In sort of a prebuttal to President Barack Obama's Tuesday State of the Union address, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said Saturday Obama has "a lot of explaining to do."
Blunt, delivering the Saturday Republican address, said Obama must illustrate how bigger government, more debt and higher taxes have helped people who can't find work or are enduring poverty.
"If all he has to offer is more of the same, or if he refuses to acknowledge that his own policies have failed to work -- the President is simply doing what many failed leaders have done before him: trying to set one group of Americans against another group of Americans," Blunt said.
Obama is expected to address inequality Tuesday.
Blunt had a warning. "We don't need more class warfare, and we don't need more interference from Washington. No government program can replace what a good job means for the future of a family," the senator said.
He put the blame squarely on Democrats.
"The House has already passed a number of bills aimed at jump-starting the economy bills that are stalled in the Senate that's controlled by Democrats and Majority Leader Harry Reid.
"The President says he has a pen to sign executive orders and a phone to rally support. The Congress should insist that he find the Constitution and follow
"President Obama can join us to grow the nation's economy and the nation's jobs. Or he can continue pushing for more regulations, more taxes, higher utility bills, and health care turmoil; bad policies that hurt poor Americans the most, Mr. President, let's use the year of action to have a little less talk, and a lot more action."