The LuLac Edition #2820, January 21st, 2015

STATE OF THE UNION 2015

OBAMA: “TONIGHT WE TURN THE PAGE”

SORRY MR. PRESIDENT, NOT HAPPENING

 

Tuesday night President Barack Obama gave his sixth State of the Union Address to a Republican controlled Senate and House. All one need to see is the reaction of many Republicans when the President urged the GOP majorities to join him in creating more jobs and income equality for the middle class. The President said he would push an agenda to have Main Street strengthened so that prosperity would be expanded and not just to the very rich few in the country. He challenged the Congress to get on board for a minimum wage increase and dared them to try and live on $15,000 a year.

After the speech you should have heard the reaction from the GOP. I was traveling home from an event and had on a few Satellite radio stations. Every GOP member of Congress to a person called raising the minimum wage welfare and referring to it as handouts. They spoke of how it would weaken business and destroy the recovery. The fact of the matter is that raising the minimum wage increases economic growth because people have more money to buy things. (George W. Bush raised the minimum wage for Christ sakes!) Look at the discretionary money that has been put into the hands of millions of people because of lower gas prices. When I heard the caterwauling about this very basic tenant of growth and fairness, I knew this agenda would be dead in the water. I give the President credit for trying but sadly there will be many roadblocks along the way. Maybe that’s a good thing though too because the President might just use his veto pen to make sure the Middle Class is not totally screwed.
On Immigration the President tried to make the comparison to young immigrants trying to make their way in the world with those who have made asking them to remember when they were striving and dreaming. The problem is he was speaking to a party that has a “I got mine, now you get yours mentality” A GOP Congressman even questioned the wisdom of having an undocumented person sit with the First Lady. Actually that member of Congress was downright insulting but that should come as no surprise.
I wish the President had spoken more about ISIS. There were only two references to it. But he did seem to have some fight in him. Again too bad he didn’t have that resolve and fight when he had his majorities.
At least the President had some specifics. As always the GOP pretty much relied on rhetorical bullshit to make their point. Newcomer Iowa Senator. Joni Ernst said that The Affordable Care Act was a failed policy that hurt families. How?? Is it hurting the people who never had coverage? Is it hurting the people who have coverage for pre existing conditions? Is it hurting all those millions of people who the GOP claim lost their jobs? And by the way, remember the lie they told about the ACA requiring 10,000 more IRS employees? Well I guess I shouldn’t complain because at least Joni Ernst never gave specifics. That’s better than lying.
If the President gets a few of his projects through it will be because of coalitions that some responsible members of Congress will build. But I’m not holding my breath.
When the President declared he had no more campaigns to run the GOP applauded. He then shot back that he won both of them. True but too bad he didn’t use the power in his first two years to truly be a transformative President when he had the chance. The late Governor Bob Casey always used to say you judge a politician by this phrase, “What did you do when you had the power?” Too bad the President never read his book.
Hopefully an embattled President will become an energized one too. There is more than his legacy at stake here, there is the very survival of the middle class.