Kids in bed. Watching MSNBC for 5 minutes before the speech. I think that Keith Olberman and Chris Matthews are giving this speech a weird frame. To say that the zeitgeist of our time is people versus big corporations is misleading at best.
Also, Keith's tie is super shiny, and I think Obama still makes Chris tingly.
Switching to Brian Williams in HD. Note, HD might not be the best thing for Brian Williams.
WIlliams' frame: the MA election and angry voters "outside Washington"
Ben just laughed at "First Lady's box." Of course he did.
Lots of plaid suits in the chamber tonight. What gives?
Andrea Mitchell, again with the "angry public" theme.
Still love the "Madame Speaker," but the sgt. at arms kind of jumped the gun, eh?
Obama is wearing a lot of makeup tonight, no? Maybe it's the HD.
Andrea Mitchell: There you see the First Lady's Box
Ben: **uncontrolled laughter**
I am going to start carrying all my documents in giant envelopes. Super cool.
Such a stark contrast from the last president in terms of manifest destiny. I like.
Like the storm metaphor.
Woo-hoo Galesburg! Central Illinois!! Oh wait. He's saying my homeland is a devastated hellhole.
"Numbing weight of our politics"
shared anxieties, shared aspirations
"stubborn resilience in the face of adversity"
"great decency" -- what does this mean? Why is this word all over the place-- decency, decent, etc.
"Tonight, I'd like to talk about how together, we can deliver on that promise" Speechies-- a thesis!
Yes! The banks caused the crisis! This is great!
I can't stop looking at the thing on Joe Biden's forehead.
Again with the bank bonuses and the construction of banks v. taxpayers. Do you like this? Is it helpful?
Not a big fan of the specific examples of Stimulus Act benificiaries. They seem fake, generic-- need some statstics to support them, perhaps?
infrastructure spending? I LOVE INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING!
Clean energy-- let's unpack this a bit, huh?
"I want a jobs bill..." that was totally his Andrew Shepard moment.
Really? Giant applause for "second place is the first loser?"
Spoke to soon-- the "serious" section is waaaaay more Andrew Shepard
zOMG-- he IS unpacking clean energy-- do you think he reads Harry Times? No, probably not because we are pretty anti-nuke, anti- drilling around here.
Burn! Climate change is real!
Ahhhh, education. The gateway to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. Urgh.
Ah shit. Is that loan thing retroactive??
What costs should universities cut, pray tell? Exorbitant graduate student salaries? Use of colored paper in the copy room?
What about all the people who are underwater on their mortgages but can still afford them? Can you help us, too? Also, what definition of "middle class" are you working with? Because I think your cut off for "middle class" is too low.
Oh what a shitty platform for the first lady. It's the highway beautification of the 21st century. (not that the issue isn't important. It's just so... I don't know.. LITERACY or something. unless she nails food companies poisoning our kids with HFCS and hydrogenated oils to the wall. then, awesome).
"SHE GETS EMBARRASSED." really did he just say that?
Very paternalistic with the cash strapped family/ veto threat section.
"On my watch" / "when I took office" I like this
Woo-hoo! Executive order! Want to know more about them? Readthis bookby a political science professor I had at UW.
Wouldn't it be cool if people started using posts from the earmarks website instead of "texts from last night" as facebook statuses?
See? Obama never thought he was "The One." Take that, end-of-days-ers
Actually? He's not talking to both parties about grudges and withholding. He's talking to Joe Lieberman.
**Okay, so, this is like 6 minutes ago, but given its placement in the speech, does anyone else feel like Obama IS in fact walking away from healthcare?**
Just saying no isn't leadership-- harsh and awesome.
Oh shit! I forgot Al Franken was a senator. I was all, "How the hell did HE get in there?"
Love how he can stifle and encourage applause with one raised finger.
Russia! Arms treaty!! Let's fight the cold war again (to the tune of "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror)
Yay repeal of don't ask don't tell (although the joint chiefs looks a bit sour), but hold up on the equal pay talk. It's not that simple. There's work to be done first to ensure that women get an equal day to work and get to do work that's equally valued.
A really good bookend. I'm buying the change isn't easy/success isn't certain theme.
"fundamental decency" that word again-- I don't like it.
A Kennedy-esque finish, no?
He DID just say that. Hey, Michele is bashful. I love when he throws around his veto power and the exec orders. But wrewailinhy did I even watch the State of the Union when I could have just read this?
ReplyDeleteWow, I majorly mis-typed in the previous comment. Oh, and one more thing -- how funny was it when Biden was all raring to clap but no one else was ready to, and he has to abort clap mid gesture? Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteBiden is KILLING me. He has to wear dentures, right? His teeth are totally square and don't curve at all around the sides.
ReplyDeleteTeeth like our founding fathers.
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Just awesome.
ReplyDeleteHeh "box" heh.
I want to watch TV with you Sarah. Can I come over some time?
ReplyDeleteYou are exactly right on te Andrew Shephard moments. I'm listening, thinking, "I've heard this stuff on serious people in serious times before but where?" and you nailed it. Thank you. No more ear ork bugging me.
ReplyDeleteI have it DVRd and have no yet had a chance to watch it (comes on so early here and the short of duct-taping the child in a chair in the other room, no way I get to actually hear it.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I do watch it tomorrow, I will be coming back to this post for my play-by-play commentary.
And sadly, I will giggle at any and all "First Lady's box" comments. Thanks, Ben. Very dignified.
I didn't even notic the "First Lady's Box" but I'm laughing at it now. How mature!
ReplyDelete