No surprise here: Ohio Republican politicians loved State of the Union speech; Democrats hated it

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By Todd DeFe0, The Center Square

An Ohio congressman walked out of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, starkly illustrating the country’s political divide.

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said he “had enough” of Trump’s speech.

“It’s like watching professional wrestling,” Ryan said on Twitter. “It’s all fake.”

He added: “The President spent the first half of his [State of the Union] speech talking about how great the economy is for American workers, but if that’s true, why are so many Ohioans working 2 or 3 jobs and struggling to make ends meet?”

Criticism and praise of Trump’s speech broke along party lines. Republicans heralded it, while Democrats derided his remarks.

“The President claims his economy is lifting up all Americans,” U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Ohio, said on Twitter. “But after showering corporations and the rich with a $1.9 [trillion] tax cut in 2017, his Administration has tried to make American families foot the bill by cutting vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, offered a different take on the president’s remarks.

“The economy is booming! President Trump is getting government out of the way,” Jordan said on Twitter. “It’s working.”

U.S. Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, called on elected officials to end partisan bickering and work together.

“Like many in #Ohio, I’m ready for Congress to drop the pessimism/partisanship & focus on those working to achieve the #AmericanDream,” he said on Twitter. “I stand ready to continue working across the aisle to keep our country moving forward.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, said the president “has not kept his promises to the working people of this country.” Job growth in Ohio “was the lowest in ten years,” and “the first time since the recession of the early 2000’s that Ohio faced a potential net job loss,” she said in a statement.

“Working people in Northern Ohio deserve action and results, not lip service, from their President,” Kaptur added. “We live in a country whose private and public sectors too often serve the rich and powerful – not the average person, not the worker, not the farmer, certainly not the people of Northern Ohio or communities like it – unfortunately, President Trump’s State of the Union address this evening is a reminder that the promises he makes to working communities like ours are often hollow.”

Conversely, U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, said, “Ohioans have a lot to be optimistic about.”

“President Trump delivered a powerful address tonight, outlining the many things we have achieved on behalf of the American people and providing a bold vision for the future,” Wenstrup said in a statement. “After years of recession and economic stagnation, our nation is once again experiencing prosperity in what can rightly be called a ‘Great American Comeback.’ Americans now enjoy the strongest economy we have had in the last 50 years.”

 

Todd DeFeo is a contributor to The Center Square

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