My thoughts on the 2011 State of the Union Address - pt. 1

Last night's State of the Union address was fairly uninspiring even, I presume, for the President's fans. Don't get me wrong: it will provide a temporary boost in his approval ratings, mainly because it was designed to allow the President do what he does best - CAMPAIGN. That said, I want to break down the President's remarks and give my take on what he said:

"One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression. So we acted -- immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed."

One year later, and our country is still amid two wars, albeit one is winding down, primarily because of Obama's adherence to Pres. Bush's previous withdrawal timeline. Hey - with a presidency that has offered such few reasons to cheer, can you blame Obama for wanting to steal Bush's thunder? A-stan is much worse off than when Obama took office: the direct result of a failure to grant the general on the ground (McChrystal) what he requested (instead, sending a paltry "surge" of only 40% of the original troop increase request), the lack of a clear mission (one that has vacillated from hunting down Bin Laden and defeating the Taliban to eliminating all Al Qaeda elements to transforming A-stan into a democracy to whatever it is currently), and implementing rules of engagement which tie our troops' hands behind their backs. The withdrawal of our troops is scheduled to begin in July, yet considering the instability of current A-stan leadership and the mounting death toll, I don't see that happening.

That said, the more important part of this paragraph is the phrase "the worst of the storm has passed." Really. Is that what you believe, Mr. President? I ask because the Congressional Budget Office wholeheartedly disagrees:

"The United States faces daunting economic and budgetary challenges. The economy has struggled to recover from the recent recession: The pace of growth in output has been anemic compared with that during most other recoveries and the unemployment rate has remained quite high. Federal budget deficits and debt have surged in the past two years, owing to a combination of the severe drop in economic activity, the costs of policies implemented in response to the financial and economic problems, and an imbalance between revenues and spending that predated the recession. Unfortunately, it is likely that a return to normal economic conditions will take years, and even after the economy has fully recovered, a return to sustainable budget conditions will require significant changes in tax and spending policies." Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 Through 2021, http://cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12039.

That doesn't sound like the storm has passed. The President may point to that whopping .4% drop in unemployment to its current 9.4% as indication of a turnaround in our nation's jobless rate misfortunes, yet the experts contend that this small drop is attributable to discouraged job seekers' decisions to give up the hunt (since people who are unemployed and not actively seeking emplyment are not included in the official unemployment numbers).

"For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don't understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street isn't; or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems. They're tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can't afford it. Not now."

Here the President reopens the old "Hope and Change" toolbox. He also returns to his familiar expressions of empathy for average Americans. What I find most interesting is that the President's myopia prevents him from seeing what's right under his nose: in fact, he mentions it in his speech. "[Americans] don't understand...why Washington has been unable...to solve any of our problems." The answer to this question, one that increasingly larger numbers of Americans are discovering, is that Washington is unable to solve our problems PERIOD.

"You know what else they share? They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. After one of the most difficult years in our history, they remain busy building cars and teaching kids, starting businesses and going back to school. They're coaching Little League and helping their neighbors. One woman wrote to me and said, 'We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged.

It's because of this spirit -- this great decency and great strength -- that I have never been more hopeful about America's future than I am tonight. (Applause.) Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it's time the American people get a government that matches their decency; that embodies their strength. (Applause.)
And tonight, tonight I'd like to talk about how together we can deliver on that promise."

This is Obama's halftime speech. He envisions himself as a progressive Knute Rockne standing on a stool in the locker room, rallying the Irish, who sit there - bruised, beaten, discouraged, heads hung low - for a tremendous second-half comeback. The problem, though, is that the President's game plan isn't up to the task. As I will explain in tomorrow's post, instead of making those eponymous "second-half adjustments" that we hear about from football commentators, Obama decides to stick with the same halfback dives that have been woefully unsuccessful and, in fact, are what have undermined any hope of a real recovery.