McConnell on SOTU: ‘Lip Service and Liberalism’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday slammed President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech as “another retread of lip service and liberalism.”

“The stakes for American families are too high to keep taking the easy way out with more taxes and more wasteful spending,” the Kentucky Republican said on the floor of the Senate.

“Republicans believe that taking on this massive burden of debt should be more important in this town than winning the next election.

“That’s why we need common-sense reforms like a balanced budget amendment. All Republicans support it, and Democrats should, too. But we won’t get anywhere as a nation if the president refuses to lead.”

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McConnell said Obama discussed strengthening the nation’s energy infrastructure but did not mention the Keystone XL Pipeline crude-oil project, which continues to be held up by the White House.

“He chose the nation's biggest stage to promote something that’s inefficient and costly, like solar panels, instead of something that’s proven and reliable — and domestically produced — like coal,” McConnell said.

“He advocated tax reform, but mostly as a way to increase the size of government, not as a way to increase our competitiveness.

“He spoke of workers’ minimum wages, instead of their maximum potential.”

“In short,” McConnell concluded, “with the exception of his impressive delivery and trademark style, last night's speech was pedestrian, liberal boilerplate that any Democratic lawmaker could have given at any time in recent memory.”