I expect I won't take the time to watch the POTUS SOTU speech, when ever it is. Perhaps I will, and give it the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" treatment. That might be fun with some beers and similarly minded friends.


The WashTimes correctly points out that the speech is merely a campaign event with the taxpayer providing an impressive-looking venue: "Anyone wondering whether President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday will focus more on policy or the politics of his re-election should consider the trip he has planned immediately afterward: visits to five battleground states in three days."


There is zero chance of candidate Obama doing other than pandering to his base and head-faking to Independents. But, in case some naive soul or alien from another planet doesn't believe me, he gave us a preview in the form of a (paid for by taxpayers) ad: "In a video preview of his State of the Union speech emailed to 10 million supporters Saturday, Mr. Obama said he would call for “a return to American values of fairness for all and responsibility from all.”

Anyone doubt that the pre-view included a plea for contributions to 'help the president win the future we can't wait to fundamentally transform hope and change to dispair and decline blah blah blah..." But we don't have to conjecture. "fairness for all" and "responsibility from all" - well, not exactly ALL "all". We want fairness FOR all the people who support the concerns expressed by OWS blah blah blah. We want responsibility from the Koch brothers and the 1% that don't attend $36,000/plate Democratic fund raisers.

"“We can go in two directions,” the president said. “One is towards less opportunity and less fairness. Or we can fight for where I think we need to go: building an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few.”

This is less than a weak echo of President Reagan's A Time For Choosing speech. In fact, it is more of a tawdry parody.

"This is the issue of this election: whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capitol can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well I'd like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There's only an up or down: [up] man's old -- old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. And regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would trade our freedom for security have embarked on this downward course."

But of course the administration can't admit that it is taking its cues from an iconic Republican president. So, they pretend they are channelling Slick Willie:

"Americans of all political persuasions are going to want their elected representatives here in Washington to work together, whether it’s an even year or an odd year or a year in the presidential cycle,” Mr. Carney said. “I think there are historic examples that actually contradict the assumption that you can’t get anything done in a presidential election year — 1996 comes to mind.”
"In 1996, President Clinton delivered his election-year State of the Union address to a Republican Congress that voters had put into power in a midterm election as a check on Mr. Clinton.
"It was in this speech that Mr. Clinton famously declared, “The era of big government is over.” During the address, he added that it was time to “finish the job and balance the budget.” He had to wait just one year to sign legislation requiring a balanced budget by 2002."

Of course, a president is far more likely to get what he proposes through Congress when he proposes what Congress wants in the first place. Unfortunately for the current president, Congress is not interested in "fundamentally transforming America" into a Democratic Socialist Progressive distopia.

"Former U.S. Comptroller General David A. Walker, CEO of the nonprofit Comeback America Initiative, noted that presidents “love” to begin State of the Union speeches with declarations that “The state of our union is strong.”
“This year, that statement would be false,” Mr. Walker said. “And it is more false now than ever before, because of our calamitous financial situation.”"