President Obama did a remarkable job with his State of the Union address last night, covering many bases, hitting many right notes and laying out, as he needs to do regularly and more pointedly, who he and we have to thank for our large collection of national predicaments.
All pretty much as we expected, but with a bit more humor and less oratory.
Indications are that Obama’s speech was well received by much of the public.
Of course, Republicans in the chamber played their predictable part of being sneering, resentful bumps on a log. Members of the Party of No wouldn’t even stand and applaud for Obama’s lengthy list of tax cuts and the fact he hasn’t raised taxes.
Bringing further dishonor on the already politically soiled Supreme Court, Republican “Justice” Sam Alito lacked the self-discipline to gracefully weather Obama’s ever-so-polite criticism of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission — the high court’s worst decision since Dred Scott.
On MSNBC, Chris Matthews launched into embarrassingly sophomoric instant analysis that was fully as obnoxious as Pat Buchanan’s last week, bloviating about Scott Brown winning a Senate seat.
We’re past the point of being impressed by Obama’s ability to say all the right things in a well-written and splendidly delivered speech.
We want to see some consistency and coherence in what the president and his people do, instead of this kind of thing.
Most of all, we want to see some toes being stepped on, some arms being twisted and some important business getting done.
For starters, we want to see results in real health care reform that’s not an undeserved bonanza for insurers, large-volume job creation, ending more families’ bad-mortgage nightmare and bringing our troops home from Mideast wars they won’t lose but can’t win.
When we see those things actually happening, we’ll gladly stand and applaud.
If Obama worked hard at giving a bad speech, he still wouldn’t be able to get it done.
The Republicans will continue to be content to do their impersonations of Nero, and will not change. I hope the Democrats take his advice and stop running for high ground.
It’s not all about Obama, the Democratic Congress has got to start participating in a more aggressive way, It’s make or break year.
My sentiments exactly. Excellent speech, but now it’s time to start stepping on toes and twisting arms.
Alito’s visible reaction from the audience — I’d say he’s pretty ill-mannered for a Supreme Court justice.
I didn’t notice it during the speech, but I’ve seen YouTube clips of portions of Obama’s speech — noncontroversial things like loans for small businesses — where Boehner and the other GOP “leaders” were sitting there stone-faced and motionless while everybody else cheered.
How can Republicans be expected to show special contempt for a few special ideas when they’ve decided to disapprove of everything? It must make their faces hurt.
Holte, the congressional Democrats do have to get their act together and start behaving like Democrats. Some of them have to quit behaving like Republican camp followers. But keep in mind, strong, determined, consistent presidential leadership is crucial to making that happen, especially in the Senate. (Pelosi, bless her, gets stuff done in the House). Obama should’ve started off with a clearly stated short list of must-have provisions; things he required for him to sign any health care reform bill. A public option plan should’ve been No. 1 on that list.
Obama should not have cut a back-room deal with Big Pharma and health insurers at the very outset.
Obama goes out last spring saying a public option would be good to have, but it’s not all that important. A few weeks later, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, tells Harry Reid, “just get a bill,” the inference being it doesn’t matter what’s in the bill, just get one.
Last summer, all hell breaks loose on the left, with particular outrage over Obama’s waffling on a public option. Next thing, Obama’s doing town hall meetings and talking up a public option, sort of. Then, we don’t hear from him for weeks and weeks, while Lieberman, Stupak, Nelson and Landrieu taint the whole effort with wrangling, shakedowns and payoffs. Obama should have read the bunch of them the riot act, and Reid should’ve followed up with more and worse. I’m talking loss of committee chairmanships, funding problems for earmarks and pet projects, and maybe even withholding campaign money from them and backing a primary challenger the next time they’re up for re-election.
Obama may pine for the time when the honorables can sit around a camp fire together, toast marshmallows and sing Kumbaya. But if he’s not going to let the country down and be a failed president, he’d better put that hope on hold and start acting like a leader. Politics ain’t beanbag, and he’s not presiding over the Ladies Wednesday Night Bible Reading and Quilting Club.
Tom, what’s really disgusting is that Republicans’ perverse mulishness is very likely to pay off handsomely for them next November — encouraging them to do even more of the same afterward. Then, we can listen to the public grumble even more about Democrats being unable to deliver on their promises.
Jeff, I can think of more gratifying ways to make their faces hurt. But of course, I don’t advocate bodily harm. So I won’t go there.
He gave the GOP a few more smacks on national tv today (with GOP aides admitting afterward that they really wished they had not allowed it to be televised). Maybe, just maybe, some dem senators and house reps will follow the example and start smacking back.
Bee, I’m watching Obama at the Republicans’ retreat now. He gets an A-plus for the day. Movement conservatives and hard core haters and resenters will go right on with their lies, distortions and paranoid histrionics. But even for some of them (although they won’t admit it), the image of Obama they’ve worked so hard to create and sell to the public will be greatly undermined. He’s a reasonable guy, smart, sensible, extremely well informed — and anything but radical.
As for congressional Dems smacking back, who knows? Part of Obama’s message today is those tactics paint perpetrators of them into a corner.
Obama is not a stupid man. I think it’s fair to say he’s learned one or two things over the past year. Hopefully some Democrats have learned as well and will step up to the plate. The Republicans? Well, that’s anybody’s guess.
LP, I’m sure Obama has learned a few things. I hope you’re right about Democrats in Congress learning as well. As for Republicans, they’re like Hapsburg monarchs: they never learn anything and they never forget anything.
I won’t count him out as yet, I remember when folks were beating up on him (Clinton and the others) before the nomination…I said to everyone that he was doing a rope-a-dope and he would come out swingng when he thought it was time, I think this is his modus operandi and he will come out swinging only when it is time, and not before. He sizes up the terrain first, and see what he can get without using up all his ammo. He doesn’t want to bully them into a corner as he will get more accomplished if he holds their hands and leads them down the rocky path of intelligence and common sense for the greater good of the country, not for themselves.
teeluck, welcome to Oh!pinion. I haven’t given up on Obama and I don’t want him to be a bully. I do want him to say health care is so important he’ll get tough for it, stay with it and get the job done.
As for leading Republicans along by the hand, if he’s going to do that, Obama had better do regular finger counts. He could come up a few short at any time.