Legally Easy

The president delivers a speech focusing on jobs, education and nation builiding

The ideals of 2008’s pre-presidency have been replaced with a real understanding of the realities of the American democracy and the politics of the Washington system. In last night’s address, President Obama came out fighting, ready for the coming election battle. As of last night, it is no longer Game Over, as it has been recently, but Game On.

Focusing on education, infrastructure, job creation, and an economy fair for everyone — all within a renewed examination of the proper role of government — President Obama gave us a first-look into his re-election campaign language.

While sections of last night’s speech sounded very much like the post-partisan president being discussed at the moment (most notably in the New Yorker article from this week), Mr. Obama was critical of Washington and a cynical Congress.  There were a come hard edges in his address:

Nothing will get done in Washington this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

The greatest blow to our confidence in our economy last year didn’t come from events beyond our control. It came from a debate in Washington over whether the United States would pay its bills or not. Who benefited from that fiasco? I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street. But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad — and it seems to get worse every year.

The president also vowed to “fight obstruction with action” and that he would work “with or without this Congress.” Of course though, everything would work better if everyone worked together and an active Congress would put bills on his desk, and send him suggestions for signature.

As Chris Cillizza noted, the President finally realised that “the only way to effectively deal with Republicans was show them that he was willing to talk tougher and push harder than they were.”

Here is a little bit of what he said. To read the full transcript, complete with audio, see the New York Times article.

On the Economy

We will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits….

On Business

Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.

On Innovation

We should support everyone who’s willing to work; and every risk-taker and entrepreneur who aspires to become the next Steve Jobs.

Innovation is what America has always been about. Most new jobs are created in start-ups and small businesses. So let’s pass an agenda that helps them succeed.

On Wall Street

You are no longer allowed to make risky bets with your customers’ deposits. You’re required to write out a “living will” that details exactly how you’ll pay the bills if you fail – because the rest of us aren’t bailing you out ever again.

Today, American consumers finally have a watchdog in Richard Cordray with one job: To look out for them.

On Wealth

We need to change our tax code…Tax reform should follow the Buffett rule: If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes.

And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right: Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want. But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes? Most Americans would call that common sense.

On Energy

We have a supply of natural gas that can last America nearly one hundred years, and my Administration will take every possible action to safely develop this energy.

On Education

Teachers matter…let’s offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren’t helping kids learn.

Tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.

On Government

Neither party has been blameless in these [disruptive] tactics. Now both parties should put an end to it. For starters, I ask the Senate to pass a rule that all judicial and public service nominations receive a simple up or down vote within 90 days.

The executive branch also needs to change. Too often, it’s inefficient, outdated and remote…I’ve asked this Congress to grant me the authority to consolidate the federal bureaucracy so that our Government is leaner, quicker, and more responsive to the needs of the American people.

I’m a Democrat. But I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: that Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.

Mitch Daniels, Governor of Indiana presented the official GOP response. Undermining the positive tone of the president’s speech, Governor Daniels raised the issues of growing unemployment, the worsening federal debt, and how “a government as big and bossy as this one is maintained on the backs of the middle class, and those who hope to join it.”

In contrast to the president’s suggestions of obstruction and poor behaviour in Congress, Mr. Daniels argued that “it’s not fair and it’s not true for the President to attack Republicans in Congress as obstacles…They and they alone have passed bills to reduce borrowing, reform entitlements, and encourage new job creation, only to be shot down time and time again by the President and his Democratic Senate allies.”

Then in what seemed like notes of agreement with the administration, Governor Daniels asserted the need for a simpler tax system with “fewer loopholes and lower rates”. And he continued to argue that we must all “unite to save the safety net…preserving Medicare and Social Security unchanged and untouched for those now in or near retirement,” while also building a “new affordable safety net so future Americans are protected, too.”

But, the overall tone of the speech was one that pointed to the president’s broken promises, failed plans, and his “constant efforts to divide us, to curry favor with some Americans by castigating others.”

Of course, the men hoping to battle with the president this election year also had something to say about his speech. Rick Santorum echoed Governor Daniels calling the president “Divider-in-chief”; Paul suggested that“President Obama’s ‘job creation’ policies amount to little more than continuing to allow government bureaucrats to pick winners and losers”; Romney highlighted the use of “memorable phrases” in a “nice speech” but the absence of “hard numbers”; and Gingrich concluded that “economic growth and prosperity is not really at the top of his agenda. He will always prefer a food stamp economy to a paycheck economy and call it fair.”

For better or worse, last night marked the official start to this national election. Let’s hope that, as David Horsey argues, that the State of the Union speech “was a reminder that the real Obama is not the same as the imaginary Obama being attacked ever day” by his opposition.

In order to have an election that leads to a mandate for governing, it needs to be based on real issues, real policies and real results. Both sides must clearly lay out their contrasting positions and let the voters decide.

Related articles

• Obama’s State of the Union speech: Confrontation wrapped in Kumbaya (washingtonpost.com)
• State of the Union reminds GOP about the real Barack Obama (latimes.com)
• Republican, Democrat SOTU Seatmates React To Obama (npr.org)