Obama’s Penultimate State Of The Union: Swagger, Successes And Not Screwing It All Up

Posted by | January 21, 2015 08:10 | Filed under: Bob Cesca Contributors Opinion Politics Top Stories

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Sue me, I love the State of the Union. Always have. I enjoyed it even when George W. Bush was president, and the record shows how I felt about the Bush administration. (I particularly liked Bush’s State of the Union in 2006 when he warned against creating “human-animal hybrids,” obviously to prevent a pig-man dystopia.)

However, based on some remarks on Twitter and here at The Daily Banter, not everyone agrees, calling it a waste of time or political theater. Sure, for many of us who follow politics around-the-clock, our faces pressed up close to our computer screens and handheld devices, mainlining every headline, it can often be an anti-climactic and predictable event.

So, I can absolutely grasp the notion that it might appear boring or superficial but it’s not event designed for political junkies, nor should it be. A vast majority of viewers aren’t junkies, they’re casual observers of politics, perhaps hearing about many of the successes, proposals and reactions for the first time. Eliminating the event for all of its theatrics and pomp would only disengage more viewers from the process. Besides, it’ll never actually happen so suggesting it should is little more than shouting for the rain to stop.

Yes, politics includes a considerable helping of theater, tradition and forced collegiality which can admittedly grow exhausting, and Obama’s penultimate State of the Union has plenty of that. And, sure, a lot of us in the political press were well-versed on many of the areas Obama covered. But, dammit, it was fun — the Nerd Super Bowl — and the night began with this:

What’s not so fun is the one lagging economic indicator in an otherwise strong recovery. Flatlined middle class income growth and overall income inequality are hugely disappointing aspects of the recovery, and it’s obvious from his address that it’s one of the president’s nagging regrets going into his final two years — two years in which it’ll be nearly impossible to force his agenda through the Republican Congress.

The Agenda

In spite of the fact that each of these proposals is quite popular, here’s what probably won’t happen… CONTINUE READING

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Copyright 2015 Liberaland
By: Bob Cesca

Bob Cesca is the managing editor at The Daily Banter (www.thedailybanter.com) and a Huffington Post contributor since 2005. He's worked in journalism since 1988 as a print writer/editor, a radio news anchor, a digital media columnist/editor, a book author and blogger. He's the co-host of the Bubble Genius Bob & Chez Show podcast and a Thursday regular on the syndicated Stephanie Miller Show. He's appeared on numerous other radio shows including the John Phillips Show and Geraldo Rivera Show in Los Angeles. Bob has been a commentator/analyst on the BBC (TV and radio), MSNBC, Current TV, CNN and Sky News. Following him on Twitter: @bobcesca_go

6 responses to Obama’s Penultimate State Of The Union: Swagger, Successes And Not Screwing It All Up

  1. William January 21st, 2015 at 08:45

    So…No death panels? No FEMA camps? Gas isn’t 5 dollars a gallon? The ACA didn’t bankrupt the country? Guatemalan toddlers aren’t overrunning the nation, and we are not all dying of Ebola?
    Thanks for keeping us informed Fox news.

    • eyelashviper January 21st, 2015 at 10:48

      But, but, but, we all KNOW that Obama is just doing all this good stuff, so we let our guards down, and then he runs in and grabs our gunz…..
      Then comes the Fema camps and forced marriages to transgender goats.

  2. William January 21st, 2015 at 09:45

    So…No death panels? No FEMA camps? Gas isn’t 5 dollars a gallon? The ACA didn’t bankrupt the country? Guatemalan toddlers aren’t overrunning the nation, and we are not all dying of Ebola?
    Thanks for keeping us informed Fox news.

    • eyelashviper January 21st, 2015 at 11:48

      But, but, but, we all KNOW that Obama is just doing all this good stuff, so we let our guards down, and then he runs in and grabs our gunz…..
      Then comes the Fema camps and forced marriages to transgender goats.

  3. fahvel January 21st, 2015 at 13:13

    I listened to something called red eye or dead brain on my fancy radio last night – real looney right tparty freaks. They were scared shitless by the speech and couldn’t come up with any rebuttal but old worn out Obama blather. I missed the speech though.

  4. fahvel January 21st, 2015 at 14:13

    I listened to something called red eye or dead brain on my fancy radio last night – real looney right tparty freaks. They were scared shitless by the speech and couldn’t come up with any rebuttal but old worn out Obama blather. I missed the speech though.

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