Good evening.
For all the grading and interpreting and poking fun and (over) analyzing, for my money it's Rachel Maddow who had by far the best analysis of the President's State of the Union address.
Last night, the President tacked to the center, but he also redefined the meaning of being in the middle of American politics.
Video below the fold...
Video from MSNBC.
I could not find a transcript as of yet, so apologies to those who cannot watch the embed above.
Bottom line - Rachel succinctly describes how President Obama's view of being in the Middle of American politics is much different than we have seen from Democrats in the past. It is a centrist view WITH principles, not simply a capitulation to right wing ideas (and yes I realise that is an oxymoron).
The President provided leadership last night. He staked out a vision for our future that would actually benefit our country if we followed his approach. We can argue over some of the specifics, but in general he stated plainly that government must be part of the solution. We must invest in our future or we will fall behind. We must develop better and cleaner energy solutions to stay ahead of the rest of the world. We must balance our investments while keeping an eye on the checkbook. We must end the huge tax breaks for the rich. We must Do Big Things.
To say his speech was only an election ploy is wrong. If that's all he wanted, he would have saved it for next year when it really counts.
Now, I understand we expect more. We would prefer a President who isn't a centrist in temperment and ideals. But considering he is a centrist, I am much happier to see a centrist with ideals than one who simply tacks to the right when times get politically tough.
Watch the video! Rachel gets the A+.
Best regards,
SIASL