With the Republican Party more fractioned than ever, it was no surprise that the Tea Party released its own response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address on Jan. 20.  Despite the fact that many people and politicians who are affiliated with the Tea Party are registered as Republicans, they do have a few differences. These dissimilarities were evident in the groups’ SOTU responses.

The two responses speak to a larger problem at hand. The Republican Party’s image is put into question when different sects of the whole can’t come together to issue something as simple as a SOTU response. The GOP is in danger, and coming together as one unified party is the only way to save it.

Recently sworn in Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the first congresswoman from the Hawkeye State, was selected to relay the GOP response to the State of the Union.  Ernst was definitely a strategic choice for this rebuttal, but not an expected one. The freshman senator spoke much of her middle-class upbringing, adding personal anecdotes that varied from her wearing plastic bags on her sole pair of shoes to working to pay her way through college. These tidbits did what politicians need to do more often — make themselves more relatable to the public.

Aside from her early life in Iowa, Ernst touched upon some key issues that the Republicans in both houses need to focus on this session, which included: passing the Keystone XL pipeline, addressing “Iran’s nuclear ambitions,” developing a comprehensive plan to stop terror groups such as the Islamic State group and advancing anti-abortion positions. Ernst said the message from the public to the new Congress has been heard “loud and clear,” it’s just a matter of action at this point.

Congressman Curt Clawson (R-Fla.) delivered the Tea Party’s response. His remarks contained little to no personal anecdotes, unlike Ernst’s. Rather, he focused on economic freedom, personal liberty and crippling the federal government while strengthening the power of the individual states. By projecting the priorities of the Tea Party, Clawson gave a voice to the growing faction of the Republican Party.

Clawson’s response stressed the importance of the free market as an entryway to achieving the “American dream.” Everyone has high hopes and big dreams, and the congressman made them feel attainable. By constantly linking back to the “American dream,” Clawson brought back the idea that many have given up on and gave us hope that it is still feasible.

The two State of the Union responses shared similarities, such as the desire to get the Keystone XL pipeline passed and onto the president’s desk and the necessity of limiting the federal government’s hold on our rights and liberties. But, their tactics and hearts are in different places. This poses a serious problem that the Republican Party needs to deal with: uniting the various factions of the party during times of duress and importance.

Having a separate response for a sect of the party shows how broken it has become. Unfortunately, this says a lot about the future. If the GOP doesn’t shape up and find something to unite it, the Republican Party will be a thing of the past.  This doesn’t mean that everyone needs to conform to the establishment collective. But, there needs to be more amalgamation between the assorted branches of the Republican Party.

Vanessa Salman is a sophomore policy studies major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at vksalman@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @VanessaSalman.

Published on January 28, 2015 at 12:33 am