Stacey Abrams, in SOTU Rebuttal, Rejects Trump’s ‘Unifying Agenda’

Unsuccessful Dem Georgia gubernatorial candidate championed 'broken ideas' in stark contrast to president's record and ideas

By Kathryn Blackhurst | February 5, 2019

Democrat Stacey Abrams championed “broken ideas” that stood in stark contrast to the “unifying agenda” President Donald Trump laid out in his State of the Union (SOTU) address in her own rebuttal, a Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesperson said Tuesday night.

Abrams ran unsuccessfully as the Democrats’ nominee during the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial campaign.

But Democrats chose her to offer their official rebuttal to Trump’s SOTU, thus avoiding a selection from their long lineup of 2020 presidential hopefuls.

“With extreme policies and an anti-free market agenda, Stacey Abrams was rejected by her home state of Georgia last November,” RNC Spokesperson Ellie Hockenbury said in a statement.

“Tonight, Abrams’ speech for a national audience replayed the same broken ideas that capsized her failed campaign. While President Trump outlined a unifying agenda to advance America’s progress, Democrats are still living in the past, mourning Abrams’ loss,” Hockenbury added.

Indeed, Abrams took a myriad of swipes at Trump and his policies as she championed ideas from her own failed campaign.

Abrams blamed the president for the partial government shutdown that occurred after Democrats staunchly refused to give him the $5.7 billion he explained was needed for border wall security funding.

She called Trump’s actions a “disgrace” and accused him of “engineer[ing]” the shutdown.

She also fought back against the historic tax cuts and reform legislation that helped lead the nation toward a booming economy and record numbers.

“But instead, families’ hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life or just doesn’t understand it,” Abrams maintained.

She also oddly accused Trump of choosing “to cage children and tear families apart” — rather than seeking to find “bipartisanship” in immigration reform.

Abrams clearly omitted the fact that the illegal immigrant family separation policy at the border began instead under the Obama administration — and that Trump put an end to it.

Related: Trump: Congress Has a ‘Moral Duty’ to Address ‘National Crisis’ at the Border

Abrams claimed that “America is made stronger by the presence of immigrants — not walls,” without making a differentiation between legal and illegal immigrants.

She also called for action on climate change and combating voter suppression.

“While I acknowledged the results of the 2018 election here in Georgia — I did not and we cannot accept efforts to undermine our right to vote,” Abrams said.

The Democrat also lectured Republicans for standing against “reproductive justice” by defending pro-life policies and standing in opposition to the late-term abortion bills that appeared in at least three states over the last few weeks.

She insisted — again, oddly — that “we must never forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and families to advance a political agenda.”

Abrams managed to admit that she doesn’t want Trump “to fail.”

“So even as I am very disappointed by the president’s approach to our problems — I still don’t want him to fail,” Abrams said. “But we need him to tell the truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that defines America.”

Check out more in the video below:

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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