Thursday night’s State of the Union speech was a doozy. Joe Biden, hopped up on some cocktail of energizing substances, delivered a hyperpartisan speech that devoted more time to attacking Donald Trump and anyone else who doesn’t fall in line behind the far left’s policy proposals than to assessing the state of our country. Let’s call it what it was: a campaign speech. To quote Erick Erickson, the State of the Union was “partisan and not memorable and beneath the dignity of the office.”
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) has garnered mixed reviews for her official rebuttal to Biden’s speech, but she wasn’t the only one to issue a response. The Republican Governors Association called on its chair, Gov. Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), and vice chair, Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) to respond, and both men contrasted the president’s angry rhetoric with an encouraging vision that we see from leaders in red states.
“What the American people saw tonight from Joe Biden was more failed leadership,” Kemp said. “Instead of using the evening as an opportunity to unite Americans, find common ground, and put forward bold solutions to our nation’s many challenges, the president chose to attack Republicans, play partisan politics, and pass the buck.”
Lee painted the contrast between what’s happening to this nation under Biden and what Republican governors are doing to make life better for Americans.
“While the American people see dysfunction in Washington and face the daily consequences of failed federal policies, conservative-led states are a steady reminder that America’s best days are still ahead,” he said. “We have reason to be hopeful because of states like Tennessee that are unwavering in their commitment to the fundamentals that make America the greatest country in the world – opportunity, security and freedom for all.”
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Both governors highlighted the issue that is freshest on the minds of voters: illegal immigration. The murder of nursing student Laken Riley on the campus of Kemp’s alma mater, the University of Georgia, has brought the border crisis further into the forefront. Kemp and Lee both tied the border issue to other problems plaguing Americans.
“Americans deserve a plan of action from the White House to address the worst border crisis in decades, get rampant crime under control, and ease the heavy burdens of inflation that make it harder for everyday families to thrive,” stated Lee.
“No matter what [Biden] says, violent crime and human trafficking are on the rise because of his failure to take executive action to secure our southern border, Bidenomics and crushing inflation have forced 60% of American households to live paycheck to paycheck, and the American Dream is becoming less and less attainable for too many hardworking people,” Kemp echoed.
The two governors closed their statements by pointing out the difference between the federal government and conservative leadership in states like theirs.
“With dysfunction, gridlock, and partisanship running rampant in Washington D.C. and the Biden Administration asleep at the wheel, Republican governors will continue to deliver results for the people of our states,” concluded Kemp.
“In the meantime, states are leading the way with conservative governing principles that drive economic prosperity, empower thriving communities and safe families, and lift up a nation where every individual has the opportunity to succeed,” Lee stated.
They’re right. GOP governors are leading in a way that the Biden White House isn’t. These governors have rallied around each other, pledging to help their border-state colleagues to secure the border. They are protecting the unborn, making elections more trustworthy, and working to ensure prosperity for their states. Republican governors know the real state of the union, and they’re not afraid to talk about it.
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