MSN
Remembering the failed Republican responses to the State of the Union
February 7, 2023 7:10PM ET
Photo: Christopher Halloran/Shutterstock
MSNBC's Ari Melber took a walk down memory lane remembering the republicans who did responses to former President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address. All that most remember about the speeches were the bizarre moments that left audiences online and off laughing.
The first was the speech by former Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana in 2009 that essentially ended his political career.
"Jindal’s response, televised immediately after, was supposed to be his big political 'coming out,'" wrote VOX in 2015. "If the speech went well, many thought it would provide a jumping-off point for a possible presidential run in 2012."
The Daily Show's former host Jon Stewart called it a Mr. Rogers-style of delivery as he spoke to the audience as if they were five years old.
"What the f*ck was that?" Stewart said after a clip of the video.
Another was Sen. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), who couldn't seem to find the camera, standing slightly askew during the speech and looking at an audience instead of to the rest of America. Her response came the same year she ended up on the cover of TIME Magazine where she was ridiculed as "crazy-eyes Bachmann" for her wide-eyed look. It was the same look she had dodging the lens in her state of the union response.
That was ridiculed by "Saturday Night Live," which showed Bachmann turning and turning always seem to be confused about where the camera was.
Then there's always Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who will never live down his uncontrollable thirst during the speech. At one point, he reached for a bottle of water that was far off camera, forcing him to lean really far before he chugged his thirst quencher. He responded in good humor to the incident.
During "Saturday Night Live," that featured Rubio, he was welcomed to "Weekend Update," where he couldn't stop drinking water.
See some of the comedy videos below or at the link here.
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