Sarah Huckabee Sanders' Response to Joe Biden's SOTU Fever Dream Hit all the Right Notes

After watching Joe Biden’s completely-separated-from-reality State of the Union address Tuesday night, I was ready* to hear a response that called Biden’s nonsense out for exactly what it was and didn’t mince words – and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR) delivered.

My colleague Bob Hoge shared his take on Sanders’ speech in a piece headlined, “Sarah Huckabee Sanders Is the Latest Casualty of the State of the Union Rebuttal Curse.” The gist of Bob’s opinion:

[Sanders] delivered her remarks from a living room setting, with no audience—and therefore no energy—sitting in a chair and speaking directly to the camera. I like Sanders, but this format did her no favors, and quite simply seemed like she was reading a bedtime story.

I understand his opinion, but I respectfully disagree. (He’s a Duke graduate and I’m a Tar Heel fan and we’re still friends, so our friendship can definitely survive this small difference of opinion.)

Admittedly, Sanders’ presence was not as high energy as someone like Donald Trump, and she didn’t benefit from a live audience that could punctuate her best lines with applause. But the content (as Bob agreed) was fiery, as Sanders called Biden unfit to serve …

“Beyond our border, from Afghanistan to Ukraine, from North Korea to Iran, President Biden’s weakness puts our nation and the world at risk, and the President’s refusal to stand up to China, our most formidable adversary, is dangerous and unacceptable. President Biden is unwilling to defend our border, defend our skies, and defend our people. He is unfit to serve as commander in chief.”

… and flat-out stated that it’s the radical left in control of this country, not Biden, after she outlined just a few basic differences between herself and the man in the White House:

”I’ll be the first to admit, President Biden and I don’t have a lot in common. I’m for freedom. He’s for government control. At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history. I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is.

“In the radical left’s America, Washington taxes you and lights your hard-earned money on fire, but you get crushed with high gas prices, empty grocery shelves, and our children are taught to hate one another on account of their race, but not to love one another or our great country. Whether Joe Biden believes this madness or is simply too weak to resist it, his administration has been completely hijacked by the radical left.”

Summing it up for me was this line:

“The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy. ”

In addition to the fire, though, Sanders masterfully recounted the events of December 25, 2018, when she accompanied President Trump to Iraq on an unannounced trip to spend Christmas with members of our military. As she spoke, I found myself unable to do anything but listen to her and feel the emotions right along with her. On a good day it’s extremely difficult for me to pay attention to only one thing for more than a few seconds due to my ADD (yes, really, diagnosed by a doctor and all). During Sanders’ speech I was also managing the site’s coverage of the State of the Union, so the fact that I concentrated completely on her words during that story is quite significant. I believe that was due to both her abilities and the story’s content – like many, I long for leaders who sacrifice and who honor our military. Her story was a powerful way to close the response and to highlight the differences between Republicans and the leftists who are behind Biden’s actions and policies.

Sure, Sanders could have delivered those fiery remarks in a lively, Trumpish fashion, in front of a live audience, with Hollywood lighting and music, and it would have been a good show. However, had she done that she risked coming across as a shrill, angry woman, or, even worse, being labeled as an angry insurrectionist.

Perhaps it’s just me, but it’s been a chaotic few years in this country, and everywhere we look we see speakers and crowds whose energy and anger levels are off the charts. Sanders’ remarks were bold and cut to the quick, but were delivered with calm self-assurance by a confident, unflappable leader. We need a few more of those around.