State of the Union and all that jazz.....

Last week, President Obama gave his State of the Union address before Congress. Now, I must say that at this point I'm still some what skeptical of the President's ability to lead instead of follow Congress, but this speech was definitely a step in the right direction. The major theme of the speech was, drumroll please, JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!!! The president outlined several bills and initiatives that he would like to see approved by Congress to aid in job creation. This included my personal favorite which is giving money to small, community banks to loan to small businesses. I believe that the administration did a good job in salvaging the big banks. However, the big banks are still steam rolling over the middle class. Therefore, I think that it is time for Americans to take their money and put it in credit unions and smaller banks, effectively pulling the plug on the steam rollers. For Americans to have trust and confidence in many of these smaller banks, they will need to be shored up by Washington. The President also used his SOU time to talk about healthcare (really there was only about 5 minutes on this issue), he discussed the military policy of keeping homosexuals in the closet (aka Don't Ask, Don't Tell), and he even took a swipe at the Supreme Court (yes, apparently even the mighty 9 can be dressed down). As pleased as I am by Obama's speech, actions speak louder than words, and the American people are ready for more than just lip service out of Washington.

Now, I would like to give a high five, dap, fist bump, and a h*ll yeah to our Commander in Chief. More impressive than the SOU speech, has been the President's Q & A sessions with Republicans and Democrats (see links below). The first session was held with Congressional Republicans, and it was anything but nice for the Republicans. They hurled thinly veiled attacks at Pres. Obama in the form of legitimate policy questions and concerns. Due to his cool demeanor, this is the arena in which Obama absolutely shines. He not only answered each question and addressed each concern, but he did it in such a way as to depict the Republicans as clearly the party of No, uh-uh, and all out obstructionism. The beauty of this little chat fest was that the President requested that it be aired on television which was a stroke of pure, political genius (I must say this is one of those rare instances where Republicans were actually caught being off their game). In the same spirit, he discussed policy issues with his own fellow Democrats on the air, and he wasn't any easier on his former colleagues in the Senate. He let them know in no uncertain terms that Americans are tired of the constant political BS in Washington, and they needed to be about the business when it comes to resolving many of the challenges faced by American citizens (he also laid this out to the Republicans. Of course, I giving the general gist of his conversation). For a political junkie such as myself, it was fascinating and interesting television. These are the types of transparent conversations that Obama needs to have more often so that the American people can actually understand why nothing can be accomplished in D.C. However, he still needs to drag defecting members of his own party (mostly Democratic Senators who are in hot water at home) into his office for a private chat. My suggestion would be that he let these particular Democrats know that he helped many of them get into office, and if they expect his help come November (and they most definitely will need his help), they better get in line behind his policies because there are bills which need to be passed immediately (in short, get 'er done!). If the threat of no campaign help doesn't work, he will have to utilize the big guns which would be basically the threat of a slash and burn campaign on any "pet projects" the Senator may hold dear. The bottom line is that before bipartisanship can be adopted, the Democrats still have to get their own house in order. The Q & A sessions at least show that the train is starting to roll out of the station, and this folks could be a very good thing, a very good thing indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1-jasxb7NY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AsM7bQ_JTU

What's going on???

I have thought quite some time about how I would like to address the various issues in the media right now. I have to start with the devastation that occurred and is still going on in Haiti. My deepest condolences go out to all those who lost loved ones, and the Haitian people who are fighting a seemingly hopeless battle for survival. At long last, there seems to be some progress being made, and it is my hope that this country will be rebuilt stronger than before. It is also my hope that the Haitian people are not forgotten in the weeks to come, for they will need continued international aid and support for the forseeable future.

On the homefront, I am more confused than ever about the Democratic strategy and agenda. How is it that Massachusetts now has a REPUBLICAN senator? The truly disgraceful fact is that Senator-elect Brown is taking over the seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. The same Ted Kennedy who championed health reform for the majority of his life. Health reform that is now in serious jeopardy due to the election of Mr. Brown. Futhermore, why is it that this president has not learned how to effectively whip his party into line? Tonight President Obama delivers his State of the Union address before Congress and the nation. Now, I propose that there needs to be a a State of the Union address publicly, and a state of the Democratic party address privately.

In the State of the Union address, President Obamas is going to have to level with the American people. He needs to lay out the accomplishments of his administration (such as they were) over the previous year. He also needs to explain how his administration will be correcting any mistakes over the next year. He will also need to lay out his plan in terms of this country for the upcoming year. This essentially means that he should be discussing in great detail how he plans on getting people back to work and recreating middle class wealth. Americans don't want to hear about anything else with the exception of an update on security issues . I would also like him to put it out there to his opposition in Congress that the time for games is over, and he will basically being utilizing his steel toed boots and kicking some bootay this year (ok, I know he can't say this, but wouldn't it be nice to see a President go there in a State of the Union address for once). It would also be a good time for him to send out pink slips to certain members on his team who have been quite frankly DISASTROUS (Yes, Mr. Geithner, security will have to escort you out). After all, it is kind of weird to say that you will be getting tough with the banks when you have employed their best friend as the head of your economics team.

In terms of the state of the Democratic party address, he needs to let Democrats in Congress know that the game is most certainly about to change. It is no longer about them, but it is only about him and his plan for some real, substantial CHANGE. He needs to admit that he made a mistake in handing the reins of this party over to them, and he needs to kindly let them know that contrary to popular belief, he is indeed the HNIC. He needs to finally distribute the talking points for the next 3 months (I can't say enough about Democrats getting on the same page and staying there). These talking points will involve rescuing the healthcare bill and getting it wrapped up and put away. Then it is all about jobs, jobs, jobs, period. In the mean time, David Plouffe has been brought on to ensure that Democrats get elected in November. This means that there should be some type of major "get out the vote" campaign coming sooner rather than later. The bottom line is that the Democratic party looks absolutely pathetic. They control the white house and both houses of Congress, and what did they get passed last year outside of the stimulus which has banks rolling in the dough?? Basically, President Obama needs to let his party know that it is time to either shape up or ship out. With the 2010 elections being about 10 months away, the time to make this decision is NOW.