MPNblog.com | Missouri Political News: Hartzler denounces entire Obama State of the Union address

There may have been portions of President Obama's State of the Union address to Congress that every American could agree on. For instance, Obama acknowledged the bank bailout wasn't very popular.

"And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal," Obama said.

We don't know of anyone that disagrees outside the financial sector.

But the agreements aren't what Congressional challengers choose to focus on, and that is abundantly clear in the press release issued by a potential challenger to Rep. Ike Skelton.

Below is a fusion of comments from candidate Vicky Hartzler, who must still emerge victorious from a primary before challenging Skelton, and the President's speech:

Hartzler: The job-killing cap-and-trade legislation would only further destroy small businesses and impose one of the largest across-the-board tax increases in our nation’s history. Mr. Skelton was one of four deciding votes to pass the bill in the House. If honored to cast the vote for Missouri’s Fourth District, I will oppose this radical and destructive power grab in any form.

The President: "...it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America. I am grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year. This year, I am eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate. I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy; and I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future - because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation."

MPN Editor: Technically every vote is a "deciding vote", that's the notion of voting.

Hartzler: President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Ike Skelton clearly don’t understand that the way to create jobs is not to redistribute wealth from one class of taxpayers to another. Refusing to cut taxes on business owners who make over $250,000 is a policy representative of this administration’s flawed approach to governance and economics.

The President: "As we stabilized the financial system, we also took steps to get our economy growing again, save as many jobs as possible, and help Americans who had become unemployed.

"That's why we extended or increased unemployment benefits for more than 18 million Americans; made health insurance 65% cheaper for families who get their coverage through COBRA; and passed 25 different tax cuts.

"Let me repeat: we cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95% of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses. We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college. As a result, millions of Americans had more to spend on gas, and food, and other necessities, all of which helped businesses keep more workers. And we haven't raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person. Not a single dime.

"...The plan that has made all of this possible, from the tax cuts to the jobs, is the Recovery Act. That's right - the Recovery Act, also known as the Stimulus Bill. Economists on the left and the right say that this bill has helped saved jobs and avert disaster. But you don't have to take their word for it."