EDITORIAL: Yep, a divided union – as stated
President Obama’s State of the Union address was billed in advance as being “untraditional,” but there was certainly nothing surprising or unusual about the rhetoric the president employed.
Indeed, while the main theme of the speech was that American politics is too divisive and rancorous, it was filled with subtle and not-so-subtle digs at Republicans for their principled opposition to his agenda. So, while the president may sincerely regret that he has presided over an America that is angry and deeply divided — he bears a share of the responsibility for the turbulent state of the union.
The responses of our own three Montana representatives in Congress were perhaps instructive of just how cynical the whole political process has become.
Sen. Jon Tester, the lone Democrat in the group, was the most circumspect in his response, which is perhaps wise considering the senator’s electorate has voted against President Obama twice. The senator, in fact, was silent on the substance of the president’s address, merely stating, “The president has laid out his priorities, and now it’s time for Congress to outline ours and get to work fixing the dysfunction that is plaguing Washington.”
Tester provided his own priorities, which should appeal to most Montanans. “We must defeat ISIS, create better paying jobs, make college more affordable, and end the flood of money in politics.” But not surprisingly, he was silent on the president’s plan to order gun control by executive order or his stated intention to empty Guantanamo of radical Islamic terrorists.
Sen. Steve Daines, being a Republican, was more direct in his criticism of the president and his “failed legacy.” Daines focused on just a few issues that have worried Montana voters: “bureaucratic land grabs,” “excessive anti-energy regulations,” and “politics as usual ... that has weakened America’s power on the world stage.” He concluded that “Montana can’t afford any more” of President Obama’s legacy.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, the freshman Republican congressman, was the most forceful in his condemnation of the president for “divisive campaign rhetoric while turning a blind eye toward the real threats facing our nation from terrorists and rogue regimes.”
Regarding Guantanamo, Zinke was blistering: “Releasing terrorists from Guantanamo Bay who have killed American citizens not only is a national security risk, but it is also a slap in the face to every American who died on the battlefield to put them there.”
From a man with the service record of Zinke, that is damning criticism indeed.
Most damning of all, however, was his conclusion that “under this administration, law-abiding Americans feel persecuted. The president and his allies speak of gun owners as if we are criminals; however the person in the House Chamber tonight who has broken the law is Barack Obama. His refusal to abide by the constitutional limits he swore to protect is the behavior of a king, not a president.”
No doubt, President Obama would characterize Rep. Zinke as one of those “extreme voices” who is part of the problem, but it will be up to the American people to adjudicate this fight and decide the future. What kind of America do you want? And what will you do to get it?
The president is right about one thing: “... if we want a better politics, it’s not enough just to change a congressman or change a senator or even change a president. We have to change the system to reflect our better selves.”