Last night President Obama delivered his second #SOTU. (His first appearance before Congress in January 2009 was considered simply an address as he had just been sworn in and, I suppose, wasn’t expected to know much about the state of our Union yet.) Before reading what all the pundits and pollsters have to tell me about the event, here’s what I heard with my own two ears…and what I didn’t.
The Prez wants us to know he is patriotic and firmly behind the “made in America’ brand. But we’ve got to do some hand-to-hand combat with some unexpected competitors (i.e. India and China) if we are going to continue to rule the global economy. This theme has implications for education and trade policy.
He’s a little obsessed with South Korea, which my husband says is about the size of Rhode Island. Policy implication? Perhaps the White House plans to hit hard at North Korea in the next two years and is looking to start building American sympathy for our allies in the South. If that weren’t the intent, his speechwriters should have dropped a reference or two.
I don’t recall hearing a Democratic President take on frivolous medical malpractice in a #SOTU before, but it’s not a shocking position for a man trying to move right. Oil companies and credit card issuers got a slap on the wrist, but I don’t see the value or likelihood in any legislative or regulatory action that would impact these two industries that are central players in our economy as we hobble back to a standing position.
The absence of a few high profile topics from the President’s remarks also helps read the policy agenda tea leaves. No mention of bailouts or additional economic injections. No mention of guns. No direct mention of climate change. (All his talk about alternative energy should not be interpreted to mean another pass at capping carbon emissions, at least not legislatively.)
At the end of the day, the #SOTU is political theater. Much attention was given to the pairs of Democrat and Republicans sitting together as opposed to across the aisle, which clearly tempered the usual partisan responses. The environment of “forced” civility for one hour was a tad bit amusing – like siblings forced to sit quietly at the grown-up table for Thanksgiving.
Act II of this theatrical production, the President’s budget, is planned for release on Valentine’s Day. How sweet.
Comments