Even the media minion best known for getting “chills up his leg” during President Obama’s speeches was unimpressed with Tuesday night’s State of the Union. Oklahoma officials were sharply critical, but the best line of the night goes to Sen. Ted Cruz, “More Cowbell.”
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said, “Tonight’s State-of-the-Union address took a celebratory tone that simply isn’t consistent with what is happening across the nation. I am thankful that some economic data points are improving, but many in our nation are frustrated. I believe, as most Oklahomans do, that our nation can and must do much better. We must not become complacent about stagnant hourly wages, a sluggish labor force, and high federal debt.
“Since President Obama took office, median household annual income has dropped by $3,000. Hourly wages have been stagnant, increasing only 1.7 percent in 2014, which is only slightly more than the 1.3 percent inflation rate. The unemployment rate has fallen primarily because the labor force participation rate remains extremely high. If the labor force participation rate were the same as when the President took office, the unemployment rate would be 9.9 percent. The federal deficit is way too high at nearly half-a-trillion dollars. Americans are still losing their health plans, while premiums continue to increase. Terrorism makes us feel less safe at home.
“It is my sincere hope that President Obama commits to work with Republicans on solutions that will increase economic opportunity and security for all Americans. We must enact policies that allow the private sector to create more jobs, lift wages, and lower costs for health care, education, and energy,” Sen. Lankford added.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) said, “While the House and Senate continue to put forward good, bipartisan solutions to solve America’s problems, the president doubled down on his current course of action—ignoring the will of the American people and refusing to work with Congress. There’s no question that the president has a different vision for our country than I do.
“We’re a nation of laws built on the foundation of the constitution, where individual liberties and freedoms lead to fairness and opportunity. In America, waking up early and picking yourself up by the bootstraps helps people get ahead in life. Working late and going the extra mile means higher paychecks. It’s these principles of independence and self-reliance that make America strong. And the president’s politics of division and dependency only hurts our families’ chances to succeed.
“Our country needs a leader who listens to people who don’t share his views and chooses real solutions over political wins. With this type of leadership, we’ll get our country back on track. There’s no doubt that America faces many challenges. But if we rally behind bills that reduce the size of government, creating the environment for good paying jobs and better opportunities, there’s no limit to what we can achieve,” Mullin said.
Rep. Steve Russell said, “I heard the President of the United States give a speech that is out-of-touch with the economy and the American people. While many of our friends, neighbors and family members are out of work or are making less, our President wants us to believe that our economy is going gangbusters and is back on track. We are even supposed to believe that with the wave of the President’s magic wand, our deficit has been drastically reduced. It has not.
“The President spoke of “Middle Class Economics,” but by every economic indicator middle class America is shrinking due to his policies. I guess the President is not aware that our co-pays and deductibles have doubled. Our paychecks do not seem to go as far as they once did when buying groceries, and the cost of college seems to be skyrocketing out of control. But, not to worry, the President will provide everything for free. It is like he is ordering heavily on the menu while escaping to leave you the bill. Telling you your life will be better off if you do what the government tells you to do is not a future America needs,” Russell said.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said, “For the sixth year in a row, we heard the president fail to lay out a realistic plan to address the country’s deficit and debt; and for the sixth year in a row we heard the same rehashed ideas: raise taxes, and increase government spending.
“What was even more frustrating was the president’s willingness to take credit for what economic growth we have seen – growth from states like Oklahoma and Texas – even as his policies have constantly threatened to stifle that growth. The fact of the matter is, the president has waged a six year war on fossil fuels, one of the great drivers of growth in Oklahoma. His tax increases are killing jobs, just as the administration’s over-regulation of the private sector is stifling business growth.
“Oklahoma has persevered, lowering our unemployment rate from over 7 percent to just 4.4 percent and creating over 103,000 new jobs in spite of President Obama, not because of him.
“If anything is clear now, it’s that Washington is not going to solve our problems for us. In fact, I think our federal Congressional delegation is going to have its hands full making sure the White House doesn’t create any new ones,” Fallin said.
The Washington Times notes the irony of President Obama with a story headlined, “Obama calls for civility, then immediately taunts Republicans over his two presidential wins” click here for that story.
The Weekly Standard features the Obama knock on “constant fundraising” and then asks for donations, click here for that story.
Breitbart.com notes President Obama quotes himself, click here for that story and a personal favorite is the capture by Breitbart of a Chris Matthews whine. It is almost like Matthews’ hero of chill and thrill are gone, abandoned, betrayed. He must be disappointed after carrying Obama’s water so many years by the bucket in both hands.
Matthews said, “I think he [Obama] made a mistake tonight about cable television. I think there are a lot of people, at our network especially, who have hoped, and in fact shared his hope with regard to the end racial division and the need for continuing that hope, for the aspiration, and not at all benefited from it. And also, about bipartisanship, I think there are, a lot of us, I think who believe we’ve got to have this government work better together and he and his Republican opponents have got to sit down and cut some deals. And so I don’t think it’s fair to say that everybody benefits from division, I think he’s made a mistake on that.” Click here for the video.
Also, for the first time since February 2001, the president of the United States of America did not mention “Al Qaeda” during the State of the Union, according to Fox News reporter Bret Baier. If we don’t talk about them, they go away right?
“Really disappointing” was Sen. Ted Cruz’s take out of the box, but, in total, he concluded, “it reminds me of the classic ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit with Christopher Walken, where, if you remember, there is a band playing and his solution to every problem is ‘more cowbell,’ ‘more cowbell.’ Well, for President Obama, ‘more cowbell,’ is ‘more taxes, more government,’ ‘more taxes, more government.’”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1421782837&v=unvXZ41x-SM&x-yt-cl=84359240&feature=player_detailpage#t=234