LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Lawmakers from Arkansas are coming out in opposition to a speech from Pres. Joe Biden, calling it divisive and saying it “targets” citizens based on politics.
During the televised speech Thursday addressing what he called “the soul of the nation,” Biden called for strong American values and decried those who were, he felt, against them.
The Arkansas delegation reacted within hours of the speech.
Sen. Tom Cotton put up a series of tweets, taking Biden to task and labeling the speech “weird.”
“After much soul searching, President Biden has decided the greatest threat to American values are his political opponents.”
Sen. Tom Cotton
“Joe Biden has tried to override the voting laws of every state in the Union, destroy the filibuster, and attacked the Supreme Court. He has no right to lecture others about destroying our institutions.”
“In a weird speech last night, Joe Biden attacked his political enemies but mentioned none of his own policies or plans for America. That’s because he doesn’t have a record he can defend, and he’s out of ideas.
Rep. French Hill spoke to what he called the divisiveness of Biden’s speech, and how it reflected against problems the nation if facing.
“The American people are looking for leadership from Washington to address the crises facing our nation — cost of living at a 40-year high, fentanyl and other deadly drugs flooding our streets, an open southern border diverting scarce local resources, escalating crime across the nation – the list goes on. Instead of offering solutions, President Biden offered rhetoric designed to divide our nation, not unite, but the American people are smart enough to know the difference between political words and Biden’s and Democrats’ unfulfilled promises.”
Rep. French Hill
Rep. Bruce Westerman stated the speech was a partisan act and divisiveness.
“The President’s speech was an obvious exercise in rallying his leftist base to vote for Democrats in November; speaking of unity and working together when, in reality, we’ve experienced none of that under this administration. He spent far more time talking about a former president than talking seriously about any actions of his own, revealing a poor attempt to distract from his own leadership failures.”
Rep. Bruce Westerman
Rep. Rick Crawford issued a statement calling out “the inflation he [Biden] created” and other issues which need greater focus than anything the speech addressed.
“It is shameful that instead of addressing a plan to tackle the inflation he unleashed, reduce the violent crime raging in Democrat cities, and end his open border policies, our President decided instead to broadcast his hatred for millions of American families who work hard and play by the rules. Just a week ago, he unilaterally announced he will force firefighters, construction workers, and truck drivers to pay off the college loans of wealthy lawyers and doctors, a gift to his affluent political base and a thumb in the eyes of Americans who paid off their loans, or did not attend college. Now, with an election approaching, and early voting just weeks away, he has launched a vicious rhetorical campaign like the one that inspired a liberal extremist to cross the country with weapons and plans to assassinate several Supreme Court Justices.”
Rep. Rick Crawford
Rep. Steve Womack tweeted how “half the country” was targeted by Biden’s speech.
“President Biden’s calls for unity have stood in stark contrast with reality. The American people want policy solutions—not speeches that target and blame half the country. Instead of divisive rhetoric, the White House should be working to fix the many crises they have caused.”
Rep. Steve Womack
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson tweeted about what he held was the divisive nature of the speech and the need for leadership.
“Instead of discussing the border crisis, violent crime, and rising inflation, sadly, @POTUS [Biden] decided to further divide our country last night. We have challenges we’re facing in America, and we need problem-solving leaders rather than lectures on grievances from the last election.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson
Ahead of the president’s address, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivered his own “pre-buttal” in which he blamed record inflation and what he called rising crime rates on Biden’s administration and policies.
“In the past two years, Joe Biden has launched an assault on the soul of America, on its people, on its laws, on its most sacred values,” McCarthy said. “He has launched an assault on our democracy. His policies have severely wounded America’s soul.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy
