Those with a favorable opinion of Joe Biden will have found plenty to like about his first State of the Union address.

In the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden’s speech retained the general thrust of his domestic agenda and reiterated his commitment to key Democratic priorities — offering a laundry list of appeals attractive to the party’s base. Notably, the president again endorsed the potentially transformative PRO Act. He called for a $15 minimum wage and the extension of the poverty-fighting (though recently expired) Child Tax Credit. He talked of voting rights and called on corporate America and its wealthy to pay their fair share. He spoke about reproductive justice and the ongoing offensives against Roe v. Wade and the basic dignity of transgender people.

The force of these remarks, it must be said, was somewhat blunted by a more emblematic streak of triangulation — most visibly around the issue of policing, which saw Biden quite brazenly default to the law and order rhetoric that has often defined his political career. More importantly, though, it was a speech heavy on liturgy but lacking a compelling overall narrative. Biden did sound progressive notes and alluded to real injustices. But his remarks failed even to hint at any overarching story about where they came from and why they persist.