Obama: Grow the Middle Class. GOP: Uh, No.

So last night, President Obama proposed things like raising the minimum wage, cutting middle-class taxes and closing tax loopholes for the rich, investing in green jobs, investing in infrastructure, and hiring veterans when they come home. The response was kind of muddled and lacked direction. For the most part, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst did not attack in her response speech. It was heavy on biography and fluff, and really didn't get into much substance besides things that will not happen- the current Keystone XL bill and repealing Obamacare. As a result, there's not much to say about her. She pointed out things like cyber-security and trade deals that might happen in this Congress, and that's about all we can take from her speech, which will mostly be remembered for her talking about wearing "bread bags" on her feet as a kid.

This doesn't mean the trolls weren't out in force. Congressman Aaron Schock (pictured above), considered one of the moderates in Congress, went all "conservative theorist" on the minimum wage. He asked why arbitrarily raise the rate to $10.10, and not something crazy, like even $50 an hour, since it's all going to be bad for the economy when we "raise the labor cost." Of course, recent history has already proven this ridiculously stupid theory false. We have never seen the kind of mass-layoffs that Schock is trying to scare people with when raising the minimum-wage by $2 and $3 at a time in America. I guess he was trying his best to look like a conservative.

He wasn't nearly the worst though, as Salon cataloged some of the worst. I personally think the worst of all was Iowa Congressman bigot Steve King calling a woman who is benefitting from the "DREAM Act" executive order that President Obama signed into law a "deportable." I'm sure he'd send the agents up to get her if he could. Of course, Republicans will flock to seek his endorsement for President. Then again, how bad was that, compared to?

So are we all ready to kill a bunch of babies and raise taxes? Anything else I missed? Soaring rhetoric?
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 21, 2015

I wish when they cut to Elizabeth Warren she'd be knitting a US flag with a hammer and sickle where the stars are supposed to be.
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) January 21, 2015

No, actually not, amazingly. It can be worse than calling someone a "deportable," I guess. Or not. Either way, these crazies run the Congress.