Hoyer Response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address

WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke with Roll Call and C-SPAN last night to discuss President Obama’s State of the Union Address, the President’s efforts to forge bipartisanship, and the need for both parties to work on a bipartisan basis moving forward. Below are excerpts from the interviews and links to the videos.

Roll Call

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“I think this is was a speech really appealing to our finer nature, our better nature, as Lincoln would say. It was a speech that was obviously focused on the future, as he said, but also on we the people. Those two phrases resonated. We are in this together. And we have some challenges, and yes we have some disagreements, but we can do more together than we can apart. And we are stronger together than we are apart. And we need to look to the future – he talked about climate change, working people having enough to live on and a quality of life in America, and building small businesses, and making sure that people believe they are getting a fair shake. He talked about specific issues – of education and health care – but he also talked about a broader message of [being] indivisible – one nation under God, indivisible. He also talked about one of the strengths of America, which is tolerance [and] the acceptance of one another. He didn’t use the phrase, but as Martin Luther King, Jr. said: content of  character, that’s what you need to focus on. Those who want to participate and work and make America better, we have always accepted them for what they do, not for the distinctions they might have. So I thought it was a very ennobling speech reflecting the best of America… It was a speech that was designed to, again, appeal to our better nature, with an understanding that we have been deeply divided from time to time.” 

C-SPAN

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“I think frankly from the beginning, Republicans decided they would not cooperate with this President. And of course as you recall, Senator McConnell famously said when asked what is your objective over the next four years, was to beat President Obama… I think [the President] reached out a lot. I have been through five presidents. I think he reached out at the beginning in an attempt to forge bipartisan compromise.”

“I think [Democrats and Republicans] can work together. I think Congressman [Kevin] McCarthy would say that he and I have had the opportunity to work together cooperatively on a number of matters. We need to do more of that… We can work together, talk to one another, and try to work on that which we agree on, rather than focusing always on what we disagree on.”