Tuesday evening, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) was tabbed by the Republican Party to deliver their official response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Typically, this honor is given to what would be considered the opposing political party’s rising star. For instance, last year Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) delivered the GOP’s response last year, delivering a performance that was ridiculed nationwide and made Republicans question whether he was ready for prime-time. In 2011, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) delivered the response and would later become the party’s nominee for Vice-President.
Meanwhile, Rodgers would hardly be considered a well-known, national entity. While she is considered the highest ranking female in the party due to her being Chair of the House Republican Conference, she is barely known by anyone but her own constituents and political insiders. It would seem that Republicans wanted a woman to deliver this response to try to convince the average voter watching that they are not waging a continuous ‘War on Women.’
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Below are excerpts from her speech:
“The most important moments right now aren’t happening here. They’re not in the Oval Office or in the House Chamber. They’re in your homes. Kissing your kids goodnight. Figuring out how to pay the bills. Getting ready for tomorrow’s doctor’s visit. Waiting to hear from those you love serving in Afghanistan, or searching for that big job interview. After all, ‘We the People’ have been the foundation of America since her earliest days – people from all walks of life, and from all corners of the world – people who come to America because here, no challenge is too great and no dream too big.
So tonight I’d like to share a more hopeful, Republican vision – one that empowers you, not the government. It’s one that champions free markets – and trusts people to make their own decisions, not a government that decides for you. It helps working families rise above the limits of poverty and protects our most vulnerable. And it’s one where Washington plays by the same rules that you do. It’s a vision that is fair and offers the promise of a better future for every American…
Because our mission – not only as Republicans, but as Americans, is to once again to ensure that we are not bound by where we come from, but empowered by what we can become. That is the gap Republicans are working to close. It’s the gap we all face: between where you are and where you want to be.
Last month, more Americans stopped looking for a job than found one. Too many people are falling further and further behind because, right now, the President’s policies are making people’s lives harder. Republicans have plans to close the gap… Plans that focus on jobs first without more spending, government bailouts, and red tape… Every day, we’re working to expand our economy, one manufacturing job, nursing degree and small business at a time. We have plans to improve our education and training systems so you have the choice to determine where your kids go to school… to help you take home more of your paycheck…with lower taxes, cheaper energy costs, and affordable health care.
We’ve all talked to too many people who have received cancellation notices they didn’t expect or who can no longer see the doctors they always have. No, we shouldn’t go back to the way things were, but the President’s health care law is not working. Republicans believe health care choices should be yours, not the government’s. And that whether you’re a boy with Down syndrome or a woman with breast cancer, you can find coverage and a doctor who will treat you.
As Republicans, we advance these plans every day because we believe in a government that trusts people and doesn’t limit where you finish because of where you started. That is what we stand for – for an America that is every bit as compassionate as it is exceptional… Our plan is one that dreams big for everyone and turns its back on no one.
I am just going to out and out say it. Cathy McMorris Rodgers was TERRIBLE. It was just about impossible to take her seriously during the entire address. It was almost entirely due to her delivery. We all knew what she would be discussing. It was going to be a by-the-numbers Republican refutation of everything that the President stands for, and that is exactly what we got. Basically, it was a discussion of free market solutions, ‘compassionate conservatism’, more lies about the ACA, lower taxes, less regulations and smaller government.
It wasn’t the anecdotes about Obamacare cancellation notices or the insertion of religion towards the end of her address that made it bad, because those things were pretty much expected from a Republican response to the SOTU. No, it was her delivery. It came across as a mix of a kindergarten teacher doing story time with her kids and a tour guide who feels she needs to speak slowly and loudly for the foreign tourists. It was jarring and made one wonder what the GOP was thinking when they decided on her to offer their rebuttal.
This will mark the second year in a row where the official GOP response to the President’s State of the Union will be slammed by media critics and pundits. It will be tough to decide which one was worse. Do you go with Rubio’s dying thirst and continuous drinking of water during his speech? Or McMorris Rodgers speaking to America like we’re all a bunch of six-year olds?
Justin Baragona is the Managing Editor at Politicus Sports as well as Senior Editor at PoliticusUSA. He was a political writer for 411Mania.com before joining PoliticusUSA. Politically, Justin considers himself a liberal but also a realist and pragmatist. Currently, Justin lives in St. Louis, MO and is married. Besides writing, he also runs his own business after spending a number of years in the corporate world. You can follow Justin on Twitter either with his personal handle (@justinbaragona) or the Sports site’s (@PoliticusSports).
