Obama gives a speech we can’t take seriously
How do you take seriously a speech in which the president says we will spend more money on educating students, rebuilding our infrastructure and funding research for innovation in alternative energy sources — all while saying we’re not going to spend more money?
How do you take seriously a speech in which the only budgetary dollar figure the president gives is a made-up one — a reduction in spending (even as spending is frozen, remember) as compared only to hypothetical future budgets?
How do you take seriously a speech in which the president claims the mantle of fiscal restraint — while essentially bidding to make permanent the supposedly temporary, stimulus-inflated levels of spending we’ve seen the last two years?
How do you take seriously a speech in which the president says he will work more closely with Republicans — by making the same offers he has made, but not acted on, in previous speeches? (Examples: “If you have ideas about how to improve [the health-reform] law…I am eager to work with you,” and, “I’m willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year: medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits” [my emphasis, because he's admitting he didn't act on it when they proposed it before].)
How do you take seriously a speech in which the president acknowledges that his own fiscal-reform commission said “the only way to tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it” — and then essentially rules out cutting spending in entitlements?
Given all this, how do you take seriously those parts of the speech that did offer pleasant surprises — his calls to flatten and lower corporate income-tax rates, to simplify individual income taxes (note that he didn’t offer to simplify and then lower rates), to merge and consolidate duplicative federal agencies, and to veto any bill with earmarks?
Seriously — how?
The next two years are going to be even harder than I thought.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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169 comments Add your comment
JT
January 26th, 2011
8:56 am
At least Bachmann kept her response simple……..yeah, fits her constituency and her capability.
Deuce
January 26th, 2011
8:57 am
Obama will say anything and pretend to be anything to get re-elected, and this was a campaign stump. He has proven to be the most incompetent, unqualified, and disastrous president we have had in modern history. He had overwhelming support when he took office, albeit much of that was fueled by racism and emotional guilt. Unintelligent or easily influenced naive and ignorant people would have been “moved” by his speach last night. Others would be too: typical liberal sycophants who think whatever “their” guy says is brilliant and sincere, without any desire or ability for critical, open-minded analysis. Closed-minded and intolerant, they will attack the more thoughtful, informed, and analytical minds who don’t believe or agree with everything Obama says and does by resorting to the only weapons they have: name calling, labeling, and of course, attacking former Presidents.
Here Spot
January 26th, 2011
8:57 am
Obama is just so stupid. Sometimes I kinda feel a little bit of sympathy for him. Then theres Biden…thats another blog all unto itself.
Wyle Kingfield
January 26th, 2011
8:58 am
I’d rather listen to W say “bring it on” while I’m eating my Freedom Fries.
DebbieDoRight
January 26th, 2011
8:59 am
Below is an example of “re-writing” history….:
1. Yeah, Bush left office with a $10 trillion deficit, but there was a deficit when he took office
WTF!! Clinton left with a SURPLUS what Dumbya wiped out his first year in office. Talk about stooooopid!!
Good Grief
January 26th, 2011
9:00 am
John January 26th, 2011 8:51 am
President Obama’s speech was certainly better than the doom and gloom, fear mongering speech given by Paul Ryan or the one given by Michele Bachmann. Ms. Bachmann, the Constitutionalist, called on the President to sign a balanced-budget amendment. Does she now know how our Constitution is amended? The president has no role in amending the Constitution
____
I agree with your last statement, but I think it extends to many memeber of Congress. A lot of them, on both sides of the aisle, have no idea what’s in the Consitution, much less how it is amended. I dealt with that when talking to friends about the GOP plan to read the document on the House Floor. They said they couldn’t believe that the GOP would read a document with so many racist undertones, to which I said that we couldn’t just take things out. We had to leave the bad amendments in there, along with the ones that rescind or repeal those amendments, so that we learn from what we’ve done wrong in the past.
But to the first part of your statement, I’ll apologize on behalf of Conservatives everywhere. We’re sorry that the response to a speech by a liberal President didn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy. But know this, sometimes we don’t have time for warm and fuzzy. I said last night that the thing we need is a President who’ll go into the SOTU speech and tell Congress to “sit down and shut up” because there is a lot of crap that we’ve got to fix, and acting buddy-buddy ain’t gonna fix it.
Here Spot
January 26th, 2011
9:02 am
When ObaManure speaks its all smoke & mirrors. Just another dog and pony show.
Nothing to see here folks, lets move it along…
need to work now
January 26th, 2011
9:05 am
You understand that Obama doesn’t write legislation, right? So he didn’t “act” on medical malpractice reform because the Democratic-dominated Congress didn’t include it. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a different mix of power now–one that that is far more likely to get that issue through for Obama’s signature. He basically said he’d be for it, so it’s on Congress to “act”.
JoeFann
January 26th, 2011
9:08 am
Wah, wah, wah. I didn’t do it! Yes, you did! He did it, he did it! No, it was his daddy! Wah, wah, wah. Blah, blah, blah.
You’re right. They ALL did. They ALL lied. They ALL tossed their principles right out the window the day they were elected. Don’t you get it? Rs and Ds are just the two sides of the same coin. Why? Because their primary job, once elected, is to be re-elected, not to govern. And whose fault is that? Yours. Mine. Ours. Because for at least 60 years, we never required accountability. And because each side has enough sheep to continue self-propagation, we never will. Until we legislatively remove the option of perpetual re-election, nothing will change. Two terms for Senators. Four terms for Representatives. 20 years for Supreme Court Justices.
Require accountability (and accounting skills!) Fire them all. Start over.
Good Grief
January 26th, 2011
9:08 am
Debbie -
I apologize for a lack of clarity in my writing. I should have used the term “National Debt” instead of deficit. Yes, Clinton had a budget surplus. But a budget is a one year thing, the national debt is cumulative. On the day George Bush took office, the national debt was $5.7 trillion. On the day Obama took office, the national debt was $10.6 trillion, an increase of right at $5 trillion in eight years. Now, two years into Obama’s term, the national debt is just over $14 trillion. So yes, Bush’s administration was responsible for $5 trillion in debt, but if that is true then Obama and his administration must shoulder the burden of nearly $4 trillion in debt in two years.
JoeFann
January 26th, 2011
9:13 am
BTW–Debbie:
Clinton left an ANNUAL budget surplus. There was still cumulative debt, some of which was Clinton’s.
stives
January 26th, 2011
9:13 am
The speech last night dwells among us as what should have been done long before the shooting. America is poor when it comes to taking care of its own people, and yet, the government want america to pay more for goods and services. America families, just don’t have the income anymore regardless how things was made out to be in this speech. President Obama did a great job on his visions. America cannot wait for furture bills to be past; we need help and it needs to come now! Our Demoncracts and Senate needs to realize that bickering has gotten us all in a grave mess year after years. America government have never came to the aid of its people in trouble times; they continue to take and take; while they still support and send billions of dollars elewhere; except, for those of us here in America who remain poor and and barely staying alive. Our tax dollars will never be use for the right things! Bottom Line!
freda
January 26th, 2011
9:14 am
Bachmann reminds me of cousin eddie’s kid from the vacation movie. Darndest thing, she was kicked in the head by a mule and went cross-eyed.
JF McNamara
January 26th, 2011
9:15 am
I take him seriously. He’s got a pretty good track record of doing what he says, and he’s turned this country around. We came from the brink of a complete banking collapse to now under him.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/
Kyle has a pretty good record of being extremely predictable. Take whatever Obama says and Bash it. Rinse, Repeat. Pump Tax Cuts. Rinse, Repeat. Pump Big Business. Rinse, Repeat.
jconservative
January 26th, 2011
9:16 am
How do you make something out of nothing? By making it a Big Deal.
You make a Big Deal out of a State of the Union Address by lavishing it with praise or scorn.
But it is no Big Deal. Since FDR taught us how, the SOTU speech has served as little more than an advertising billboard for the enhancement of President’s poll numbers and standing with the voters.
So Kyle, and others, are talking about not taking seriously this SOTU speech. I never have taken one seriously and never will. I am not into political advertising.
The SOTU has never, and will never, matter. The President is required by law to recommend a budget to Congress. That matters. Then the House and Senate actually write the budget. That matters. All the President can do is veto or sign. With few exceptions, lastly Clinton, they always sign. So it is what comes out of Congress that matters.
Now if the President has any political capital he may get a large part of what he recommends. Then again, he may not.
To borrow a word from Bush 43, the House is the “decider”. No budget gets approved without originating in, and passing, the House. I know that, you know that, Boehner knows that and Obama knows that.
Then it must get through the Senate. And anything there must pass by 60 votes, unless they do it as a reconciliation bill.
So let’s not make a Big Deal out of any SOTU speech. Let’s make a Big Deal out of what passes the House.
Welcome to a new era of Divided Government. A Republican House, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic President all in competition with each other.
John
January 26th, 2011
9:18 am
Good Grief
How much of the increase to the national debt did Obama inherit from the Bush policies. Obama inherited the wars…how much did that add to the national debt in the last 2 years?
StJ
January 26th, 2011
9:23 am
Hopefully the independents will see that speech for what it was and vote for someone else in two years.
Joe the Plutocrat
January 26th, 2011
9:24 am
I intend to post this on all 4 (CT, JB, KW, & BB) blogs to prove my point. didn’t watch the state of the union. I know the “state of the union”. wanna know how I know? I read the NYT piece about the post mortem on the 2008 meltdown. wanna know what the experts think? 1 – federal investigators lay blame at the feet of both the Clinton and Bush administrations. Clinton for making “home ownership” a de facto policy, and Bush for doing what Bush did best (see: 9/11) ; ignoring red flags because he was too focused on other things. 2 – the federal investigators also pointed out what everybody (save the plutocrats) knows; the meltdown was not caused by some schmuck who “bought too much home”. the meltdown was caused by Alan Greenspan and the Fed (plutocrats) inflating the housing market with “cheap money” which led to speculation and outright fraud. in response to this; Wall Street (plutocrats) saw an opportunity to “double dip” by securitizing the knowingly ‘toxic’ loans and placing side bets via the unregulated over-the-counter dirivitives market (signed into law by Clinton in ‘99. Clinton and Congress are, of course, plutocrats). when the sh*t started hitting the fan, the Bush (plutocrat) administration did nothing being the cynic I am, I suspect he was too focused on bringing “freedom” to the Middle East via the $2 trillion boondoggle in Iraq, WHICH in a very real sense was funded (actually “unfunded”) by the very same malfeasance of the Federal Reserve (cheap money). asset bubbles are asset bubbles, and it really doesn’t matter if the bubble is produced in a housing market, or so, the Defense/Homeland Securtity “market”. I’m gonna ask some of the really dedicated “knuckle draggers” to consider this; is Clinton’s faux effort to ensure “home ownership” for Americans any more dubious, and disinfenguous than Bush’s faux patriotism and goal of a “democracy” in Iraq or a world without terrorism?
So what have we learned, children? if we are trulypaying attention, we are what we are. I am reminded of the famous words of Benjamin Franklin; whom, upon leaving the Constitutional Convention said; “you have a Republic, if you can keep it.” seems to me, if we look at how things have played out, the “Founding Fathers” (along with the commercial interests that drove the call for “independence”) should have said WE have a PLUTOCRACY, if WE can keep it.” and I emphasize the word WE because it is the first word of the preamble to the Constitution. interesting choice, I believe. so, what is “the state of the Union”? same as it has always been, the plutocracy (government and private sector, Democrats and Republicans, bankers and defense contractors – and insurance companies and drug purveyors) are doing just fine; agreeing to disagree on policy and whatnot, but in total, smug agreement that the working American taxpayers will continute to feed the beast; even as “the beast” attempts to blame “the people” for it’s problems.
Road Scholar
January 26th, 2011
9:24 am
For all those out there who call Pres Obama stupid, lame, unqualified…
So when are you going to run for office? And by the way this “stupid” president got elected! Since the Repubs and Tea’s have been sooooooo definative in describing their proposed actions, why is so much vitrol thrown at the President when he does the same.
And for the proposal to increase infrastructure spending, this is how we have addressed past downturns. It created jobs, allowed material suppliers to expand their businesses, and improved the realiability of our infrastructure. Or are you going to wait on the private sector to do this? Are you ready to pay tolls (oh, they’re not taxes?) to walk across the street? Pick your nose? (Just don’t dig to deep and do a lobotomy!)It leaves a legacy; how much of a legacy have we created with unemployment?
So Kyle, you asked, repeatedly, how you can take his speech seriously. I agree it was boring and light weight. But it is the only speech made that looked to the future and did have some good items.Even McConnell on tv this am said so.
Road Scholar
January 26th, 2011
9:29 am
Kyle, if you are awake, you need to ban Amanda Green for her comments, esp the one at 9:16. Opinionating is one thing; being disrespectful, gross, and ignorant is another. Do YOU agree with her comment? Is this the type of responses you endorse?
dan
January 26th, 2011
9:34 am
amanda,
I’m sorry someone hurt you. Please seek professional help.
Joel Edge
January 26th, 2011
9:34 am
Road Scholar@9:29
I agree. Pretty much insulting from both sides of the argument. Insulting Obama and rednecks.
Joe Cascio
January 26th, 2011
9:34 am
Do they pay Kyle to write this garbage? I hope its an internship. Or maybe he is on loan to the paper from Sarah Palin’s staff
Here Spot
January 26th, 2011
9:34 am
“And by the way this “stupid” president got elected!”
As did Grant, Harding, Pierce, Buchanan, Carter…so whats your point? That Obama is one of the worst ever? I agree 100%.
MJD
January 26th, 2011
9:36 am
It’s my understanding that when writing about the President of the United States, AP Style dictates you capitalize it…if for no other reason because it’s respectful. If you can’t follow simple AP style rules, don’t be a journalist.
Good Grief
January 26th, 2011
9:37 am
John @ 9:18 -
I love how people try to make Obama seem completely innocent in all this. Yes, he inherited a bad situation. You hardly ever hear anyone admit that Bush inherited a technology bubble that was in the process of bursting, or a housing market that the Clinton administration had turned toxic by giving out bad loans, or an intelligence community that Jamie Gorelick had effectively walled off.
ATLBadger
January 26th, 2011
9:38 am
In the surprise of the year, Kyle slams Obama’s SOTU address! What did you expect? Excel spreadsheets and charts?
What about Ryan’s official GOP response, which didn’t even include the words “Social Security” or “Medicare” in it? Way to step up to the plate, Ryan! Or how about crazy lady Bachmann’s rogue Tea Party sponsored speech?
Junior Samples
January 26th, 2011
9:45 am
I saw Obama’s gums bumping together but nothing was coming out typical except bs- lies that show him trying to move to the center of the political spectrum to get re-elected. We need to drain the swamp in 2012 and start over if the country is to having a chance. The Dem experiment has been a huge failure.
Kyle Wingfield
January 26th, 2011
9:45 am
Amanda Green is off the blog for good.
MJD: Sorry, but that’s not AP style.
Ray Magee
January 26th, 2011
9:50 am
Repubs in the house will cut the budget $100 billion this year. Obummer will get the Senate to sit on this budget so that when the government shuts down his fingerprints will not be on it. Anyone want to bet me on this. IRAN + NORTH KOREA + HUGO CHAVEZ + DEMOCRAT PARTY = NEW AXIS OF EVIL.
Jefferson
January 26th, 2011
9:52 am
Well you GOP boys are still in 2nd place, maybe you will get back in power, maybe not.
John
January 26th, 2011
9:55 am
@ATLBadger
“What about Ryan’s official GOP response, which didn’t even include the words “Social Security” or “Medicare” in it? ”
He did refer to Social Security by saying we need to protect those who are retired or near retirement. That’s all he said…which means he does not believe in protecting those who are not close to retirement age. Of course, that’s the Republican mantra…everyone fend for themselves. Do they even know what Social Security is? It’s not a retirement plan…everyone should plan for their own retirement but it’s a safety net. It protects us from fluctuations in the stock market.
Paul
January 26th, 2011
9:57 am
This article is trash, and Americans are, on the whole, rather ignorant and under educated.
wallbanger
January 26th, 2011
10:05 am
Obama gives a good speech, but it is utterly devoid of any meaningful remedial ideas. He appoints a commission which tells him hard truths about what must be cut, and then, the most he does is freeze government spending AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IT HAS BEEN IN ever. Rather than take the opportunity to lower the budget by canning some of those federal employees he has put on the payroll. And what is with his exempting his union cronies from that healthcare plan he thinks so highly of. Tells me something right there. Chicago politics at a national level. Scary.
The State of the Union | Truth and Common Sense
January 26th, 2011
10:17 am
[...] Obama Gives a Speech we Can’t Take Seriously [...]
Old Bob
January 26th, 2011
10:23 am
Here Spot, your reference to Nose Full of Nickles, leads me to believe you are an old duffer like me. Who under 60 would remember Mel Brooks’ song “If I had a nose full of nickles, I’d sneeze them all achoo.” But comparing Obama to a pinata is an insult to pinatas.
Pull My Finger
January 26th, 2011
10:27 am
Can’t wait until Obama’s gone…….what a freaking clown.
Hud
January 26th, 2011
10:32 am
neither half of my brain takes this guy seriously. the old adage that words don’t make the man certainly resonate in this case.
Here Spot
January 26th, 2011
10:39 am
Old Bob
January 26th, 2011
10:23 am
LMAO!!
Peter
January 26th, 2011
10:44 am
Poor folks here having to wait 6 years until Obama is gone…… Keep Crying Republicans….and of course Pray for more rain….cause that is your policy !
Pongo
January 26th, 2011
10:47 am
The DOW is over 12000 as we speak, my 401k is has made more money in two years under President Obama than the entire eight years under the bumbling incompetent George Bush. Gee, if this is socialism then I want six more years of it. God bless America.
Ammy
January 26th, 2011
10:48 am
As part of a group of people invited to be online responding to the speech as it occurred for CNN, I found it so boring and meaningless, I briefly fell asleep. More and more, there is nothing Obama says that can or should be taken seriously. If his lips are moving, he is lying. He says one thing and then does another. He is currently running for reelection and so everything must be viewed through that lens. Campaigner Obama is a very different creature than White House Obama. But if you fall for one, you most certainly will get the other.
Ammy
January 26th, 2011
10:49 am
Yeah, and it started moving up on anticipation of Republican victories in November. Look at the chart.
Joe the Plutocrat (aka paleo-neo-jconservative)
January 26th, 2011
10:57 am
jconservative, your dispassionate analysis continues to both amaze and depress me. you’re Andrew Bacevich (I know you know of him) without the zeal (if you know him, you’ll get the joke). what is your name? I intend to “write you in” in 2012. that is the “amaze” part. the “depressing” part is the fact that nearly every other American is content to ignore the obvious and continue the delsuional, infantile, acrimonious, (faux) ideological pissing contest that is American political discourse.
AngryD
January 26th, 2011
10:59 am
Some of you liberal morons need to educate yourselves on recent history. Let me give you some facts:
In 2006 spending and the economy were not the issue to the American voter. After six Republican years the economy was booming, gas was $2.10 a gallon, and the single issue voters picked was a withdrawal from Iraq. THAT voter ignorance swept the Pelosi and Reid dems into office, where THEY, not Bush, blocked a Freddy/Fanny restructure, prevented offshore drilling, and overspent taxpayer dollars. By 2007 their screwups had added $1.8 trillion in debt, killed the real-estate market, and driven the price of gas over $4.50– all while successfully blaming Bush for their own bludering incompetence.
They rode that spin into office in 2008, successfully electing a far left theorist with no experience, NO track record (137 votes “present”?), and a history if association with terrorists and anti-American faith pushers. For two years they spent irresponsibly, rammed hated legislation down our throats (in NO POLL does obamacare have more than 47% support from the people, even left-slanting ones).
Hey, you don’t have to believe me, but you’d sound a LOT smarter if you looked this stuff up before shooting off your mouths. Obama’s poll numbers are up because Republicans are BLOCKING his attempts to make the situation worse and he’s doing what he does best: stealing credit.
You keep on blaming Bush. It adds SOOOOO much to your credibility.
Good Grief
January 26th, 2011
11:00 am
Paul @ 9:57 and Peter @ 10:44
Don’t you just love it when liberal elitism bleed through? Americans are ignorant and uneducated and this article is trash because it doesn’t support Obama. Republicans are less than intelligent because they pray. Fun stuff, guys.
Halftrack
January 26th, 2011
11:00 am
P.T. Barnum said it best ” a sucker is born every minute.” He put up a sign on a door that read ” to the egress”. It was a way to get people moving out of the small museum that he was operating. Just more smoke & mirrors from the Pres.
Mrs. Obvious
January 26th, 2011
11:03 am
Obama gives a speech we can’t take seriously.
Wingfield offers commentary we can’t take seriously.
DannyX
January 26th, 2011
11:04 am
Well some people actually did doze off during the speech so you certainly belonged there Ammy. Since you have so much confidence in CNN’s “group of people” I’m sure you will have even more confidence in the poll they conducted after the speech.
The one that found overwhelming support for the speech, overall positive of 86%.
A ‘wake up’ call for Republicans.
Iska Waran
January 26th, 2011
11:04 am
Everyone seems agreed not to re-elect GW Bush in 2012. Now as to Obama’s speech, it was mostly a joke. One million electric golfcarts – er, cars – on the roads by 2015? That’s his plan for the economy? $50,000 electric cars complete with tax credit bribes and 90 mile long extension cords? 1 million cars is less than 1/2% of the vehicles on the road. One idea that seemed to make sense: Eliminate (unspecified) corporate tax “loopholes” in exchange for big reduction in the corporate tax rate. I doubt he’ll lift a finger to get it done, though. When it comes to Obama on education, everything you need to know is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7FS5B-CynM