Democratic response to the 2006 State of the Union address

The response to the 2006 State of the Union Address was delivered by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine on January 31, 2006, after United States President George W. Bush delivered the 2006 State of the Union address. The speech's theme, "A Better Way," advocates the Democratic Party's policies and states' rights.

Introduction

Kaine begins his speech by recalling his work as a Catholic missionary in Honduras, where he learned the value of measuring one's "life by the difference [one] can make in someone else's life." Kaine mourns the loss of Coretta Scott King, as Bush also did in the introduction of his speech, who "embodied that value."

Kaine's diction emphasizes the role of elected officials as public servants, portraying the duties of office as a "higher calling" and referring to the federal government's duty to "serve the American people" as a frustrated "mission" due to the Bush administration's "poor choices and bad management."

Criticism of government policies

Kaine attacks the government's most controversial actions and positions; the Federal response to Hurricane Katrina (See also: Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina), "Families in the Gulf Coast see [the government's mistakes] as they wait to rebuild their lives," the United States economy, "Americans who lose their jobs see [the government's mistakes] as they look to rebuild their careers," the Occupation of Iraq, "and our soldiers in Iraq see that as they try to rebuild a nation."

Both Bush and Kaine emphasize the need for bipartisan cooperation.

Kaine, "As Americans, we do great things when we work together. Some of our leaders in Washington seem to have forgotten that."

Bush, "... even tough debates can be conducted in a civil tone... our differences cannot be allowed to harden into anger... we must act in a spirit of good will and respect for one another."

Kaine's theme: "A better way"

Kaine offers "good news," stating that "Virginia and other states" were succeeding by focusing on "by focusing on service, competent management and results," the theme of his speech. He also points out that, under previous Governor Mark Warner, Virginia was voted "Best Managed State," in order to draw a stark contrast with the financial state of the nation, saying a citizen has "a right to expect that your government can deliver results."

He then poses a series of hypothetical situations using anaphora through repition of "When...." The situation of "[when there's] a crime or a fire, you expect that police and firefighters have the tools to respond" invokes memories of the September 11, 2001 attacks, "When there's a natural disaster, you expect a well-managed response," a criticism of the Federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, and, "When you send your children to school, you expect them to be prepared for success," a general attack on Education in the United States.

He particularly criticizes the government's fiscal policy, insisting that citizens "have a right to expect [the] government to be fiscally responsible, pay the bills and live within its means," a criticism of governmental corruption and the trillion dollar "staggering national debt." Kaine once again accuses Bush mismanagement, citing his tax cuts, and paralleling the "huge surpluses" of the Clinton administration with the "massive deficits" of the Bush administration.

Kaine asks rhetorically, "Why should we allow this administration to pass down the bill for its reckless spending to our children and grandchildren?" and repeats his theme, "There's a better way."

Success in Virginia

Kaine switches his focus from an international level to a state level, discussing the fiscally succesful budget reached "Two years ago in Virginia" by Republican legislators and Democratic presidential hopeful, former Virginia governor Mark Warner. Kaine's first points attack inadequate "service... management and results." The second part of the speech is outlined by Kaine's success on a state level and Bush's mistakes on a national level, "By focusing on results we were able to... protect the essential services that families rely on: education, health care, law enforcement."

Education

Kaine denounces the No Child Left Behind Act for "wreaking havoc on local school districts" and blames Bush for allegedly underfunding the act while refusing "refusing to let states try innovative alternatives" and "cutting billions of dollars from the student loan programs."

He repeats his theme a third time and recalls how "governors from across the country worked together in a bipartisan fashion to reform the senior year of high school," a sentence that repeats the bipartisanship, working, and reform emphasized in his comment on the Virginia budget, "Democrats and Republicans worked together to reform our budget."

He notes how states "are working to make... pre-kindergarten accessible to every family."

Kaine's announcement of a Democrat plan "to educate 100,000 new engineers, scientists and mathematicians in the next four years" is especially notable because this is the first time Kaine has referred to the Democratic Party as a whole, and this is the first time he has proposed an alternative policy to the Bush administration. Equally notable is the vagueness of the statement; Kaine never actually states the Democrat's plan. Instead, he points to "record investments in education... [resulting in] more accredited schools [and] better student test scores," and attributes this to Virginian bipartisan cooperation.

References