OK - here we are. Is there anyone out there? Will anyone care? Who knows... off we go with the grand experiment.
8:35 ET: Got the kids a bath and in PJs; I have 25 minutes for snack, stories and bed. It will be close.
8:39: Side question: Are Cheez-its a healthy snack or junk food?
9:07: Got back down here in time to see someone who looks like Michael Irvin sitting next to Laura Bush, and just in time to see/hear the President being announced.
9:09: What are in those manila folders that Bush gives to the VP and Speaker? "Here's a copy - try to follow along"?
9:10: So the sergeant at arms announces the President - 3 minutes of applause; just when it dies down, Hastert announces the President - 1 more minute of applauding. Just in case you missed it the first time.
9:11: Starting out the speech with a memorial on Coretta Scott King. Touching.
9:12: "rostrum"? What is that?
9:14: "state of the union is strong", as always. This after a pledge for civility.
9:16: "problems in a country 7000 miles away are a cause" for the 9/11 attacks. Hoo boy, that oughta cause some controversy.
"advance of freedom" is a cause for the last 60 years. He's alluding that the war on terror is a natural extension of freedom's march that started withthe end of WW II. I think it's a good principle - why haven't you been constantly selling this for the last 3 years?
9:18: " no peace and no honor in retreat". Was he looking right at Cindy Sheehan (who is in the audience) when he said that?
9:20: Quick shot of Barbara Mikulski behind John Kerry. I'm sorry, she looks like a quiet grandmother, dressed in a long-sleeve velour dress. (What am I, Blackwell?)
9:22: Allies are "relentelessly shutting off terrorist infiltration" in Iraq. Hmmm. tough sell.
"we are winning". Wish you would say that more often, Chief.
9:23: How in the hell did they get a camera shot of Alito, two military heads, and Harry Reid all in one shot? Do the Republicans set seat assignments with camera angles in mind? (don't answer that....I'm sure that's some intern's job).
"the military will decide on troop withdrawal". A good point, one worth repeating.
9:27: The tributes start with a letter from a soldier who died in Iraq last month; his wife and parents are introduced.
9:29: "USA supports democratic reform and elections" in the Middle East. Will he say something about Hamas, then?
9:30: He must have heard me! "Hamas must recongize Israel and disarm....... " Or???
"Democracies in the Middle East will not look like ours".
9:32: Uh oh, Iran... here we go. "The regime sponsors terrorism, and that must come to an end".
"Iranian government is defying the world". Boy, this sounds familiar....
9:33: "Let me speak to the citizens of Iran...".....we repsect you.....we wish one day we can be the closest of friends with a democratic Iran.
9:35: An awkward shift to the US showing compassion around the world with AIDS funding, malaria relief, etc..... they cut to Rumsfeld who looked like he was thinking "Where is he going with this?"
9:36: Then back to homeland security? What was that about? 60 seconds about showing compassion abroad. Awkward and seemingly out of place.
9:38: Here we go with the good stuff.... asking for Patriot act extension.... and he is explaining his authority for the surveillance. "Other presidents have used it. We should have connected the dots in 9/11, as 2 hijackers made phone calls with Al-Qaida."
"If there are people inside America whoa re talkin' with Al-Qaida, we will find them."
Exactly 50% of the audience is standing. Hillary is giving a weird big smile, like "I can't believe this".
9:40: Two more shots of Mikulski. Why?
9:41: Now onto the economy. America has created more jobs than Japan and the EU , combined, over the last 2 years.
9:42: "Some say immigrants are bad for the economy,even though our country can not function without them". Hmmmm... But he didn't say illegal immigants, now did he?
9:43: "Make the tax cuts permanent". Even more of a dramatic 50% applause/silence in the crowd.
9:44: "plans to cut the spending by $14 billion this year" - um, that doesn't seem like much. Maybe I am wrong.
9:45: Earmark reform - one of McCain's big issues - was brought up. McCain looks like he is Boss Hogg after he ate a plate full of wings with Roscoe. Seriously, I think that kind of look may make him a little more unelectable.
9:47: "Baby boomers are turning old, including 2 of my dad's favorite people - me and President Clinton". A little laughter, and Hillary is certainly not amused. This look, likewise, also makes her unelectable.
9:48: "Congress did not act last year on my proposal to save Social Security". Very audible cheers in the crowd, and Hillary is up and cheering. Now almost all of the Democrats are up.
"Let's create a commission to come up with solutions for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security - a bipartisan commission". Loud cheer from both sides.
This is startling to me. Is he abandoning Soc Security reform? I think so. He's asking for a truce. Not a bad move politically, but disappointing to me.
9:51: Illegal immigration... toughen the borders, reduce smuggling, help those who are legally looking for jobs... that's it. No more. On to health care.
9:53: "Dangerous medical errors" are a cause for rising health care costs? So Sally the secretary at the doctor's office is the root of all evil? I don't get it.
9:54: "America is addicted to oil". Best way to break it - "technology". "On the threshold of incredible advances". 22% increase in dept of energy spedning, for research in solar, wind, and nuclear energy. Need to change how we heat/cool buildings.
"Must also change how we power automobiles". Ethanol from wood chips and switch grass? Goal set of being competitive (ethanol) in 6 years.
Big goal set: Reduce 75% of oil imports from Middle East by 2020. Seems much more dauting than Kennedy's declaration in 1961 to put a man on the mood by the end of the decade.
9:58: More money for math and science. Too bad, humanties majors. Learn to say "Do you want fries with that?" and "I'm Trevor, our special today at Applebee's is the 3-course special for $12.99!"
10:00: 70,000 more AP Math teachers. 30,000 more "math and science professionals" (me?) to go into schools.
10:01: "A generation is finding that a life of personal responsibility is a life of fulfillment". Welfare reform, abstience, drug education have made a difference in the character of the country. Zing to the social left! Take that, Hollywood!
10:03: Ethics time - parents concerned on ethics, from shady politicans to activist judges (?). Savvy link, but one that doesn't fly here. Activist judges are not ethically wrong, just a wrong point of view.
10:05. Hoo boy, talking about Alito - and a justice next to him is beaming. I can't name him. Kennedy? Souter? Nope. No idea.
10:06: "Embryos and stem cells". Boy, am I not excited about this. I just can't get into this topics at all.
10:08: I'm losing interest.... One minute on New Orleans..... revise and reform the Ryan White act......Va Tech wins over Ga Tech, 63-62
(sorry, that last one was not in the speech).
10:10: closing now...Courage needed, like Lincoln, King, America post-WWII, etc. Can't lose sight and vision at this crucial time.
And it's over! 51 minute speech , which seems short.
A good speech, with clear ups and downs. I like his defense of the wiretapping - which, let's face it, is playing to popular support - and his vision of the energy policy. Only cursory mentions of Katrina, immigration, and ethics, which I would have like to hear more of.
He had a tough job of talking about Iran and Hamas- what is he going to say? He - and all of the US in particular - can't come out and say "we're going to war", but we have to put up a tough fight. It is apparent that Iran is going to defy the UN - so now what? No word. A little disappointing- no ultimatum- but it's too early yet to be bold.
I don't know why, but I like the energy piece. Energy is not just a Ralph Nader issue anymore (which is was in the 80s and 90s), but it is a national security issue! The less we are dependent on oil, the more we become less tied politically to that area in the world.
10:25: Tim Kaine on now for the Demo response. This is the first time I have seen him; first impression is that he is a little too formal of a speaker.....
"there is a better way"...."Americans have expectations for competancy".
First big topic he talks about is the tax cuts...... Hmmm, I don't think that's smart, but he is talking about his bipartisan examples from Virginia.
Education - he's critiquing teh No Child Left Behind. I have heard that the program is getting results.
The talk is very formulaic:
Take a topic:
1) criticise Bush / R's policy
2) Be sure to say "there's a better way"
3) Share an example, however small, of what democrats or bipartisan efforts have done. (not really showing better results from those examples, however).
However, his style is getting in the way. I know, I know, Bush is not a good speaker - but Kaine is just.... boring.
"If we want to get rid of the division, we need to get rid of the leadership". And put the party of John Kerry and Ted Kennedy in? That's why it rings a little hollow.
"Pray for the day that service returns to Washington". A clear bone to independents that are religious. This statement made sense, even though it may not on this blog.
"America can do better". My God, it's John Kerry's tag line. Is this good poliitcs?
8 comments:
E-
On what channel did you watch the SOTU? Overall grade (1-10 scale)?
So glad I got in five minutes what would have wasted two hours last night, would you be interested in running blogs of the following:
- UVA basketball games (8:43 - They are going to have to go on a 53-22 spurt if they plan on pulling it out in the 2nd half)
- The Gauntlet II on MTV
- Any office meeting I am forced to attend
I watched it on Fox. I have no idea if the camera cutaways (to McCain, Hillary, etc.) were the same on all channels.
I would grade Bush a 7, and Kaine a 4.
Now that I have my laptop, I'd love to do more live blogs. College BB is definitely an option - like selection Sunday. I don't know all the players on the Gauntlet so that would be very difficult for me.
Maybe a live blog of "Next"? "Real World Key West"?
It was easier and harder thanI thought. Easier in that I had enough time (with some TiVo pauses) to write down most of the big thoughts; harder in that it's very hard to make sure you are clear in your writing in that short of a time.
So I was actually reading the blog before watching the actual SOU, and when I did watch the SOU when I got home, I couldn't stop laughing at a couple of Eric's comments about McCain, the folders, rostrum, and Hillary.
And as for Kaine, I hated the "there's a better way". If he would of left that out, I think he would of been much more effective. Could he pump up VA anymore than he did? Wow. And I think he was ten times better than the normal junk that the Democrats throw up there.
And one last note, I think that the Democrats looked a little bad on standing up and clapping that nothing happened to Social Security last year. I think more and more people are realizing how big of an issue this will become, especially in light of all the company pension cuts that have been happening over the last couple of months. Honestly, this is getting scary. I would be all for increasing taxes a little and increasing the age limit a little to get this ship righted.
MrWolfinger - welcome to the blog! And yes - you are correct about Cindy. I read beforehand that she would be in attendance and did not know that she was arrested just prior to the speech.
Laura:
well-received on both sides? I don't know about that. I did hear that Feinstein gave him a "B", but the rest of the Democrats were harsher in the post-game interviews.
Bush did state that we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009, with the $14B in spending cuts. I can't verify that, and I don't know if another media outlet has already.
In regards to any military "audits", that's an awfully tough topic. A Rep politican can oppose and then say "we can not in any way decrease funding for our troops"; any politican who dares to bring it up will be shouted down as "cutting funding" and not supporting the troops.
I understand what you say, and in theory, it probably is a good idea, but there's no way it is politically viable for anyone to publicly say that and escape uninjured.
Did I read that correctly? Someone was ARRESTED for wearing clothing bearing statements that the administration doesn't like? Does that seem a bit draconian to anyone else? What happened to free speech?
Yes, I realize that there is a House rule barring demonstrations in the gallery, but does wearing a t-shirt really count as a demonstration? If she had shown up wearing a t-shirt that said "Bush Is The Best President Ever" does anyone believe they would have kicked her out, let alone arrested her?
Sounds like abuse of power to me...
Ummmm.... a wife of a rep who wore a shirt that said "Support the Troops!" was also escorted out of the building.
So this was clearly not a case of cherry-picking people against Bush and removing them. It was the evenhanded enforcements of a dress code / policies against no messages at all.
(I also learned that a spectator to the impeachment hearings was escorted out when he wore a shirt saying something like "Clinton sucks... literally". So this isn't even a Bush thing.)
If she was just escorted out of the gallery that would be one thing. But here's the problem - SHE WAS ARRESTED. Since when can you be placed under arrest for wearing a shirt?
And while a Republican Senator's wife was also asked to leave because of her "Support Our Troops" shirt, she was left outside the building with her freedom intact?
So what they're telling us is that it's not okay to "demonstrate" in the gallery. If you demonstrate FOR our administration, you'll be asked to leave. If you demonstrate AGAINST our administration, you'll be arrested. Seems fair to me.
Laura:
I do have a problem with what the rep from FL said. The laws should be consistent for everyone. Thank goodness that is not official policy.
Dudeman:
There are reports that she was trying to unfurl a banner too. I can't prove this right now, but I think that Cindy was more of a disruption (hiding the shirt, banner) than someone who just wore a shirt supporting the admin.
If the circumstances were the same - then they should "punished" the same way. But common sense tells me that Cindy 1) would be a bigger disturbance than a wife of a rep, and 2) Cindy actually wanted to be arrested.
I'll try to find more links later today.
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