We’ve got a lot to cover

B. Jay Cooper, a veteran political consultant who served in the Reagan and Bush I administrations, weighs in on some of the reactions to President Biden’s State of the Union.

F or the one or two readers who may have noticed, I haven’t written in a while. Seems like every time I was about to post something Congressman George Santos (R-Never Never Land) told another lie, or there’d be yet another round of voting for Speaker of the House, making whatever I was going to say inoperative.

So, as CBS News anchor Nora O’Donnell annoyingly says every night, “we’ve got a lot to cover”.

▪ Best meme of the State of the Union

Cong. Marjorie Taylor Greene cupping her mouth as she screamed “liar” in the middle of President Biden’s State of the Union Address. Also, for wearing a white fur coat, as she continues to show her everyday woman image to the country. The cyber-universe universally said she was dressed like Cruella de Vil. Also, as her debut as a candidate for Vice President on a potential Donald Trump ticket?

▪ Best trap laid at the State of the Union

President Biden for sucking in the “ready to attack at any opportunity” caucus of Republicans when he said some in the GOP caucus want to cut Social Security and Medicare. The Taylor Greens and others jumped out of their seats to exclaim they didn’t want to do that nor have they said they would!!! Biden smiled and said he loved a good conversion and was glad that issue was settled.

▪ Most uncomfortable seat at the State of the Union

New House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose face ranged from stoic to smug to shushing members of his caucus, as he tried to figure out his post-speech spin to explain their rude outbursts in a positive way.

▪ Best spin post-speech

McCarthy for calling his out-of-his-control caucus “enthusiastic” in their beliefs.

▪ Best (and only) Republican rebuttal to the State of the Union

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders who parried Biden’s speech by focusing on the culture wars, not policy. She called Biden “the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is.” Another tryout for Number 2 on a Trump ticket?

▪ Most annoying word to creep into the English language

Woke. I get it. I get the meaning. When I hear it, though, it’s like fingernails on a glass window. It’s also a shortcut to having anything to back up what you’re saying. But, get used to it, it’s one of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ favorite words.

▪ Best balloon pop ever

The United States blowing China’s spy balloon out of the sky.

▪ Funniest reaction to the balloon popping

Chinese Leaders saying it was their property and the United States should return it!!!! Wonder if they would then reimburse us for the plane, pilot time and bomb?

A few “do you ever wonder or imagine”:

▫ Did you ever wonder if certain Republicans put Cong. Santos up to make themselves look better?

▫ Did you ever wonder if DeSantis looks good to many because he isn’t Trump?

▫ Did you ever imagine Biden or former Vice President Pence would get caught with classified documents they shouldn’t have had?

▫ Did you ever wonder why Biden doesn’t give as his reason for having the classified documents that he’s the President (now, anyway)? (Can you name any President who would have used that excuse? Right.)

▫ Did you ever imagine we’d be wowed by podcasts? I mean, we did (do) have radio which pre-television was the primary electronic entertainment system. For those younger folks not familiar, radio has existed for decades, and you listen to it but don’t watch it. Remind you of anything?

▫ Did you ever imagine former President Trump would get caught having classified documents he shouldn’t have had? (Oh, wait…)

— AUTHOR —

▫ B. Jay Cooper, Former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Also headed communications offices at the RNC, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University.

Sources

▪ Text: This piece was originally published in The Screaming Moderate and re-published in PMP Magazine on 9 February 2023, with the author’s consent. | The author writes in a personal capacity.
▪ Cover: Flickr/The White House. - President Joe Biden. | 25 January 2023. (Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.)