State of the Union Address 2013
Full State of the Union Address:
The New York Times' interactive analysis of the President's speech is here. Their live coverage was here. The transcript of the SOTU address is here. ...
... Here's the transcript of the Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) response. Here's the text of whatever it was Rand Paul (RTP-Ky.) said.
Mark Landler of the New York Times: "In an assertive State of the Union address that fleshed out the populist themes of his inauguration speech, Mr. Obama declared it was 'our generation’s task' to 'reignite the true engine of America’s economic growth — a rising, thriving middle class.'”
** Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker: "Since much of Obama’s agenda enjoys majority support, the trick for him is in forcing Republicans to act on it.... The dynamic that led to passage of ... three pieces of legislation [in recent weeks] was the same: the Republicans held a politically untenable position on a major issue and were forced to retreat from it after a White House campaign that embarrassed them. That’s the template for passing Obama’s agenda in 2013, and that was the point of his speech Tuesday night."
John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "Obama overshadows the Water Boy."
Greg Sargent: "If Obama’s Inaugural rooted the call for a progressive agenda in the country’s past, today’s speech offered a policy-heavy roadmap for a progressive future."
Ezra Klein: "... [President Obama's] speech was notable for the sweeping nature of the proposed changes. Obama’s agenda hasn’t been this bold since 2009. The difference between 2009 and 2013, of course, is that Democrats no longer control the House of Representatives. Most of these proposals have little chance of becoming law, at least right now."
Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic: "The most important proposal in President Barack Obama's State of the Union address may be one that gets the least attention and, quite possibly, has the least chance of becoming law in the near future: his proposal to create a universal pre-kindergarten program." CW: below is a chart, developed by conservative Nobel-laureate economist James Heckman of the University of Chicago, that shows the effective rate of return of investment in various age-specific programs. It's pretty dramatic:
Paul Steinhauser of CNN: in a CNN instapoll conducted with viewers around the country, "Fifty-three percent of speech watchers questioned in the poll had a very positive reaction, with 24% saying they had a somewhat positive response and 22% with a negative response.... According to the ... survey, 71% of speech watchers said the president's policies will move the country in the right direction, with 26% saying Obama's polices will take the nation in the wrong direction." CW: bear in mind that people opposed to Obama are way less likely than are supporters to watch his speech. I don't think these numbers mean much.
New York Times Editors: "... his speech explained to a wide audience what could be achieved if there were even a minimal consensus in Washington. Mr. Obama called for a series of steps that would provide enormous benefit for the middle class and for those hoping to enter it.... But on virtually every one of these issues, Republicans are standing in the way. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the Republicans’ designated responder, wielded the party’s ancient cliché that the president simply wanted more 'big government.' ... His task now is to turn his widespread public support into a wedge to break Washington’s gridlock." ...
... Andy Rosenthal of the New York Times on the Rubio & Rand Paul (RTP-Ky.) responses: "Both Mr. Rubio and Mr. Paul laced their remarks with the usual G.O.P. propaganda that Mr. Obama hates jobs, small businessmen and entrepreneurs. Judging from these two speeches, the Republicans don’t intend to respond constructively to Mr. Obama’s call for a new direction in Washington. And they don’t intend to move beyond their failed 1980s-vintage economic policies." Rosenthal notes that Rubio's speech was an example of life imitating satire -- Rubio wrote his response before the President released his speech, much as ...
... Andy Borowitz wrote about Rand Paul's supposed pre-buttal: "In a break with tradition, Tea Party Republicans issued their official rebuttal to tonight’s State of the Union address a full twelve hours before President Obama was scheduled to deliver it.
"Rubio's Drinking Problem." Katie Gleuck of Politico: Twitter exploded during Sen. Marco Rubio’s Republican response to the State of the Union, as the Florida senator appeared a little sweaty and dry-mouthed at mid-speech, taking an awkward swig from a bottle of water that had been placed off-camera":
I needed water, what am I going to do? God has a funny way of reminding us we’re human. -- Marco Rubio, this morning
In fairness to Marco, he is not the only member of Congress who thinks he's a god. He is just one of the few who needs physical reminders. -- Constant Weader
... Not surprisingly, someone already has made a gif of the Big Gulp:
But [President Obama's] favorite attack of all is that those of us who don’t agree with him, that we only care about rich people. Mr. President, I still live in the same working-class neighborhood I grew up in. -- Marco Rubio
BUT not for long, if I can help it. Rubio quietly put his West Miami house on the market late last year as rumors swirl in Republican circles that representing Florida in D.C. is not a big enough job for him. According to Miami-Dade County records, Rubio and his wife Janette bought the 2,700-square-foot, four-bedroom home in the El Retiro subdivision in December 2005 for $550,000. MLS real estate records now confirm that Rubio put the suburban crib, at 6060 SW 13th St., on the market in November for $675,000. -- Jose Lambiet of the Miami Herald
The Modest Working-Class Pool Area in Marco's Back Yard:
Since when is a 'suburban' neighborhood of houses worth more than half-a-million dollars a 'working-class neighborhood'? Apparently 'no car elevator' is Spanish for 'working-class.' -- Constant Weader
** "Putting the Rube in Rubio." Steve Benen: "Watching [the Rubio debacle] unfold over 15 minutes, it was hard not to think that if this guy is the GOP's 'savior,' the party is in deep trouble.... By any sensible measure, Rubio's entire pitch was incoherent gibberish.... [For example,] Rubio celebrates his family's history of dependence on government social programs like student loans and Medicare, while articulating a policy agenda that guts government social programs like student loans and Medicare.... The senator even thinks combating the climate crisis means asking government to 'control the weather,' which is just genuinely dumb." It appears the GOP just handed Romney's stump speech to Rubio & hoped for the best. ...
... CW: Benen is being a little unfair. The GOP is obliged to spew "incoherent gibberish" because the "coherent gibberish" the party really favors is anathema to most Americans. So, yeah, they're hoping for the best, the best being they can continue to pull the wool over the eyes of millions of Americans who pay almost no attention to policy issues. To get the American people to even notice Rubio, et al., you'll have to catch Rubio literally in bed with McConnell &/or Boehner, wherein salacious photos of a three-way would have optimal effect. Audio of their pillow talk could be useful, too. Write your own script. ...
... Paul Krugman: "Faced with overwhelming, catastrophic evidence that their faith in unregulated financial markets was wrong, they have responded by rewriting history to defend their prejudices.... Rubio ... and his party are now committed to the belief that their pre-crisis doctrine was perfect, that there are no lessons from the worst financial crisis in three generations except that we should have even less regulation. And given another shot at power, they’ll test that thesis by giving the bankers a chance to do it all over again." CW: Krugman is as unfair as Benen. What choice do Republicans have? They have to ignore facts & rewrite history since the facts don't conform to their unshakeable beliefs & policy preferences.
What's Wrong with This Picture?
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama will challenge a divided Congress on Tuesday night to embrace a second-term agenda that includes new government investments, limits on guns, a revamped immigration system and a plan to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, White House officials said."