Those tuning into President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address may have temporarily thought they were watching a parliamentary hearing in England.
While outbursts can sometimes be heard during State of the Union speeches, it is rare to see a president engage with lawmakers. But on Tuesday night, Biden did not let his Republican hecklers go unanswered.
Instead, he chose to engage with them, creating a scene reminiscent of what you might see in England’s Parliament.
The moment, which featured Republicans yelling “liar” at the president after he accused them of wanting to “sunset” Social Security and Medicare, did not sit well with some commentators.
However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had a slightly different take.
“I think that they were protesting too much,” she insisted. “They knew that they had been identified as putting Medicare and Social Security on the table. And they were trying to dismiss that. But the fact is it still is part of who they are.”
Democrats have pounced on a list of policy proposals from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to claim Republicans want to end Social Security and Medicare. However, The Washington Post noted that it is not a position listed by Scott, nor has he voiced support for the move, nor have Republicans even embraced Scott’s proposals.
Watch the video below:
When asked if she was bothered by the “lack of decorum,” Pelosi said, “No, no.”
“Actually they were, for them, fairly well behaved for what we see every day of the week,” she added.
The optics of Republicans shouting and calling Biden a “liar” during the State of the Union were not the best. The moment came off as disrespectful, even though the frustration of hearing the president use a national stage to spread a debunked claim is understandable.
But Pelosi is not the best source to talk to about a lack of decorum.
As former President Donald Trump wrapped up his 2020 State of the Union, Pelosi dramatically ripped up her copy of the speech while sitting behind him.
Flashback:
While such displays can be entertaining to both parties’ bases, it would be nice if our lawmakers and representatives would act like adults and not high school students.