Who Watched the State of the Union Address?

[Dromond]

As well as BOTH Republican responses?

My brief impressions:

The Address - President Obama was presidential. His speech laid out the challenges facing us and how best to meet them. I've been pretty disappointed in the Prez of late, but I will give him props for a great speech. I liked a lot of what I heard.

The Official Response - Paul Ryan's response was tepid. It was restrained and somewhat conciliatory. He avoided the kind of catastrophe that erased Bobby Jindal from political existence, but what he was left with was about as interesting as spackle.

The Tea Party Response - Michelle Bachmann presented a glassy eyed figure, her eyes locked onto a teleprompter with a death grip. She came across as creepy. Her speech was no response at all, but rather a typical tea party rant. She didn't give any indication she'd even heard the speech, as her pontificating didn't address any part of it.

[KittyKitten]

Originally Posted by Dromond

As well as BOTH Republican responses?

My brief impressions:

The Address - President Obama was presidential. His speech laid out the challenges facing us and how best to meet them. I've been pretty disappointed in the Prez of late, but I will give him props for a great speech. I liked a lot of what I heard.

The Official Response - Paul Ryan's response was tepid. It was restrained and somewhat conciliatory. He avoided the kind of catastrophe that erased Bobby Jindal from political existence, but what he was left with was about as interesting as spackle.

The Tea Party Response - Michelle Bachmann presented a glassy eyed figure, her eyes locked onto a teleprompter with a death grip. She came across as creepy. Her speech was no response at all, but rather a typical tea party rant. She didn't give any indication she'd even heard the speech, as her pontificating didn't address any part of it.

I watched the speech and I am still proud of that man. He has to deal with so many issues and he handles them well. Michelle Bachmann is one creepy woman, ugh. She is delusional as typical of the Tea Party--all rants, nothing to back their shit up.

[CleverBomb]

On the SOTU: Couple of very clever wedges slipped in there, including:
-Cutting oil company tax breaks -- splits fiscal hawks from the "drill baby drill" contingent (or just highlights hypocrisy, because the GOP won't go there).
-Recruiters on college campuses -- a major barrier to that (where it exists) has been military discrimination against GLBT persons in the form of DADT. So, it splits the theocons from the Support Our Troops And Defense Contractors crowd.

On the Bachmann response: apparently missed that the President had mentioned Tort Reform in the SOTU.

-Rusty

[cinnamitch]

Originally Posted by Dromond

As well as BOTH Republican responses?

My brief impressions:

The Address - President Obama was presidential. His speech laid out the challenges facing us and how best to meet them. I've been pretty disappointed in the Prez of late, but I will give him props for a great speech. I liked a lot of what I heard.

The Official Response - Paul Ryan's response was tepid. It was restrained and somewhat conciliatory. He avoided the kind of catastrophe that erased Bobby Jindal from political existence, but what he was left with was about as interesting as spackle.

The Tea Party Response - Michelle Bachmann presented a glassy eyed figure, her eyes locked onto a teleprompter with a death grip. She came across as creepy. Her speech was no response at all, but rather a typical tea party rant. She didn't give any indication she'd even heard the speech, as her pontificating didn't address any part of it.

I watched President Obama. Loved the speech. That is the man I voted for.

[Mack27]

He did appear presidential. The mid-term shift to the right is something leftist presidents do in their first term.

[Dromond]

Originally Posted by Mack27

He did appear presidential. The mid-term shift to the right is something leftist presidents do in their first term.

I heard some things that'll make the right very upset, such as no more corporate welfare for oil companies. Not a single Republican clap was heard.

[Elfcat]

It all sounds good. Just like, say, closing Gitmo in a year sounded good.

As a pretty official "watermelon", I heard a lot that would be wonderful if it happens.

But I get the feeling that I am hearing a wish list much of which will be obstructed at almost every turn.

"Now," says the President, "legislation must be passed with support from both Republicans and Democrats."

Really? I thought we already had that problem.......

[Sydney Vicious]

I lol'd at the smoked salmon joke.

[KittyKitten]

This is a president who is really heavy on education, with a strong emphasis in the math and sciences. His powerful support of the sciences is one of the reasons why I admire this man. The anti-intellectualism that is growing in this country and moving us in a regressive direction needs to be stopped. There are certain elements in this society that wish to deny science and push us to the stone ages. I am one of those people that believe science and religion can coexist.

I also liked how he mentioned that teachers are the builders of the community. That is so true, without educators there would be no lawyers, doctors, or other professionals. He is a brilliant man.

I am also happy that there is an end in sight to that long 'war' in Afghanistan.

[DELIMAN092262]

Barack Obama sounded like George Bush. Who sounded like Bill Clinton. Who sounded like …

All presidents give the same State of the Union speech. It is just the topics that change. Not the tone.

[Adrian]

I did and it was up-beat but, dealing with the republicans is the real challenge.

[RJI]

I had a positive feeling after the speech but hope that I wasn't just closed by a really good salesman.

[Webmaster]

When you hang around long enough you realize that speeches have almost nothing to do with reality, and that the ability to nicely read a speech that a team of speech writers wrote for effect is simply another PR tool. Therefore I judge our government and leaders by what I see happening around me, in real life, and not by a speech. That's not to say that a well-written, well-presented speech cannot be inspiring, only that we should never forget it's just a sales pitch.

[mountaindew]

The speech fell completely flat and rang hollow on so many leveles, but State of the Unions aren't that impressive anyway. People that actually live in the real world know how the union is doing, better even than most politicians in charge.

[Elfcat]

After a night of thought, a few things.

First, I posted on Facebook that in the last five seconds Obama dashed my hopes that he was going to complete the entire speech without the brain-bleeding cliche which makes me want to cut myself ("The state of the union is strong").

Second, a Kennedy-era Apollo Project on an Eisenhower-era federal spending level will be no mean feat.

Third, "Regulation is why our food is safe to eat (except spinach and eggs), our water is safe to drink (except on the gulf coast), and our air is safe to breathe (except in the Central Valley)". I know the point he is trying to make, but if anything it seems we've seen a lot of examples, if only of the need to better enforce existing regulations.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Webmaster

When you hang around long enough you realize that speeches have almost nothing to do with reality, and that the ability to nicely read a speech that a team of speech writers wrote for effect is simply another PR tool. Therefore I judge our government and leaders by what I see happening around me, in real life, and not by a speech. That's not to say that a well-written, well-presented speech cannot be inspiring, only that we should never forget it's just a sales pitch.

Exactly. we should never forget that it's just a sales pitch.

Originally Posted by mountaindew

The speech fell completely flat and rang hollow on so many leveles, but State of the Unions aren't that impressive anyway. People that actually live in the real world know how the union is doing, better even than most politicians in charge.

As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, speeches are as the listener chooses to hear them. If you don't like Obama, then the speech rings hollow and falls flat for you regardless of what he said or how he said it. If you're an ardent fan, then maybe it rang as inspirational and uplifting.

For me, here in the real world, I would like the think that his statement of: "What comes of this moment will be determined not by whether we can sit together tonight, but whether we can work together tomorrow. " would penetrate the thick skulls of those in the audience who have the single goal of opposing him at all costs, but I don't see that happening. The recently elected Republicans actually ran on an official platform of "no compromise" and too many people out here in the "real world" think that that's a good thing.

[Rojodi]

As an aside:

I watched the SOTU on a local cable channel which also runs sports and local news on kirons, in addition to running adds for the OnDemand movies. When the camera focused in on Speaker Boehner, Dinner With Shmucks add came up. Not saying anything, but my wife and I both laughed at the pourly accidental joke.

[Big Beautiful Dreamer]

Originally Posted by Elfcat

It all sounds good. Just like, say, closing Gitmo in a year sounded good.

The president was unable to follow through on his proposal to close the Guantanamo Bay prison because a number of members of Congress refused to allow any of the prisoners being held there to be transferred to prisons in their state or to prisons in any U.S. state.

[Miss Vickie]

I watched and had a big ol'... "meh" when it was over. He certainly looks presidential but he said pretty much exactly what I expected him to say. I'd love, just once, to be surprised by a SOTU. I loved the call to action to work together, and thought it was cleverly worded. But again... not surprised.

Same with the rebuttals by the Republicans and Tea Party group. The Republican response was delivered as though he was talking to a class of preschoolers. It seemed really condescending to me, and more than a little chastising.

And Bachmann? She's just plain nuts. The speech was obviously written before the SOTU since he mentioned tort reform in his speech. It was just the same regurgitated crap -- again no surprises. And she wasn't even looking at the camera, but rather had her eyes fixed, desperately, on the teleprompter. But if we're giving the Tea Party a voice, why not the other groups? Why not the Green Party? Where was their rebuttal?

As far as the coverage is concerned, I made the mistake of watching some of the CNN commentary and what a bunch of facile crap it was. I'm sorry, but really Wolf? Talking about the significance of the color of his TIE??? Good lord, no wonder we never know what's going on if this is the kind of pointless garbage you're focusing on.

So color me? Disappointed. And since I expected to be disappointed? Cynical.

[Big Beautiful Dreamer]

Originally Posted by Elfcat

After a night of thought, a few things.

First, I posted on Facebook that in the last five seconds Obama dashed my hopes that he was going to complete the entire speech without the brain-bleeding cliche which makes me want to cut myself ("The state of the union is strong").

It's a State of the Union address. The actual wording of the requirement says that the president shall be required from time to time to report to Congress on the state of the union.

He has to say what the state of the union is. And if that's conceded, no president is ever going to say that the state of the union is anything other than strong.

[mossystate]

What Vickie said. He looked presidential. Comments about ties and which D is sitting with which R. Ugh.

[Mathias]

Originally Posted by Dromond

As well as BOTH Republican responses?

My brief impressions:

The Address - President Obama was presidential. His speech laid out the challenges facing us and how best to meet them. I've been pretty disappointed in the Prez of late, but I will give him props for a great speech. I liked a lot of what I heard.

The Official Response - Paul Ryan's response was tepid. It was restrained and somewhat conciliatory. He avoided the kind of catastrophe that erased Bobby Jindal from political existence, but what he was left with was about as interesting as spackle.

The Tea Party Response - Michelle Bachmann presented a glassy eyed figure, her eyes locked onto a teleprompter with a death grip. She came across as creepy. Her speech was no response at all, but rather a typical tea party rant. She didn't give any indication she'd even heard the speech, as her pontificating didn't address any part of it.

There was a Tea Party Response?

[mountaindew]

Originally Posted by Mathias

There was a Tea Party Response?

If it can be called that. Certain Tea Party gropus implored Michele Bachmann, House member and leader of the House Tea Party Caucus (which tries to act on the Hill on behalf of Tea Party concerns) to deliver a seperate rebuttal from the Republican Party's. On top of that, it's no secret that some Tea Partiers are skeptical of Paul Ryan, but personally I think he's great.

[snuggletiger]

Liked the speech but I think The Prez should have been more forceful in calling out people like Palin for their subversiveness. Didn't care for the intermingling of Republicans and Democrats, Made the applause seem lukewarm overall. For me heard a lot of great ideas, but looking at Boehner in the back you could tell none of those ideas would get supported. Personally would have loved to have seen the Prez turn around and say "either help get the economy started or you better hope Daddy still got that broom for you to push in his bar".