It's time for Biden to summon Dark Brandon

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     March 7, 2024 It's a pivotal election year and [tonight's State of the Union]( feels accordingly high-stakes. I haven't seen the text yet, but it's safe to assume that Joe Biden will use the event to remind American voters that Donald Trump is an unhinged disaster, a threat to democracy that, if successful, would come back to the White House even more dangerous and vengeful than ever before. That's all correct. But something feels strange. After all, it's 2024. Should it really take this much to convince people of the awfulness of the former president? And if so, does that stem from an apparent amnesia plaguing American voters, or is it because Biden's presidency has been disappointing? Whatever the case, Biden has a monumental task ahead of him tonight: reassure voters that he deserves to stay in the White House. To do this, [David Corn has a winning proposal: Go Dark Brandon](: This is the time to place political niceties aside and hammer Trump and his cult. If Biden could pull this off, it would demonstrate that he indeed has verve and vigor. An aggressive, in-your-face move by Biden—one based on a completely accurate accusation—would show voters that he still has it (or, perhaps, enough of it). Bill Clinton once said that in politics it is better to be strong and wrong than weak and right. We'll see how Biden ends up performing tonight. But I think David offers a strong blueprint for Biden to come out swinging, particularly against critics who say he's too old for this. As for winning over voters disgusted with his unflinching support for Israel, I think Biden is going to have to do a hell of a lot more than [build a floating pier](. —Inae Oh Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Biden Should Go Dark Brandon at Tonight’s State of the Union]( The president has a golden opportunity to slam Trump and the GOP. BY DAVID CORN SPONSORED CONTENT BY HEIFER INTERNATIONAL   Triple Your Impact With Heifer International! Your impact never goes unnoticed. That’s why Heifer International has a special matching gift opportunity for you. For a limited time, each donation you give will be matched, TRIPLING your impact! Your gift will make THREE times the difference and change THREE times the lives of families in need. [Triple your gift here.]( [Trending] [Confused moths, distracted crabs, and celibate birds: How pollution is screwing with animals' senses]( BY JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN   [Can America’s problems be fixed by a president who loves Jon Meacham?]( BY KARA VOGHT   [Study calls US infrastructure spending a "climate time bomb"]( BY OLIVER MILMAN   [Nex Benedict's death triggers federal investigation]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL Advertisement [House BookShop Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Banned wildlife products are rampant on Facebook Marketplace]( Rhino horn, bowmouth guitarfish rings—social algorithms facilitate a $23 billion business. BY MARINA WANG MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   An important update on our finances We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals—and we can’t sustain coming up short on [donations]( month after month. It is [impossibly hard]( in the news business right now, and the [crisis]( facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. Neither is Mother Jones. Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and [joined forces]( with the Center for Investigative Reporting, which creates the amazing podcast and public radio show [Reveal]( and other investigative projects. It’s going to be hard making it all work, and we simply can’t afford to fall behind our fundraising targets month after month. If you can part with even just a few bucks, [please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today](. And thank you so much to everyone who recently has. We’re grateful. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755