Golden State Today

Former Pacific Research Institute (PRI) speechwriter Lance Izumi said Biden's highly partisan performance in the State of the Union Address, characterized by attacks on Republicans and lack of appeal to moderate voters, may have diminished his likability among the electorate. Izumi was a guest on a recent episode of the Next Round Podcast.

"He was highly partisan," said Izumi on the Next Round Podcast hosted by the Pacific Research Institute think tank."He referred to President Trump around 13 times in his speech, although not by name. He was in the face of Republicans in Congress, even engaging in a mini-debate with them on Social Security. He tried to appear energetic by screaming and yelling."

"I think that if you're a middle-of-the-road, undecided voter, Biden's really angry, partisan performance probably made you less likely to vote for him," Izumi said. “I think the bottom line for what they often say about American presidents is that Americans want to like their president. And I thought that in this State of the Union speech, Biden was supremely unlikable in his performance."

This full episode is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Izumi served as chief speechwriter to Gov. Deukmejian and Attorney General Ed Meese before assuming roles as president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and as a commissioner on the California Postsecondary Education Commission. He is now the senior director of the Center for Education at the Pacific Research Institute.

Next Round is a weekly podcast put on by the nonpartisan think tank Pacific Research Institute. Topics explored on the podcast revolve around California politics and free market ideas in the state. Guests include elected officials, members of the media, and policy leaders. 

Pasadena, California-based Pacific Research Institute, founded in 1979, is an advocacy organization whose goal is to “champion freedom, opportunity, and personal responsibility for all individuals by advancing free-market policy solutions,” according to the group’s website. Its president is Sally Pipes.