State of the Union
As many of you probably know, I am not generally politically-minded. However, the TVs in the laundromat were showing the State of the Union address. I watched the whole thing, and I also watched the Republican counter.
Overall, I would say that I liked Obama's speech. He did a good job with tone and emphasis. I don't feel that Obama was entirely consistent (though I can't exactly recall which points stuck out at me as contradictory), but his message was pretty good. I do feel that he placed a lot of effort on bipartisanship and then proceeded to make some rather risky callouts at the Republican Party. I don't mind, Obama, if you feel the need to call them out, but if you still want to sound bipartisan, you'll have to do your callouts more carefully.
Then again, he also took some very bold stabs. He condemned the Supreme Court decision to remove spending limits on campaigns... the justices looked very miffed at his statement when others applauded. He also called for the abolishment of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and then the generals looked like they were going to shove a grenade into his face. This was amusing to watch. :-)
I was also quite impressed with the Republican counter. When he had a complaint about the current administration, he voiced it politely and used justification that was actually consistent with what the ideals of the Republican Party should be. I did notice that he stated several of the same points that Obama did and also got applause for them, but I don't feel like this is a calculated move to take credit for someone else's idea. Basically, the Republican chosen speaker was a very polite moderate candidate.
I guess the thing that I take away from all of this is that each of us has our own obligation to make ourselves good people. We can't sit back and expect to avoid all of life's challenges. Everyone has the ability to make a strong impact for someone around us who really needs it. Before you condemn others around you, raise up and take confidence in yourself.
(People who would like to comment: I would rather not start any heated debates about whether any of these speeches had empty promises, or anything like that. I would be interested in some backstory, but please don't bring any vitriol.)
Overall, I would say that I liked Obama's speech. He did a good job with tone and emphasis. I don't feel that Obama was entirely consistent (though I can't exactly recall which points stuck out at me as contradictory), but his message was pretty good. I do feel that he placed a lot of effort on bipartisanship and then proceeded to make some rather risky callouts at the Republican Party. I don't mind, Obama, if you feel the need to call them out, but if you still want to sound bipartisan, you'll have to do your callouts more carefully.
Then again, he also took some very bold stabs. He condemned the Supreme Court decision to remove spending limits on campaigns... the justices looked very miffed at his statement when others applauded. He also called for the abolishment of Don't Ask Don't Tell, and then the generals looked like they were going to shove a grenade into his face. This was amusing to watch. :-)
I was also quite impressed with the Republican counter. When he had a complaint about the current administration, he voiced it politely and used justification that was actually consistent with what the ideals of the Republican Party should be. I did notice that he stated several of the same points that Obama did and also got applause for them, but I don't feel like this is a calculated move to take credit for someone else's idea. Basically, the Republican chosen speaker was a very polite moderate candidate.
I guess the thing that I take away from all of this is that each of us has our own obligation to make ourselves good people. We can't sit back and expect to avoid all of life's challenges. Everyone has the ability to make a strong impact for someone around us who really needs it. Before you condemn others around you, raise up and take confidence in yourself.
(People who would like to comment: I would rather not start any heated debates about whether any of these speeches had empty promises, or anything like that. I would be interested in some backstory, but please don't bring any vitriol.)