Stacey Abrams' Rebuttal To The State Of The Union Had Twitter Taking A Deep Breath
The road to President Trump's 2019 State of the Union address has been a rocky one, and the drama didn't end after the president delivered his remarks on Tuesday, Feb. 5. After the Democratic Party revealed that it had chosen none other than rising star Stacey Abrams, making her the first black woman to be chosen for the honor, to deliver the 10-minute rebuttal to the president's address, all eyes were on the Democratic challenger. Abrams, who lost to Republican Brian Kemp in the Governor election last November in a contentious race that was fraught with allegations of voter suppression, didn't hold back during a fiery response that focused on the government shutdown, and these tweets about Stacey Abrams' rebuttal to the 2019 State of the Union were here for it.
With only ten minutes allocated to respond to Trump's address, which touched on immigration, the economy, and abortion, Abrams chose her battles wisely while managing to touch on the biggest issues of the moment, per CBS News. She chose to focus on the devastating aftermath of the month-long partial government on furloughed workers, lowering health care costs, stricter gun laws, and preventing voter suppression.
She began, per CBS News,
My family understood firsthand that while success is not guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do not succeed alone - in these United States, when times are tough, we can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Our first responders will come for us.
Leading up to Tuesday's State of the Union, there was a lot of attention surrounding Democratic Party's dramatic pick for the politician who was slated to deliver a rebuttal in front of the joint congress on Feb. 5. After Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed to CNN that his choice was Abrams, she officially accepted his invitation in a tweet shared on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
She wrote:
At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response.
Considering that Abrams' contentious 2018 midterms race against Brain Kemp propelled her into the national spotlight and made her a household name, it was a dramatic, albeit unsurprising, choice. While the 45-year-old lost to Kemp in the race for Georgia's governor's seat, it was after a long fight tainted by accusations of voting suppression and race. Her charisma attracted the attention and support of celebrities like Oprah, and she came within two percentage points of winning in the traditionally Republican state.
"Stacey Abrams offers a welcome, stark contrast to President (Donald) Trump's politics of division and lack of leadership as American families are still feeling the impacts of his self-imposed shutdown," Schumer said in a statement, according to CNN.
He continued:
Stacey Abrams is a present and future leader in this country. She is a dynamic, moral leader; she delivered results on the issues that matter most to Americans; and she tirelessly pursues fairness and justice for everyone in her state.
From the sounds of things, Twitterverse shared this opinion, as viewers of the State of the Union took to the social media platform during Abrams rebuttal to share their thoughts.
Considering that Abrams is said to be eyeing a potential run for a Georgia Senate seat next year or re-running for governor in 2022, it looks like delivering this rebuttal is giving her the momentum she needs to get back in the political arena.
