There are 15 Republicans, a Democrat and a Green Party member seeking to win both the March 15 special and general primaries in the race to replace former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner as Ohio’s 8th Congressional District representative. Here’s what some who offered comments had to say:
Matthew Ashworth, Republican, of Liberty Twp.: "I thought it was the most racist State of the Union speech since the Johnson administration. Instead of taking the opportunity to unite the country and address the jobless 'recovery' and the millions of Americans suffering economically, he chose to bash Donald Trump, just like the pathetic Republican response given by Nikki Haley. Instead of talking about the Christians being murdered by Moslems all over the world, he invites members of the Moslem front group CAIR to the State of the Union, which when you think about it, says more about the State of the Union than anything said all night.
“At the end of the day this sad little president and his sad little party can do little more than attack Republican straw men and perpetuate the biggest hoax since Charles Ponzi, global warming. The American people are worried about their economic situation and the future for their children, and we are watching the Middle East implode with Christians being slaughtered on a scale we have not seen since World War II, and nothing said last night by either party did anything to address these issues.”
Bill Beagle, Republican, of Tipp City: "Instead of presenting a plan to try and fix the damage done during the first seven years of his presidency, Obama decided use his last State of the Union address to pat himself on his back for a job well done. Americans continue to be deprived of a leader who speaks the truth and tackles the real issues that plague our country. If we are ever going to get America back on track, we must send conservative leaders to Washington who share our values, our priorities and our vision for the future."
“Whether it’s his failure to secure our borders, refusal to root out radical Islamic terrorism or his repeated, unconstitutional overreach of executive power – Obama has continually demonstrated how out of touch he is with the American public and unfortunately. What we deserve to hear from our president is an unwavering commitment to defend our nation and an aggressive plan to keep Americans safe. We deserve to hear that we’re going to balance our budget, cut taxes, rein in out of control government spending and stop digging ourselves deeper and deeper into debt.
“We need to take a stand and elect true, conservative leaders who will challenge the status quo and make the tough decisions to get America headed in the right direction again.”
Warren Davidson, Republican, of Troy: "(Tuesday night) President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address. He sounded more optimistic, but continued to promise more of the same. We heard how he plans to rob us of our Constitutional rights. He spoke of his plans to take away our 1st Amendment right to Freedom of Speech through his democratic derived plan for campaign finance reform, and his plans to take away our 2nd Amendment right to bear arms through his executive orders on gun control.
“Obama expressed regret that partisanship has gotten worse on his watch, while failing to acknowledge that his rhetoric and policies have skillfully and purposefully worked to divide the country into hostile factions, and no more acutely than on race and religion. Obama said he believes in change. I believe he has achieved too much change, at our expense.”
Tim Derickson, Republican, of Hanover Twp.: "In last night's State of the Union, Americans heard one of the last major addresses from a president who ran on bringing us together but sadly has divided us more than ever. With a record number of Americans pessimistic about their future, it is my job to remind those I interact with about the reasons America always has been and will be the greatest nation on Earth.
“America is great not because of our elected leaders but because of the principles in which she was founded. My campaign is about returning to those principles of self-determination, faith, family, community, hard work and bravery.”
Corey Foister, Democrat, of Fairfield: "As a stage four cancer survivor, I applaud President Obama renewing America's commitment to fighting all forms of cancer. He gave America a clear choice for our future. We can choose either fear or confidence when we go vote this November and decide which path we go down the next four years. He highlighted bipartisan issues that all Americans support. We should help make college more affordable for all Americans, give small businesses a larger voice in our economy, offer paid leave for women and strengthen social security and Medicare.
“He also said that we must rebuild our political discourse, have civil debate and get money out of politics. We must all advance our political conversation to a level higher then the one we are currently have. Politicians who slam this speech, maybe it is you who is the problem, not the President. I also want to commend Gov. Nikki Haley for calling out Donald Trump’s ‘irresponsible talk’ during her GOP response speech. Trump’s over-the-top rhetoric must not be ignored by the Republican Party.”
Scott George, Republican, of Troy: "The president's State of the Union lacked reality. Are we to believe our economy has really recovered when we have a $20 trillion debt and 90 million people under-employed or unemployed, that more people have access to healthcare when millions have lost low-cost plans they once had, that military and veteran's care is better than ever when hundreds of thousands are dying while waiting for care?
“The president was quick to mention the need for criminal justice reform. Not once did he mention the assault on American law enforcement and the recent assassination attempt of an officer in Philadelphia or its connection to Islamic terrorism. He was quick to warn us about discriminating against Islam but failed to mention the full-scale assault on Christianity abroad and on our shores.”
Eric Haemmerle, Republican, of West Chester Twp.: "The current state of our union is not strong. We have a record 94 million Americans not in the workforce. We have a national debt approaching $19 trillion dollars. One in six Americans are living in poverty with more than 46 million Americans on food stamps. Obamacare is economically unsustainable. Race relations in our nation are at their worst in 50 years. Our veterans continue to struggle to receive the proper care that they have earned and deserve.
“Our borders have never been more porous which has led to an immigration crisis and ultimately a national security crisis. Iran is the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism and the Obama administration gave them $150 billion taxpayer dollars. We have a president who will not aggressively confront radical Islamic terrorism and has proven to be feckless in the war on terrorism. We have lost standing and credibility in the world and have created malaise here at home. We should all be grateful for this president’s lame duck status.”
Terri King, Republican, of Middletown: "Upon watching President Obama's State of the Union address, I found that although the president spoke eloquently, h[H]e never addressed the true problems facing our nation at all. The majority of which has been caused by his administration. Only a couple of things stood out to me, one was his relating climate change to global instability, or in politically incorrect terms 'Islamic terror.' Such a statement and belief is utterly ridiculous. Had the president's administration followed the 'Rule of Law' as he stated was so important, but he himself and his administration feel they can completely ignore, we would not have the Middle East in chaos and Islamic terror spreading around the world. Failure to show strength and appeasing your enemies never works. Yet, he touted the Iran deal as a great accomplishment. For Iran yes, but for America, Israel and the rest of the world an absolute disaster.
“He failed to even mention the numerous terrorist attacks here at home, most recently the police officer in Philadelphia who was shot 11 times, yet, got out of his car and shot the perpetrator while being seriously injured and almost killed. How about a shout out to the officer for his bravery, and actually calling it Islamic terror. The President’s speech sounded like a first term president’s (speech), with all his plans that he hoped to carry out.
“The joke he made about ‘congressmen/politicians having guaranteed jobs for 30 years’ was the truth. It was the only thing he said that was accurate. There definitely needs to be term limits implemented immediately for Congress. It is the only thing that is ever going to make them responsible to the American people.”
Joe Matvey, Republican, of West Chester Twp.: "President Obama did what he does best which was to eloquently say nothing. He stated that anyone who says the economy is in decline is 'peddling fiction.' But what has happen to our middle class in the past seven years? Obama has selectively initiated countless executive orders, including over 20 specifically relating to our 2nd Amendment rights to bear arms, yet he has no clear plan on dealing with ISIS. He does not want to deal with the issue by challenging Congress to take action by saying 'you should finally authorize the use of military force against ISIL. Take a vote.'
“The liberal Obama also avoided responsibility for our immigration system, instead calling for ‘fixing a broken immigration system.’ The system has been broken by his action in relocating Syrian refugees and not complying with our current laws related to deportation of individuals entering into the U.S. illegally. Let’s call it what it is, these are unregistered Democrats and through his goal of making voting easier (no identification required) looks to increase the Democratic voting base. The greatest thing about this State of the Union Address is that it is his last.”
Edward Meer, Republican, of West Chester Twp.: "It was a nice speech. I could get nitpicky but it would just be better to just say, 'Cool. Got you, Mr. President.' And then just go get things done instead of the normal rants and complaints."
Jim Spurlino, Republican, of Washington Twp.: "While Americans produce goods and services, professional politicians like Barack Obama produce speeches. Tonight, Mr. Obama showed once again that he's will out of step with the people of Southwestern and Western Ohio. Nearly every accomplishment he claimed was either an overstatement or taking credit for things that other people have done. I come from the world of business where actions speak louder than words. I'll take that experiences and get results in Washington."
Kevin White, Republican, of New Carlisle: "It came across more like a sermon than a report on the state of our union. It seemed like an attempt to wrap his hollow seven years of disappointing leadership with beautiful dreamy paper. The administration's failures domestically and most acutely internationally cannot be over-stated: the problems have grown much worse, not better. Whatever strength the Union has, it has in-spite of this administration's actions and policies. No, climate change is not the nation's most imminent threat."
J.D. Winteregg, Republican, of Troy: "Once again, President Obama has proven that he'll continue to lie to the American people in order to implement his radical, far left agenda. The United States is worse off after seven years of his presidency, and his socialist, Bernie Sanders-style calls to require the government provide 'free' services to the American people will continue us on the path to decline."
“Unfortunately, as bad as policies of Democrats are, they would not have been able to achieve this without the help of establishment Republicans. We need a fighter; not only for OH-8, but also for the Republican party. I’m the only candidate who has proven that he has the guts to fight for what’s right, and you know that I’ll continue to fight for conservative principles — and against the far left — while representing you in D.C.”
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