Dishonesty, not Policies
The response to President Biden’s State of the Union again showed that Republicans just don’t get it.
It was delivered by Katie Britt, a young Alabama Senator reported to be a potential VP candidate. Unfortunately, she didn’t help herself or her party.
Speaking from her kitchen, Britt downplayed her professional accomplishments, instead highlighting her domestic roles of mother and wife. She played into all the stereotypes about women—speaking in a “little girl” voice, overemoting, and smiling broadly while discussing serious matters—reassuring conservatives that successful women aren’t threatening.
Britt spent much of her speech blaming Biden for inaction at the border. She never mentioned that she voted against the bipartisan border security bill that she helped negotiate. The reason: Trump doesn’t want the problem solved; he’s running on it.
Most troubling, Britt created a false narrative to make her point. She recounted her meetings in south Texas with a woman who’d been trafficked as a child—a victim of Biden’s policies, Britt claimed. In truth, the abuse happened decades ago in Mexico, NOT the United States. Britt knew that.
Despite subsequent fact-checking she continues to lie.
It’s too bad Britt’s attempts to court women are not matched by real policy proposals. Concerns of both women and men extend beyond the kitchen. Britt said nothing about pay equity, childcare, health care, education, jobs, or reproductive justice.
In the end, Republicans showed disregard for American women, and may have destroyed the career of one of their own.
Patty Satalia, State College
The Pennsylvania Seven Responsible for Trump
Donald Trump’s 91 indictments, four criminal trials, numerous bankruptcies, and constant lies would embarrass any normal political party and instantly disqualify him from consideration for office. But his Republican enablers across the country, who haven’t the courage to send him packing, have allowed him to continue his bullying campaign to return to the White house.
In Pennsylvania, seven current Republican Congressmen ran from the insurrectionist mob on January 6, 2021, then returned to vote, without evidence of voter fraud, against certifying the electoral college results. They then had the gall to run for re-election to sit in the Congress of the country they tried to destroy. They are guilty of aiding and abetting Donald Trump’s anti-democracy schemes.
The Pennsylvania Seven, who don’t want you to remember their cowardice on January 6, 2021, and who don’t have the courage to speak against Trump even now, are Pennsylvania Republican Congressmen John Joyce, Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler, Lloyd Smucker, and Glenn Thompson.
They share responsibility for the continuation of the Trump cult that is a danger to their own party and to our country.
Donald Trump would have been exposed as a shallow “Emperor with no clothes,” long ago except for the Republicans who put party above country.
If Trump is still the GOP nominee for president next November Pennsylvania voters should send him packing. And we should send the cowardly Pennsylvania Seven along with him.
This will start the healing that America so sorely needs.
Bob Potter, Boalsburg
