What did you think? I will start off with a couple of observations
I thought the Voting Rights bit was very good. He took the moral high ground and I think he will be able to make progress on this issue.
I was amazed at the that the references to same-sex marriages no longer amazed me. This issue is really basically resolved.
I was also surprised at how non-combative he was, even though we were ready for a combative Obama. There is a principle in poker that often the most aggressive move you can make is to be passive. As I watched the speech it seemed to me that Obama is pretty confident in the cards he is holding.
I have never seen a more awkward drink of water then in Marco Rubio's response. There was nothing else memorable from that speech.
the take away is lost opportunity...this was the time for some great idea or grand gesture that might give America hope that Washington might soon get their **** together a little bit. we got nothing, just more of the boiler plate political clap-trap that we have been hearing for years.
A call to accept and deal with Climate change...
An acknowledgment of gay rights and same-sex marriage...
A call for a $9 minimum wage that would increase with inflation....
There is something entirely appropriate about holding the State of the Union address on the same day as Mardi Gras.
One is a display of wretched excess, when giddy and rowdy participants give in to reckless and irresponsible behavior.
The other is a street festival in New Orleans.
There is, thankfully, less nudity in the House chamber for the president’s annual address, and (slightly) less inebriation. But what occurs beneath the Capitol Dome is as debauched as anything on Bourbon Street.
The State of the Union ritual is by now familiar to most Americans. President Obama leads the Democratic side of the chamber to a series of standing ovations for proposals that everybody knows won’t become law. Republicans show their seriousness of purpose by smirking or making stony faces — and by inviting as guests to the speech people such as rocker Ted Nugent, who has called the president a “piece of [excrement]” who should “suck on my machine gun.”
But this spectacle, unlike the one in Louisiana, is not all harmless fun. Obama made clear that he is not entertaining serious spending cuts or major entitlement reforms. Republicans, in their responses, repeated that they are not budging on taxes. The hard choices will have to wait for another day..
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In reality, we eventually need both spending cuts and tax increases — and lots of them. But sacrifice will have to wait. In Washington, they’re still partying like there’s no tomorrow.
another thing: Obama's solution is trying to juice GDP growth........excuse me, but it was the long running attempts to juice GDP growth without any concern about the constant humongous misallocations of capital or the greater good was the main cause of our rotted economic system and of the government corruption and of the stratification of the classes and of the infrastructure rot, and of multiple rounds of bubble making and bubble popping.
been there, done that, and it did not work.
when trotting out a failed idea is our presidents big idea we should know for sure that we are in big trouble.
You do realize, H2OMan, that Obama won the election and is by definition a political winner. Obama has a 54% approval rating and has the Republicans on their heals on several issues.
I shouldn't respond to your silliness H2OMan, but you amuse me.
Already been done--Bush spent 60% of his eight years blaming Clinton by name. The other 40% of the time Bush was on vacation.
RaP
0 Replies
hawkeye10
1
Reply
Wed 13 Feb, 2013 11:58 am
@maxdancona,
maxdancona wrote:
I don't think the "Gloom and Despair" platform is going to be a political winner.
it would be refrefeshing if Obama showed more interest in leading all of America toward solutions to the problems that now hobble us than he does in his partisan political game playing, but we did not see it last night and a highly doubt that he has it in him.
It's interesting how some aren't fully aware that Obama has been in office
for more than 4 years, they still think GB is somehow in office
0 Replies
H2O MAN
-1
Reply
Wed 13 Feb, 2013 12:07 pm
@hawkeye10,
Obama created a bunch of problems early in his first term and now wants
someone to come up with solutions to the problems he created - right away.
Obama isn't sincere about solving any issues, he instead continues to create
additional issues to distract everyone from the existing issues. Obama has no
interest in leading America, he's comfortable spreading the misery around.
Obama has not created many problems, he simply has not solved any or shown any interest in diverting from the road to doom that we are on. The reality is just as Milbank says...all parties dither and lie as America burns.
Stumble It!
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