Following President Obama’s sixth State of the Union address this week, the Republicans once again provided an official response to Obama’s speech. And once again, it was stilted, filled with talking points and sounded more like a sketch from Sesame Street than an address meant for millions of American adults. This year’s victim was recently elected U.S. senator from Iowa, Joni Ernst.
On the surface, Sen. Ernst is everything the Republicans want to expand their footprint. She’s from a working-class family, served in Iraq and is a firebrand who once compared her time castrating hogs at her family farm to what she would do in Washington. Instead, she fell victim to a cruel joke by the Republican Party: She gave the official party response to Obama’s address.
When any president gives an address that tops an hour, it’s probably difficult for anyone in the opposite party to give an adequate response in just a few precious minutes, but that’s how the system functions, and unfortunately for Sen. Ernst, she struggled almost as mightily as her predecessors.
She sounded rehearsed, complaining about Obama’s use of talking points while almost exclusively sticking to Republican talking points. Though she provided stories of her youth that packed an emotional punch, Ernst had the delivery of a robot. From Sen. Marco Rubio’s issues with a bottle of water two years ago to the Sesame Street-like address from Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal three years ago, it seems Republicans are either not very good at responding to Obama’s speeches, or they’re doomed to fail.
Perhaps for the sake of future Republicans — or Democrats, if a Republican wins in 2016 — the official response should be abolished. What was once a unified response from the president’s opposition is now fractured as several alternate responses are provided from various politicians representing various political organizations.
Republican senator from Kentucky — and likely presidential candidate — Rand Paul provided the official Tea Party response, appealing to the Republican Party’s far right. This was not Sen. Paul’s first Tea Party response, providing its official remarks each of the last three years, but if Republicans are looking to remain strong, unified and ready to take the White House in two years, why fracture the party?
Sen. Ernst’s stilted response won’t likely win her any additional national support, nor will she be considering a White House run, but splitting the Republicans between the establishment and the Tea Party once again sets the GOP up for an interesting primary.
The robotic spouting of talking points and platitudes will likely keep the base in line, but Tea Party and moderate voters may not find much comfort in Sen. Ernst’s words — nor the establishment Republican line — as we move into the 2016 presidential election cycle.
Whether they like it or not, the Republican Party’s path to the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House is rather narrow. If the platform of the Republican Party in 2016 is repealing Obama’s two terms, they may find it difficult getting to the magic number required to win. Yet, if the established Republicans do not bash Obama in the primary, they are not likely to emerge as the party’s nominee.
It’s a conundrum of epic proportions and one that appears more difficult by the day. Obama’s approval ratings continue to tick upwards, and if the trend continues through much of 2015 and 2016, a platform of repealing the Obama presidency may not play well with voters in swing states.
Yes, Republicans may control Congress and could very well make Obama’s final two years in the White House a nightmare. But the Republicans’ lack of a clear path to the White House, along with party infighting, will make moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in January 2017 a challenging goal.
As crazy it sounds, it would behoove Republicans to find compromise with President Obama on some of the proposals he outlined this week. The GOP needs something tangible for its 2016 platform, and railroading Obama is not going to work.
So here’s some advice for the lucky Republican tasked with giving the official response next year: Focus on something positive and concrete that the Republicans can accomplish. Otherwise you’re looking at another four years of stilted and silly responses to Democratic State of the Union addresses.
Joel Mendelson is a second-year UF political campaigning graduate student. His column appears on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 1/23/2015 under the headline “Once again GOP gives poor, splintered response to State of the Union"]
