"It's strategically dumb," says Sen. Kevin Cramer, referring to those who heckled President Joe Biden during the State of the Union address, and otherwise made a spectacle of themselves.
Cramer joined this episode of Plain Talk to discuss the president's speech, the Senate's GOP's progress toward picking a new leader, and the prospect for tackling border security during an election year.
Cramer had tough words in his assessment of the speech -- “I thought it was the worst State of the Union address I have ever listened to or sat through," he said in his official statement -- but thought those who felt the need to shout at the president during the speech were "giving up the moral high ground."
He said those who got up to antics -- such as Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene wearing a Trump campaign hat -- "have to trust the view public more."
Cramer also acknowledged that Biden is conceding some points on border security to Republicans, and that he believes Republicans ought to press the issue. He said he'd be in favor of the Senate passing a border security bill through regular order and sending it to the House, even though former President Donald Trump opposes making progress on the issue before he's elected, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has said that any such bill is "dead on arrival" in the House.
Why, then, did Cramer vote against the border deal negotiated with Democrats by Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford? He says because it wasn't brought forward through regular order.
As for the new leader for Senate Republicans, Cramer says that right now the race is between South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, but that he expects a third name to emerge. He wasn't ready to say who he supports, and added that the election of a new leader will take place after the November election, the results of which will have a big impact on the choice.
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