The Republican response to the State of the Union: Boon or bane?

Depending on how you look at it, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been given either one of the most coveted speaking opportunities of the year or one of the most dangerous.

Just minutes after President Obama concludes his State of the Union address tonight, the first-term senator and potential presidential candidate will deliver the official Republican response. It will be an opportunity for Rubio to both rebut the president's message and bolster his already soaring national profile.

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• Complete coverage: The State of the Union 2013

"The audience is the entire country. It's perhaps the biggest audience you'll ever get a chance to speak to," Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., told CBS News. In 2010, McDonnell delivered the GOP response less than two weeks after taking office, an experience he called "humbling."

But the speaking slot comes with some inherent pitfalls. For starters, while the president is likely to speak for nearly an hour, Rubio will get roughly 10 minutes. And then there are the visuals. The president will address the nation from podium of the House of Representatives. His speech will be punctuated by applause and standing ovations. Rubio will be alone, speaking directly to a camera.

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GOP Response to State of the Union

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Bobby Jindal: The Future Of The GOP?

McDonnell, who delivered his response from the floor of the Virginia House of Delegates, said it is important not to try to compete with the theater of the State of the Union.

"You've got to start by realizing that you've got to really focus on the message," McDonnell said. "Sometimes you can try too hard. We were worried about that when I first got invited. You feel like the whole burden of carrying the Republican cause rests on your shoulders."

Just ask Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La. He delivered the response to Mr. Obama's first address to a Joint Session of Congress in 2009. The speech was widely panned as hokey and stilted. In the time since, Jindal has worked hard to rehabilitate his image.

"To use a sports metaphor, you have Hall of Fame receivers drop a pass and Hall of Fame baseball hitters swing and miss," Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union, pointed out. "That was not the best delivery that a brilliant leader like Bobby Jindal can give."

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[stevehamilton858]

A well written, well delivered SOTU. I'm waiting to see what Rubio and Rand have to say in response that is as thoughtfully crafted as the president's message. I'm betting that they will make fools of themselves once more, pandering to the Tea Party and other radical right-wingers and the ultra-rich. Instead of throwing cherry bombs at the sitting president, these guys ought to form a crisis management team to prevent the GOP from imploding. Who is the CEO of the Republican Party? Priebus, whose IQ barely exceeds his resting pulse rate? Rove, who wants to get rid of the Tea Party? Cantor, who is trying to make a cocktail lounge out of a privy (or put lipstick on a pig)? This party reminds me of GM, just before it went belly up.

[dougd120]

works well

[peter_out]

State of the Union?

TARP and various bailouts saved no jobs as claimed, but did perpetuate outrageous salaries, pensions, and bonuses. So-called Green investment has backfired at an alarming rate resulting in fewer jobs in the Green sector even than before. Deficit Spending has added $5 Trillion to the Debt.

It's a $5 Trillion Wad that has been shot.

Obamacare is not the "Public Option" promised by Obama in 2008. Millions wanted the Public Option to get even with Big Insurance by eliminating Big Insurance, and therefore voted for Obama in 2008. Instead of a Public Option, Obamacare now assures Big Insurance triple revenue what they had before, and to top it off it is becoming apparent that Access to health care is now halved from what it was before. We lose, big.

20% of Black Males 19 years old in 2008 were unemployed. Today those Black Males are 24 years old and are still unemployed except the percentage is nearing 35%.

Gun Crimes in America have increased as U6 Unemployment has increased, and as participation in the economy has decreased. Every job added will decrease Gun Crimes. There are not enough new jobs being created. Jobs continue to go in reverse. Obama is not talking about Decreasing Gun Crimes by increasing jobs.

Obama would take guns away from lawful Americans so that only criminals have guns. Lawful Americans become easy prey under this scenario. When criminals are seconds away the police are minutes away. Lawful Americans become what we refer to as "dead meat" under Obama's Gun Control Plan.

On a good month new jobs added in America only keep up with 80% of new college graduates who would wish to join working Americans. Only about half of new college graduates are finding employment. It's no wonder layed off Americans need extended unemployment checks, there's not even enough room for half of new college graduates. Plus, Obama has added a million illegals to those competing for the few available job in America.

It is looking like no politician, Republican or Democrat, has the guts to swallow the sequester, which means Obama will continue to spend more than double what is coming in in taxes. How is he making up the difference? Printing funny money and borrowing from China.

This is the State of the Union.

[SD92040]

Remember....Obama wants to ban guns from Democrats and Republicans.

[TimeToEvolve]

The Republiclown party has honestly not done anything good for the middle class since before the Reagan disaster. They are a failed and obsolete party. We need a second political party in America, a real one.

[baileycccc]

Rubio is a tainten' republican. He was caught spending campaign funds for personal used and his lying(like Ryan)of when his grandparents left Cuba. He is just a new face for the old failed group. Florida would do well to send him packing after his only term as senator.

[fiberglass3]

The Republican response to the State of the Union: Boon or bane?


BANE CAPITAL ?

[Ambivalent11]

That's so funny. At first I thought you were referring to the injured SEAL that killed Osama that Obama won't do jack for.

[st247]

Ambivalent11, oh stop with the partisan blaming of Obama for all the ills of VA funding. Start with a review of Congressional budget shenanigans led by Republicans. Start with right wing extremist Republican Michelle Bachmann's proposed $4 billion cut to disabled vets. Start with right wing extremist Republican Paul Ryan's proposal to wind down VA healthcare for disabled vets which would leave 135,000 disabled vets without healthcare.
Then seriously take a look at the long, unthankful history of Republican proposals to wack the VA and veterans healthcare.
Then go look at yourself in the mirror and ask "what did I do to urge my Congressmen and Senators to support vets?"
I have contacted my Congressman and my two Senators to let them know that I not only oppose decreasing current funding levels for veterans, but that funding should be increased. And if you think the President needs a reminder, let him know also. Get back to me when you've done that.

[Ambivalent11]

mountainstates1 says:
Let's see... you're inviting Ted Nugent, a draft-dodger who crapped is pants to avoid going to Vietnam



Unlike Bill Clinton, who was humping the bush serving with the Green Machine in I Corp, huh.

[indvfreedomliberal]

zorroaca44 replies: What's typical is the same old two faced crap that the GOP has been spewing out for decades ... AND ... the red states ARE in fact mostly racist ... get real and at least realize the blatant truth!!!!
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Really? do you have any facts to back that up or are you just trolling?

[ManOfSteel-Velvet]

@indvfreedomliberal When you challenge zorroaca44's assertion, you better know the answer. Because if you don't, how can you tell whether he was right or wrong. You comment betrayed you by telling us you don't even know the answer.

Guess what? zorroaca44 was right and you were wrong!

Ex. A group of academics analyzed and map out racist tweets sent during the presidential election of 2012. A shocking demographic of racist tweets that didn't just apply to President Obama heavily concentrated from Red states such as Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Utah, North Carolina, South Carolina, and so on.

[Ambivalent11]

Say brokebackjack, your millionaire President, the one who takes credit for killing Osama, is doing nothing for the SEAL that actually killed Osama, and is now broke, unemployed and can't get treated by the VA for his many injuries. Perhaps Rubio can talk about him. Say maybe Obama can give him your share of Obama Food Stams. . .no, the sailor wouldn't take them.

[Ambivalent11]

outback_jackson replies:

Live with it mortimer, and know that YOUR racist party of haters is disgusting and continues its WAR on everyone not white!


Say brokebackjack, could Christopher Dorner be Obama's other son?