I’ll be blogging the State of the Union speech live tonight, plus monitoring other blogs for instant reaction as well. In the meantime, the White House has excerpts from the speech available. Those with strong livers may want to try The State of the Union Drinking Game – although I have a feeling anyone brave (or foolish) enough to try would regret it in the morning.
Here’s my take on where this speech will go. Look for an upbeat and optimistic tone with Bush returning to the themes of "compassionate conservatism". SOTU addresses are usually the kickoff for the re-election campaign for incumbant Presidents, so the themes we hear in this speech will be many of the same themes we’ll hear in the campaign. Bush is going to try to stand apart from the pessimism of the Democrats with themes of American optimism and individualism. These themes are traditional Republican themes – we’ll see how well Bush plays with them.
The President is now entering the chamber, a bit late, which is unusual for one of the most punctual individuals to occupy the office. We’re now into the usual gauntlet of handshakes before the President takes the podium.
America this evening is a Nation called to great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them…
A nice first line, and a great way to start the speech. I like his praise for our fighting men and women – this is going to be a key point later.
The tax relief you passed is working…
A big applause line from the GOP side. Indeed without that critical supply-side move, I doubt we’d see the economy we have recently.
We have not come all this way – through tragedy, and trial, and war – only to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same of us.
Bush is setting up a major theme for re-election. He’s betting on the confidence of the American people in the way this country is going – and based on the polls, this is a bet he will win. There is a large amount of optimism that dovetails with the message Bush is setting with this speech. We haven’t seen a major terrorist attack since September 11 and the economy is finally pulling out in a substantial way. These are all good signs that Bush will likely hit in this speech and during the campaign.
I like how he tied the PATRIOT act into previous laws designed to track organized crime – this is an important point to make.
Ugh, the Dems clapped at the expiration of the PATRIOT Act. However, the GOP outclapped them when Bush noted that the threat will not end with the expiration of the PATRIOT Act. This will be a divisive issue, but Bush has a lot of support on this issue and if the Democrats center their campaign on repealing the Act it will only continue to show why they’ve gotten a weak image on issues of national security.
He pronounced “nuclear” correctly. About bloody time.
Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better…
Exactly. The French didn’t end the horrors of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. The UN didn’t. A coalition of nations led by the United States did. This is an important point – the people of Iraq and Afghanistan are not free because of European-style “soft power’ they are free because of American resolve supported by a group of nations committed to democracy and freedom. This is what has transformed our world, not the effete bureaucrats in Brussels and New York.
Bush also brings up Libya, which is a major feather in his cap. Without the events in Iraq, Libya would not have disarmed. I also like how he contrasted the events in Iraq with those in Libya – as the President said “no one can now doubt the word of America.” Pyongyang, Tehran, and Damascus should pay attention to this line.
I like how he directly addressed the troops. It’s clear why the military likes Bush.
His comments on terrorism not being a law enforcement issue is absolutely critical – we are at war, and we have to respond accordingly. Another great line.
He is strongly defending his position on Iraq. Good. But he’s still hitting the WMD issue – that could be dangerous. He needs to hit the humanitarian aspect first. We are far better off without Saddam Hussein. The great costs in money and blood were worth it to remove the world of that cancerous dictator.
Kennedy is shaking his head on this. Good. Let him defend leaving Saddam to kill
Excellent – he’s listing all the countries that helped in the war – internationalize that! Acknowledging their contribution is critical, and I’m glad that Bush did this.
America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.
What can I say but YES!
He’s right – all people deserve freedom, and it is racist and condescending to suggest otherwise. Well said!
Our aim is a democratic peace, a peace based on the rights of every man and woman…
Now we get to the domestic side of the speech. We’re getting a laundry list of economic advancements. All of these things are true, but they haven’t hit home yet. Seeing that the perceptions match the numbers will be crucial for this President’s re-election prospects.
Here’s Bush’s job training spiel… I’m very skeptical about this. The last thing we need are more government programs – we need government to remove the barriers that prevent entrepreneurial activity to grow jobs for all Americans. He’s also touting No Child Left Behind – I’m not sure how well this issue will play for him – even conservatives aren’t happy with it. I wish he’d make a renewed push for vouchers, although I have a feeling that issue is a non-starter in a campaign year.
"Jobs For The 21st Century" – nice, and some of the proposals are nice, like bringing in real world workers to teach, but this program may sound nice, but in the end I think it will devolve into another government boondoogle. I really wish he’d return to vouchers, but such a push would probably hurt Bush’s image on education – after all, his 2000 position was based on the idea that Clinton had let educational standards slip.
The Democrats are clapping on the wrong lines – how typical of them. Tax cuts don’t seem to be a very popular issue for them. I even heard some booing – good, let the Democrats run on raising taxes and watch them shoot themselves in the foot.
He’s also advocating tort reform – this will be a real battle for him if Edwards gets the nomination.
He’s also going for private Social Security accounts – this could be politically risky, but Bush can win this issue if he sticks to it.
Now he supports fiscal restraint… where was he for the past three years of massive increases in non-security discretionary spending? He’s limiting spending to less than a 4% increase – he needs to be a budget hawk, but now is rather late to do this.
Cutting the deficit in half over five years? Nice, but let’s do something more grand than that.
He’s hitting his immigration reform package. That’s definitely a non-starter for him. He does say that he opposes amnesty, but the temporary worker program seems awfully close to amnesty to me. Selling the program as an economic benefit seems dodgy to me.
He’s also hitting on the Medicare plan – a plan that is entirely incompatible with his goal of reducing the deficit. Again, another non-starter – but perhaps it will play well with seniors before they realize that the program isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The Token Senior in the audience seems less than enthused.
On the other hand, tax-free health savings accounts are a (very small) step in the right direction.
He’s really pushing tort reform in medicine – this is going to be a key issue for the President that can earn him some populist credibility.
A government-run health care system is the wrong prescription.
Damn straight, but his Medicare bill was a step in the wrong direction from that notable goal.
We are living in a time of great change – in our world, in our economy, and in science and medicine. Yet some things endure – courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race. The values we try to live by never change. And they are instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and schools, and religious congregations. These institutions – the unseen pillars of civilization – must remain strong in America, and we will defend them.
This is the essence of conservatism – more on this later.
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message – that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character. So tonight I call on team owners, union representatives, coaches, and players to take the lead, to send the right signal, to get tough, and to get rid of steroids now.
Excuse me? Is this really SOTU material? Granted, I know Bush is a huge sports fan, but this seems strangely out of place for a Presidential address. Perhaps this is something for the NASCAR demographic?
A strong America must also value the institution of marriage. I believe we should respect individuals as we take a principled stand for one of the most fundamental, enduring institutions of our civilization. Congress has already taken a stand on this issue by passing the Defense of Marriage Act, signed in 1996 by President Clinton. That statute protects marriage under Federal law as the union of a man and a woman, and declares that one state may not redefine marriage for other states. Activist judges, however, have begun redefining marriage by court order, without regard for the will of the people and their elected representatives. On an issue of such great consequence, the people’s voice must be heard. If judges insist on forcing their arbitrary will upon the people, the only alternative left to the people would be the constitutional process. Our Nation must defend the sanctity of marriage.
This is going to be a key issue for the President, although I have some very mixed feelings about this. There is a major backlash against the gay rights movement that many feel has gone too far. He’s quite right, gay rights will only come and be a stable part of law when the people chose to do so. Elsewise we’ll get gay rights as yet another enduring controversy like abortion in which neither side can truly advance and no one is happy with the status quo.
I have been a witness to the character of the American people, who have shown calm in times of danger, compassion for one another, and toughness for the long haul. All of us have been partners in a great enterprise. And even some of the youngest understand that we are living in historic times. Last month a girl in Lincoln, Rhode Island, sent me a letter. It began, “Dear George W. Bush.” “If there is anything you know, I Ashley Pearson age 10 can do to help anyone, please send me a letter and tell me what I can do to save our country.” She added this P.S.: “If you can send a letter to the troops … please put, ‘Ashley Pearson believes in you.'” Tonight, Ashley, your message to our troops has just been conveyed. And yes, you have some duties yourself. Study hard in school, listen to your mom and dad, help someone in need, and when you and your friends see a man or woman in uniform, say “thank you.” And while you do your part, all of us here in this great chamber will do our best to keep you and the rest of America safe and free.
A cute ending, and a very nice tribute to the troops. I think this part may play very well – at the end of the day, Bush is basing his Presidency on his ability to play directly to the American people. Bush has never been a President of the chattering classes or the intelligentsia – he is a man of common wisdom and steadfast values – and that explains why despite all the attacks he remains exceptionally popular with the American people.
