The Sputnik Satellite
It was on October 4, 1957 that the Soviets launched the first ever satellite into orbit, and thus took the lead in the Space Race. This event inspired our nation to go above-and-beyond our competition, create NASA, and on July 20, 1969 land a man on the moon. We won the space-race thanks to inspiration from global competition. Today we face a very similar challenge as President Obama addressed tonight in his State of the Union.
A Civil Tone
It was a new type of speech tonight. First there was no longer the enthusiastic Nancy Pelosi in the backdrop, yet the newly established speaker of the house, Republican John Boehner. He along with his Republican congress received an early congratulations and standing ovation from the president. However he hardly shared the energetic enthusiasm that Pelosi once showed, and was clearly agitated all throughout the speech.
Congresswoman Giffords, who had recently been the victim of an Arizona shooting, was the inspiration of the night. The entire chamber wore pins to support her recovery. The chamber was also quite different, and was assembled in a mixed-seating, to avoid Republican and Democratic blocs. This seemed to be a very effective approach to create unison within the chamber. It could have been due to Republican outbursts in the past, such as Joe Wilson's infamous "You Lie" interruption in 2009 .
The setting thus made for a very civil tone to the President's address. Some may even argue that the setting and the speech itself were a bit too civil. It lacked Obama's usual charismatic energy, and a significantly low amount of standing ovations. It was quite clear from the beginning that President Obama had once again taken the middle ground, in an attempt to compromise with the Republicans.
Key Points
The basis of his speech seemed to center on global competition. He did this by applying a historical metaphor of the Sputnik Satellite, as a motivation for our current situation. He emphasized the importance of moving our nation forward through infrastructure, technology, and overall unison. He focused on Education, Energy, Immigration, and especially on the National Debt.
For Education Reform he encouraged a new system of hearing new ideas and plans of how to improve the education system and that the federal government would pay for the best idea. He compared our system to other nations, such as South Korea, where the teachers there were considered heroes. He emphasized the importance of the future of our school system and encouraged young people to pursue careers in education.
One of the highlights
of his speech was the mention of a 5-year budget freeze, to cut the nation's deficit. This seemed to be received with low and mixed reactions within the chamber. Pundits may argue that he is doing this to appease the Republicans, however it has become quite necessary to cut government expenses in order to ensure our economic future. With this 5-year budget freeze, it will be especially interesting to see what programs are cut, and how and if the country will be able to progress.
He somewhat skimmed over Foreign Policy, yet did mention his intentions to bring back troops from Iraq by July. He also stated his support for the people of Tunisia, against the dictatorship there. He especially skimmed over Health Care, and jokingly mentioned that he would be willing to work with Congress, as long as there were no earmarks in their proposals.
Many pundits, most notable former Governor Ed Randell, commented on his lack of mentioning Gun Control Policy. It was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the recent Arizona shooting.
The President's Rationale
All-in-all it was a moderate speech, with an intent for compromise and especially re-election in 2012. President Obama stands at a defining moment in his first year term, and has entered the second phase of his presidency. He has already accomplished a great amount in his first two years, however will now face more oppisition than ever. In order to secure his approval ratings and potential for re-election he has decided to find common ground with the Republicans. Although the next two years will be quite difficult, he does have one good thing going for him. The Republican party seems to be in the midst of total dissension, thanks to Michele Bachmann and the wonderful Tea Party.
It was on October 4, 1957 that the Soviets launched the first ever satellite into orbit, and thus took the lead in the Space Race. This event inspired our nation to go above-and-beyond our competition, create NASA, and on July 20, 1969 land a man on the moon. We won the space-race thanks to inspiration from global competition. Today we face a very similar challenge as President Obama addressed tonight in his State of the Union.
A Civil Tone
It was a new type of speech tonight. First there was no longer the enthusiastic Nancy Pelosi in the backdrop, yet the newly established speaker of the house, Republican John Boehner. He along with his Republican congress received an early congratulations and standing ovation from the president. However he hardly shared the energetic enthusiasm that Pelosi once showed, and was clearly agitated all throughout the speech.
Congresswoman Giffords, who had recently been the victim of an Arizona shooting, was the inspiration of the night. The entire chamber wore pins to support her recovery. The chamber was also quite different, and was assembled in a mixed-seating, to avoid Republican and Democratic blocs. This seemed to be a very effective approach to create unison within the chamber. It could have been due to Republican outbursts in the past, such as Joe Wilson's infamous "You Lie" interruption in 2009 .
The setting thus made for a very civil tone to the President's address. Some may even argue that the setting and the speech itself were a bit too civil. It lacked Obama's usual charismatic energy, and a significantly low amount of standing ovations. It was quite clear from the beginning that President Obama had once again taken the middle ground, in an attempt to compromise with the Republicans.
Key Points
The basis of his speech seemed to center on global competition. He did this by applying a historical metaphor of the Sputnik Satellite, as a motivation for our current situation. He emphasized the importance of moving our nation forward through infrastructure, technology, and overall unison. He focused on Education, Energy, Immigration, and especially on the National Debt.
For Education Reform he encouraged a new system of hearing new ideas and plans of how to improve the education system and that the federal government would pay for the best idea. He compared our system to other nations, such as South Korea, where the teachers there were considered heroes. He emphasized the importance of the future of our school system and encouraged young people to pursue careers in education.
One of the highlights
of his speech was the mention of a 5-year budget freeze, to cut the nation's deficit. This seemed to be received with low and mixed reactions within the chamber. Pundits may argue that he is doing this to appease the Republicans, however it has become quite necessary to cut government expenses in order to ensure our economic future. With this 5-year budget freeze, it will be especially interesting to see what programs are cut, and how and if the country will be able to progress.He somewhat skimmed over Foreign Policy, yet did mention his intentions to bring back troops from Iraq by July. He also stated his support for the people of Tunisia, against the dictatorship there. He especially skimmed over Health Care, and jokingly mentioned that he would be willing to work with Congress, as long as there were no earmarks in their proposals.
Many pundits, most notable former Governor Ed Randell, commented on his lack of mentioning Gun Control Policy. It was the perfect opportunity to capitalize on the recent Arizona shooting.
The President's Rationale
All-in-all it was a moderate speech, with an intent for compromise and especially re-election in 2012. President Obama stands at a defining moment in his first year term, and has entered the second phase of his presidency. He has already accomplished a great amount in his first two years, however will now face more oppisition than ever. In order to secure his approval ratings and potential for re-election he has decided to find common ground with the Republicans. Although the next two years will be quite difficult, he does have one good thing going for him. The Republican party seems to be in the midst of total dissension, thanks to Michele Bachmann and the wonderful Tea Party.
No comments:
Post a Comment