After reviewing my newsfeed last night and today on Facebook, it is clear that everyone has an opinion on Tuesday’s address to the nation. It is also clear to me that most of those opinions could have been written before the speech was even delivered. My friends on the right hated it. My friends on the left liked it. My non-political friends posted stuff about their kids and funny You Tube video links. No surprises. Perhaps this summary of my observations from the speech will also provide no surprises, but here you are anyway. Keep reading.
Here are some of the notes that I scribbled to myself during Obama’s SOTU to Congress last night:
- I like Boehner’s pink tie. Very sensitive, and he is clearly comfortable with his masculinity. Wonder if he’ll cry.
- I see that Obama has been guilted into wearing the flag pin pretty consistently.
- I thought for sure Obama would open with a joke about the size of Boehner’s gavel.
- Obama mentions Gabby Giffords from Arizona. I thought her mention would garner a louder and longer ovation.
- I am glad that he didn’t dwell on the shooting in Tucson. He mentioned it, and moved on. That felt right.
- “Sit together tonight, but work together tomorrow.” That’s a good line.
- It was good that he spent a few moments laying out the seismic changes in the work of world over the past several decades brought on by technological advances. The world IS different than it was 20 years ago, and we do need to be reminded about that.
- “Out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.” This has been a campaign speech so far. Pretty soon, he should get to the boring policy stuff.
- Every time he says the word “investment”, I know that the GOP is thinking “spending”. It is not the same thing, although both sides will use those words as bludgeons on one another to support their positions.
- “By 2035, 80% of our energy will come from renewable sources.” Ever since JFK’s ‘man-on-the-moon by the end of the decade’ pronouncement, every President feels like they have to have some huge, long term goal in their SOTU, and usually it’s a goal with arbitrary percentages and deadlines…like this one. Remember Bush’s pledge that we were going to Mars by 2020? Most of us will BE biofuel by the time 2035 rolls around.
- His education initiative “Race to the Top” – where have I been? I don’t remember hearing much about that replacing No Child Left Behind. Any educators out there know about this?
- Everybody claps for teachers. Such an easy and hollow gesture. I am sure teachers are flattered, but I think they’d rather see better pay.
- Nice to see the 2004 Dream Unity Ticket of Kerry and McCain sitting together. Could they have won?
- I hear a lot about high speed rail, and I understand its benefits, but this country isn’t Europe. Will we really start using that kind of service, instead of car and air? What else could we use that money for?
- I don’t think that TSA pat down joke was necessary. Leave that stuff to Leno and Letterman.
- The tax code is the new 3rd rail of politics. Every President proposes simplifying the tax code. I am a cynic. Until someone is elected on an all-tax code change platform, nothing will really change.
- 5 year spending freeze across the board. Candidate Obama skewered candidate McCain for proposing a similar thing in 2008 debates. Said something like that would be using a hatchet when a scalpel is needed. Guess he changed his mind.
- Side note as a preemptive strike: Closing a tax loophole should not be considered a tax increase, IMHO.
- Obama promises to veto any bill with an earmark. I’ll believe that when I see it. Easier said than done. It could be that he can now veto any GOP legislation by claiming that he found an earmark buried inside. Could be his own version of the Party of No. It worked for the GOP this election cycle. This is one promise I can’t imagine he could keep.
- Glad he mentioned the student loan reform. He eliminated the middle man in the loan process (banks) and that money can be used as budget savings and/or more educational loans. Businesses are praised for cutting out the middle man. This should get more play.
- As I look at him at the podium, I still can’t believe he won. In January 2007 when he announced, who honestly thought he’d be in this position? Reality is stranger than fiction.
- Poor Hillary. Did she even shower today? Not her best day.
- The mixing of GOP and Democrats in the crowd subdued the entire speech. That’s a good thing. The pep rally atmosphere was getting out of control. If civility is boring, I’ll take civility.
- I thought we’d hear a longer laundry list of accomplishments. Either he decided to focus on the future, or polling numbers told him otherwise.
Bonus Notes:
I read today that Rep. Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota had the following quote in her original text of her State of the Union response that she released to the press:
Obama should "commit himself to signing" a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget.
The Constitution gives the president no role in amendments, which go directly to the states for ratification after Congress approves them. Someone must have pointed this out to poor Michelle. She deleted the reference in her final remarks.
This clip should sum up Rep. Bachmann’s grasp of US history, and facts in general:
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