State of the Union -- Prognostications
CW: As usual, there has been a lot of hoohah, some of which I've ignored, about what the President will say in his State of the Union Address. As this year's address date approaches -- Tuesday -- I guess we'll have to pay some attention to the prognostications, warnings & last-minute advice. We'll start with what the guy who actually knows what's in the address has to say:
Jack Calmes & Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times: "will outline an agenda for 'winning the future' in his on Tuesday night, striking a theme of national unity and renewal as he stresses the need for government spending in key areas and an attack on the budget deficit. Mr. Obama previewed the themes in a video e-mailed Saturday evening to supporters who had helped in his election campaign. But the video made plain that his speech would be geared more broadly toward the political center, to independent voters and business owners and executives alienated by the expansion of government and the partisan legislative fights of the past two years."
Julie Pace of the AP: "Heading quickly into re-election mode, Obama is expected to use Tuesday's prime-time speech to promote spending on innovation while also promising to reduce the national debt and cooperate with emboldened Republicans."
Jonathan Weisman of the Wall Street Journal: "In his video address, Mr. Obama echoed the famous pledge to end the era of big government that was delivered by President Bill Clinton after Republicans swept to power on Capitol Hill in 1995."
Peter Wallsten & Anne Kornblut of the Washington Post: interest groups lobby for a favorable mention in the address.
The New York Times publishes opinions from a host of policy wonks (click here for the master link) on what each would like to hear in the SOTU address. Contributors are Elliott Abrams, Tom Daschle, Andrew Revkin, Alice Rivlin, Michelle Rhee, Jon Cowan & Jim Kessler, Robert Reich, & Dan Savage. (author-specific links).
"Sputnik II." Howard Fineman, January 21: in his State of the Union address, President Obama will model JFK & "rather than focus on new government programs..., will highlight targeted tax cuts, spending restraint and the need to rebuild our technological and educational base for the long term. The president may have no choice but to face stubbornly high unemployment and foreclosure rates throughout his term. So, as he has done on other issues, he will widen the lens, and suggest that we are at an historic -- and hopeful -- pivot point."
See also Robert Reich & Paul Krugman, linked in Sunday's Commentariat, who touch on the State of the Union address.
Just Like Junior High. Jennifer Steinhauer & Carl Hulse of the New York Times, January 22: "... on Capitol Hill, the talk for the last few days has been all about the seating for the president’s [State of the Union] speech and just who will be next to whom. Ever since Senator Mark Udall, Democrat of Colorado, pushed for lawmakers of both parties to mix it up rather than sit among their own in the House chamber as if the other side has cooties, there has been a mad scramble among lawmakers for just the right partner."
The Washington Post has a slideshow of photos & very brief sketches of State of the Union addresses going back to FDR.