Sarah Huckabee Sanders attacks 'woke fantasies,' signals GOP is ready to move past Trump

Kudos to Sarah Huckabee Sanders for doing the seemingly impossible: Giving a State of the Union rebuttal that’s memorable – and not for being cringeworthy.

Sanders, the new governor of Arkansas and former press secretary to President Donald Trump, offered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s speech, drawing a contrast between the two parties’ agendas.

Most of these rebuttals are awkward, stilted and generic. Sanders delivered her words with ease and relatability, and she’s receiving a lot of praise as a result.

Some conservative observers are calling it the best State of the Union response they’ve seen.

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich put it this way on Twitter: “A star is born could be the title of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders absolutely remarkable speech responding to and drawing a sharp contrast with President Biden’s fantasy wish list state of the union. It was Reaganesque.”

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Left's 'crazy' culture war

Sanders criticized Biden and his handling of a range of issues, from the economy to border security to threats from China.

I would have liked Sanders to talk more about Republican plans for improving the economy and reducing inflation – these are the top concerns for voters. Her focus, however, was on how far left the Democrats have gone with their “woke fantasies” and how this is a threat to our freedom as Americans.

"We are under attack in a left wing culture war we didn't start, and never wanted to fight,” Sanders said. “Every day we are told we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols. … That's not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong."

Her most memorable charge was that the “dividing line in America is no longer between right or left.”

“The choice is between normal or crazy.”

This was an interesting choice of words. As the left doubles down on its radical ideas about gender and race – including in schools – even some traditional liberals have raised concerns. (If you haven’t listened to Bill Maher lately, you should.)

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New generation of leadership – for both parties?

What stood out most to me, however, was Sanders’ call for a new generation of leadership. She drew the stark contrast between herself, at 40, as the youngest sitting governor, and Biden, at 80, the oldest sitting president in U.S. history.

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Yet in making this call for a generational change, she also signaled the GOP is ready to move on from Trump, who is 76. And while her references to Trump were all positive, the tone and content of her message sounded just like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ playbook.

What I heard in Sanders’ response, in addition to pushing back against a liberal agenda, is a party that’s looking to the future, not the past – and is ready for new leadership.

More from Ingrid Jacques:

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Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sarah Huckabee Sanders SOTU rebuttal among best, cites 'false idols'