Obama’s Comments on State of the Union
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 10:27am“Each year, as we watch the State of the Union, we see half the chamber rise to applaud the President and half the chamber stay in their seats. We see half the country tune in to watch, but know that much of the country has stopped even listening. Imagine if next year was different. Imagine if next year, the entire nation had a president they could believe in. A president who rallied all Americans around a common purpose. That’s the kind of President we need in this country. And with your help in the coming days and weeks, that’s the kind of President I will be.”
The above statement nails it. This morning, I was feeling guilty for not giving a turd about Bush’s last State of the Union. I could barely muster the energy to read reactions to it. Thank you, Bush, for killing my patriotism. Nice work.
patrick on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 12:01 pm
“Fear and ideology instead of hope and common sense.”
With all this endorsement talk, I can’t help but get swept up in the talk of comparisons between Obama and the Kennedys. It might be confirmation bias, but everything I see, well… confirms it.
Let the GOP keep looking for their Reagan reincarnate. It’s a very good sign that Democrats are seeking a Kennedyesque candidate.
Dave on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I really disliked the way Hillary painted him as a “closet Reaganite” when he said that the GOP had more ideas during that period than the Democrats did. He didn’t say they were good ideas, but that they were simply offering something ELSE. That something else is pretty much what got us in messes to this very day, but the Democrats simply refused to excite the people about anything (”creeping malaise,” I believe the term was). Listening to what Obama said, it was very clear that he wasn’t saying “I love Reagan and I’d like to give him a big kiss,” the way Hillary’s camp made him out to be.
One could make the same argument about Hitler in 1939. One could argue that he took Germany, which was an economic basket case after World War I, and made it a world power in less than a decade. The way he did it was Evil (probably one of the purest forms of evil ever to be witnessed in history), but the results were there. Having said that, that doesn’t make me a Nazi-lover - just one that understands history.
GeekBoy on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Dave, if you love Hitler so much, why don’t you just marry him?
Kidding, of course. It’s a good point. Primaries drive me insane, because the candidates basically resort to ripping each other apart, making statements that I don’t think they even believe, all for the sake of the nomination, and in the process, give the other party all the ammunition they need to rip the winner apart in the election.
Michael on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Exactly, GB, and I think Obama has been scoring points (so far, at least) by staying mostly above the fray. Great last few days for him. SO many momentum shifts, though.
On matters politesse, do half of them seriously SIT when the President enters the room? Surely that predated Bush. Or did it? It’s a simple matter of proper decorum, but it does speak volumes about where we’re at right now. If Obama can actually move us toward more acceptable compromises and less blatant partisanship as he says, then I really should get behind him. But for now I still want Hillary Clinton in the White House.
Chuck on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 2:09 pm
It predated Bush. Republicans had a special kind of hate for Bill Clinton that I’m not even sure we liberals can match. Not only did they sit, they sneered.
freakgirl on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Yup.
Jason Buckley on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 2:39 pm
While I never understood just what it is about Clinton that the republicans hated so much and on such a personal level while he was in office, I am starting to get a little more understanding of that after watching him campaign against Obama.
freakgirl on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 2:51 pm
At the risk of sounding stupid and naive, why is everyone going after Bill (and by EVERYONE, I mean THE MEDIA) when the wives of Edwards and Obama have done their own campaigning as well?
I don’t buy this shit.
Bianca on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I didn’t make it more than 30 minutes last night. And everyone needs to just stay in their damn seats. That took up like half the time.
Jason Buckley on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 4:29 pm
FG, Bill is in a very unique and unprecedented position as a former president campaigning for a candidate who he is married to. Even if he wasn’t playing a very dirty game, this is something the media would be all over. I think if any of the other candidates’ spouses were engaged in the kind of dirty smears and political gamesmanship as Bill is, the media would be all over it, though it probably wouldn’t cost votes like it did for Hillary in SC.
freakgirl on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I guess I’m not following things very closely, because I hadn’t heard anything about any of these smears and dirty gameplay until it materialized as the newest media frenzy (I guess steam had run out on the “Hilary’s a crying crybaby” stories).
I’m not trying to be contrary; I’m just saying. Could you link me to some examples? I should educate myself.
Jason Buckley on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I’m getting it from the media frenzy too. I’ll see what I can dig up outside of the frenzy. Just google clinton + obama + nasty + south carolina and there’s a ton of stuff
freakgirl on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 6:58 pm
OK. So I looked. Are we talking about Bill comparing Obama to Jesse Jackson? Granted, it was kind of “oh no you didn’t” but I don’t see it as “race-baiting.”
I’ve been looking for 30 minutes and I still can’t find anything conclusive. Maybe I’m not using the google correctly, but doesn’t it kind of prove my point when everyone is talking about what an asshole Bill Clinton is, yet nobody is saying exactly what went down?
Listen, I am an unapologetic Bill Clinton fan, but I am also a big Obama fan. I’m not taking sides, I am just so tired of ALL. THIS. SHIT. Election years make me crazy and maybe part of the reason the Democratic party is in such disarray is because they’re too busy sniping at each other to unify.
Shannon on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 1:42 am
Obama/Richardson. That is my dream ticket. Hope with a track record in the world arena to bach it up. One can dream, right?
Shannon on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 2:09 am
Sorry—late night posting, and I do know how to spell back.
ali on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 9:40 am
since i wasn’t in the mood to listen to bush botch words, i tuned out for the state of the union. didn’t care either - just read on npr about it since i wanted to check their fact checker anyways…hehehe
i must say - i caught bill maher the other day when he showed a clip of big bill c snoozing during a MLK speech. i snorted so hard my cereal came out my nose.
i’m sorry but i didn’t really think it was racist. i thought it was boredom. and i thought it was real. and i STILL think it’s funny. probably not funny to the guy standing directly in front of him giving the speech that so easily put him to sleep but…hehehe
anyways…want to giggle??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpEckWHSvXk
freakgirl on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
Wait, people are calling Clinton a racist because he nodded off in church?
Fucking kill me.
Chuck on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 10:22 am
My observation is that Bill and Hills have played “good cop, bad cop” and that’s about it. He’s merely playing the “heavy” IMO - not nasty. He is in a unique position and the GC/BC thing is an age old tactic, so I’m not too bothered. I’m voting for O-Bombs anyway, so it doesn’t really matter to me what old Billy says. I still love him, he just wants his political partner, um, wife to win.
ali on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 10:31 am
FG - i’m not sure if they’re directly related but apparently that clip is some sort of “proof” that supports that claim.
there was a lady on there that claimed gwb would NEVER fall asleep in public. he is responsible enough to go to bed every night before 10pm so he is fully rested for the next day.
*no one* mentioned that his responsible bed time is sort of like nighty night time for my nephew or that he stays awake in speeches b/c his advisors slip him tinker toys…
just sayin…
freakgirl on Wednesday, January 30, 2008 at 10:37 am
Bill and Hills are a team and if that’s a shock to anyone, they obviously didn’t pay attention during Bill’s years as president. The fact that people are acting surprised about this is really annoying.
I’m going to stop talking about this now.