Thursday, March 28, 2024
 
State of Union Address Was More Easy-to-Ignore Political Theater, Many Readers Say

WASHINGTON, D.C. Jan. 21 (DPI) – Readers reacted to President Obama’s State of The Union address with their latest collective shrug, with many expressing dismay that his liberal, government-based proposals weren’t articulated years earlier, when they had a chance of passage.

Obama gave a sweeping address that included calls for two free years of community college, mandatory paid work leave, higher capital gains taxes, new inheritance taxes. All of it struck even supporters as a surprisingly aggressive – and unrealistic – platform for the president’s last two years in office.

Many readers too recognized that Obama – now facing Republican majorities in both chambers on Capitol Hill — was in many respects playing politics, trying to put adversaries on the defensive by forcing them to oppose proposals that are handouts to voters, as well as new taxes on the wealthy.  Even before the speech was made readers saw little real potential in its proposals. Among most popular comments from NYTimes.com:

I’m sure President Obama will give a lovely, compelling speech tonight. But the real centers of power in our country, Wall Street, K street, the defensive industry etc. aren’t too nervous. The system will still work for them tomorrow.

The State of the Union has devolved into a silly theatrical production interrupted endlessly by jack in the box standing ovations. This spectacle long predates this administration so my comment is not partisan.

Unfortunately, what we’re seeing here is plain old politics. President Obama knows none of these initiatives will pass. He’s simply trying to back the Republicans into a corner and force them to vote against these proposals. He’s also trying to smoke out Bush, Romney, Rubio, etc. Make them come out against all of this as well and pay the price for it.

If he was serious about these issues he would have proposed them years ago.

Far too late Mr. President. Now that you have no leverage in Congress these proposals are meaningless. You’ve spent six years pandering to Wall Street and these new proposals are simple political posturing. Six years ago they would have energized those who worked so diligently to elect you but now they are just empty rhetoric.
From a deeply disillusioned family on Main Street USA.

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