Biden's State of the Union Was More of the Same

President Biden gave his State of the Union address last week, speaking for a little over an hour.  He could have likely shortened his address to one sentence: “The state of the Union is not good, and all I’m offering to fix it is more of the same.”

He spent a good chunk of the hour advocating for his Administration’s failed legislative packages.  In his remarks, there was no call for compromise, no recognition of the reasons these bills failed.  Instead, he simply trotted out the same tired, misleading language we’ve heard about his “Build Back Better” bill from Day 1.  He even went further, making the absurd claims that his plan would reduce spending and lower costs – no matter that the bill would increase government spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, and the subsidies it would provide would only raise costs throughout our economy, not reduce them. Plain facts apparently don’t matter to this Administration when those facts are inconvenient.

President Biden attempted to create unity by addressing the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He should perhaps be commended for this, however he failed to mention that it was his Administration’s weakness that gave Putin a green light to invade. He called on those present to “send an unmistakable signal” that America stands with the Ukrainian people.  But his Administration had a chance to do this for weeks while Putin massed his troops along the Ukrainian border.  The signal Biden sent then was muddled – he gave Putin a pass to launch a “minor incursion”; and by withholding sanctions until it was far too late, he showed he was not serious about deterring a Russian invasion.

President Biden’s COVID proclamations were even more astounding.  Even though the CDC recommended that people residing in roughly 95% of the counties across America continue to wear masks as recently as February 24, that policy was completely reversed within days of Biden’s address.  It was a cravenly political move, made without any new data or scientific findings.  It was made because this Administration knows the mask mandates are unscientific and unpopular, and that they have been enforced without any real, meaningful justification.  Their quick repeal before the major address shows us what this Administration really cares about: saving their own political futures.

Notably missing from Biden’s speech was the American people.  He failed to discuss how his party’s long socialist wish list will directly benefit Americans.  This was likely by design, given that none of the core solutions he championed will really benefit the American people.

Also notably absent from his address was the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.  Rather than use this speech as an opportunity to continue to unite the American people around something they increasingly agree on, Biden instead chose to be soft on China.  He only went so far as to call China an economic competitor.  He made no mention of the genocide and their crimes against humanity in Xinjiang or of the threat to peace they pose to their neighbors and the world.  Given the current invasion of Ukraine, a strong statement in support of sovereign, peaceful nations’ right to exist, free from the coercion and aggression of their neighbors, was crucial to make here.  President Biden completely failed to do so, showing that he and his Administration have learned nothing from Ukraine.

Meaningful solutions must address the runaway inflation all Americans are being hit by without calling for more government spending.  They must address the needless racialization of every issue in America – because in reality, the American people want to live and prosper in equality, without regard for race. They must address the indoctrination of our children with Critical Race Theory and Marxist propaganda in our schools.  They must advocate for energy independence, not the fantasies of green activists. They must call out absurd, groundless mandates that affect all of society without any data or regard for individual liberties.  They must be grounded in common sense.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds did an excellent job of highlighting these key issues in her response to President Biden’s address, and of showing the American people that there are conservative leaders in the United States who are willing to listen to them, to hear their concerns and offer practical solutions that enhance their freedoms rather than restrict them. We need to continue to elect leaders in the upcoming midterm elections who believe in common sense, will champion American values in their policies, and put the wishes of the American people first.

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