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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Obama's SOTU Line of the Night: 40 Healthcare Repeal Votes Enough

     The President gave a great speech tonight and as much as anything it was the optics of the speech that hit home. The President came across as upbeat and positive-but not stupid. Yes, he called on the Congress to act-but gets that it probably won't and for that reason he has a 'phone and a pen

    .'http://diaryofarepublicanhater.blogspot.com/2014/01/president-obama-considers-executive.html

     The best line of the night was where he said 'Yeah, I get it, you Republicans don't like Obamacare. However, 40 repeal votes are enough. If you have any constructive ways to improve it-bringing down the cost or increasing service let's hear it. However, we need to stop wasting the American people's time.'

    Josh Marshall agrees that there was more bounce in the President's step than you might have imagined.
 
     "mentioned during the speech that the President seemed to have a bit more jump in his step than I expected, perhaps more than the dented poll numbers and sense of malaise hanging over the White House would suggest."

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/sotu-whatever-guys

      I think the whole 'malaise' thing has been overdone. I hear more wishful thinking than reality when folks like Joe Scarborough insist that the President is entering the 'George W. Bush phase of his presidency.'

      The President still isn't nearly as unpopular as Bush was in his second term. The lowest his numbers have gotten is the low 40s-not 26%. Obama isn't held in the hostile regard that Bush was-and still is judging that no Republican till this day will be pictured with him. There's understandable frustration that the President hasn't been able to advance more of his agenda but that's the fault of the GOP Congress.      

     Talking Points Memo also listed 4 significant executive orders Obama will do this year.

     http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/obama-executive-actions-2014

     Raising the MW paid to employees of federal contractors is huge and may in time raise the effective MW forcing Congress to raise the official rate. That pizza executive Obama mentioned that has already started paying his workers a MW of $10 is a the kind of story we may see more of.

     Overall it was a strong, uplifting speech and makes me proud that he's our President-as he always does. It's tough for anyone to feel pride of the GOP these days and they just underscored that tonight with their 3 different speeches. Even the Tea Party can't agree with itself needing two speakers. The sooner we get this reactionary cabal out of the House the quicker the people's agenda can be advanced. As long as they're there it's absurd to blame the President for much.

    It was also clearly an anti Reagan speech. Obama made the point that Reaganomics failed particularly starkly when he pointed out that the MW is now 20% less than when Reagan entered office.

   http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/democrats-reagan-era-obama-state-of-the-union

      

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