State of the Union Post-Game Thoughts

For sheer exhaustion and sheer lack of interest in hearing truthless partisan rhetoric, I cannot claim that I have delved into President Obama's State of the Union address enough to give an "analysis" of its every in and out. However, I have seen enough of it (and have read enough of the transcript) to give a low-down.

Here are some thoughts on Obama's address:

Joe Biden nodded with approval at everything Obama said, with a stern sort of smile on his face. Nancy Pelosi looked more squirmy and frowny. That spanking that her healthcare bill took must still be fresh in her mind.

A word on demeanor: thankfully, he didn't use that damned shouting lilt that emerged at certain town meetings.

"Bad work on Wall Street is rewarded, while hard work on Main Street isn't." Well, Mr. President, who was doing the rewarding?

Cries against bipartisanship? A need for Republicans to do more than "say no"? Seeing as how the Obama White House and the Pelosi Congress have effectively shut the GOP out of the healthcare reform process, this comes off as unstudied hypocrisy. It is all too easy to point out the speck in others' eyes without acknowledging one's own plank.

There was much talk of "the people". The dreams of the people, the stubborn resilience of the people, the hopes of the people. I get queasy whenever any politician resorts to lofty generalities about "the people". It smells of overripe Latin American populism (and yes, some Republicans are guilty of this too). It also seems a tad desperate.

"From some on the right, I expect we’ll hear...that if we just make fewer investments in our people, extend tax cuts for wealthier Americans, eliminate more regulations, and maintain the status quo on healthcare, our deficits will go away. The problem is, that’s what we did for eight years. That’s what helped lead us into this crisis. It’s what helped lead to these deficits. And we cannot do it again." It seems that Obama has a pathological need to blame George W. Bush for almost every single problem his own presidency has run into. In a State of the Union address, a solemn and typically dignified occasion, this cheap trickery is particularly disgusting and unwelcome.

Finally: Obama's criticism of the Supreme Court for its campaign finance decision was awkward. Now, conservatives need to be fair here. I'm no fan of the Supreme Court's unchecked power and its arrogant assertion of its own opinions as law (see Roe vs. Wade). If a president blasted the Supreme Court for that particular decision, I would be applauding. However, given that Obama was blasting the Court for a ruling that I agree with, I was disappointed. The real question is whether or not such political posturing ought to be occurring at such a solemn and (ideally) non-partisan occasion? If Obama had been more discreet, more veiled, less open, would the idea he expressed have been more acceptable?