MOBILE, Alabama — Republican leaders have made an excellent choice in tapping Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) to give their party’s response to the March 7 presidential State of the Union address. If Britt is at her best, other Republicans can learn from her on style and substance.
As I described when she first entered the race for Senate in 2021, when she was polling at a measly 2% against then-Rep. Mo Brooks’s 60%, Britt is extraordinarily adept, in a way former President Ronald Reagan was, at “seamlessly explaining how national politics affect [local] citizens.” Too many politicians act as if talking at a “kitchen counter” level requires dumbing down issues into slogans, but Britt doesn’t do that. Instead, she deftly draws quick, logical links.
As in: “Yes, the open Mexican border affects Alabama. One in every five illegal immigrants captured in Texas is headed to Florida. A migrant can’t get from Texas to Florida without traversing Alabama. Many of them going to Florida are trafficking fentanyl. Alabama’s fentanyl use is depressingly high, ruining otherwise good families.”
There. In just 50 words, or about 20 seconds, Britt has tied border policy to daily lives in local communities.
As she draws connections, Britt can exude toughness and resolve. One video of her went “viral” when she joined a press conference urging the seizure of Iranian funds after Iran’s Hamas clients butchered peaceful Israelis last October. In less than three minutes, Britt described the horrors of what Israeli women and children endured, expressed solidarity with Israel and Jewish people worldwide, and explained why and how Iran, as much as Palestinian terrorists, should be held accountable.
She did the same thing while again bringing the problems to a personal level in less than four minutes after a trip to the border, where female illegal immigrants are mistreated, abused, and subject to daily rapes, and where small children drown while crossing the Rio Grande. “It changes the way you think about what’s happening.” And it’s all “because Joe Biden has made it more and more enticing to come here.”
Britt’s secret is that she “keeps it real.” When watching her, there can be no doubt that what she says on public policy matters isn’t just based on poll-tested catchphrases but instead comes from her core beliefs. Sincerity can be potent.
This all comes with a caveat. Responses to State of the Union speeches are notoriously difficult to do well. It’s easy for a responder to come across as pale and stale coming after the pomp of a president in the ornate House chamber surrounded by dignitaries. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) did a decent job of it a few years back, and Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) was superb in 2022, but almost every other one, for either party, has ranged from barely adequate to downright bad.
One challenge for Britt: Even though she smiles radiantly and tends toward the optimistic, she sometimes verges on coming across too intensely. TV is often said to be a “cool medium,” and viewers can be put off if a speaker seems to be jumping through the screen.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Britt must strike the right balance between passion and restraint, between showing enough of her naturally high energy and being a tad too frenetic. Usually, though, she does strike the right tone.
Either way, Britt’s key skill is in remembering that politics isn’t supposed to be about power games but about people living their nonpolitical daily lives. Party leaders have made a wise and winsome choice in picking her to carry the message of can-do conservatism.