Cheer-squad response

Katie Britt. Excuse me, make that Sen. Katie Britt.

Before Thursday night and the State of the Union address, I can truthfully say I had never heard of her. Now? I can honestly say, “I wish I had never heard of her.”

I feel certain the GOP selected the Alabama junior senator to give the rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s speech hoping she would appeal to women voters. Now, I’m wondering if a CAT scan would scrub her image and words from my brain pan.

Less than a minute into her speech, I thought, “Cheerleader, definitely a former cheerleader.” You know the type: malignantly perky, smiles with her entire face, emphasizes important phrases with subtle body movements. Cheerleader. Definitely.

Googled it. Britt was twice named as Cheerleader of the Year in the national high school championships. She was a beauty pageant winner and was Alabama’s Junior Miss in 2000.

She didn’t just give talking points about Biden’s speech: She emoted like she was the lead in Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.”

For a rebuttal speaker, I was looking for fireworks, like the toxic craziness of a Jim Jordan or Marjorie Taylor Greene, or a speech about family values by an expert like Lauren Boebert. What I didn’t expect was a drama queen who tried to draw out fictitious tears in order to get folks to take the current GOP seriously. Her message came across as, “Look at me; I am a gorgeous, well-put-together former beauty queen and accomplished cheerleader. Vote Republican!”

Sad. Very, very sad.

GEORGE S. SMITH

Emmet