The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
A national television audience will watch Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech this evening.
Asked about his message Tuesday, McDonnell told reporters he'll "put a happy, positive, pro-business face on the Republican party."
The governor expects to give a 10-minute address from the House of Delegates chamber in the State Capitol.
He said it will be "the shortest speech I've given in a long time," a self-deprecating crack about his penchant to expound at length on numerous topics.
But the governor's comments likely won't be all positive.
McDonnell said he also will express concern about federal government excess.
That national GOP leaders asked McDonnell to deliver the response is a signal the new governor is viewed as an up and comer in the party.
He wasn't far removed from his landslide November victory in the governor's race when the proposition was presented to him in recent weeks, McDonnell revealed Tuesday.
In similar fashion, former Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was just beginning his term in 2006 when he delivered a response to then-President George W. Bush's State of the Commonwealth speech.
Because Obama's speech is to begin at 9 tonight, McDonnell aides expect the governor will speak sometime around 10 p.m.
Julian Walker, 804-697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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Just As Well, HBrogan,
You probably wouldn't understand anything they were saying anway.
Response?
I'll bet he has it already written, that it has no relationship at all the Obama's speech, and it will be just another example of flag-waving without knowledge.
Yeah, and?
And you don't think Obama's staff of speech-writers hasn't already written his? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Obama will say in his speech - that's not a slam, just easy to figure out.
Response?
Would you have replied to my post without knowing what I said?
The term "republican response" is a definite oxymoron. They are all following the example of the racist in charge, who is so culturally biased that he can't even consider the fact that a black man can be intelligent, much less be president. Every time he speaks, he feels the correct response should be "Yassuh, Massa."
strategic changes in our culture?
Why don't you call it what it really is? "SOCIALISM"! Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. This is the United States of America, not the United Socialist States of America. Sorry Mike B., but I will fight that every chance I get. And you know how we'll fight it, w/our votes, which is exactly what we Tea-baggers have been doing ever since Hussein became the POTUS. We will not stop or backdown from this fight, our country is in crisis & we will not give up the ship. Pack your lunch bigboy, we'll be here for a quit awhile.
Serious stuff
So you label what is happening to our middle class as socialism? Sorry, I can't buy even one ounce of that label. If we were to use labels, what is happening today is much closer to elitism or fascism than it is to socialism. Fact is, increasingly, the power elite, to borrow a phrase from Mills, is more descriptive of the current situation than socialism, but of course I would call it neither one of those extremes. But the rich, powerful, corporate mentality has essentially bought control over the minds of many americans, convincing them that a consumer based economy is the ideal. In pursuit of that, these powerful forces have created their own ethic of consumption, parochialism, greed, and pursuit of individual wealth at the expense of the common good. The result is that increasingly, our welfare as a nation is subsumed under the label of corporate power as we ourselves elect to dismantle the infrastructure that had made us a great nation. Serious stuff.
Time for evaluation
Oh for Pete's sake, call it what you will, but to me, the broad middle class in in crisis. Actual wages and salaries have actually decreased over the last decade as good paying jobs have migrated overseas. As a nation, our adversion to paying for needed infrastructure has resulted in the gross deterioration of our airports, our transportation, especially roads, water and sewer systems, bridges, rail roads, etc. as our citizens prefer to invest in war and where they can get top dollar for themselves instead of in what is important for our future. Perhaps this is in response to globalism, yet our lack of an industrial policy has resulted in areas of our country more noted for rust than for productivity. Anyone who asserts that our health care system is fine just does not understand, and frankly, don't realize that they could very quickly be one of those who has an illness and loses their coverage. Let's hope both the President and Governor take note.
Another straw man
Again with the straw man argument..."Anyone who asserts that our health care system is fine just does not understand"...
You think that anyone who disagrees with Obama, Reid and Pelosi's idea of health care reform "thinks the health care system is just fine". That is a straw man. did you never take debate or forms of reasoning in college?
The system needs reform but not Obama et als solution. FRANKLY you are just being partisan as usual.
partisanship
It will be a partisan speech; I expect a partisan response.
We will continue to tread water until one party or the other finally sinks. Then the remaining party will climb on the backs of the survivors to impose their agenda despite our wishes. I guess in some ways the current lack of progress is better than the alternative.
Tonight's speech will apparently focus on jobs. I wonder if President Obama will present a plan that favors american workers and reduces the appeal of outsourcing? Or will he continue to propose government-subsidized new industries while pandering to our asian allies? Will McDonnell counter with a plan that makes it more economically appealling to purchase american drywall and manufacture parts for american cars here in america?
Best of Luck
As a citizen of Virginia, I certainly wish the Governor well on his speech, just as I hope the President hits the right chords as well. In regard to the Governor, this may well be the opportunity to help create a more civil discourse about the issues that divide our citizens, issues that have much more to do with strategic changes in our culture and our situation in the world. No one can deny that the trickle down policies of tax cuts for the rich have seriously eroded the stature of the broad middle class, as the jobs of even well educated information economy workers are now just an announcement of going away off shore. The atmosphere of denial in Washington about the effects on Main Street is seriously undermining America even as it appears in the short run to have gained political points. I hope McDonnell aims high instead of joining with the forces on negatism and denial.