Reaction to President Obama's State of the Union

I suppose it's the old reporter in me, but I thought I would post an objective (or objective as possible) entry about President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech, which lasted for an hour and 10 minutes last night.

Since I am no longer a reporter, I have been more partisan in my views. I not only voted for Obama, but I also volunteered for him- even konicking on doors in the hostile neighborhood of Bonsack, Va. (near Roanoke, Va.)But, I initially supported Hillary Clinton on the basis that she was the more experienced candidate. I have also criticized those on the far-right (extremist talk show host Glenn Beck), right (pundit George F. Will) and far-left (Matt Taibbi of "Rolling Stone") who have wrongly criticized Obama on a variety of issues.

As one might expect, there have been a wide disclosure of reactions from the right and the left, and even political entities outside the United States. Some Iranian activists expressed disappointment on Twitter that Obama's speech, which mostly focused on domestic issues aside from terrorism, did not mention assistance to Iranian disidents who desperately want to see a change in government in their country.

Ian Swanson of "The Hill" said that the president called on Republicans and Democrats to overcome the numbing weight of their political differences and come together for the sake of the American people.

At the footnote of the online edition of Swanson's article, there were some reactionary far right-wing comments. Poster David Benfell said: "Obama's going to secure the borders and enforce immigration laws? HA HA HA."

But, more centrist conservatives were also critical of Obama. Bradley Smith of the online version of the right-wing publication "The National Review" said that Obama's critical comments on the recent Supreme Court decision that will allow more corporate influence in campaign contributions was demogogeury at its worst.

On the center-left, Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt) told "The Hill" that the Supremes' 5-4 decision on corporate donations was the most partisan decision since the highly controversial Bush v. Gore, which determined the presidency in early 2001.

And, Jacob Heilbrunn of the liberal "Huffington Post" said that the Republican Party's inability to cooperate with Obama on the stimulus package will have damaging long-term consequences.

I guess in the long run, we will just have to wait and see what happens. But, in my view, partisanship aside, I think Obama laid out his agenda in very clear, concise language but given the hyper-partisanship in Washington, DC, these days, the long term question will be: "Is it enough?"


SIDEBAR: Speaking of The Hill, I want to wish my good friend and my favorite Republican congressional representative Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va) a happy birthday. The 10th district Virginia congressman turns 71 on Saturday. Wolf is the senior most member of the Virginia delegation. He was first elected to Congress in 1980. He has been one of the leading voices for global human rights in Congress, and we commend him for his work.

SIDEBAR TWO: Wow! With all the breaking news, I have gotten behind on some other things I was hoping to post including my TOP 25 Films of the Decade List. Hopefully, we'll get to it before February! There is an entry about the death of left-wing intellectual Howard Zinn on my sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time." I used to tell people I was a Democrat because Howard Zinn was better than Glenn Beck. I suppose I will have to find someone else to use for that sentiment now!