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Subscribe to RSSThe New York Times calls Obama’s State of the Union “assertive” and “fleshed out the populist themes of his inauguration speech”: “President Obama, seeking to put the prosperity and promise of the middle class at the heart of his second-term agenda, called on Congress on Tuesday night to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour, saying that would lift millions out of poverty and energize the economy.”
The Washington Post: “President Obama challenged Congress on Tuesday night to assist an American middle class squeezed by rising costs and stagnant wages, making clear that he will devote much of his second term to closing the income gap between rich and poor.”
The Wall Street Journal: “President Barack Obama outlined an ambitious agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday that included raising the minimum wage, increasing spending on infrastructure, attacking climate change and passing gun-control legislation.”
The Boston Globe: “President Obama urged a divided Congress in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night to approve new policies to fix a slow-moving economy, overhaul the nation’s immigration system, and tighten gun laws.”
The L.A. Times: “President Obama's State of the Union speech demonstrated a rule for governing in politically divided times: Insert yourself the least where the chance of success is best.”
Susan Page says Obama “has the scars of four tumultuous years in office and the credential of having won re-election. During last year's election and especially since November's victory, Obama has been emboldened on both the battles he chooses and the tactics he uses.” She added, “The agenda Obama outlined had more of the sweep of first-term ambitions than the limits of a second-term cleanup operation.”
As we’ve written previously, Obama is exuding a newfound confidence – from his speech laying out his gun-control proposals to his inaugural speech to the State of the Union.
Politico: “The speech President Barack Obama delivered in his State of the Union address Tuesday night was aggressive — but not nearly as aggressive as the message he was sending to Congress between the lines of what he said. For all the talk about bipartisan cooperation, Obama couldn’t have been clearer: He’s confident his agenda has popular support, he’s not going to compromise too much and he’s prepared to spend as much time going around the country pressing his case as it’ll take. As for the Republican lawmakers who complain that he’s been too rough on them already — he’s just getting started. And Democrats better be on notice, too.”
But Ron Fournier writes: “Rather than go big and bold, President Obama settled Tuesday night for incremental and pragmatic. For all his swagger and political capital, the president subtly acknowledged the limits of what he can accomplish--even while promising in his State of the Union address to create ‘a rising, thriving middle class.’ His speech lacked the moon-shot vibe you’d expect from a president courting greatness.”
The New York Daily News: “Jobs and the economy were supposed to be the focus of his speech, but President Obama’s demand that Congress vote on a series of new gun controls brought down the House at his State of the Union address Tuesday night.”
Roll Call: “Obama Aims to Put GOP on Defense in State of the Union Address.”
Political Wire: “A new CNN/ORC instant poll found that 77% of those watching President Obama's State of the Union had a somewhat or very positive view of the address, while 22% had a negative response. However, Obama was speaking to a relatively friendly audience. Of those who watched the speech, 44% were Democrats and 17% were Republicans.”
National Journal put together word clouds comparing Obama’s and Rubio’s speeches. Jumping out from Obama’s “jobs.” From Rubio’s “more government.”
“President Barack Obama is kicking off three days of travel to rally support for the job-creation and economic proposals he unveiled in his State of the Union address,” the AP notes. “Obama will launch the effort Wednesday in Asheville, N.C., with a visit to Linamar Corp., a supplier of engine and transmission components that has expanded its manufacturing operations. Linamar produces heavy-duty engine and driveline components. In 2011, the company announced that its fourth U.S. manufacturing facility would be at the site of a shuttered Volvo Construction Equipment plant in Asheville. The company has hired 160 workers and will hire 40 more by the end of the year, the White House said. Obama will make stops in Atlanta on Thursday and Chicago on Friday.”
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The message I took away from the President's speech is, that we are ready to once again value science over quick profits. We will finally value achievement in engineering over making a killing in the stock market. We will finally value our best and brightest students, over the slickest Wall Street traders and disreputable bankers. The era of Gordon Gecko is dead. The era of the researcher, the explorer, and the builder, has begun.
Amy I don't think it really ever went away. Seems from several past SOTU's I remember those very same perspectives were thrown out there especially in leaner times. I am going to do some research to make sure my memory doesn't fail me but, I know I have heard those things expounded on before many times.
How's the "melt" going?
Once again, the Sham-Wow salesman in the White House steered away from talking about the reality of unemployment, national debt and no budgets ! Instead, he was trying his usual re-packaging of push for more government control of our lives and more taxes. Gun control was puished by playing on the emotions of specific shootings, instead of focusing on the broader rights of hundreds of millions.
Obama pushed for "Climate Control" legislation and indicated he would abuse the power of executive orders to legislate from the White House if he didn't get what he wanted !
Obama pushed for higher minimum wages at a time when our country has seen manufacturing jobs leave our country in DROVES for the less expensive labor costs in China and Asia. He claimed an increase of 500,000 new jobs ... while the MSN fact checker said a NET LOSS of 600,000 jobs !
Obama made false claims (see today's Fact Checker story from MSN) about deficit reductions .... FALSE because they have not happened yet and constitute only "wishful thinking" at this time !
Obama also made false claims about auto mileage increases .... again, has not happened yet !
Obama's "leadership" is like trying to fly an airplane backwards ... it will NOT FLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good morning Amy, Your points are so true. Of course you have the haters from the oldie but goodies club spinning their all of their nonsense, such as Obama’s out of control spending, (which is a Republican myth.) The same old spin as before the election, such as Romney would crush Obama; the Senate would be taken from the Democrats and Obama care repealed.
I and millions of others didn't pay them any attention then, because we knew they were full of it. Today, we still don't pay any attention to them, because they are still full of it.
I agree with you Amy!
I too am inspired by some of the things President Obama spoke about last night. At the forefront were his thoughts about making our high school graduates more valuable to business through better education in a practical sense such as what as been done in NY.
I also believe that rebuilding our infrastructure is essential to business, states and the average person.
Raising the minimum wage is also a very good idea. Unlike what Jim stated, business could easily afford to pay a higher minimum wage to their workers. Obama stated that the minimum wage should be raised to $9 an hour. It would be very easy for business to offset that small raise by cutting a very small portion of what the top people make in a company. There is something very wrong when executives make millions and pay their employees a sub-par wage. Work has been outsourced to other countries so the top executives in those companies can continue to live in the lap of luxury at the expense of the American people. If they would cut back on their own income they could easily manufacture products here and still make a reasonable profit. Businesses need to be less greedy and everyone would be better off in this country.
I was very excited about the creation of manufacturing hubs. Wouldn't you think Republicans would grab onto this idea, to prove they can work with the President to improve he economy?
"President Obama, seeking to put the prosperity and promise of the middle class at the heart of his second-term agenda, called on Congress on Tuesday night to raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour, saying that would lift millions out of poverty and energize the economy."
Heck, why not 'go for the gusto', and make the minimum wage $50 per hour - that should REALLY help the middle class, according to Obama's way of thinking.
What's that - It would result in massive job losses because American companies couldn't compete with cheap foreign made products?
Well, why wouldn't that also happen with Obama proposed 24% wage increase for minimum wage earners? Maybe the job losses wouldn't be as severe as a raise to $50 per hour, but they would still be significant.
Is Obama really that ignorant about how the economy works?
Amy B. Portland, ME "The era of Gordon Gecko is dead."
Not really - He sits in the Oval Office, passing out favors to his campaign contributors - ala SOLYNDRA.
nomoresameo "At the forefront were his thoughts about making our high school graduates more valuable to business through better education in a practical sense...............Raising the minimum wage is also a very good idea."
That will never get past the Teacher's unions, who think that 'everything is fine'.
As for the proposed 24% increase in the minimum wage, do you REALLY think that a huge increase in the cost of American made products will make us competitive with low cost foreign made products? Here's a clue - We have lost jobs to foreigners because our labor costs are higher - and you want to make them much higher still?
Perhaps a simple course in logic would be beneficial to you. Oh yes, that's right - you are an Obama Liberal, so logic is unnecessary and inconvenient to nice sounding rhetoric.
Seriously? This administration has hated and demonized business owners and those who invest in it. But you think they will want to take advice from Obama in declining better educated employees to recruit from the high school pool? If they do it will be as part time cheap labor with no benefits, to avoid paying for Obamacare. Keep holding your hands out and being self declared experts on other peoples money, but jobs go over seas to avoid the filling union bank accounts used to fund liberal political candidates and to protect unproductive lazy deadbeats. I have been union and told to slow down my work ethic so as not to make others look bad, because it would raise expectations on other workers. What a joke. But this is way it is better to produce products over seas. BTW interesting MSN stories on the SOTU fact checks this morning. This will shock you, but Obama lied stretched the truth and may be delusional.
The President gave a very fine speech but he can't do it alone. Congress is going to have to get off their duffs and make things happen. In the past Congress critters worked together with nobody getting everything they want but everybody getting something. Recently that hasn't been the case, it has been more of an all or nothing approach.
Marco Rubio, poor kid, seemed extremely nervous. That happens when one is lying and knows it. His mouth was dry and he was visably perspiring. This kid wants to be POTUS in 2016. No way.
Yep, it's his pattern. Give a fine speech, and say now someone else needs to make this happen. You can never be blamed for failure if you never actually do anything. Bald is right he can't do it alone, and thank goodness there is still hope to stop him, because he never makes the effort to unite. The only thing that slows him down is his own lack of leadership.
What are you talking about? The President pushed for the creation of an Affordable Care Act, to move the country towards universal health insurance coverage. That is a huge accomplishment.
He continued the Bush bailouts for the banks and the auto industry, against Tea Party opposition, and the economy and the auto industry have recovered from the worst financial crisis we have endured since the Great Depression.
Osama bin Laden is dead, we are out of Iraq (and it didn't take 100 years) and we are leaving Afghanistan in a responsible manner. President Ibama has accomplished so much, with no help from Republican in Congress!
We are out of Iraq? Wow! You really are only reading what they tell you to. Affordable Care act did not make him a friend to business, it has hurt it. And it is not a huge accomplishment. It isn't even close to done, and has proven to be so flawed in application that it has only created a large fight looming in the near future.
I do agree with a couple of your points, the draw down in Afghanistan is a good thing, and the Bin laden operation was a stellar sucess. There may be some that will debate if increased drone attacks is the same as winding down the war. I think it is better to do that than send in troops. When you think about it, Obama has been better at war than he is at domestic policy. Who would of thought?