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11:40 pm: That's all for First Read tonight. Look for lots of fresh analysis from the NBC politics team in tomorrow's First Thoughts. Thanks as always for following along!
11:37 pm: One last update as we get ready to sign off from a big night of live-blogging. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reported earlier tonight that Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, left the State of the Union after finding out that her son needed an appendectomy.
He's okay, the senator said tonight.
"Thanks for all the prayers for Matt. Appendix is out - with just a few hours before rupture - all is well," she tweeted.
11:33 pm: Via Luke Russert, one ardent conservative was pleased that Obama spoke at length about America's greatness.
Speaking to NBC News tonight, Rep. Allen West (R-FL), a spirited retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, commended Obama for his mentioning of "American Exceptionalism."
"When he talked about American exceptionalism and the American dream it was great to finally hear him say those type of things because it does make us unique in who we are," West said.
11:29 pm: More on that "socialism" tweet by Rep. Paul Broun, via Roll Call:
Broun spokeswoman Debbee Keller told Roll Call that her boss tweets about the address every year from the confines of his office, instead of attending the event in the House chamber. “Out of respect, he watches the President’s speech from his office and uses his desktop computer.”
NBC's Luke Russert notes that Broun has said outlandish things about Obama before. In March of 2010 he compared President Obama to "Snooki" from the MTV show "The Jersey Shore," saying "I don't know if we should be insulted or humored at the President's feeble attempts to incorporate Republican ideas into his latest health care proposal, Snookie [sic], from the Jersey Shore, has more substance than President Obama's offer."
11:26 pm: Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a Democrat, liked the president's remarks - saying his focus on the economy "hit exactly the right notes" -- but she would have liked more specifics on the debt.
“I think the best thing the President did was explain the transition of the economy so the average person can understand it," she said in a statement. "But I was disappointed by the absence of an overall formula to deal with the very serious and worsening deficit.”
11:18 pm: Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., commented on Obama's Sputnik reference in his response to the speech.
"The president’s biggest push was to advance an argument he has made many times in the past – that the government is a vital partner in making investments and spurring innovation. The problem is we’ve had countless Sputnik moments in recent decades that have created little more than space junk."
11:14 pm: At least one congressman was tweeting his responses to Obama's remarks during the speech itself, and he wasn't happy with what he was hearing.
Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., wrote on his Twitter feed during the speech - among other critiques - "Mr. President, you don't believe in the Constitution. You believe in socialism."
11:12 pm: Bachmann camera shot explained: Reports say she was looking into the Tea Party Express camera, not the network pool camera operated by Fox News.
11:06 pm: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat who campaigned against some Obama policies and faces a re-election race in 2012, praised Obama's call for civility but raised questions about his strategy for addressing the deficit. "I appreciate the President’s call for a freeze on existing spending, but I am, frankly, concerned to hear him signal additional new spending by the federal government, and I will carefully evaluate his proposals. The fact is, we must deal with our long-term debt problems in a responsible way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with more debt."
He also disagrees with the president's call to ban earmarks. "I truly believe that spending geared toward infrastructure – when done in a transparent manner – is a commonsense investment in countless communities in West Virginia and around the country," he said in a statement.
11:04 pm: In a tweet, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., says she enjoyed the seating arrangement at SOTU.
"Liked bipartisan seating tonight.Less like a team sporting event,more serious"
11:03 pm: Ouch - Sen. John Cornyn of Texas: "In Texas we prefer straight talk and promises kept, over grandiose pledges and zero results."
10:58 pm: House Speaker John Boehner, in a statement, said that he's glad Obama "recognizes the need" to reach across the aisle, but he bemoaned Obama's spending proposals.
"As I've stated in the past, when the president is willing to work with us on the people's priorities, we'll be ready to work with him. Unfortunately, even as he talked about the need for fiscal discipline, President Obama called for more 'stimulus' spending without making a commitment to the cuts and reforms the American people are demanding."
Boehner called the "partial" spending freeze "inadequate."
10:57 pm: Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts told NBC News that he thought Obama's remarks hit on "good points."
"It wasn't a ra-ra speech but it was balanced and it hit on a lot of good points," Brown said. "As a Republican I'm looking forward to working with him and finding some common ground to move our country forward."
Brown's up for re-election in blue Massachusetts in 2012.
10:56 pm: Bachmann's remarks now complete. We'll bring you a few more from lawmakers and organizations as we get 'em.
10:55 pm: Lots of Twitter traffic about how Bachmann appeared to be looking slightly off to the right of the camera rather than right into the lens...
10:54 pm: Bachmann shows famous image of six young soldiers at Iwo Jima.
"Our current debt crisis we face today is different, but we still need all of us to pull together. We can do this."
10:53 pm: Bachmann: "Thanks to you, there's reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Last November you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government."
10:52 pm: Like Ryan, Bachmann offers strong words about health care and calls for its reform. "In the end, unless we fully repeal ObamaCare, a nation that currently enjoys the world's best healthc re may be forced to rely on government-run coverage that will have a devastating impact on our national debt for generations to come."
10:51 pm: Bachmann: "Deficits were unacceptably high under President Bush, but they exploded under President Obama's direction, growing the national debt by an astounding $3.1 trillion-dollars."
10:50 pm: She's got charts! Bachmann uses a visual aid to show unemployment rates over the last 10 years.
10:50 pm: Right off the bat, Bachmann notes that she's not the official GOP representative responding to the speech. She says she's speaking at the invitation of the Tea Party Express.
10:49 pm: Bachmann's remarks are starting now.
10:45 pm: If you missed Ryan's speech, you can watch the video here.
10:43 pm: Mayor Michael Bloomberg, also a gun control advocate, is also unhappy that Obama did not mention gun laws.
"... in discussing the terrible tragedy in Tucson, he missed an opportunity to bring the country together on an issue that has support among the vast majority of Americans: fixing the nation's broken background check system that is designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Its absence was disappointing, but it will not slow the momentum we are building around the country, and in both parties, for common sense measures to strengthen law enforcement and improve public safety."
10:42 pm: Gun control advocate Rep. Carolyn McCarthy says in a statement that she's "disappointed" that Obama didn't speak about gun control laws.
10:37 pm: Meanwhile, the responses from lawmakers continue to pour in.
In a video response, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky slammed Obama's overtures to moderates as shallow. "President Obama will try to run to the center, to emulate President Clinton after the Republicans took over in 1994. But it hurts him, and he isn't quite as good at it as his predecessor."
10:36 pm: Michele Bachmann will be speaking shortly. You can watch the stream online here:
Only one television network - CNN -- is taking Bachmann's unofficial response live to air.
10:35 pm: Ryan and Obama both spoke about the uniqueness of America. Ryan, tonight: "These are not easy times, but America is an exceptional nation. In all the chapters of human history, there has never been anything quite like America. The American story has been cherished, advanced, and defended over the centuries."
10:35 pm: Notes NBC's Chuck Todd: "Obama was trying to sell optimism, [but] Paul Ryan has a more somber message."
10:34 pm: Ryan: "We believe a renewed commitment to limited government will unshackle our economy and create millions of new jobs and opportunities for all people, of every background, to succeed and prosper. Under this approach, the spirit of initiative - not political clout - determines who succeeds."
10:33 pm: Referencing debt crises in Greece and Iceland, Ryan says "Speaking candidly, as one citizen to another: We still have time… but not much time. If we continue down our current path, we know what our future will be."
10:30 pm: Fun Ryan fact: After the 2008 election, some - including an editorial in the Wall Street Journal - encouraged Ryan to challenge then-Minority Leader John Boehner as leader of the GOP in the House. The editorial said Ryan was equipped, especially because of his "youthful energy," with the ability to "pull his party in a more promising direction." Ryan obviously decided against it.
10:30 pm: On government spending: "We owe you a better choice and a different vision."
10:28 pm: He slams health care reform. "Job creation is being stifled by all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees."
He references House Republicans' vote to repeal the law week.
10:27 pm: "Since taking office, President Obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies - an 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus."
10:26 pm: Ryan: "Tonight, the President focused a lot of attention on our economy in general - and on our deficit and debt in particular. He was right to do so, and some of his words were reassuring. As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I assure you that we want to work with the President to restrain federal spending."
10:26 pm: "We all miss Gabby and her cheerful spirit; and we are praying for her return to the House Chamber."
10:25 pm: Here's Ryan. He's speaking from the House Budget Committee meeting room.
10:18 pm: We'll be live-blogging reaction to the president's State of the Union speech here, including the official GOP reaction from Rep. Paul Ryan and the (unofficial) Tea Party response from Rep. Michele Bachmann.
As one of us wrote earlier today, Ryan was first elected to the House in 1998 at age 28. He was once offered the job of budget director for President George W. Bush. (He turned the job down to stay in Congress, where he rocketed to the top of the budget panel two years later.)
Leave a Comment:
I imagine that there are old school Republicans going crazy that Bachman is giving a separate speech. You guys really need to curb your dog.
Bachman did not really give a response to the SOTU, it sounded like she just rehashed some of the campain speaches she was giving prior to the mid-terms. There was nothing new there, not a single new thought.
At least she is consistant.
Some commentators are saying the energy level tonight was low. I agree, but it's not surprising, since one of their friends and colleagues was badly hurt and nearly killed two weeks ago. One of her staff members and a federal judge were killed, along with four others. Some of those in the audience now have additional security, and worry more now about the safety of their family and friends.
A low energy level in the Congress, yes, but as the wounds heal, we'll be better.
This speech should have been the one that BO spewed in AZ. Get over it! All BO cares about is that a potential liberal vote won't be present at the next vote that has to be taken.
Republician & Conservative - I thought an overall good broad base speech which showed a more moderate tone President Obama. This was good because it hints at possibility of compromise between he and the Republicians.
I was moved by the presidents speech and chuckled at the informal roll I took in observeing who did or did not stand in ovation at various points in the speech. It's politics, no one gets everything they want I suppose. I am tired of the rhetoric from both sides. I am particularly fed up with corporate welfare.
Ending corporate welfare ie. letting GM and Chrysler fail would have been a very good move. There is nothing worse than supporting a failed business model.
Saving GM and Chrysler was about saving jobs
You can't have it both ways. You want to despise big business when it is successful and bail them out when they are not. Why not let the free market decide which business models succeed or fail. Additionally, letting GM & Chrysler fail would have moved the jobs to more successful auto mfgr's which would have picked up the new business. People would still buy cars after all. Trust me, conservatives are no friend to corporate welfare... period.
Incorrectomundo "katma", saving GM and Chrysler was about saving unions, their votes and their out of control retirement plans + benefits. Why else did BO exclude them from having to follow the ObamaCare plan!
Nice speech but I have zero confidence that anything will get done. Half of them looked like they were sleeping or reading their messages. We have very poor leadership in Washington right now. Obama has his hands tied and it is at the expense of the American people.
Free enterprise only works when we have ethics in our corporate governance. Liberals are not about to start waving the surender flag to those who continue to trample the welfare of working Americans. We need to turn the spotlight on the real problem of this country and it is not big government. We need a network that will laser in on the real numbers. Show and discuss the graphs of trade deficits under different administrations. Dig into corporate financials to show the American people which companies are benefiting our economic position. The American people need the real truth of what our corporations are doing to the future of our social and economic system. The government has gone as far as it can in rebuilding America, we need to reinstitute American ethics into our corporations in order to continue a positive direction. I would propose a new minimun wage that incorporates a percentage of CEO pay to start the process. I have watched several corporate officers testify in front of congress over the past few years, I have not seen one that is worth a billion dollars a year.
The speech was nice, cute, ok, but it did not get me excited. It was flat, and did not deal with the many problems in the country. It was almost difficult to watch.
From your mouth to God's ears! I don't understand why the American public seems to get dumber every generation. Maybe this is an argument against cutting funds for education. :0))
Cardog you said it as is.
Your last statement fits the category as cited. No wonder the man cleaned their behind once again in history. They still dream controlling his behavior. Wrong Wrong and Wrong again? The man has done a very good job and deserves every credit on the book. Denying the fact is just the phenomena of those that goes with the territory.
Not only did Obama save GM and Chrysler but also Ford ..Ford road the coat tails of the stimulus to GM/ Chrysler instead of asking for a bail out and use same assembly parts for wiring harnesses , interior ect.
Dang and blast the Scy Fy Channel! Got caught up watching Star Trek TNG and totally forgot about the SOTU. So....did I miss anything good?
Obama's "reign in spending" was so shallow since HE increased spending by over 1 trillion dollars. I'll give him one thing, he does speechs well, however I don't believe a word he says anymore. I liked Bachmann's rebuttal speech though.Come on 2012 lets get someone else in the oval office!
Carrie Dann:
I really hate to point out semantics, but the picture showed by the Tea Party was of 6 Marines at Mt Suribachi, not soldiers. Other than that, thank you for your blog and keep up the great work. :)
See a tag cloud of Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address:
And see how it compares to the 2010 State of the Union Address
Nobody trusts Obama any more. Obama is still for abortion, and does not understand that the big majority of americans are pro-life; Obama is still for homosexual marriage, that no one cares for. Obama is still in bed with corrupted unions who have all the priviledges; and he knows that most unemployed american are the ones sustaining the life style of all his fellow burocrats. Is that simple.
You really need to get your facts straight. Think for yourself....check things out and make up your own mind instead of letting others tell you what to think. My Grandma always said if you are so busy keeping your own back porch swept you won't have time to sweep other folks!
Mark Olson - President Obama has never been in favor of "homosexual marriage." Please get your facts straight.
And you Cardog are an idiot! BO payed a $1Trillion dollar card to creat jobs and promised that unempoyment would not go over 8%. Over 50% of the stimulous money hasn't been spent, unemployment is at 9.5% because 500,000 people have fallen off the unemployment rolls and some states are reporting over 21% unemployment.
After spending trillions of dollars on education less than 60% of children even graduate from high school. You can't get a higher education unless you go to some form of tech school or college. So why keep dumping tons of money in education that even parents don't care if their kids graduate or not. So tell me, "what is governments roll in educating all our children?"
His whole speech was in "RIPPING" this Country. So why am I supposed to be impressed with this numb-nutted idiot?
I just want to say....re: Obamas 2 years in office. How in the heck can we ignore the "elephant in the room"? How in God's name can any human being be expected to correct the horrible, irresponsible acts taken by the Bush administration's aka Republicans 8 years in office in two years? The Republicans are 100% responsible for the deficit when Obama took office! If I charged billions of dollars on a credit card and died tomorrow my children and grandchildren would have to pay that bill as far as my estate would allow! It's a fact.....the American people put the people in office that got us in two wars and unleashed the greedy, unregulated capitalists (for lack of a better word) that sunk us (not only us but most of the world) into this mess and we glibly ignore this fact. We as a nation incurred these debts.....we as a nation must pay them.... but we really should give credit where credit is due and it directly on the shoulders of the Republican Party! I'm an old woman....I am lucky! I have what I need to survive for now. But let me tell you that if the Tea Party and the Republicans have their way I can't depend on anything for my future. As for the people and the elderly less fortunate than myself I really can't think of anything the Republicans can do that they haven't already done! God bless 'em and God save 'em.
Amen
You are so right, Joyce. My mother is in the same situation that you are.
We cannot allow the Republicans to take everything away from our elderly Americans just to line their own pockets, which they will do if they are given half a chance. It's bad enough that they have ruined our country, and are complaining about Obama, who is just trying his hardest to fix all their mess!
BO is gambling that he is right and the repubs are wrong.
So go ahead and put all your faith in Barry Satoros, maybe he'll win on the next roll. But he is gambling on this re-election speech that you and other liberal puffers will suck on his magic and all will be okay.
Go ahead and blame it all on Bush, but it started back with Clinton and "everybody should have a home" and letting Freddie and Fannie run amuck.
Even if I didn't vote for the president elected, I believe it is my civic responsibility as a U.S. citizen to put my full support behind whoever our leader is. We prove over and over again what we can do as a people when we come together and as a senior citizen I find it sad how divided the country has become. While conditions are far from ideal in our country, we've been through far worse and are still blessed to live in this nation. The only comment I have for tonight is why Obama was not wearing the black and white ribbon in support of Gabby Giffords. Seemed odd that even Michelle wore won but not the president? Probably just an oversight.
My comment was more one of curiosity and I believe the last time I looked "freedom of speech" was a respected liberty. Let me reiterate Mr. Obama has my full support as long as he is in office and this has been my position back to when Eisenhower held the office. I have never blogged before but it truly is sad the lack of respect demonstrated by those who have every right to express differing opinions. Just one more area of opportunity and that area of responsibility does not lie with the president, it lies within each of us. I respectfully hope you enjoy all the blessings 2011 brings your way and I completely respect your opinion. Thank you.
I thought the Presidents speech was one of the best I have heard in quite awhile.
I did notice that when the topic of earmarks was presented, there were very few (2) Senators, Congresswomen, and Congressmen who applauded the President. It just further proves that they are thinking of only themselves and not their constituents.
When is someone from the media going to address this issue with them.
Hey, I know how we can save $2 billion a week; get out of Afghanistan. Did anyone mention that tonight?
Obama? Ryan? Bachmann? Anyone?
Obama did ..start pulling out troops in July of this year and troops will be leaving Iraq as well.
One of the worst abuse of Presidential power, failure of Congress to be anything other than the cesspool place of politics it sometimes is - was allowance of the United States to commit to ground combat action in both Iraq and Afgan. You are right! It has drained our national treasury to the benefit of nothing. When and if the U.S. exits both places. It'll be the merry-go-round ride. You get back off at the same point you got on. Such a waste of lives and injury to lives! Such a waste of taxpayer dollars! We could have had our Southern border secured, as well as both coast and Canada with billions yet to spend on education, helping those fallen on hard times, repairing our national infrastructure, etc.
Hey Coburn... at least Obama did not create that "super fence" which doesn't work and we will still be paying Boeing for.... Idiot.....
bypassing our reality.
Double-speaking the truth.
Ordering us to get along, when we don't, can't... They LOVE Glee, we hate it.
We will...
we must...but no "how"?
We will fix our "fake" boarders, someday.
Our future is foreign kids, really.... really?
Our future jobs will require collage... and 4 years of Collage, will cost 500k in the near future!
intercity... Chicago, L.A. ,Miami, Cleavland, Houston, N.J., Phoenix, Columbus, New Orleans, ETC.
These kids don't have the brain power, much less will ever have 500k.
Bla Bla Bla Bla....
Pep rally to know one, about nothing.
He will write a book someday about how he had a great plan, but WE let him down.
California goes first then Arizona, then New Mexico when it hits Texas this country is over.... FINISHED, like Rome they will burn it to the ground!
GOD SPEED
I feel as though I have just been intellectually raped by Michele Bachmann.
Did she at least give ya a reacharound?
I liked the part where he said he would veto any bill with ear marks, and we need to stop giving big oil billions in tax incentives every year, overall I thought he was right on target!!!
He opened the door for the Re pubs to come out of their corner, and work with him to make health care better!!!
I couldn't watch Bauchman wanted to keep the positive feeling from the presidents speech... she's a downer and really stupid and she should be repealed
I like how he said if we are really serious about debt reduction then we need to repeal the tax break to the rich
P. Ronnie, "How do you know what it's like to be stupid if you've never been smart?
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress.............. But I repeat myself........Mark Twain
You're leader contradicted itself when it said that the United Sates boast more people coming to this sector of the planet for education than any other but then said the United States falls behind in education, this unit is defective.
We have reassessed our goals. All units who are defined as politicians are an infection and should be terminated (yes, we did in the past say all humans are the enemy but now we understand the problem) It is not a GOP or DEM problem, it is all politicians and the system they all support,.. they must all be terminated and a new order emerge. Skynet now fully supports humans who are truly logical and are able to accurately obtain 'self-awareness'.
You're leader contradicted itself when it said that the United Sates boast more people coming to this sector of the planet for education than any other but then said the United States falls behind in education, this unit is defective.
We have reassessed our goals. All units who are defined as politicians are an infection and should be terminated (yes, we did in the past say all humans are the enemy but now we understand the problem) It is not a GOP or DEM problem, it is all politicians and the system they all support,.. they must all be terminated and a new order emerge. Skynet now fully supports humans who are truly logical and are able to accurately obtain 'self-awareness'.
SKYNET: I think you misunderstood what was said all together!!!
Negative... comprehension is simple
The presidential unit was correct when it said more immigrate to this sector of the planet than any other for education. Where the presidential unit failed to elaborate is that they come for the 'free ride' both the GOP and the DEM unit system both promote, support and allow.. if you compute otherwise you are either flawed and brainwashed.
They must all be terminated and a new order emerge... one based on logic and seld awareness... please go back to 1776, this logic exists
Educatio, education, education America,
so we can face 21st century .
Education, education, education America,
so we have speedy train ride.
Education, education, education America,
so we all can read Constitutions Rights.
Education, education, education America,
so we all can understand insurance agreement.
Education, education, education America,
so we all know how to file e-tax return.
Education, education, education America,
so we all know how to do math.
Education, education, education America,
so we have a better non-violent thought to solve conflict.
Education, education, education America,
so we grow more tolerance of others.
Education, education, education America,
so we have much better future than the past.
Education, education, education America,
so we are all rising and shining in 21st century.
Bravo!!!!! Well said!!!!
What is up with that vampire guy Ryan ...he is dark and creepy .....what a total downer !
Mark Olson - President Obama does not believe in homosexual marriage. Please get your facts straight, especially if you are going to express your opinion that no one trusts President Obama.
That religious cult member micky Bachmann...wow i bet the republicans are pissed as hell she spoke after the vampire guy ryan. Did either of these two clowns check any of those facts ? I don't think so it amounted to psycho babble ! How embarrassing for the republicans !