(VitalNews.org) – Each year, the opposition party strategically chooses one individual to publicly respond to a president’s State of the Union (SOTU) address. Last year the GOP chose Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. But this year, Republicans selected newly elected Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to spit fire back at President Joe Biden’s SOTU and remind Americans they have hope and choices.
Sanders, who previously served as former President Trump’s White House press secretary for two years, provided the GOP response on Tuesday, February 7, questioning many of Biden’s points and delivering a key message to the American people: “Biden and the Democrats have failed you. They know it. And you know it. It’s time for a change.”
Dividing Lines
Sanders wasted no time pointing out how she and Biden differed. She’s the youngest governor in the US, at 40, and the first woman Arkansas has ever elected, while Biden is the oldest president to serve at 80 years old.
Sanders said she believes in freedom. Based on actions and policies, she said it appears that Biden and Democrats prefer government control.
Sanders claimed Americans aren’t just choosing between Left and Right or Democrats and Republicans. Instead, they must choose between crazy and normal. The governor thinks the unprecedented division came about due to Biden’s weak leadership and inability to control the “woke” Progressive faction in the Democratic party.
In two short years, Sanders argued President Biden and the Democrats destroyed every advantage they had inherited from the previous administration:
- The fastest economic recovery on record
- The most secure border in history
- Cheap, abundant, home-grown energy
- Fast-rising wages
- A rebuilt, restocked military
- A stable world, at peace
Sanders blamed policies like “defund the police” for rising domestic crime and weak foreign policy for global destabilization in places including Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, North Korea, and Taiwan. The rising GOP star chastised Biden for failing to defend the borders and the skies, referring to the recent Chinese spy balloon incident.
Sanders called President Biden “unfit to serve as commander in chief.”
The Arkansas governor finished her address with a call to action. Sanders told listeners, “It is time for a new generation of Republican leadership.” She added, “It’s time for a new generation to lead. This is our moment. This is our opportunity.”
Fact-Checking
Fact-checking and mainstream media sites pointed to several false statements presented by Biden during his speech. For example, The Washington Post accused the president of misleading Americans when he compared the jobs record of his first two years to that of the full terms of previous presidents since he has no idea what might happen during the remainder of his time this term. Likewise, The New York Times reported that Biden’s speech “omitted crucial context or exaggerated the facts.”
On the flip side, PolitiFact rated Sanders’ statement about Biden inheriting an economy that made a historically fast recovery as accurate because of the unusual, short-term nature of the recession caused by the national health emergency. Both the recession and recovery were historically unprecedented. Yet, the passage of the American Rescue Act also boosted the recovery, even though some critics argue it ultimately contributed to inflation.
By contrast, PolitiFact withheld a rating on Sander’s assertion that 100,000 Americans die from drug overdose annually, due in large part to the large volume of fentanyl “pouring across” the nation’s southern border. The fact-checking organization said the claim needed additional context since some of the drugs are smuggled through official ports of entry by US citizens.
Governor Sanders set a strong tone. She pointed out that her vision and President Biden’s widely differed, but she offered Americans hope and a way forward.
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