Kentucky Republican U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul kept to party lines in their response to Democratic President Joe Biden’s Tuesday night speech.
McConnell bifurcated Biden’s speech into two parts, the conflict in Ukraine and the rest of the president’s agenda. Stopping short of praising the president, McConnell lauded the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian invaders.
“…[W]e’re all inspired by the bravery of the Ukrainian people and the leadership of their stunningly impressive president,” McConnell said. “The whole world has rallied to the cause – even demonstrations in Russia in opposition to the war. First and foremost, I think at this particular State of the Union, we need to do everything we can to support the Ukrainians. It may be David versus Goliath, but David is holding up pretty well so far.”
In the primetime speech, Biden promised: “an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” The moment was one of few that would show bipartisan support in the fractured audience.
Biden announced that he was taking another step in ratcheting up pressure against Russia by closing off American airspace to all Russian flights.
The rest of Biden’s agenda was a “flop” for McConnell.
“…[I]t’s been a pretty big flop for the American people… raging inflation, open borders, and difficult challenges getting past COVID. The President has had a rough year and he did his best tonight to try to pick himself up and provide some level of optimism but that’s not what the American people are feeling right now.”
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, also ripped Biden’s speech to the American people taking issue with everything from inflation, COVID lockdowns, and rising gas prices.
Paul is seeking a third term in office this year.
