We will hear that the State of the Union is good. We will all breathe a sigh of relief. We will then hear that good does not mean great. There is much work to be done and it could be done if the Republican Congress would be less political and more cooperative. The politics behind Obama rejecting the Canadian pipeline which would have created so many jobs will go conspicuously unmentioned.
Although I will not predict numbers or suggest a drinking game, watch for generous helpings of the following phrases:
-Bi-partisanship
-The American People
-The “do nothing Republican congress.” Other names may be “the party of no.” Perhaps more cleaned up phrases than those will be used for a formal event such as State of the Union, but rest assured, that point will come across one way or the other.
Obama will probably point to Congresswoman Giffords and ask people to cheer her. He may even throw in a reminder that she would not have been shot if the “rhetoric had been toned down.” This will mean Republican rhetoric, not Democratic rhetoric.
We will also be reminded that change takes time. Remember, Obama was dealt a bad hand by our previous administration and can not take responsibility for adding more debt than all previous presidents combined.
On the other hand, we will be reminded that Osama Bin Laden is now dead. The policies of George Bush that were put in place, of course, had nothing to do with that and Obama deserves full credit. It’s just the bad stuff he inherited from Bush that he does not own.
Have fun watching! Or better yet, see if some reruns of The Office are on.
Bob Siegel is a weekend radio talk show host on KCBQ and columnist. Details of his show can be found at www.bobsiegel.net.
Comments 2
SAN DIEGO — In response to President Barack Obama’s State-of-the-Union Address, Chairman Tony Krvaric made the following statement:
“It was disappointing to learn President Obama still believes ‘more government’ is the answer to our country’s ills – as we reach ever higher levels of debt and spending and no improvement to show for it.”
“The way to get America back on track is to unleash the private sector and shrink government before we face the same fate as Greece. No amount of eloquence by President Obama can hide this fact and the last three years prove it.”
“As an immigrant from Sweden I’ve experienced class warfare rhetoric and paternalism first hand. That’s not the American way. It was heartbreaking to hear President Obama embrace both tonight. America deserves better.”
Author
Good words. FYI, I had intended to also put the word “fairness” on my list of predicted repeat phrases, but alas, I forgot and that word won the grand prize:)