The American people are hurting right now. Groceries and gas are more expensive, our streets are less safe, and our kids have suffered through two chaotic years of forced masking and closed classrooms. Abroad, our enemies are becoming increasingly aggressive and threatening our safety and security.
This is a difficult American moment – the kind of moment where we look to our leaders to offer wisdom, honesty, and solutions to put us back on track. Joe Biden had a chance to offer that in last night’s State of the Union Address. He did not live up to the moment.
PRESIDENT BIDEN's STATE OF THE UNION REPORT CARD: EXPERTS GIVE THEIR GRADES
President Joe Biden arrives to deliver his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)
To hear Biden tell it, our economy is thriving. The American people know that the exact opposite is true. Families from coast-to-coast are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of basic goods like food, gas, and furniture skyrockets at the highest rate in forty years. Biden claimed he is focused on helping middle class and lower income Americans. In reality, 66% of Americans making less than $40,000 a year have reported inflation negatively impacting their financial situation. Meanwhile, millions of Americans still can’t find jobs. Those who have found work are doing so largely in red states: 16 out of the 20 top states for jobs recovered since the pandemic are led by Republican governors.
Biden’s refusal to accurately address his worsening economy was a perfect example of his strategy last night: he paid lip service to struggling families while refusing to admit they are struggling because of his policies. He mentioned the Ukraine crisis – but failed to mention that Putin waited until Biden was in office to invade, and that Biden’s ruthless attacks on the American energy industry gave Putin the leverage he needed to make his move. Biden gifted Putin a geopolitical win by lifting sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and Putin has made the most of that costly mistake.
Biden mentioned violence against police – but failed to mention that such violence has spiked during his first year in office, and crime is surging as the natural result of years of the Democrat Party vilifying and defunding law enforcement. He mentioned getting kids back to school – but failed to mention that his administration worked hand-in-hand with union bosses to keep classrooms closed. One thing Biden didn’t mention at all? His disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. The families of the thirteen heroes who died on Biden’s watch deserve better.
Biden even claimed he would secure the border, where 2.1 million illegal immigrants have tried to enter America since his inauguration, unleashing a tidal wave of deadly fentanyl in our neighborhoods. Biden made the unilateral decision to open the border. Cartels have profited and Americans have suffered as a result.
Biden wants you to think that these disasters just appear out of thin air. Americans know they’re a result of Biden’s failed policies – and the numbers prove it. Major polls have Biden’s approval rating plunging to the mid-30s as independent voters abandon his coalition in droves. One poll found that more than half of Americans don’t even think Biden is focused on issues that matter.
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By contrast, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds offered clarity, honesty, and solutions to our problems. As a Republican leader who kept schools open and protected her state’s economy during the pandemic, Gov. Reynolds – like many Republican Governors – has shown America why conservative leadership works. In her response, she noted that Americans are saying "enough is enough" – and she’s right.
Americans have had enough of violence in their communities. Americans have had enough of being called "domestic terrorists" for daring to take an active role in their kids’ education. Americans have had enough of watching our southern border destroyed while foreign dictators invade sovereign nations to redraw borders abroad.
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This November, Americans will make their voices heard at the ballot box, sending a message clear enough to cut through Biden’s beltway echo chamber. As Biden basks in the fake glow of forced praise from his fellow Democrats, Republicans are hard at work, setting the stage for a return to the America we know and love.
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