Turner Horn
SWA #3
| Foreign Policy | Domestic Policy |
| Pull out of Afghanistan and Syria | Prison Reform |
| Immigration Reform | The Wall |
| Trade Reform | Lowering the Cost of Healthcare |
| Replace NAFTA (USMCA) | Eliminate HIV/AIDS |
| End Childhood Cancer | |
| Prohibit late-term abortions | |
| Paid Family Leave | |
| Reinforce National Defense |
It is no secret that the United States is divided into two ideologies: Republican and Democrat. Neither two want to back down on any issues or compromise to collaborate on an issue. It is proven in President Trump’s unwillingness to end the shutdown without Democratic approval, and in Speaker Pelosi’s unwillingness to work with Republicans to pay those working during the shutdown.[1]President Trump made it clear to emphasize this issue in his State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019. He said early on, that Americans hope Congress will “govern not as two parties but as on Nation,” and that his agenda is “not a Republican agenda or a Democrat agenda. It is the agenda of the American people.”[2]President Trump went on to say that Democrats and Republicans today can be the first ones in decades to work together to solve problems, instead of trying to make their parties stronger.[3]This type of language is not just present in his general introduction, but it can also be heard in multiple addresses of single issues. He uses this “teamwork” rhetoric on issues like immigration reform, lowering the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs, eliminating HIV/AIDS and childhood cancer in the US, and abortion policy reform.[4]
President Trump also made it clear through context clues that the United States cannot be governed by a single party or chamber. In many cases, he explained that Congress needs to compromise in order to progress. On issues such as abortion President Trump used the words “I am asking Congress to pass legislation,” meaning he cannot pass it by himself, or he does not want to pass it illegally.[5]Trump knows that he cannot pass any sort of meaningful legislation on his own (at least legally). This is why he uses this rhetoric. President Trump wants to show that he actually is in favor of legal legislation. Along with this, Trump uses these words to seem more compassionate toward compromise, probably to get more votes in his favor for things like the wall. Conversely, he does state in many cases about how, under the Trump Administration, America has made tremendous strides in multiple areas. For example, President Trump explained that he brought on an “unprecedented economic boom,” when talking about his tax cut and the millions of jobs created in the past two years.[6]This was not a push to say that he could get legislation done. Rather, it was using persuasion to prove to doubters that capitalism works.
The Democratic Response to the State of the Union was given by Stacey Abrams. Abrams seemed a lot less likely to negotiate on many issues. Some of the words she used were that the “ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable.” Abrams went on to disagree with the tax bill that President Trump put forth, the wall, the request to change immigration policy, the repeal of Obamacare, and repeal of abortion laws.[7]It seemed that she wanted to put blame on the Trump administration for racism, sexism, homophobic discrimination, and voter suppression. Abrams and the Democratic Party seemed to disagree with and be non-negotiable on most of the points President Trump brought up in the State of the Union.
The State of the Union brought up many points that are similar to what the state of Ohio holds true. Some issues that appeared in both accounts are the issue of healthcare and making it more affordable and available, job creation, and working to make (late-term, in Trump’s case) abortion illegal. Ohio is mostly a Republican state and holds many of the same stances on these issues. What appeared in the State of the Union that did not show up in the issues faced in Ohio mainly have to do with immigration. Obviously, Ohio is not close to the southern border, so these issues are not in the immediate attention of Ohioans.
[1]Bob Gibbs, “Gibbs Introduces Bill to Pay Federal Essential Workers During Shutdown,” Office of Bob Gibbs, January 8, 2019, https://gibbs.house.gov
[2]Donald Trump, “2019 State of the Union,” February 5, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-2019-transcript/index.html
[3]Ibid.
[4]Donald Trump, “2019 State of the Union,” February 5, 2019, https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-2019-transcript/index.html
[5]Ibid.
[6]Ibid.
[7]Tara Law, “Stacey Abrams’ Rebuttal,” Time, February 5, 2019, http://time.com/5521939/state-of-the-union-democratic-response-transcript/