A State of the Union
By Arthur Didinsky
The State of the Union was like any other day for me. I woke up at 6am, I got on the Metro, and headed to the Capitol to start my work day. On a normal day, the Capitol grounds is free for the public to roam, but today there were fences. Fences which were heavy duty unlike the typical protest barricades.
The rest of my day went like any other, but a bit of tension was in the air. As I left, I noticed the Capitol Police were preparing the building. Dogs were sweeping the grounds and police cars from around the DMV were piling up in front of the capitol. I went home and watched the State of the Union on my laptop. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think about what my co-worker’s Argentinian immigrant dad said to me “When your leaders talk about things that don’t matter, you know you’re in a socialist state”.
The President’s speech was filled with the usual platitudes, but an underlying message began to emerge. He talked about unity, but never mind when he called MAGA republicans semi-fascists. He talked about jobs, but never mind under his watch prices have skyrocketed in the last year. He talked about the power of America and bringing back the middle class, but never mind that he wants to make burdensome laws and regulations that stop low and middle-class families from climbing the social ladder. When he called for economic improvement, he talked about the average household discussion of how their hotel rooms and plane tickets have surprise fees. The President called the State of the Union strong however, from the hypocrisy and the lies one message stood out the most, President Biden plans to run again.
Our President gave the State of the Union and it was filled to the brim with things that don’t matter. Is my coworker’s dad correct, do we now live in a socialist state? While, we haven’t crossed over the threshold yet, every day we move inches closer towards that line. But with every step we take a new hope emerges. Americans are beginning to open their eyes to the problems our nation faces. The question now is whether our party can articulate our solutions in a way that appeals to everyday Americans. We may not have most of the media or the big companies, but we do have one thing, the truth. Conservative ideas when implemented work because they are right. Conservative ideas help lift people out of poverty, make fair societies, and improve communities and neighborhoods. At times I find many conservatives conflating their praise of individualism and talking about their ideas as forcing it upon others. While none of us should force others to become conservatives, we can be persistent and not censor ourselves for simple politeness.
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Arthur Didinsky from Potomac, Maryland works on the Hill as a Staff Assistant for Congressman Ryan Zinke and is a member of the Communications Committee of the Montgomery County, Maryland Republican Party. He can be reached at [email protected]