino voters who identify as independent voters. Forty-one of the 50 states have found some way to include independents. Pennsylvania should not be the last to secure the right of every voter to vote in every election.” —David Thornburgh in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [ [link removed] ]
David Thornburgh chairs the Ballot PA initiative to repeal closed primaries. He is the son of former Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh.
MORE: Lynn Schmidt: Does partisanship impact happiness? — [ [link removed] ]The Fulcrum [ [link removed] ]
Lynn Schmidt had an excellent essay regarding our “post-shame” world. The saddest part of the George Santos situation and the revenge-driven removal of Democratic House members from committees may be that those events are not surprising. Being in a post-shame world makes them so. —Dennis A., Texas
The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Renew America Foundation.

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