Though not meant as an “official” response to the State of the Union, Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann’s (R-Minnesota) address to the Tea Party following President Obama’s speech turned out to be exactly that. Where the president spoke in generalities and used ceremonial, presidential-sounding rhetoric to sell his big government programs, Rep. Bachmann laid out the reality in rather stark terms. She showed graphs dramatically illustrating the vast expansion of government spending and debt, as well as the contrast between the low levels of unemployment during the Bush years and the high levels during the Obama years.
Mrs. Bachmann’s remarks stood out for providing very solid suggestions for fixing the economy. She advocated stopping the cap and trade system, support for a balanced budget amendment, reducing dependence on foreign oil, turning back 132 Obama regulations that cost more than $100 million, repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with free market solutions, reducing tax and regulatory burdens on job creators, and reducing the corporate tax rate.
Bachmann ended with a soaring peroration about the miracle of America, the greatness of our country, and the liberty that is the foundation of our government. Of course, a major aspect of the power of Bachmann’s speech was the integrity of the ideas and the consistency with which Congresswoman Bachmann and the Tea Party Movement have held those ideas and embodied them in recommended legislation.