- Tuesday’s State of the Union address was at times raucous.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green has lashed out at Joe Biden, including calling the president a liar.
- Biden also appeared to enjoy the verbal joust, leading to an unprecedented exchange.
President Joe Biden famously said that the Republican Party is “not your father’s Republican Party.” Tuesday night, I found out that this is no longer your father’s state address.
When Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted “You’re lying” to President Barack Obama in 2009, it was a scandal for days. It looks almost quirky now.
Biden spent much of Tuesday night’s national address promoting all the bipartisan legislation he signed into law last year. However, many of the experienced dealmakers who made these deals possible are dead. In their place, lawmakers like far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have not only been reinstated, but also dominant.
Part of Biden’s second State of the Union address resembled a raucous “Prime Minister’s Questions” session in England that C-SPAN geeks would delight in.
“Liar,” Green yelled at Biden. “You lie!”
—CSPAN (@cspan) February 8, 2023
Green was furious at Biden’s suggestion that Republican Senator Rick Scott’s plan to jeopardize the future of Medicare and Social Security makes some bigger points about the Republican subsection.
To be clear, opposition lawmakers have long trolled the president during his State of the Union address. Democrats are booing President Donald Trump giving a speech. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore up one of Trump’s speeches. It seemed
Biden said of Scott’s proposal, “If you have any doubts, please contact my office. I will give you a copy of the proposal.”
Biden added some obscenities when referring to Republican efforts to repeal the Democrats’ sweeping climate and health laws.
“As my football coach used to say, lots of luck in your senior year!” the president added of efforts to repeal anti-inflation laws.
At times, even Biden didn’t seem to know what to do with the unfolding scene. (To be fair, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Monday that Republicans would not propose possible program cuts, which other members of his council disagreed with.)
“As we all clearly agree, Social Security and Medicare are off the books now, right?” Biden said. “Okay, unanimous.” The president also added, “I am enjoying some conversion.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy warned Republicans to behave best during their speeches and boasted that his party would not resort to childish tactics. If not, McCarthy clearly doesn’t have much control over his meetings. Sometimes during the speech the second person in the presidential election Seemingly trying to silence the legislator, It’s like being a teacher who can sense when the class is getting too rowdy.
The night began on a completely different note.
Biden’s opening speech didn’t hint at what was to come. The president began his speech by congratulating McCarthy on his new job and congratulating Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his time in charge of the Senate Republican Party. Biden then ticked off his long list of over 300 bipartisan bills he signed into law.
“To my Republican friends, if we worked together last Congress, there’s no reason why we can’t work together in this new Congress,” Biden said early on.
The reality, as Biden himself knows, is that some of that group is gone.
Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman played a leading role in negotiating Biden’s Infrastructure Act and more. Portman retired and was replaced by conservative J.D. Vance, who needed Trump’s endorsement to win the contested primary. Politico was previously identified Five other major dealmakers left. Many have spent decades in politics, mastering both the inner workings of parliament and the art of compromise.
Senate Republicans are also in the minority. Republicans in McCarthy now have a majority, but in order to win the Speaker’s gavel, McCarthy had to make substantial concessions to some of the House’s most conservative members. He also recruited Greene into her ranks, accelerating her attempts to recast herself from a fire brand into a leadership ally.
“So we summoned him to the House floor,” Green said. said in a video posted after the speech“I called him a liar because that’s who he is.”
The truth is that few expect a divided Washington to pass major legislation within the next year. But there are some things lawmakers have to do, like raising the debt ceiling later this summer.
The White House has warned it won’t negotiate higher limits, which will ensure the US pays its outstanding bills. Biden added on Tuesday that he will not allow Republicans to hold the economy “hostage” on the topic.
Soon after, a controversial “liar” exchange unfolded, ominously warning about the new state of Congress on the most important topic.
A divided government is clearly here. In the future, stakes will cease to be the optics of speech. It will be about a possible catastrophe to the global economy.