IMAGINARY POWERS, REAL DEFEATS 

As I write this, President Biden is preparing for a national primetime address to the American people about firearms and mass shootings. 

It will be Biden’s first primetime address since March 2021 when he marked the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus lockdown. 

Even though Biden is well-known for making fewer public appearances than his predecessors, his reticence to use the evening television address, considered the ultimate “bully pulpit,” has been treated as somehow notable. As if Biden had the power to mold public opinion to his will in the past, but neglected the opportunity.