2010 State of the Union; Democrats approve; Republicans unmoved

Louisville Courier-Journal, January 28, 2009

(Washington, D.C.) If President Barack Obama hoped his State of the Union address would spark a little cooperation from Republicans, the early signs from area GOP lawmakers are not good.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he thought Obama delivered an “in-your-face” speech aimed at the Republicans.

“It was a needlessly partisan speech at a time when Americans were looking for the president to move to the center and build coalitions,” McConnell said in an interview minutes after the address ended. “It ended up really being quite a partisan campaign-style speech. And for the most part, was not particularly well-received on our side. I was a little astonished at the strategy.

“I thought he would be more moderate, more interested in building consensus,” the Senate GOP leader said. “Instead, it was kind of in-your-face to the Republican side. I thought it was a missed opportunity on his part. The American people would like us to work together.”

But Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, said he heard a president reaching out to both parties.

“The president clearly understood the mood of the American people, he understood that the American people were fed up with the partisanship,” Yarmuth said in an interview. “I think he challenged both parties to put aside those partisan perspectives and try to work together.”

He added: “I’m sorry that Senator McConnell took it that way, but I’m not surprised because Senator McConnell only thinks in those terms.”

McConnell led the GOP fight against Democratic health care proposals in the Senate. He said Obama’s insistence on pursuing health care reform was ignoring the advice of the American people, who want him to move on.

Obama was right to focus on jobs and the economy, but “if it involves more debt and more government spending, we’re going to be pretty skeptical about that,” McConnell said.

Yarmuth praised Obama’s determination to overhaul health care, saying, “It is part of the economic equation.”

And jobs and the economy must come first, the Louisville congressman said, because “unless we focus on that, a lot of other things can’t be done.”

Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, Indiana, called Obama’s remarks “fittingly reflective and responsive.”

Obama properly reminded listeners that Congress passed bills expanding health insurance for children, attacking unfair credit-card practices and providing economic relief, Hill said in a statement.

The lawmaker said he agreed with Obama that avoiding major challenges “is a shirking of our responsibilities as legislators.”

“I believe the president’s focus on fiscal reforms is a responsible and responsive way of addressing the concerns many Americans, including many of my Southern Indiana constituents, have expressed over the last year.”

But Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-2nd District, reflected widespread GOP skepticism that Obama is going to get spending under control.

In a statement, Guthrie said: “I appreciate the president’s message and trying to reduce spending is a good step; however, he is freezing spending after a 67 percent increase since he has been in office. I think we need to reduce spending in addition to a freeze.

“The Congressional Budget Office just announced that this year’s budget deficit will reach $1.35trillion,” he said. “The rate (at which) we have been spending is irresponsible and unsustainable.”

Rep. Hal Rogers, R-5th District, dismissed Obama’s address as “new-found rhetoric.”

“The time for action has long since passed, and I’m disappointed the president is just now coming to the table,” Rogers said in a statement. “We need to focus on creating jobs and helping Americans get back on their feet. That comes with hard work, not another speech filled with empty promises.”