Running Diary: State of the Union Address

Let's go.

“Madam Speaker, the President of the United States!”

Barack Obama was followed in tonight by Senator Harry Reid. No joke to insert here. None whatsoever.

Hey! Fox News has Sarah Palin as a special guest commentator! This blog just became a little more interesting.

Palin looks and sounds a little better than she did in the Couric interview. “I read all of ‘em, Katie. All of the magazines and books!”

Pelosi’s dressed in purple. In a related note, Sheffield just determined that he’ll never drink grape Kool-Aid again.

Pelosi has the “high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the President of the United States.” I wonder if she’d have said that two years ago. With a straight face.

Barack thanks us behind the transparent teleprompters. Five bucks says that gets a mention tonight on Fox.

First observation of Obama at the podium: Pelosi isn’t smiling as much tonight as she was at the beginning of last year’s speech.

Obama opens by giving a history lesson of Bull Run, the Civil Rights movement, etc.. I didn’t fact-check him because I don’t want to study history at the moment. It's time to look into the present and future with this one.

The Recession is bad, Mr. President. You don’t need to remind us of this.

Obama, unlike Santa Claus, reads his mail from children. Also unlike Santa Claus, the children under his watch aren’t interested in his thoughts on the economy. Wait. Apparently they are. Who knew?

Obama says Americans are tired of partisanship. Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi doesn’t hide under her desk. Sometimes I wonder if she has a reflection in the mirror or if she has a shadow.

It’s because of America’s decency and great strength that President Obama has never been more hopeful about America’s future tonight. (Everyone stands on cue. Even the Republicans.) If I were the President, I’d follow that up with a Mao joke, just to see what happens…

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I would never make it as a President.

Republicans are looking around to determine whether or not they should clap at Obama’s commentary that “we all hated the bank bailout.” Good times. (Immediate Fox cutaway shot to Tim Geitner, who looks about 10 years older than he did this time last year.)

John McCain isn’t buying the bank bailout. The fundamentals of the American economy were strong, after all.

Obama is talking about cutting taxes for 95 percent of working families; he then goes on an inspired commentary about cutting taxes for home buyers, college students, etc.. The Republicans are sitting on their hands at this point.

Line of the night so far: “I thought I’d get some applause on that one.” (In reference to his tax cuts.)

Obama’s measurement: 2 million workers right now are employed who otherwise wouldn’t be because of his actions with the economy. He then goes on to name fire fighters, teachers, first responders, etc.. I doubt he mentions bank executives in this list of names.

I was right. Regrettably.

Republicans sneer.

The personal anecdotes come a little early tonight, but with the same political expediency as they have in SOTU addresses past. A school teacher in middle America told Obama she wouldn’t be employed without the Recovery Act.

Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010! (Careerbuilder.com, stand and applaud.)

The true engine of job creation in this country will always be America’s businesses. Historically speaking, here’s where I say the following: Laos, get ready. We have shoes for your 10 year olds to make…

Quick question: Republican or Democrat, has there been a President in our nation’s history that didn’t talk highly of small businesses? I wonder if Taft waddled around D.C. talking about small businesses back in the early 1900s…

Joe Wilson is as purple as Nancy Pelosi’s woman-suit right now.

Even the Republicans know to stand on the talk of eliminating capital gains taxes on small businesses. Maybe they were just resting their legs earlier.

Obama wants to build infrastructure. He’s going to Tampa tomorrow, in fact, to discuss the implementation of a high speed rail system. I bet Raheem Morris would like him to stick around to discuss the NFL draft….

Estimation on standing O count to this point: Democrats 18, Republicans 2.

On a serious note, I am all about some of the job creation chatter that’s going on. We’ve needed some of this stuff for several administrations, particularly the infrastructure stuff. How do we get there? Reason 32 why I’m glad I’m just a blogger, and not the President.

“How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold? Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have gotten worse.” Words that I’ve heard from every American president that I can recall in my lifetime. But I’m only 30. I am pretty sure my great-great-grandparents would say the same if they were still alive today.

This standing O/sitting staunchly routine really is starting to feel like one of those old Saturday morning pump-up sessions as a car salesman. I’m really tired of watching politicians treat each other like the other party is solely to blame for this crap.

Obama doesn’t like lobbyists much. Funny, neither did Bush.

Pelosi won’t even look at the Republican side of the aisle. Bi-partisanship in action!

Time to talk about nuclear power plants, or as President Bush referred to them…. Nevermind. Too easy.

Offshore areas for oil and gas development brought a really sarcastic smile and clap from Nancy. Personally, I find her more interesting to watch than the President. That woman annoys the heck out of me, in case you cannot tell.

(And, on cue, she jumps out of her seat at the mention of a clean energy bill. I really would like to see just a streaming video, without sound, of her in this thing. She’s incredibly animated behind him, like she’s not even in touch with what he’s saying beyond the buzz words.)

Exports: We will double our exports in the next five years, an increase that will support two million more jobs in America. Or Laos.

I agree with this: We have to seek new partnerships aggressively. The question is, how do we do this?

Obama wants to trade with South Korea, Panama, and Columbia. Republicans stand, Democrats sit? What in the worldl? I’m going to have to Google some stuff tonight. Particularly the following. (“Minority Party Stand” AND “Majority Party Sit”)

Now for the educational sector…

In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty plan is a world class education. Or to be the son of a politician.

Didn’t we talk about revitalizing our community colleges last year? The only reference to community colleges I’ve heard since was the show featuring that Talk Soup guy on NBC…

Hey, Mr. President: Can I get that 10,000.00 to pay off student loans retroactively?

Wait a second… You have a plan proposing that students are only required to pay 10% of their student loans? All debts forgiven after 20 years, 10 if they choose it in a public sector? I like it, but how does it work? And does it apply to 30 year olds that haven’t been inside a school building since they were cleaning out their classroom for the last time?

Healthcare reform! Obama wants to “clear a few things up.” Ruh roh, Raggy.

I have to give Barack credit; he’s funny in crises. “By now, it should be apparent to every American that I didn’t take on health care because it’s ‘good politics.’”

Michelle Obama is tackling fat kids. Wait. She’s planning on taking on obesity in America.

Obama takes his share of the blame for not explaining his agendas more clearly to the American people. But these problems aren’t going away, and he’s not going to walk away from the problems of these Americans, and neither should those in this chamber. (Editor’s note: President Obama, if you follow your words on this one, I’ll have gained a serious newfound respect for you. While you’re a great speaker, the jury is still out on whether or not I like you for your policies as much as I do for your speaking ability.)

Please mean these words, Mr. Obama. If you truly do want to carry bi-partisanship, please do. And Republicans, please do your part respectfully, as well.

The man from Scranton sure nods a lot.

Obama just rolled the wheels on a certain Yale-educated rancher in Crawford concerning the surplus to deficit that he inherited and left.

Starting in 2011, government spending aside from Medicaid, Social Security, etc. will be frozen for two years. “It’s called budgeting,” he says. (Barack’s tossing a few barbs tonight.)

In what may be the single most memorable thing I’ve ever seen in a State of the Union address, he just spanked the Supreme Court who, not coincidentally, were seated right in front of him, not twenty feet away.

With all due deference to separation of powers, last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections. I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests or, worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems. AKA, the single-most stunning series of lines I can remember being uttered in a Presidential address. And that includes Morgan Freeman telling the world that there’s an asteroid coming. ABC cut to an immediate shot of the judges in response, and they looked alternately like scorned children and exasperated parents.

I’m in shock right now. Immediate glance at my Facebook friends’ status updates confirm that I’m not the only one stunned by what just happened. Immediate thought: I agree with Obama in regard to his general assessment of the situation, personally, but that was almost as disrespectful in my opinion as Joe Wilson. I laughed initially, but man… that was harsh… I alternately can’t wait and dread seeing the news response to that one tomorrow. I’m willing to bet my bonus that Hannity and co. have a field day with that moment this week. Looks like sports talk radio for me for a couple weeks…

Here comes the speaking to both parties stuff…

Obama wants to meet with the leadership of both parties. That’s a positive, in my view. He also talks of how “reform isn’t possible unless the thought processes reform as well.” Or something along those lines. In the middle of all this bi-partisan talk, I still have the sight of Ruth Bader Ginsburg from a few moments ago, hunched over in her chair while Obama took her team to task for the corporation ruling, burned in my retinas.

Obama wants to show the American people that he and Congress can work together. Somewhere, Keith Olbermann just removed his glasses. Again.

Stuart Smalley sighting: he’s seated behind the military contingent as Obama talks about beefing up Afghanistan and capturing/killing Al Qaeda. Obama says he promised as a candidate that he was ending the war, and that he’s doing this as President. Gotta give him credit for that.

(On second thought, can the praise, Sheffield: let’s just take care of our kids in Afghanistan and Iraq.)

I’m going to be honest with you guys: I disagree completely with Obama’s continuation of the talk about nuclear weaponry being the greatest danger to the American people.

Back to the word nuclear, though this time it’s of the last guy’s ilk. Barack Obama is talkin’ nukes in the Axis of Evil, where they’re not exactly known to be enriching uranium for peaceful purposes.

Tough talk on North Korea and Iran. The usual, in other words. Meanwhile, North Korea and Iran talk tough about us to their own citizenry. Funny how that works. Head shrinking. Must… move… on….

Ah, the obligatory CEO rewarding himself for failure remark. I expected that one to come earlier in the evening, but it’s good to know that it’s there. That sort of talk is an old friend at this point. (Just once, Democrat or Republican, I’d like to see a man stand up there and say “You know what? Rich people suck. No really, they do. Come to think of it, politicians suck, too! America, I’ve decided tonight to empty the coffers of AIG and divide it equally among you all!” And it’s not solely because of selfish reasons. Well, yes it is…)

My favorite part of tonight, and not in a Supreme Court shock sort of way: The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates to silly arguments, big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away. No wonder there's so much cynicism out there. No wonder there's so much disappointment. I campaigned on the promise of change, change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change, or that I can deliver it.

That phrase alone, if acted on by all whom it encompasses, could be the most powerful words ever spoken in his Presidency. Sadly, Glenn Beck will probably have mocked it in a squeaky voice, to the disdainful response of Rachel Maddow, by this time tomorrow night.

America lives on. She’s on life support at this point, but she lives…

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Overall thoughts on the speech: As I’ve told many people in recent months of conversation, blogging, etc., I’m cynical. Completely cynical. And I’m not just cynical because I want this person or that person in office, or because I listen to so-and-so on talk radio or the evening news.

I’m cynical because we’ve been stretched to the limits as a nation, and rather than responding in a collectively mature fashion, we’ve seen our voices reduce themselves to being first graders fighting over sand in a sandbox.

Obama hit a lot of things on the head tonight, in my opinion, and I would rate the speech – minus the stuff about the Supreme Court, which part of me hopes he retracts (or at least explains to a gentler detail, thus practicing his own preachings of the evening) the statements made in their presence this evening – a solid B.

That said, Barack’s proven himself in the past to be an inspiring speaker.

And we need more than that, my friends. We need action on this talk of unity, from him and from the members of Congress. We need people to stop pulling the same wheel into opposite directions.

I cheated a little bit in this thing; in between watching the address and typing, I was glancing at the Facebook status messages of folk to see what they’d say during the stuff, and from what I saw, it was the same familiar frustration toward the parties.

I feel it, too. And that’s why I’m going to do something relatively radical for me, just to see if it works.

Starting tomorrow, I’m self-imposing a one-month fast of political conversation, either personally or in the media. I am not going to feed into this frenzy any further. I’m putting this out there for y’all to read and comment on, but if you comment on anything I said tonight, don’t expect to see a response from me until the final day of February.

In the time I do this, I’m going to instead focus on the things I can do to make the world a better place. (Blogging likely isn’t it, but I like to blog, so I’ll probably keep doing that… ) I’m going to be looking for ways to brighten the world around me, whether through volunteer work, focusing more on my position of employment, or simply by looking to establish/build meaningful relationships with those around me.

I'm going to practice what I preach.

We all have a part to play in this world, my friends, and I haven’t been taking my role as seriously at times and in ways as I should. If you feel like joining me on this fast/endeavor, don’t hesitate to email or call me and we can share ideas and ways to do this. If you can post it in a non-poltiical fashion at the end of this blog, we’ll discuss there, as well. ;)

Either way, there’s work to be done, and rather than sitting back and commenting on things, I’m going to pick up my proverbial shovel and start digging. Hopefully I’ll see you on the other side…