Ernst grabs the bright spotlight

So our brand new U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will bask in the national spotlight tonight, giving the official Republican response to the president's State of the Union address.

I have high hopes.

First. I hope Ernst's star turn arrives precisely at halftime of the Iowa-Wisconsin men's' basketball game, which tips off the same time as President Barack Obama's speech. I'm thinking this year I may experience the big speech much like that lone Cabinet member who avoids the event due to security concerns. I bet he or she sits in an undisclosed location watching, oh, I don't know, a basketball game.

Perhaps Ernst can even fit in a line that inspires the Hawkeyes to avoid a second-half shutdown. 'Contest every bleeping three!” Ernst shouted at one point in her response, puzzling many analysts.

But what I hope most is that Ernst does her home state proud. And that would be a considerable accomplishment, given the history of State of the Union responses.

It's the Bermuda Triangle of American politics, littered with shipwrecks and political aspirations that went off the radar screen, missing or presumed dead. In recent history, we saw Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal serve up spicy bowl of failbalaya. And, more recently, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio met his bottled Waterloo.

Otherwise, we've seen responses delivered at various levels of boring and swiftly forgotten, from sleep-inducing to 'well-received.” It's possible that our freshman senator received this high honor after several other prominent Republicans greeted the invitation with shrieks of horror.

But never underestimate the power of low expectations in American politics. If Ernst manages to avoid toppling over, dropping an F-bomb, accidentally discharging a firearm or setting the drapes ablaze, her response could be judged very favorably.

Joking aside, I fully expect Ernst to do very well. Sure, it won't be the Gettysburg Address, memorized by schoolchildren of the future. But if her speechwriters are skilled and kind enough to give her a good line or two memorable beyond tonight, and Ernst delivers them with energy and enthusiasm, she might rate a triumph.

What I'd also like to see is a response that's actually a response, taking three or four of the president's biggest policy initiatives and clearly articulating how Republicans would handle those issues differently.

I know, boring. Vegetables? We want red meat!

But we're already very well aware that the parties are starkly divided, and that Republicans think Obama is a historically lousy president whom they strongly oppose. We're a little less clear on what Republicans hope to accomplish.

A purely political GOP response tonight would be simply another signal that we're headed for two more years of ceaseless campaigning and pitched warfare. It would be great of Ernst offered us some faint hope that a few things of significance might get done.

A lot of Americans are interested in a substantive debate on lowering taxes on the vast majority of workers and on cheaper access to higher education, among other issues. It's halftime of Obama's last term. Let's avoid a shutdown.

' Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com