I’ve got a response to the Republican response on the State of the Union.
Now, I know there were quite a few GOP responses this year. Mike Lee giving the Tea Party response, Rand Paul giving the Rand Paul response, but I’m going to say that Cathy McMorris Rodgers was the real GOP responder this year. And she was quite good. To be fair, the bar was set very low (see: ) and the speech lacked substance entirely but what it didn’t want for was a story. McMorris Rodger’s story, to be precise. We heard all about the Republican congresswoman from Washington. And, moreover, we heard all about her family life, her relationships, and her children.
Which begs the question (that I asked on Twitter Wednesday night):
Must ask: if were a man would we have had to hear abt family, relationship status so much?
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali)
If we’re being honest, I think we all know the answer to this question. (It’s no.)
Republicans may be attempting a more minority, female-friendly approach. By giving the response in both English and in Spanish, we saw a clear example of a try at Hispanic outreach. And by having a woman give the SOTU response, one can’t help but feel it’s the GOP’s way of saying “Look! What war on women?!” That’s fine. That’s great. If in the name of outreach, more Republican female voices are put to the fore front of the party, I’m all for it.
Rep. McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) gives the Republican response to the State of the Union.
I also understand the need to introduce a new face to the American public. SOTU responses are always the opposing party’s chance to introduce a new face to the public, to raise one of their shining stars onto a higher, more attention-getting platform. It’s not new that a fresh face graces the screen. Introductions and background are always necessary. When Americans see McMorris Rodgers the immediate question is: who is this woman? So, it’s only natural for us to hear her story. What I had a problem with was that last night’s GOP response showcased more personal substance than policy ideas — something I’ve never felt the need to complain about when a Jindal or Rubio was giving botching their party’s response.
Even the setting undercut the serious tone. Last year we saw Rubio standing with white columns, a flowing American flag, in a pretty presidential-looking room. He was standing; McMorris Rodgers was sitting…on a couch…in a living room. The tone this year was cozy and non-threatening. The rhetoric matched. McMorris Rodgers referred to herself as “a girl who worked at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru” and later “a girl in Kettle Falls” or a “little girl” who couldn’t have dreamed of ever being elected to the House of Representatives. She tells us “I was single when I was elected” and then quickly clarifies in her next breath “–but it wasn’t long before I met Brian.” Not all strong women have to be single, nor do all ambitious women have to be married but isn’t this the same party that’s skewering Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis for being single and pushing ahead into politics?
It’s time for the GOP to recognize that Americans want a woman’s response, not a “girl’s.” By tamping down on policy and opting for a response that could’ve been done in a kitchen, with an apron, a la Mad Men the GOP is saying it’s trying. It’s time for us to tell them to try harder.
Read the full text of the GOP response here.
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