THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH

[JMac]

While we're at it, scrap Health Care Reform, Cap and Trade and Card Check, repeal Sarbanes Oxley and roll back the last minimum wage increase.

[Lunican]

Obama said several things that got applause from both sides of the aisle.

1. Federal government spending freeze starting next year.
2. Focus on jobs creation.
3. Nuclear, natural gas, wind, and solar power research and implementation.
4. Anything patriotic sounding.

Anything else?

[Lunican]

For anyone that missed the speech:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/player.swf?file=http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2010/January/012710_StateoftheUnion.m4v&path_to_plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins&path_to_player=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player&skin=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/all/modules/swftools/shared/flash_media_player/skins/EOP_skin.swf&captions_url=&image=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/audio-video/video_thumbnail/SOTU-2.jpg&controlbar=bottom&frontcolor=AAAAAA&plugins=http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/privacy/privacy,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/hat/hat,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/share/share,http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/modules/wh_multimedia/wh_jwplayer/plugins/captions/captions&captions.file=

[JMac]

While we're at it, scrap Health Care Reform, Cap and Trade and Card Check, repeal Sarbanes Oxley and roll back the last minimum wage increase.

Well that outta get the prosperity wheels a rollin' full tilt!

Then we could just do without government altogether, and start sellin the womenfolk and children overseas.

Jmac, hope you got a kidney or two you can part with for a good price.

We might not be able to stand much more of this 'conservative prosperity'.

So I guess if you had a small business and were hit with more regulations and taxes, higher minimum wage requirements, unionized employees and more health insurance costs, you would tend to hire more employees?

[uptowngirl]

Obama said several things that got applause from both sides of the aisle.

1. Federal government spending freeze starting next year.
2. Focus on jobs creation.
3. Nuclear, natural gas, wind, and solar power research and implementation.
4. Anything patriotic sounding.

Anything else?

As usual the voice of reason. I opposed Obama like I had never opposed a presidential candidate before....that being said I am not totally unhappy with his presidency thus far, he has not really done anything to be unhappy or happy about- that about sums it up for me....

[trigger]

The President, as always, gave a good speech but I question his ability to deliver a true center-left agenda for a center-right country that brokers real compromise between the best ideas of both parties, I've heard the Prez call for increased construction of nuclear power plants and more exploratory off-shore drilling before but it is the environmental wing of his party blocking true reform in comprehensive energy policy. I've heard him call for Republican ideas on health care reform before but cross-state competition and TORT reform are DOA with the left due to the special interests bankrolling the Democratic Party. The Democrats control everything and they can't pass anything of meaningful substance. In my lifetime, we've had the Democratic Party control the executive and legislative branches (Johnson, Carter, Clinton, Obama), we've had the Republican Party control them (Bush 43), we've had the Democrats control Congress and Republicans the Presidency (Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush 41 and 43) and it seems the system worked best when the Republicans controlled Congress and the Democrats the Presidency (Clinton). This is the ONLY way Democrats will accept true bipartisanship, when the other party controls the purse strings. Bipartisanship is compromise between two opposing sides, not the left definition of one side abandoning their principles under the cloak of compromise ("agree with us and then we'll be bipartisan"). I think the best thing for President Obama's legacy and this country's future would be to switch the control of Congress back to the Republicans. Then maybe President Obama and the Republican congressional leaders can really get something done TOGETHER. Unfortunately, that means the next year will be a lost year in the US Congress.

[Captain Zissou]

I'm so tired of hearing what he inherited from the 'last administration'
If it was too much then you shouldn't have run for office... just like begging for bipartisan support... then blame, scold and take shots at the party you want to unite with  

My sentiments exactly!! He took pot shots at everyone last night.  The conservatives, the supreme court, the military (sort of).  You can blame a lot on the last regime (lets be honest, they weren't awesome), but own up that you aren't our savior yet.

[jaxnative]

This Republic should never have been put into the position of ever having needed a savior.

Exactly what we don't need.  Ameican businesses, especially small business, need less regulations and less tax burdens, especially at this time.  Although I know he is not capable, the "savior" needs to shut up, provide incentives, and leave the people who have actually run businesses in the pursuit of profit and survival relatively alone. 

[Shwaz]

This Republic should never have been put into the position of ever having needed a savior.

Gotcha... so we can look back at the current administration and say it was just too much for them to handle.

[finehoe]

I'm so tired of hearing what he inherited from the 'last administration'

It matters who caused the problem and why because if we do not understand the causes we cannot fix the problem and it matters because any judgment of a politician's first year that does not take into account the inheritance he was bequeathed is impossible.

It matters because the most important fact in American politics is the worst presidency in modern times that preceded Obama.

Two failed, unwinnable wars that continue to destroy lives and cripple our finances, a massive splurge in entitlement and discretionary spending, a huge increase in defense spending and massive tax cuts: this we now have to forget? This context should be removed from the picture?

It matters too because the very people who gave us this mess are now adamantly refusing to do anything to get us out of it, and pledge to return to exactly the same policies that got us there in the first place: more tax cuts, more war, more entitlement spending, more debt, no health insurance reform, no action on climate change.

[Shwaz]

I'm so tired of hearing what he inherited from the 'last administration'

It matters who caused the problem and why because if we do not understand the causes we cannot fix the problem and it matters because any judgment of a politician's first year that does not take into account the inheritance he was bequeathed is impossible.

It matters because the most important fact in American politics is the worst presidency in modern times that preceded Obama.

Two failed, unwinnable wars that continue to destroy lives and cripple our finances, a massive splurge in entitlement and discretionary spending, a huge increase in defense spending and massive tax cuts: this we now have to forget? This context should be removed from the picture?

It matters too because the very people who gave us this mess are now adamantly refusing to do anything to get us out of it, and pledge to return to exactly the same policies that got us there in the first place: more tax cuts, more war, more entitlement spending, more debt, no health insurance reform, no action on climate change.

Gotcha... so we can look back at the current administration and say it was just too much for them to handle.

[JeffreyS]

To much for them to clean up in the first year would be fair.

[urbanlibertarian]

I respect President Obama as much as I respect any other president.  I pay very little attention to what a politician says and very close attention to what he/she does.  I see very little difference between what President Obama has done and what President GW Bush did.

[JeffreyS]

Well one big thing he hasn't started any wars.

[urbanlibertarian]

^^Maybe not, but he doubled down in Afghanistan.