SOTU Sneak Preview

If the suspense is killing you, Glenn Thrush of The Politico has the White House talking points for the State of the Union.

Comments

[bgates]

Will he wear a tie this evening?

[Old Lurker]

Best comment posted to that story:

"Is that a SNL script? Because it's a freaking joke."

[Rob Crawford]

OL -- that it's a joke clearly eliminates it as an SNL script.

[MayBee]

Looks like his first SOTU Address is going to be another step in his campaign against George W Bush. One day, Obama may finally win this thing.

[MayBee]

· While they meet their responsibilities and play by the rules, they have seen the special interests and those with political access in Washington get farther and farther ahead. Rather than seeing policies that encourage responsible behavior, American families have too often seen Washington reward irresponsibility while passing on debt to future generations.

Hilarious.

[Extraneus]

So more than half of it is a cop-out blaming the past "decade" for our problems? The man's a genius.

[Rob Crawford]

MAYBEE!!!!

Yeah, that is a doozy.

[Ignatz]

--One day, Obama may finally win this thing.--

LOL MayBee.

--Will he wear a tie this evening?--

To go with his cardigan?

[bgates]

Unlike our last President, who started a war we now to have been totally unnecessary, Obama saved our economy by spending a trillion dollars, thus keeping things from being much worse than they would have been if he hadn't acted.

Unlike Bush, who thrived in an atmosphere of partisan rancor, Obama has insisted on civility among all those who deserve it, and he will not stop fighting those who do not until they shut up and get out of the way.

Where the Bush presidency was nothing but a series of recriminations designed to deflect blame for the wars, terrorist attacks, pollution, mismanagement of Katrina, politicization of the Justice Department, crony capitalism, and besmirching our reputation abroad, Obama prefers to look forwards not backwards.

[RichatUF]

Will he wear a tie this evening?

They're haram so probably not. Wonder if it will be as bad as his Ohio "town hall".

And in other news for FL JOMers, he's going to be in Tampa tomorrow dribbling some dollars for that stupid high speed rail line between Orlando and Tampa, while he quietly kills off missle defense, the F22, and most of NASA.

[peter]

one thousand and 92 days left of this putz

[Pofarmer]

Ya know, I couldn't care less about this speech? Why, because I know the whole damn thing is a lie.

[clarice]

But it might be a really laughable lie,Po.

[Cecil Turner]

He’ll call on Congress to enact fiscal reform that recognizes that the deficits and debt exploded the past decade before the president took office.

This is a joke, right? The former Congressperson asks Congress to fix the problem that's not his fault because he was in Congress when it happened?

I'd feel he insulted my intelligence with that, but then there'd be no place left to go when he proposes we spend our way out of it.

[Ignatz]

Your faux Barry speeches would be even funnier bgates if they didn't sound like you've got a feed direct from TOTUS.
It takes a master to even be able to parody someone as dotty and lacking self awareness as Il Douche.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

But it might be a really laughable lie,Po.

You're clearly more optimistic than I am.

Luckily, the Jeopardy screener is at the same time so I'm gonna miss it.

[BobS]

If Obama were smart.....and he's not-he's an idealogue...he would shock everyone with an executive order ending the KSM trail canceling the Miranda status of the underwear bomber. He could continue his domaestic agneda while taking away a hammer that's been blasting away at him. To put it simply, it would be a brilliant political move.

[Ignatz]

Oops. Meant to say "It takes a master **like you** to even be able to parody..."

Sounded like I was dissing you, when it was meant to be a compliment.

[BobS]

sorry, left out the "and" ..Obama can do both, but he won't. He's doubling down.

[Danube of Thought]

Maybe he'll just get up and say "I won." Seemed to work last time.

[daddy]

I wish he'd just videotape this thing and run it for his next 3 SOTU's to save us all the trouble of an annual night of binge drinking.

[MayBee]

Here's another good one:
We're moving toward a clean energy economy, we've taken on the big banks and special interests to reform outdated and lax financial rules,

I like the way they specifically mention a "clean energy economy" while dissing special interests.

The talking points (these are via Ben Smith) go on to say:
o On issues large and small, the President has worked to rebuild the economy on a new foundation so that middle class families, and those who aspire to the middle class, can enjoy the prosperity and economic well-being enjoyed by the special interests, the very wealthy and the well-connected.

How does one define "special interest" and "well connected"? Are those who advocate "clean energy" in either of those groups?
How can we be certain this new foundation is any good? What is it?

[Extraneus]

How can we be certain this new foundation is any good? What is it?

An infantile educated-class theory based on the warped premise that profits are "waste"?

[Danube of Thought]

"...we've taken on the big banks and special interests..."

After hearing Geithner get reamed today they may want to re-work that one a bit.

[Danube of Thought]

Hillary rules out second term. Hillary skipping tonight's speech (prior commitment in London).

The mouse entrails are beginning to look like "primary challenge"...

[matt]

I don't know if at this point I can feel much lower. They're burying a kid who used to serve in our unit down in Texas in the morning and we have an utter incompetent and anti-American scumbag as our President.

Trillions for nothing. A farcical jab at cost cutting. Massive cuts in our space programs, and now Drudge tells me one of his keynotes will be a repeal of Don't ask, don't tell.....cut me a frickin break.....this man we call our president is a pathetic, evil panderer to the worst in us.

He does not elevate us with his rhetoric or ideas. he is an abject failure at most anything he has attempted Our last best hope is that with Congress finally waking up to the righteous anger of a majority of the electorate, they may mitigate some of his most egregious idiocies.

[Old Lurker]

"The mouse entrails are beginning to look like "primary challenge"..."

Yep.

Whatta hoot.

[centralcal]

Sorry to hear that, matt.

Yes, he is an abject failure. More and more are seeing that every day.

[Ignatz]

As the cretin in chief gets ready to expel his 400th pitcher of bilge water on us this year read this excellent (and long) interview by Micheal Totten of the author of The Strong Horse. Can't say I agree with everything the guy says but he surely nails the basics perfectly and has Bambi's number. Merits reading more than once I'd say.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Has everyone seen this?

[Melinda Romanoff]

It is the current issue

[windansea]

Quoth Katie Couric: “Just had lunch with the president who seems pensive, slightly deflated, realistic, aggravated and resolute. Didn’t eat his pie.”

awwwwwwwwww

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Drinking game suggestions, via Wizbang:

Once Obama starts speaking, here are the rules:

Tiny sip: Every time Obama refers to himself (let's not get hurt here, folks)

One Drink:

"Unprecedented"

"I will not sleep"

"Let me make this clear"

"I will fight for you"

Two drinks:

Indirectly blames Bush for his problems

Blames "Wall Street" for problems

Chug:

Claims Scott Brown's victory as an endorsement of himself, and not a repudiation

Talks about cracking down on tax cheats, and camera goes to Timothy Geithner

Specifies who he's going to fight against when he's "fighting for us."

[Rick Ballard]

"seems pensive"

He's wondering why Jon Stewart refused to do the warm up.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Hillary is skipping the SOTU to attend a meeting on Yemen and Afghanistan in London.

[Elliott]

An excerpt from my Pseudo-SOTU:

It was the vision and generosity of the Kennedy family that opened the doors to the American ideal for a generation of future leaders from across the seas. Among them, my father, who came to these shores to secure a better future for his people. A future no longer to be determined from thousands of miles away. A future in which the American experiment was a guiding light.

A month ago, we had a jarring reminder that views of our nation have changed remarkably--and not for the better. A month ago, another young man left his home in Africa. He too sought to cross an ocean, but not to improve lives, only to destroy them. There are thousands of similarly disaffected young around the world, for whom America no longer breathes life into dreams of glorious beginnings, but inspires terrible visions of violence and destruction.

My fellow Americans, this is the legacy with which the last eight years now burden us.

[Extraneus]

Yes, and she's striking at a good time, too, right when the believers are wavering.

Operation Chaos lives.

[Telly S]

I'm new here. Is this the official SOTU drinking thread? If so, what are the rules?

[JM Hanes]

That's really chilling, Elliott, because so many people actually think like that.

[JM Hanes]

Telly S:

You pick your own drinking words, then drink and snark.

[Rocco]

He's been working on his speech since early November...HEH! Had to scratch it and start over a week ago when he heard The Shot Heard Round The World.

[Extraneus]

Just try not to pass out, Telly. (And don't call yourself the Bald Man, unless you're really him.)

[Telly S]

Ex -

Who luvs ya baby! {wink}

[Extraneus]

Thankfully, George Stephanopolous gives us a guide to the speech:

The White House has three major objectives with the speech:

1. Remind people that this was never going to be easy. Economic recovery takes time.

2. We shouldn’t expect to see any kind of apology from the president tonight. He’ll express his commitment to his vision for the country and what he wants to accomplish.

3. Remind Americans that he’s not insulated from how people are feeling during difficult times.

[JM Hanes]

Obama's speeches range from around 2,400 words (which qualifies as short in TOTUS Land) to upwards of 4,500. When the executive summary for the SOTU weighs in at 770, better settle in for a long haul.

It looks like we could actually pre-snark this one, because it's the same damn talking points he's been using for a year, based on the same damn stump speech he used in the campaign. Love the New! Improved! "lost decade" though -- borrowed, of course, from the Japanese this time.

[JM Hanes]

If he he pulls a story out of those 10 in 40,000 letters he gets everyday, I'm buying a round for the house.

[Ann]

STATE OF OBAMA

All You Need To Know!

[MayBee]

Two CNN reporters have now, in a span of 5 minutes, said Obama will be "calling Republicans' bluff".
So apparently, that's the message Axelrod put out this afternoon.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

I think I will content myself with sipping a Bombay martini (up with olive) while reading the comments here. I hope someone here will watch because I can't. Too nausea inducing for me.

[Jane]

I just watched Chris Matthews and Andrea Mitchell wax about the president's magnificence and explain that his problem is that he is so squeaky clean not hiring lobbyists that he missed out on Daschle that he can't get things done, and that the republicans are blamed by Americans for everything because they won't cooperate.

My head is spinning.

[MayBee]

Ha! JMH. He is the first Pacific President, so he's just borrowing from his people.

His "reset" agenda does sound eerily like every agenda he's ever laid out, now with added finger-pointing: bankers, lobbyists, Bush, Clinton (it was a lost decade, after all), Congress, Washington, special interests.

[Sue]

The major problem I see with repealing DADT is the same one we had with Hasan. Or potential problem, I guess I should say. Will gays be promoted when they should be booted rather than risk the political fallout of booting them?

[matt]

i just blasted the bastard on his space policy. LUN.

We are seeing the death of American technological preeminence, and it is willful. Spending money on faux green jobs, a bullet train from Tampa to Orlando? For what possible reason? This is plainly insane.

[bgates]

Look.

I don't like to read in to things.

I didn't mention when yesterday Turner Classic ran "The Prize" (about Communists trying to replace Nobel Prize winners with their own agents).

But tonight's lineup opposite the SOTU?
"My Son John" (Mother and father learn son's a Red sought by G-Man), 8-10:15;
"I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.", 10:15-12:00;
"The Manchurian Candidate", 12:00-2:00.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

His "reset" agenda does sound eerily like every agenda he's ever laid out, now with added finger-pointing: bankers, lobbyists, Bush, Clinton (it was a lost decade, after all), Congress, Washington, special interests.

In this he reminds me of my youngest daughter when she was five. One day she had some gas and said, "I didn't do it, Ken did it". Ken, of course was her Ken doll.

[sbw]

Hmmm. College basketball or the SOTU. Basketball or SOTU.

Basketball.

[RichatUF]

"Call Republicans' bluff"...what?

Good grief, how low does the bar need to be set for Obama to get over it? He's had a 19-20 seat advantage in the Senate and a 81 seat majority in the House.

[MayBee]

explain that his problem is that he is so squeaky clean not hiring lobbyists

They are kind of right. Their in-house ethics guy had to give waivers to any lobbyists who wanted to work in the administration. I think that's kind of like a marriage annulment or that re-virgining surgery.

It is a crying shame that Daschle forgot to declare his chauffeured car as income for his job representing ethanol and health care groups, so now he isn't available to help Obama battle the fat-cat special interests.

[matt]

speaking of lobbyists, where is Andy Stern? the GM Politburo? Anyone from Goldman in the front row?

I just can't stand watching the bastard.

[RichatUF]

matt-

That bullet train idea has been kicking around for decades and the money always seems to go into a black hole. If Crist (and the Florida delegation in Congress) had a few iq points among themselves, they'd make NASA supported space programs and private space exploration a top priority. It's like they don't really believe that unemloyment could go to 15% on the Space Coast next year.

[Melinda Romanoff]

But I'll ride that bullet train first, between Chicago and Milwaukee.

Vital corridor for Brewers-Sox games.

[narciso]

Well we could call him 'The Bart Simpson presidency' in its inability to accept blame.
As a long ago wannabe astronaut and space buff, todays announcement should have been surprising. One is surprised he is not introducing alchemy, wait what are 'green jobs' then.

Btw, I guess this will be the Rashid Alimi rehabilitation center, in the LUN

[RichatUF]

Matt well done on the blog.

[bgates]

Remind people that this was never going to be easy.

Just make sure people know he's talking about the economy and not Guantanamo, about which he said, "“Last point, Guantanamo. That’s easy. Close down Guantanamo.”

[RichatUF]

narciso-

He's been commissioning the Ares to death and acted too late if he had wanted to keep the Shuttle flying. He is essentially voting present, giving leadership of space to the Russians and Chinese, and fulfilling his promise to an anti-war group of eliminating Ares.

[Boatbuilder]

Great. Blame it all on Bush and the Evil Republicans, and offer the same empty platitudes you've been mouthing all along.

You'll never convince me, but it seems to me that the people you're supposed to be winning over don't really care whose "fault" it is--you told them you were going to fix things, and by any standard you are doing exactly the opposite, and you don't seem to have the faintest clue what to do about it.

And do you really want to say that you "inherited two wars?" If you weren't up for the job, you shouldn't have applied for the position.

I don't see this doing much to change the way things are going.

[centralcal]

This is going to be a speech like all of Obama's teleprompter readings. Lengthy, incongruous, boring, and narcissistic. I can hardly wait.

About the Republicans bluffing - hey, maybe (so many wusses, too many to name). But the electorate isn't and that is what he really should be worrying about.

[RichatUF]

I don't see this doing much to change the way things are going.

It could make him and the Democrats even more unpopular.

narciso-

Meant to look it up, but have you heard of Rubio's space policies or if he's given it any thought?

[Ann]

I wish we had a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the TOTUS.

[MikeS]

At first I could watch his speeches. Then I could only listen, usually from the other room. Now I can neither watch nor listen and I live in constant fear that Fox will run a clip of his latest oration.

[PD]

What's the deal with Pelosi? She's not wearing her Snuggie.

[Barry Dauphin]

Every time he goes into the "mess he inherited" schtick, he is saying that the job is beyond him. Those who inherit have no choice. Obama ran for the job; he didn't inherit it. In fact perhaps the whole issue of inheritance is a sore spot for him, considering his family history.

[daddy]

Instapundit's got a link to an AP story by White House Correspondent Jennifer Loven telling us how the speech went. It's here">http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_PXBeKOqYMMQ/S2DiGdkLWfI/AAAAAAAABRY/OOzRmoqDwy4/s1600-h/sotu.jpg">here if you guys want to save yourself the effort of siting and listening when he finally comes on.

Apparently even the AP is just going through the motions nowadays.

[RichatUF]

I should have gotten a bottle of Beam.

[PD]

Any thoughts from the JOMettes on MO's outfit?

[bgates]

He's been commissioning the Ares to death

NASA should offer to rename it the "Bill Ares".

[PD]

As bad as this is likely to be, can you imagine how insufferable it would be had some health care bill been signed in time for Obama to crow victoriously about it?

Let us give thanks for small mercies.

[Porchlight]

In this he reminds me of my youngest daughter when she was five. One day she had some gas and said, "I didn't do it, Ken did it". Ken, of course was her Ken doll.

LOL. My response to his speech may be taken from a quote from my younger daughter (age 3): "Too late for sorry, now shut up."

[RichatUF]

Fashionably late?

[PD]

re: AP. That's unbelievable. Didn't they learn anything after they did this last year?

[centralcal]

Yeah PD - her arms are covered. Even she is being more Conservative!!! Otherwise, pheh.

[Ann]

I was thinking about how many hours Rove and Libby were grilled. Then I thought about the hour they spent with the panty-bomber terrorist.

My only hope tonight is he bombs big time.

I Think He CAN! :)

[RichatUF]

Fail to the Wimp.

[PD]

Did she say "laxadaisical"?

[Jane]

All I can ever think when ever I see or hear him is what a bloody fake he is. He's so fake he doesn't even know he is fake. He truly sucks.

[Dave (in MA)]

You LIE!!

Oh, sorry. Premature.

[JM Hanes]

PD:

"Any thoughts from the JOMettes on MO's outfit?"

No arms, no bows, no argyle. Small mercies.

[PD]

Premature but accurate.

[centralcal]

Amen, Jane! Nancy already clapped like a seal, so I am drinking.

[PD]

That nose in the air is so winsome and winning.

[RichatUF]

LIAR!!!!

Most just wrote a letter.

[JM Hanes]

First, the history lesson, of course.

[Dave (in MA)]

Pelosi is wondering why the Allies landed in Nebraska.

[PD]

JMH: Yeah, this is supposed to be inspiring, I take it? To me it sounds like he's going through the motions and isn't even listening to himself.

[JM Hanes]

Second, I took office.

[Porchlight]

Nancy doesn't look impressed. Biden looks Biden-y.

[Dave (in MA)]

"malaise"

[peter]

He's starting off so strongly. He speaks so clearly.

Oh, I'm watching Spongebob. Did the SOTU start?

[centralcal]

The worst of the storm has passed?????

Hello - is anybody home. YOU ARE THE WORST OF THE STORM!

[PD]

Yes, Mr. President, it's a tough job. If you're not up to it, feel free to step down.