Ugh. Distinguished EA commenter valkygrrl gets the pointer and my gratitude for this one: she flagged Senator Britt’s performance in an email late last night, and I might never have seen it otherwise. Here, if you were fortunate enough not to see this thing without a trigger warning, it is…
I already said “Ugh,” now I’ll say, “Yecchh!”
To begin with, the whole concept of the opposition “response” is built on a lie. Although the speech is always presented as a reaction to what America just heard and saw, it is always (has there been an exception?) a pre-written and prepared speech often based on the transcript of the President’s speech released before he delivers it, but sometimes just based on what the opposing party assumes the President will say. So it is always fake: the speaker refers to the speech, but the speaker seldom (ever?) has the wit to go off script and comment on what just happened.
Britt definitely didn’t, and, presumably, couldn’t. Biden was shouting and acting like he was on speed. The State of the Union is supposed to be a Presidential address on the state of the nation itself, not a campaign speech. Biden made numerous false statements. He called illegal immigrants “illegals”—which they are—instead of the benign “migrants” the Axis uses to blur the issue. He mangled rape and murder victim Laken Riley’s name on the same day his party overwhelmingly voted against a House bill that established the outrageous requirement—in the democratic Party’s view— that illegal immigrants arrested for crimes should be detained by ICE. Surely the GOP must have some prominent party member quick and articulate enough to give a genuine response to a State of the Union based on what the speech performance really was. Ted Cruz could do it. Rand Paul. Heck, get a right wing radio talk-show host for the job.
The New York Times nicely encapsulates how transparently manipulative the Republican choices for this job have been in recent years. “Last year, the Republican response was given by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, a former Trump White House press secretary, who became the nation’s youngest governor when she took office early last year,” the Times reminds us. Sanders has all the charisma of a scrub brush, and, as she proved as Trump’s paid liar, is not exactly quick on her feet. “The previous Republican responses to Mr. Biden’s speech came from Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa’s first female governor”—that’s one DEI choice–“and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the chamber.” And that’s another.
Then there was the brain-dead decision to have young housewifish Britt deliver her speech in her kitchen, as progressives condemn her party for wanting to keep women barefoot and pregnant (alas, baby-killing’s not a right any more). The stupidity of this staging/framing decision is beyond my ability to comprehend. Moreover, if Britt’s most important jobs are “wife and mother”—valkygrrl: Shouldn’t that be mother first, then wife?—why the hell is she a U.S. Senator? Fact: fulfilling the duties of U.S. Senator requires one to be away from home and concentrating on non-family matters most of the day. Britt’s children are being raised right now primarily by her husband and others. She has made her priorities clear, and that’s fine, but don’t lie to my face about what they are.
What is going to make her a star on Saturday Night Live, however, was her cringey delivery, alternating between forced and often inappropriate smiles and death stares. Her vocal control was also icky, sounding like Gidget much of the time (Sally Field was better), over emoting, and generally looking like an amateur speaker. My old friend the late Arch Lustberg, a brilliant speaking coach, always complained about how so many elected officials and candidates didn’t know basic techniques of modulation, expression and communication, and said that in a single hour he could fix their bad habits permanently. He could, too. (So can I.) Sen. Britt’s speech might have killed him.
Naturally, because he is what he is, Donald Trump raved about Britt’s speech. “Katie Britt was a GREAT contrast to an Angry, and obviously very Disturbed, ‘President,’” he wrote on his Truth Social. “She was compassionate and caring, especially concerning Women and Women’s Issues. Her conversation on Migrant Crime was powerful and insightful. Great job Katie!”
That should be right up there with “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job!” in the Inappropriate Praise Hall of Fame.
Ethics Alarms 
Choosing the person to deliver the rebuttal should cease. This should be the job of the Speaker of the House or other senior member of the opposing party.
It should be pointed out that many of lines uttered by Biden last night are the same ones he used in his previous STOTU addresses. The speech last night was similar to his previous two speeches
I have no interest in listening to a man who considers me an enemy of the state. I had this conversation with some dinner companions last night who complained Trump’s name calling is unpresidential. I asked what is the difference between Trump using sophomoric names for specific people and his opposition labeling millions of Americans right wing extremists, racists, xenophobes, misogynists and threats to democracy. I was met with silence.
Biden is a threat to individual liberty because his decisions are designed on not what is right, practical and efficient, they are based on how to redistribute other people’s money to specific groups to buy votes. Far too many on both sides of the aisle are simply trying to ensure a place on the globalist’s ark when progressive policies cause society to implode.
So, the quality of her response means little to me because the progressives and others in the uniparty will not evaluate her points objectively.
Bingo!
“If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well.” Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
You know, so I won’t cite the various rationalizations. Sure, these things are quickly forgotten. Sure, they are basicly preaching to choirs. Not excuses and not mitigations.
That may be the best of her ability. Not everyone has the ability to verbally articulate ideas. I would like to know what coaching she was given beforehand. If blame is to be laid for her performance it would be laid at the feet of the person(s) choosing her. That may have a lot to do with the performance. Nonetheless, I would disagree that Trump’s response incorrect. It was to be as expected. Even if he felt it sucked as you described it would have been foolish for Trump to trash her. If she is on his short list for VP that is the first I have heard of it.
“Even if he felt it sucked as you described it would have been foolish for Trump to trash her.” Best then to say nothing. When someone describes something I know was bad as good, I can only conclude that 1) they are lying or 2) that they can’t tell good from bad.
Oh no! Not a kitchen. Not the place that 85% of every single Americans’ daily home interactions occur in! Oh no! Not the place that reminds us of home and comfort!
Yeah, I get the optics the left is desperate to make this look like.
I don’t think it’ll read that way to anyone who is undecided.
Her communication method however…yeah…not so great.
When something is so transparently a prop and manipulative, it not only isn’t effective, it’s insulting.
I never said it’d motivate anyone.
It’s not going to turn anyone away except the people who are already virulently anti-Republican.
She’s supposed to be a VP possibility! That wouldn’t turn you away? I’m virulently anti-pandering, anti-incompletent and anti-stupid. A party that would allow this is not responsible or trustworthy.
I don’t feel pandered to. I also don’t think sitting in a home is a terrible thing.
If she was sitting at the border swamped with illegal immigrants or outside an abortion clinic or in a grocery store next to some bread that is 2.5 x more expensive than it was before, I might feel pandered too even though those are extremely important topics in the coming election.
Incidentally, Ann Althouse wrote that maybe this is how “young people” talk now from watching videos. The woman is 42! Middle-aged women who try to sound like teens are particularly odious.
I agree, the delivery wasn’t good.
The woman is 42! Middle-aged women who try to sound like teens are particularly odious.
I’ve got bad news. The average American ability to communicate has plummeted like a roller coaster.
I wonder why you seem so determined to give the Sen. a pass. She’s supposed to be a mature, trustworthy elected official. The average American’s level isn’t nearly good enough for her Her delivery wasn’t just “not good,” it was bad. A kitchen isn’t where the laws of the nation are made, and using it as a backdrop smacks of insincerity. Parties and officials won’t get better unless we hold them to appropriate standards, rather than accepting poor decisions and conduct because we want to support them. And you know all that.
I literally have agreed at every turn that the delivery was problematic. It’s not giving anyone a pass, rather a condemnation of us all that the average American is less capable of communication as each passing generation matriculates into adulthood.
I just disagree that a home setting for the response does what you say it does.
“The Alabama Republican is seen as a rising star among Senate Republicans and a potential future leader. But her speech, set at her home kitchen, was slammed among many allies of former President Donald Trump.”
“Katie Britt is talking like she’s hosting a cooking show whispering about how Democrats ‘dont get it,’’’ wrote Charlie Kirk.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) deadpanned: “That one staffer that was likely suggesting that ‘maybe we don’t do SOTU response in a kitchen’ is having a very braggy day at work today.” …Alyssa Farah Griffin, a Trump aide, said: “Senator Katie Britt is a very impressive person … I do not understand the decision to put her in a KITCHEN for one of the most important speeches she’s ever given.The staging of this was bizarre to me. Women can be both wives and mothers and also stateswomen, so to put her in a kitchen, not at a podium or in the Senate chamber where she was elected after running a hard-fought race, I think fell very flat and was completely confusing to some women watching it.” Allie Beth Stuckey, host of the Relatable podcast, said: “Ok, GOP. Never again. I know y’all were going for the relatable mom speaking in her kitchen from her heart, but it didn’t work. Just a straight, strong speech will do in the future. Thanks.”
And so on. There people have to be smart at messaging. Whether the kitchen “worked’ for me or you doesn’t matter. What matters is that it was a distraction and annoyed the people it did for whatever reason it did.
So far the only people the kitchen setting seemed to bother were those who were going to criticize her regardless of where she did or how well she did it.
I haven’t seen any “ordinary people” comments on it yet. I don’t think you have either.
The people who hate it are the usual suspects of Republican haters.
I’ve seen plenty of “ordinary people” also comment on her actual delivery and content. Which I don’t disagree with.
As for her “rising star-ness”. Last night was the first I’d ever heard of her. And while the SOTU response if oft awarded to “rising stars” – it’s interesting to see the current locations of former SOTU responders.
Not a single eventual President until you get back to 1983 when Biden sat on pre-recorded a *panel response* and only a tiny handful of eventual party Congressional leaders (though several current-at-the-time party leaders gave the response, which frankly is how it should be).
Seems like Presidential hopefuls dash themselves on the rocks when they agree to do the response.
But that’s off topic.
“Seems like Presidential hopefuls dash themselves on the rocks when they agree to do the response.”
You sure got THAT right. Marco Rubio and the water. Bobby Jindal.
I was 2 years old when Biden gave that panel response.
Can we address the utter unethicality of our system that, if we didn’t know any better, has uglier incumbency rates than 3rd rate banana republics?
Like Biden and his sit down to a fried chicken dinner with a nuclear black family
Bingo.
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguish members of our Democratic Party … I present to you the next Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.
Ha! That was exactly what I was thinking. She sounded like a Kamala clone.
The GOP would have been much better off just replaying this (02/25) clip from Victor Davis Hanson. It is ten minutes shorter but ten times more powerful than Senator Britt’s speech. A depressing reminder of the Obama legacy and his current influence on slo-jo Biden.
“He’s The One Behind Everything” – Victor Davis Hanson – YouTube
The GOP is incompetent, and that incompetence is why people are voting for people like Trump. The response to the SOTU was pathetic, and just further evidence of the complete and total incompetence of the Republican establishment. Biden sounded like a crazed dictator in his SOTU. Responding to it should have been shooting fish in a barrel.
Thank-you. The fact that so many on the right rushed to defend Britt’s Botch exemplifies why the GOP lacks credibility, and how confirmation bias distorts the judgment of even the smartest people. That was my initial point: this should have been easy, a cakewalk. How McConnell (she was supposedly his choice) could find someone so inept is stunning. I still don’t understand why they just didn’t let Trump do it: he might have gone off the rails, but he still wouldn’t have been THAT bad.
That makes me wonder — she is a US Senator, right? If she is so bad at public speaking, how the heck did she get elected to a statewide office?
I realize that there probably wasn’t much Democratic opposition in Alabama, but she would still have had to win the Republican primary.
I didn’t listen to either speech, but that would have been a really bad time to have a bad day at the office (so to speak).
Americans is increasingly dummer.
I saw what you did there. Nice.
jvb
I’ve loved your blog never left a comment feel like it now I’m from Alabama feel like Katie Britt is a future star don’t know what you want from the state of the union response probably best to do away with it I thought sleepy Joe’s speech was the most appalling thing we have ever seen in our history and I thought she did a good job saying so what else do people want other than sleepy joe is the greatest….
I could have gone on cold and done a better job. I could have made Katie do a better job if I had 20 minutes with her. Putting her in the kitchen was walking into a haymaker. She should have the sense to say “no.” She’s just a shooting star if she can’t exercise better judgment than that…
Thanks for commenting at last!
I know you generally can’t stand Ann Coulter, but you still might enjoy her commentary on Senator Mom:
Well, she’s right. If only I thought she didn’t sit down and ask herself, “Gee, what opinion can I come up with that gives me a chance at the wittiest lines and the most publicity?”
I love Coulter’s biting wit.
jvb
https://open.substack.com/pub/jesspiper/p/the-fundie-baby-voice?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web