Despite President Joe Biden's calls for unity across the political aisle during his first State of the Union address, the reactions from local Democrats and Republicans couldn't have been more divided.
In his address Tuesday night, the president laid out plans to fight rampant inflation, continued to push for gainful progress on the nation’s infrastructure and supply chain issues and once again asked Americans to come together, this time in support of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson spoke highly of Biden’s speech on a zoom call with Democratic Party of Georgia Chair and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams (D-Atlanta) and Democratic State Rep. Debbie Buckner.
Johnson lauded the local results of the Biden administration so far, specifically the American Rescue Plan and the child tax credits that came along with it.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“The Biden-Harris agenda is the plan that we need right now, at this moment, coming off in a historic year of record economic growth, job creation and fighting against the pandemic,” Johnson said. “President Biden's address made it clear that his administration remains focused on the work still yet to be done, to ensure that working Georgians can get ahead.”
Johnson said his main takeaways from the speech were Biden's commitment to ease the supply chain issues plaguing ports around the nation, including Savannah's. He also praised the president's other agenda items, which he expects to lower the cost of living, from prescription drug costs and health care premiums to childcare and pre-k, and make the economy more competitive as a whole.
But U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) didn’t get what he was hoping for out of the speech. Carter attended the State of the Union, something Carter says he has never missed, regardless of the party of the president.
He said Biden's views on the current state of the country were disconnected from reality, and were "unrecognizable to Main Street Americans."
“I attended the State of the Union today because I made a promise to work with President Biden on bipartisan policies. Unfortunately, he used this pivotal moment, with the eyes of the world watching as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin advances into Ukraine, to monologue about a union that is unrecognizable to Main Street Americans,” a Tuesday press release from Carter read.
Carter did not give specifics about what he finds "unrecognizable."
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Foreign affairs became the centerpiece for the address, with Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova seated with First Lady Jill Biden for the speech. The president denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, pledging the United States’ support of the Ukrainian people, which drew standing applause from both sides of the aisle.
Carter was part of a bipartisan delegation that attended the Munich Security Conference to meet with allies and discuss the situation in Ukraine. There, he heard Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak, and said he was inspired by the Ukrainians defending their home.
“It was a surreal moment to be there and to hear them talk about their homeland and how much they love their home, and how much they wanted to work and to fight for their homeland,” Carter said.
Credit: GENYA SAVILOV, AFP via Getty Images
Credit: GENYA SAVILOV, AFP via Getty Images
Over the course of the last year, Biden has authorized close to $1 billion in military assistance for Ukraine. A little over a third of that money was spent in the last week's $350 million in antitank and antiaircraft missiles last week.
But Carter says he wishes Biden would’ve started sending weapons to Ukraine sooner, as now it’s more difficult to get arms shipments into the country. The U.S. and NATO have been pouring weapons into Ukraine for much of the last week.
The congressman also hopes the lesson the U.S. learns from the Russian invasion is to equip allies in advance. He predicts that China will soon invade Taiwan.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“It's going to happen,” Carter said. “Now's the time for us to send weapons to Taiwan. We need to make sure that they are ready, that they are equipped, because I can assure you, that's going to happen next.
“I hope that we don't see any American blood spilled in Ukraine,” Carter said. “But listen, we are the leaders of the free world. We have to help Ukraine; we have to make sure that China and Iran and North Korea know that we're not going to tolerate this.”
Unity
Besides Ukraine, the centerpiece topic for the evening was the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which Biden pointed to as an example of across-the-aisle cooperation, despite the lack of support from most Republicans and progressives bemoaning the bill as not doing enough.
Carter predicts Biden’s calls for bipartisanship will fall on deaf ears for many Republican voters scorned by rising inflation.
“The state of the union, and the world, is in crisis. If President Biden focused on a true ‘unity agenda,’ not a left-wing agenda, we would be in a better position today. After tonight’s speech, I am concerned about our president’s ability to lead through this period of uncertainty,” Carter said.
But Savannah's Mayor Johnson interpreted Biden’s calls for unity as a charge that transcends party lines.
“We have to be able to come together," Johnson said. "And the president says that we have to do it together. I did not hear him say Democrats have to come together, or Republicans. He said we, as Americans, have to come together to get things done for the American people, and of course here for our state.”
Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Biden State of the Union speech: Rep. Carter, Mayor Johnson's interpretations differ vastly
The Latest
Featured
