{"id":12133,"date":"2010-01-28T07:53:04","date_gmt":"2010-01-28T14:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=12133"},"modified":"2010-07-02T13:59:07","modified_gmt":"2010-07-02T19:59:07","slug":"what-americans-thought-about-obama%e2%80%99s-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2010\/01\/what-americans-thought-about-obama%e2%80%99s-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"What Americans thought about Obama\u2019s speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

President Obama during Wednesday\u2019s State of the Union address. (Photo by Pete Souza\/The White House)<\/p><\/div>\n

We can\u2019t all be pundits, but we can have an original thought. It\u2019s true \u2013 you\u2019re not a pundit, neither am I. That said — we can, and do, all have unique and even atypical political thoughts sometimes.<\/p>\n

And, so, on what is the annual\u00a0Super Bowl\u00a0for political speeches \u2013 the\u00a0State of the Union\u00a0\u2013 I decided to exploit the sharp and savvy minds of friends, family and colleagues.\u00a0Rather than listening to pundits last night, my laptop and I traveled out of the District to the home of a dear friend in Falls Church, Virginia.<\/p>\n

The idea was to get out of dodge, take in the speech, and report to you \u2013\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0\u2013 about what Americans are thinking from Connecticut to Virginia to Alabama to Florida to Michigan to Illinois to Texas to California.\u00a0I listened to zero commentary last night. Just soaked in e-mails and texts from some self-professed Democrats, independents and Republicans.<\/p>\n

This is not meant to be a play-by-play or any fact-based analysis. Just a peek into what every-day Americans were thinking during President Barack Obama\u2019s speech<\/a>. Maybe some of this will resonate. Maybe it won\u2019t. Either way, enjoy and feel free to comment away.<\/p>\n

\u2018He looks like a rock star\u2019<\/h3>\n

The president \u2013 a little grayer and no doubt wiser \u2013 looked sharp, walked confidently and delivered in a commanding manner.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looks like a rock star,\u201d said one. Very, very true. But, literally, 30 minutes into the speech, a text popped up, \u201cHarry\u2019s yawning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I made an immediate note when the president used \u201cBlack Tuesday\u201d and \u201cBloody Friday\u201d in the same sentence. A red (rhetoric) flag went up in my head. I was not alone. Just a bit later this comment came in:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHe needs a new speech writer… The rhetorical flourishes \u2013 constant references to D-Day and MLK, constant references to person x, from y small town, who he met, or who wrote him a letter that said z. Constant phrases like \u2018from\u00a0Peoria\u00a0to Pittsburgh, from\u00a0Seattle\u00a0to Santa Fe\u2019 \u2013 are clich\u00e9d. He is at his best when he doesn\u2019t try to be too grand.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was abundantly clear at the outset of the speech was that the blame-card was being played \u2013 and not being played very well. He was trying to lay blame on\u00a0President Bush\u00a0and partisan Republicans.<\/p>\n

Truth be told, I was a bit surprised that the president would be so bold to bring this up when \u2013\u00a0after all \u2013\u00a0he has been blessed with a Congress composed of more Democrats in the House and the Senate than at any time since the 1960s. Further, if the president was sincere about that fact that \u201cwe do not let division break our spirit\u201d\u00a0and\u00a0that America needs \u201ca government that embodies their strength,\u201d then why play the blame card?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Sarah Lenti<\/p><\/div>\n

Right now he needs to be Mr. Bipartisan-in-Chief, not Mr. Blame-in-Chief. Here is what others had to say, and they said it fast:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHere we go, he\u2019s blaming it on Bush.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHe\u2019s still blaming the last administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHe is still blaming Bush or the Republicans. He never owned up to his own partisanship or the way that he has used his majority to ramrod unpopular policies past the\u00a0American people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jobs, jobs, jobs<\/h3>\n

President Obama\u00a0was quick, and right, to first turn to the economy and specifically \u00a0jobs. He said jobs \u201cmust be our number one focus.\u201d Bravo!<\/p>\n

His insistence, however, \u201cthat the worst of the storm was over\u201d and that the stimulus was the end-all, be-all was, well, hard to stomach. \u201cWe cut taxes,\u201d he said. And, apparently, jobs are being created daily and \u201cmillions of Americans have more to spend.\u201d Not many were buying this.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cThings are actually worse now. The stimulus bill HAS NOT created a lot of jobs. Talk to the teachers in\u00a0Chesterfield County\u00a0who are now being laid off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cNot credible! He\u2019s rewriting history \u2013 it\u2019s unsustainable and unrealistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cYour trillion [in stimulus] (as opposed to the deficit trillion) is the good trillion?!? Thanks!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cI love how he only mentioned\u00a0government jobs\u00a0in that list. Where are the private sector jobs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cSurprised high energy prices are listed as one of first points. Not really an issue with recession.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back to jobs. There was great (e-mail) applause over cutting taxes on both small and large businesses. I will be frank \u2013 my (uber) Republican mother said, \u201cNow, I like the idea of\u00a0tax incentives\u00a0for small businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

I agree \u2013 this is a great way to grow jobs. Regarding the weight that infrastructure projects would bring to bear on the market, others had different thoughts, such as:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cThe United States does not need a high-speed train system. Europe\u00a0has this because it was built 100s and 100s of years before ours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cOur trains are slow because Amtrak is government run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cDear unemployed: if you want a job, buy a hardhat and a shovel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding the power of clean-energy jobs and energy policy writ large \u2013 the amount of talk-time on this issue was pretty amazing. Hard to see how this is going to be rushed to the top of the White House agenda anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Impossible, actually \u2013 they have the economy and health care to tackle first. Some comments:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cBarack didn\u2019t get the memo that he\u2019s not allowed to say he likes off shore drilling. Whoops.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cCap and trade will kill all of his export initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Education<\/h3>\n

Now this made people send thumbs up \u2013 for all of about 120 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cI do agree that the best anti-poverty program is a world-class education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cI do think the\u00a0student loan system\u00a0needs revamping. I left public service because I couldn\u2019t afford to pay my student loans.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cOn education: what reforms? He talked about Race to the Top — without naming it — and how it created \u2018reform\u2019 we need to be expanded to all kids. But, what reform? Sure, some states raised their cap on charter schools. But no money has been awarded, no grants won by states, so shouldn\u2019t they see how the program works before they replicate it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cThe administration is proposing a 6.2% increase in the education budget. All we have done as a country \u2013 federal, state, local \u2013 is increase education funding over the past 10 years. And despite the \u2018investment,\u2019 student achievement has barely moved. So before we just throw more money at education, perhaps we should look at how dollars are currently being used.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health care, housing and trade<\/h3>\n

As expected,\u00a0health care\u00a0was given plenty of time in the speech. That said, after the last eight months of health care at nausea, it\u2019s no surprise very few commented. Here is what was posted:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201c[The President said] he was \u2018not going to walk away from these Americans [re: healthcare\u2019 \u2013 why don\u2019t you confront trial lawyers on insanely high liability insurance for doctors? Then, what about allowing insurance companies to compete across state lines? Also, end the tax credit available to businesses but not to individuals (by far the biggest problem) \u2013 or expand the tax credit to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201c[The President also talked about] \u2018a vast improvement over the status quo\u2019 \u2013 isn\u2019t that like the varying degrees of hell. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re not in the hottest part of hell, you\u2019re still in hell?<\/p>\n

On housing and trade:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHousing crisis\u00a0\u2013 a minute?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cExport \u2013 dollar strategy? Doesn\u2019t export depend in large part on the strength of the dollar?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cSomething like \u2018enforce trade deals\u2019 \u2013 isn\u2019t a big reason things are so much cheaper elsewhere, especially china, because they don\u2019t have anywhere close to the rules and regulations (on anything) that the US has.\u201d<\/p>\n

National security<\/h3>\n

National Security got a back seat. We went from The\u00a0Axis of Evil\u00a0in 2002 to a clear gloss-over of\u00a0Iran\u2019s\u00a0and\u00a0North Korea\u2019s rather provocative behavior between 2009 and 2010. And there was a rather odd admiration and lauding of\u00a0China\u00a0and\u00a0India.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great that our veterans are being better taken care of. And, it\u2019s great that the president all but declared the\u00a0War on Terrorism\u00a0over\u2026 but we are far from in the clear. Hearken \u2013 Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n

Comments:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHe spent 10 minutes on national security and is reverting back to clean energy and fluff policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cAre they supposed to be our role models???? (China and India)\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cWe need to pay our debt to China or we will never be in first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cA lot of rewriting history, a little rewriting of the constitution\u2026 Unacceptably little on national security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final thoughts<\/h3>\n

It is truly great that President Obama is making jobs his No. 1 focus. No quarrels with this. I just (sincerely) hope that \u201creform\u201d for the sake of reform doesn\u2019t allow us to become complacent in places where complacency is unacceptable, a la education, defense, our economy and (yes) even health care.<\/p>\n

Balance is key. Bipartisanship\u00a0is key. We need the president to display this.<\/p>\n

Now, some favorite lines from my communicators that gave me a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cPlease mention Joe and Nancy\u2019s matchy matchy outfits in your blog!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cHe\u2019s acting like a tool \u2013 what\u2019s with the comedy routine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cWe don\u2019t need Letterman as POTUS.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u201cMcDonnell seems like a low risk response so far. Not inspiring \u2013 at all. No star is born, but avoiding a Jindahl. Forced new media reference to twitter and facebook.\u201d (Read McDonnell\u2019s speech here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Overall, The\u00a0State of the Union\u00a0left a few feeling short-changed \u2013 in theory and in reality. The last text of the evening said it fairly, while also giving credit where credit was due:\u00a0\u201cPredictable, but he does give a mediocre speech better than anyone else\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Lenti<\/em><\/a> currently works as a policy consultant and advisor to Republican Party leaders, executives and candidates. She has worked in New Mexico and other states on presidential and congressional races and has a background in national security. Contact her at <\/em>sarah.lenti@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Lenti bio<\/a> \u2502 Archives<\/a> \u2502 Feed<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rather than listening to pundits, my laptop and I traveled out of the District to the home of a dear friend in Falls Church, Virginia. I listened to zero commentary. Just soaked in e-mails and texts from self-professed Democrats, independents and Republicans. Here\u2019s what I and they thought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1196,1192,181],"tags":[116],"class_list":["post-12133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogs","category-commentary","category-the-savvy","tag-washington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12133\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}