January 21, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Nick Novak, 608-237-7290
nnovak@maciverinstitute.com
“Like most Americans, I was deeply disappointed by the tone and tenor of the president’s speech. The president was first elected because he vowed to change how Washington works. What we got last night, instead, was more of the tired partisan gamesmanship and bravado. It is exactly this type of hyper-partisan attitude that has led our country to build a crushing mountain of debt that will snuff out the dreams of our children and grandchildren.
“It was bad form and just plain rude for Republicans to applaud when the president mentioned he was done running for office. But rather than rise above it, President Obama responded in-kind and with it, any hope of the president leading our country to find common sense solutions was dashed.
“At that moment, the American people needed the president to be the better man. We needed the president to show us petty and inconsequential jabs will not distract him from the monumental job-at-hand. We needed to see with our own eyes that our president was not just the leader of a political party but the leader of all Americans, even his harshest critics and most ardent opponents.
“We needed that because of just how serious our debt crisis is. Our country is $18 trillion dollars in debt. The lifestyle of our children and our grandchildren will suffer because eventually the United States will have to pay this bill. For President Obama to propose a new entitlement, massive spending increases and tax increases while we are in this fiscal crisis is simply unconscionable.
“Our children deserve better. Our children and grandchildren deserve an honest conversation about our out-of-control spending and reckless debt because it will directly impact their lives. Our children and our grandchildren deserve an unbridled future full of promise and prosperity for all.
“What we got all got last night from the president was just more of the same old partisan smack that gets us nowhere.”