In politics, you’re either on message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… Big Speeches.
Four big speeches will dominate the political headlines this week – some more than others.
We’ve got the opening remarks in both chambers of the state legislature, the state of the state address and the presidential inauguration address.
These types of speeches really fall into two different categories:
An inaugural address is more inspirational, it’s about bringing people together after campaigns divide us and it’s about reminding us of all we accomplish together.
On the flip side, the remarks from the Governor, Senate President and Speaker of the House are typically more agenda driven, outlining the issues and work for the next several weeks.
On Tuesday, the Legislature opened its 45-day grind and here’s what stood out from the opening remarks.
In the Senate, President Stuart Adams highlighted education as a spending priority while championing forthcoming tax cut. He made specific mention of Utah’s nearly one billion dollar surplus in one-time funds, comparing it to California, which went from projecting a $5.6 billion surplus to having a 54 billion dollar deficit.
President Adams grabbed headlines by calling for the vaccine age to be lowered from 70 to 65, noting that even before the COVID vaccine began to be distributed, Utah had the nation’s highest survival rate at 99.55 percent.
House Speaker Brad Wilson also prioritized a tax cut, emphasized an additional 400 million dollars for education and called for the legislature to lead a review of business regulation, including carving out regulatory flexibility for new industries that don’t fit into existing regulatory frameworks.
The Speaker built his remarks around what he feels is a moment of great opportunity for the state. He outlined his three pillars for the session: Broadening Economic Success, Investing in Infrastructure, and Extending Opportunity to All.
But one of his biggest ovations came when he took a strong position on emergency powers.
SOT: During this session, let’s provide clear direction on what constitutes an emergency, what authority that triggers, and how long it should last. No emergency should usurp the power of the people, nor should it dismiss the need for transparency and accountability for actions taken in times of crisis.
One thing to keep in mind for a speech: Know your audience. The separation of powers is important to all three branches of government and telling the House you want to make sure they aren’t sidelined indefinitely during an ongoing crisis was a sure-fire applause line.
Now, we’re recording this message a few hours before Governor Cox gives his first State of the State address so more on the speech next week.
On the national scene…
President Joe Biden took the oath of office and, in one of the easiest inaugural themes to choose, ever, highlighted the need for the nation to come together.
This section stood out to me as the most impactful:
SOT:
There are some days when we need a hand.
There are other days when we’re called on to lend one.
That is how we must be with one another.
And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.
Amen, Mr. President.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground. Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
Check it new issues every Friday at utpolunderground.com.
