KoopaTV Live Reactions: SOTU 2022 + Kim Reynolds's Response

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - ...C'mon man, how many years do you need to cure cancer?

Did you come to KoopaTV tonight expecting to read our monthly newsletter? ...Because I was expecting to publish it. HOWEVER, every TV station out there was taken over—even blog websites that aren't actual TV stations but have TV in their name—with President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.'s State of the Union 2022 address to Congress. And then to be fair and balanced, we went and looked for the official Republican response, delivered by Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. Scroll to the bottom for that... though really, it's not impressive.

But since this is KoopaTV, we're not just airing the State of the Union uncritically. We LIVE commentated it below in text form. I'm the main talker, but Heavy Lobster (who is a robot and doesn't sleep) was also around to be... even less charitable than I was. This year, a country that isn't the one that is supposed to be discussed in the State of the Union got attention: Ukraine.

[8:59 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Too many reaction logs in close proximity, but President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is forcing us. :(
[8:59 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVIXLQrC9rE
[9:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Well, he's not only taking over the airwaves but he's late, too.
[9:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Maybe he fell asleep.
[9:04 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Okay, suddenly it warped to Congress.
[9:05 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: No audio.
[9:05 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Official White House stream is the best because of sign language girl.
[9:05 PM] HeavyLobster: I'm here because why not.
[9:05 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Oh, shoot.
[9:05 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I just realised this means that we gotta look at Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris the whole time.
[9:06 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Maybe the camera will be tilted downward like it does when there would be Republicans in those spots.
[9:07 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I think Congress is chanting "WAR WAR WAR WAR"
[9:07 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: but probably not.
[9:08 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I'm already halfway through my glass of milk. :(
[9:08 PM] HeavyLobster: Why should the US be involved in Ukraine at all?
[9:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: We'll find out tonight!
[9:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (Or maybe he might argue the opposite.)
[9:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: The President is thanking the audience, who are holding Ukraine flags.
[9:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Fortunately, the camera blocks off Kamala's and Nancy Pelosi's heads.
[9:10 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Freedom will always triumph over tyranny" gets the first standing ovation (from both sides).
[9:10 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Immediately goes to talking about Russia and Vladimir Putin.
[9:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Remember when Joe Biden refused to have that foreign policy debate with President Donald John Trump?
[9:12 PM] HeavyLobster: Most of the eastern half of Ukraine is facing a full siege. Ukraine didn't roll over immediately but they're not winning.
[9:12 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: As soon as the audience sits down, the President says America stands with Ukraine.
[9:13 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Starts giving neocon talk about dictators need to be stopped early.
[9:13 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Says Putin is wrong and Europe and the USA are united against Russia, spending "months" building coalitions.
[9:13 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...Uh...
[9:14 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...I dunno, I don't think the Ukrainian people feel the same way?
[9:15 PM] HeavyLobster: None of this stuff actually helps the Ukrainian people. At best it might deter invasions of other places.
[9:15 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "No more. I mean it!"
[9:15 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Well, "no more" means "no more invading other places" I guess.
[9:15 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So I suppose Ukraine will be it.
[9:16 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: The President is excited about confiscating yachts.
[9:16 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Putin has no idea what's coming."
[9:17 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: President Joseph Biden Robinette Jr. is "clear" that American troops will NOT go to fight in Ukraine.

They're probably gonna need more than that.

[9:17 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But they are going to Poland and Romania.
[9:18 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And "EVERY SINGLE INCH" of NATO territory will be protected by the full force of America.
[9:18 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So RIP Ukraine.
[9:18 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Guess they should've been in NATO earlier!
[9:19 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: eyyyyy releasing 30 million barrels of oil
[9:19 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: To "blunt gas prices at home."
[9:20 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Will he allow for replenishing those barrels with more domestic production?
[9:21 PM] HeavyLobster: I feel like China is the only country that unambiguously wins from this. Most everywhere else will face some problems.
[9:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Did he say "Iranian people" instead of "Ukrainian"?
[9:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He's off foreign policy now to talk about the CCP Virus and inflation.
[9:21 PM] HeavyLobster: A lot of the Middle East relies on Ukraine for food and disruptions to that could cause even more instability there.
[9:23 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. bashes President Donald John Trump's tax cut for no reason, and lies about it "leaving people behind".
[9:23 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Implying that only "the top 1%" got tax cuts.
[9:23 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Which is a total falsehood.
[9:23 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: While touting his coronavirus aid packages.
[9:24 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Now he's spouting lies about why deficits are high and whatever.
[9:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Our infrastructure is ranked 13th in the world"
[9:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I thought it'd be worse than that.
[9:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 13th doesn't seem that bad actually.
[9:25 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He's thanking both parties for passing the Infrastructure Bill. (The one with the bridge weight restrictions being lifted, apparently.)
[9:27 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I miss when the White House had misleading statistics in the side because it made screenshots better, though I still like sign language girl.

I specifically remember saying I agree with expanding quality Internet coverage back in the previous Democrat administration...
...When will this stop being a throwaway line and actually happen?

[9:27 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: The President is saying that his administration is gonna be the only "actual" one to "buy American" with taxpayer dollars.
[9:28 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I guess unlike those other administrations like that America-hating Obama-Biden presidency.
[9:29 PM] HeavyLobster: America does need semiconductor independence.
[9:29 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: There needs to be more semiconductors period!
[9:29 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Apparently they invited Intel's CEO here.
[9:30 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Intel is investing from 20 billion to... 100 billion???
[9:30 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...In what time period?
[9:31 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But Intel is waiting for Congress to subsidise half of that.
[9:31 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Sign Language girl is pantomiming the President's quips like "thanks buddy!"
[9:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He wants to rename "Rust Belt" to "the home of resurging manufacturing" or something wordy and not catchy.
[9:32 PM] HeavyLobster: It's not the Rust Belt, it's the something something something.
[9:33 PM] HeavyLobster: I think his speechwriters probably had something catchier planned that he forgot.
[9:33 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "I have a better way to fight inflation... lower your costs, not your wages."
[9:33 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...Wages are a cost!
[9:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He says the way to lower costs is to make more supply in America.
[9:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I... I mean, independence is a good idea, but that makes things more expensive.
[9:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: That's why they're relying on foreign supply chains to begin with, 'cause they're cheaper.
[9:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Sign language girl is hand-signing "USA!" too.
[9:35 PM] HeavyLobster: I swear I've been watching Presidents at the SOTU since Dubya promising to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.
[9:35 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: No, that's been the case.
[9:36 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Note that the President just said that "$35 a month" is "affordable for everyone."
[9:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (That's about the cost of birth control, but that was deemed to be unaffordable by activists.)
[9:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (Thus the government needs to subsidise it.)
[9:38 PM] HeavyLobster: He didn't say nuclear, which would've indicated at least a little seriousness. Wind and Solar promises are about as meaningful as prescription drug promises.
[9:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Middle-class and working folks shouldn't have to pay 7% of their income in child care."
[9:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Why 7%?
[9:39 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Nobody making under $400,000 a year will pay a single penny in more taxes!"
[9:40 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And here we go into the "wealthy Americans and corporations need to start paying their fair share" idiocy.
[9:42 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Here he goes lying about how deficits happen.
[9:42 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But apparently it happens from pandemic relief fraud.
[9:43 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "I'm a capitalist." - Joe Biden

I'm not really sure why the President is bringing this up without actual policies behind it?

[9:44 PM] HeavyLobster: I swear dramatically increasing the money supply had nothing to do with inflation, it was all those price-gougers.
[9:44 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Wait wasn't he just talking about "lowering costs"?
[9:45 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: How does that segue into raising the minimum wage?
[9:46 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: CCP Virus part; most of the country can now go mask-free.
[9:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Four common-sense steps:
[9:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 1. Stay protected with vaccines and treatments (claiming vaccines are effective)
[9:48 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (people who test positive for the CCP Virus will apparently be given free anti-viral pills)
[9:49 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Go to covidtest.gov and get more tests
[9:49 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 2. Prepare for more variants. Develop new vaccines within 100 days.
[9:49 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I see no reason to take the old vaccines for the new variants, which is what these "boosters" are.
[9:49 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So glad to see they're making new vaccines.
[9:49 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 3. End the shutdowns of schools and businesses. People working from home should return to the offices
[9:50 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (But working from home is very nice!)
[9:50 PM] HeavyLobster: People don't go downtown because of the crime spike post-George Floyd.
[9:50 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: As he says "most Americans can remove their masks" he's going inside his suit jacket to look for his mask??
[9:50 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 4. Continue vaccinating the world
[9:51 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (This is a common-sense step?)
[9:51 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "You can't build a wall high enough to......... uh..........."
[9:51 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He was really eager to bash wall-building but didn't know how to end his zinger.
[9:51 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He needs some water and a deep breath.
[9:52 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He's taking the breath but doesn't have water.
[9:52 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He's calling a 911 call a "nine-eleven call" eek.
[9:53 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Well he's getting into the crime spike bit.
[9:54 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "We should all agree the answer is not to defund the police.. it's to fund the police! Fund them! Fund them!"

Huh. Fund the police? I guess the Democrats are done wanting to defund the police.
Well, at least mainstream ones.

[9:55 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Unfortunately, he's talking about how he wants gun control.
[9:56 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And somehow in the same breath goes to talk about voting rights.
[9:57 PM] HeavyLobster: I wonder why Putin didn't fear and respect such strong leadership.
[9:57 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: OH HEY HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE BORDER
[9:57 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "SECURE OUR BORDER"
[9:58 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Alright, saying nice things so far...
[9:58 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...oh.
[9:59 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Revise our laws so businesses have the workers they need!"
[9:59 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Get those neo-slavery immigrants in I guess.
[10:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: We're reeling right into LGBTQ+ Americans.
[10:00 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Why didn't his speech-writers put in segues???
[10:01 PM] HeavyLobster: Biden supports puberty blockers and sex changes for minors.
[10:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Four big things:
[10:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 1. Beat the Opioid Epidemic
[10:01 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Oh hey no one's talked about that recently.
[10:02 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 2. Take on mental health, especially among children who have had their mental health wrecked by the CCP Virus lockdowns
[10:02 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "the harms of social media" true
[10:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "we must hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they're conducting on our children for profit"
[10:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "strengthen privacy protections"
[10:03 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 3. Support our veterans. Veterans are the backbone AND the spine of our country! They're the best of us!
[10:04 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Nancy Pelosi is rubbing her hands together.

It's a good thing her head is blocked off, because Nancy Pelosi was weirdly grinning at this part about veterans getting poisoned from burn pits.

[10:04 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: She's really excited about vets dying?
[10:07 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: He's really into making sure vets don't get poisoned.
[10:07 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: 4. Let's end cancer as we know it
[10:07 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Wasn't this his assigned responsibility as Vice President?
[10:08 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Yup, he referenced that.
[10:08 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But this time now that he's gotten a promotion he'll really get it done.
[10:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So those four things are his "Unity Agenda" and "I don't see a partisan edge to any of those four things."
[10:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I guess, to his point, I'm not against any of his four points.
[10:09 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I doubt they'll happen but they sound nice and agreeable!
[10:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "The State of the Union is strong! And we'll be stronger a year from now!"
[10:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "GO GET HIM!" (Putin?)
[10:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And so he's walking off.
[10:11 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Can sign language girl leave too?
[10:12 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Or is she trapped there?
[10:12 PM] HeavyLobster: I actually can't remember a time when America was weaker.
[10:12 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Last year?
[10:12 PM] HeavyLobster: Biden is a clown and the whole world is laughing at him.
[10:13 PM] HeavyLobster: Trump-deranged libs do as much damage control as they can, but they can't hide the reality that's plain to see.
[10:14 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Well, maybe it will be stronger next year.
[10:14 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Nancy Pelosi might not be sitting there still!
[10:16 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: The Republican response is supposed to start any minute now.
[10:16 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I'd like to be fair and balanced and react to that too.
[10:20 PM] HeavyLobster: I'm out.
[10:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: ...alright.
[10:33 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBoSubUI_Kw
[10:33 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Official Republican response by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
[10:33 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Something about going back to the 1970s and 1980s to have runaway inflation.
[10:34 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And referencing bad Afghanistan withdrawal and North Korean missiles and the bad China Olympics display and emboldened Russians.
[10:35 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But don't ignore what lead to Putin's rise, like reducing oil production and getting gas pipelines from Russia.
[10:35 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Says that spending trillions would've lead to inflation and anti-oil policies would lead to higher gas prices and this was... an obvious consequence.
[10:36 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: But Democrats went ahead and did it anyway in disregard for the well-being of Americans.
[10:36 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: She's reminiscing about the stagflation.
[10:36 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: As a young mother.
[10:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Inflation is on Americans' minds.
[10:37 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And spending trillions more isn't the answer.
[10:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Enough is enough!"
[10:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (That's Bernie Sanders's line!)
[10:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (But he uses it to say "enough not spending!")
[10:38 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Now we're going into critical race theory in schools.
[10:39 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And a whole line of politician hypocrisy.

Not Republican governors, of course.

[10:40 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "This was not the same country it was a year ago."
[10:40 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Alright I guess she disagrees with me that America was worse a year ago.
[10:41 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: She says Republican governors recognised that mandates and lockdowns weren't the answer.
[10:41 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Because they're often worse than the CCP Virus.
[10:41 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And the damage it did to kids.
[10:41 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (That now the President wants to invest in mental health treatment.)
[10:42 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "Republicans believe that Parents Matter."
[10:42 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (Wot about Black Parents?)
[10:42 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (I guess they come along too.)
[10:43 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: While Democrats are spending trillions, Republicans are cutting taxes while balancing budgets in the states.
[10:44 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Touting Iowan tax cuts.
[10:44 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: And low unemployment rates in Republican states.
[10:44 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: So if the country is in such bad shape, but Republicans are doing such a good job, then...?
[10:46 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: I'd honestly rather listen to the current President than this.
[10:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: "The State of our Union is indeed strong."
[10:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Well, glad that she and the President reached the same conclusion.
[10:47 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Guess that means there's unity after all!
[10:50 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Uh... So yeah guess that was quick. Not a moment too soon.
[10:53 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: By the way, very partisan Democrats can't read charts, I guess.
https://twitter.com/Glory82P/status/1498867591552507905
[10:55 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: (This person apparently graduated with a degree in political science and a minor in public policy.
If they delete the tweet, here's an archive:
https://archive.fo/tdl5k  )
 


Did you watch through the State of the Union 2022? ...Or did you sleep through it? Regardless, based on KoopaTV's reaction to it, what did you think about the address? Or the Republican response? Which will happen first: cancer is solved or rural Americans get access to high-speed Internet?


For KoopaTV's live reaction to the President's message to Congress in 2021 (which technically wasn't a State of the Union but retained the same sign language woman), click here.
KoopaTV's 2023 State of the Union reaction is here.