President Obama made good on his State of the Union vision of a unified nation—not red, not blue—by taking his hard-hitting message of middle-class economics into one of the reddest states there is. He also brought the feisty defender of his policies, his successes and his values. That he decided to begin his post-SOTU campaign in Boise, Idaho, could be considered a shot across Republicans' bow. He
brought that message to a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 6,600 at Boise State University. Obama has some history in Idaho—he won the 2008 caucus in Boise with a record crowd, a caucus so large it had to be held in the university's sports and performing arts pavilion, and told the crowd it was:
"because of the incredible work that was done here in Idaho, it helped us win the primary. And I might not be president if it weren't for the good people of Idaho. Of course, in the general election I got whupped. I got whupped twice, in fact. But that's okay—I've got no hard feelings."
In fact, that’s exactly why I’ve come back. Because I ended my speech last night with something that I talked about in Boston just over a decade ago, and that is there is not a liberal America or a conservative America, but a United States of America.
And today, I know it can seem like our politics are more divided than ever. And in places like Idaho, the only "blue" turf is on your field. And the pundits in Washington hold up these divisions in our existing politics and they show, well, this is proof that any kind of hopeful politics, that's just naïve. But as I told you last night, I still believe what I said back then. I still believe that, as Americans, we have more in common than not.
That "blue turf" reference was one of several nods Obama gave to the Fiesta Bowl champion BSU Broncos, telling the crowd, "I may be in the fourth quarter of my presidency, but here, at the home of the team with the most famous 'Statue of Liberty' play in history—I don't need to remind you that big things happen late in the fourth quarter." It was fitting, since the venue was the team's practice facility. It was just one of the ways Obama's speech was customized to the city, weaving examples of innovation at Boise State and in the city's burgeoning high-tech sector to illustrate the themes of his middle-class economic agenda. He wound up with a rousing call to Republicans in Congress, via their red-state constituents:
I want to get to yes on more young people being able to afford college. I want to get to yes on more research and development funding. I want to get to yes for first-class infrastructure to help our businesses succeed. I want to get to yes! But you’ve got to tell me, work with me here. Work with me! Come on! Don't just say no! You can't just say no.
The
transcript reflects "applause" throughout that passage. In the room, it was a deafening roar over which Obama could hardly be heard. Idaho might be red, but Boise is a bright blue island that could not have been more thrilled to host the president. It was a smart choice for his first post-SOTU speech—an extremely friendly crowd in a hostile state.
For more photos from Wednesday's event, head below the fold.
President Obama greets the crowd following his speech.
President Obama in the midst of the Boise crowd.
Idaho's most popular and venerable politician, former Democratic Gov. Cecil Andrus, front and center.
An activist greeting President Obama.