Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell introduced himself to a national audience with the GOP rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union address, claiming economic recovery as his party’s top priority while seeking to galvanize opposition to Democratic spending initiatives.
McDonnell, speaking from the House of Delegates chamber in Richmond on Wednesday night, cemented his status as a national political figure whose victory last year provided a model for Republicans in search of a path to resurgence.
In his speech, the governor returned frequently to campaign trail themes that vaulted him into the executive mansion: taxes, jobs, education and the deficit.
The federal government, he said, “is simply trying to do too much.” He added, “the circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper, limited role of government at every level. Without reform, the excessive growth of government threatens our very liberty and our prosperity.”
McDonnell directly challenged Obama on issues like the controversial health care reform measure the president continued to back Wednesday. “Most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government.”
On global warming legislation, which Obama backed in his speech, McDonnell said the president and Congressional Democrats were, “seeking to impose job killing cap-and-trade energy taxes.”
The governor also blasted the decision to try the accused Christmas Day bomber in civilian court. “We should be spending taxpayer dollars to defeat terrorists, not to protect them.”
He found common ground with Obama in support of charter schools and a freeze on discretionary spending.
McDonnell joins his predecessor, former governor and now Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, as well as Sen. Jim Webb, among Virginians recently chosen to respond to the president’s State of the Union address.
McDonnell’s national debut was not without risk. A year ago, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s awkward reply to Obama, who was still in the midst of his postelection honeymoon, was widely considered a flop that did severe damage to Jindal’s career.
“It’s an easier speech this year than last year,” said Jesse Richman, a political science professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. “Last year, Jindal was responding to a newly elected president who was exceedingly popular. Today, the country is much more divided in its evaluation of President Obama.”
McDonnell’s victory against rural state Sen. Creigh Deeds in November was part of a Republican sweep of Virginia, in an election that also saw the New Jersey governorship change hands to the GOP. Republican are banking that the image and strategy McDonnell honed during the 2009 campaign will provide a model for GOP challengers in the upcoming congressional elections: an articulate, TV-ready candidate who could hold together social conservatives without losing the political middle, and who could offer confidence on economic issues.
But less than two weeks into his administration, Richman said McDonnell’s selection represents a gamble for the Republican party “that he can translate his successful platform within Virginia into a successful statement of party goals nationwide.”
In the spotlight
Recent Virginia leaders to deliver the State of the Union response:
» 2006: Gov. Tim Kaine to George W. Bush
» 2007: Sen. Jim Webb to George W. Bush
» 2010: Gov. Bob McDonnell to Barack Obama
