SOTU - your thoughts

[Ecurb Noselrub]

President Obama's State of the Union speech was inspiring.  He's a good communicator.  Maybe I'm a cockeyed optimist, but he may have brought us a little closer together as a nation.

[Icarus]

Bruce I fear that you are an optimist. The SOTU speech was well done. Our prez is very good at that and in addition he is an intellectual with a sense of compassion....or so it would seem.  The pundits on the right, have not missed a chance to be divisive and denounce the speech (actually the man) thoroughly. More is the shame that we can not get along in the political world.   

[Firebird]

Oh yeah, Paul Ryan really looked like he had changed his mind... /s



I firmly believe Obama's presidency will become a legendary event in US history, beyond what we even realize now. He saved the country from economic ruin and did more to advance gay rights, health care, and environmental policy than anyone else has managed to do, not to mention foreign policy wins in Iran and Cuba, while still taking out Bin Laden. And all in the face of a radical right Congress who wasn't afraid to race-bait. People have lost perspective, which is expected after 7 years, but they'll be remembering him fondly soon enough.

[Asmodean]

What IS the State of the Union, really? I have some understanding of the concept, but what purpose does it actually serve?

[Firebird]

The original idea was to have the president go before Congress and give a sort of progress report on the state of the country at the time. Unlike, say, the UK,  the president does not regularly address Congress or attend votes since  he's not in the legislative branch of government, so technically he's invited by the House Speaker to talk to them once a year.

[Asmodean Prime]

Ah! I see. A kind of one-way-interface-type-situation between the branches of government, yes?

[Firebird]

I suppose. It's the only time the three branches of government are all together at once (the Supreme Court also attends, although they have to sit and not cheer anything so as not to appear partisan).

[jumbojak]

I listened to part of it on the way home. It was a speech. I really don't see the appeal of speeches, especially ones designed for the days of horse and cart. I seriously doubt it will change anything; the gun lobby will keep lobbying, the financial lobby will keep lobbying, the pharmaceutical lobby will keep lobbying, etc. and we'll all keep getting screwed unless something rather dramatic happens. Whether the drama will happens, and whether the screw turns lefty or rightly, is still up in the air.