It’s no secret that the US is deeply divided politically. But it’s not every day that we get to see that division play out on national television. During the 2021 State of the Union address, tensions between President Biden and Republican lawmakers boiled over into a remarkable display of partisan animosity. At the center of it all was Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who stood and yelled “Liar!” at the President.
This incident put on display the power of Greene as leader of the Outburst Caucus, and the struggles that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has in controlling the behavior of his conference. Ahead of the speech, McCarthy had warned lawmakers that all eyes would be on them as Biden delivered his remarks. But when Biden mentioned potential cuts to Social Security and Medicare, Greene stood up, jabbed her finger, and yelled toward Biden.
Other Republicans followed suit, and Biden seemed both perplexed and energized by the sudden shift in the room. He responded by saying, “Anyone who doubts me, contact my office…I’ll give you a copy of the proposal.” Biden then suggested that minds in the room had changed on the topic, and said that everyone in the room apparently agreed that “Social Security and Medicare is off the books!”
After the speech, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Biden was wrong to keep associating his party with wanting to cut those programs. It’s clear that the US is still deeply divided politically, and this incident is evidence of that. It will be interesting to see how this incident affects the political landscape going forward.
Source: www.washingtonpost.com