President Obama's Address to the Nation/Congress Feb 24 2009

Pelosi loves to stand up and clap.

Maybe I'm too depressed about the current economy and my 401K being in the toilet but I'm not feeling the buzz.

Let's see ...

Le sigh. I love the references to past American achievements, reminding us who we are and can be.

Also: thank God he gets the pressing importance of education.

I like the focus on education, and that we haven't given up on healthcare reform. That is connected more to the economy than most give it credit for.

As for the 1-year higher ed thing, what does it mean wrt government involvement?

I wish senators wouldn't grin and applaud when we are reminded that we have a horrible deficit.

That's probably going to be a lot less sweeping than it sounds. If you factor in technical colleges and apprenticing, a large number of working high school grads already meet the criteria.

Did I hear republican booing/catcalls when Obama said "America does not torture"?

I'm listening to it on radio, so I can't see the congressional response, I can only hear it.

This inspiration section... loves.

I was hearing those cat calls. Stay classy GOP.

Obama's using some of the same FUD-based rhetoric with respect to the economy that the Bush administration used regarding the "war on terror." I find this troubling.

Furthermore, I don't think his reiterations that the economy is in serious trouble are helping anyone. Spending is contingent on consumer confidence, not on tax cuts (though they may help). Those among the middle class who've lost their jobs don't spend because they can't afford to, and those who do have jobs are afraid to spend since they're saving up in anticipation of possibly losing them. Less spending means even more lost jobs, and the cycle of pessimism continues. Consumer confidence, however illusory, is the quick-fix for our immediate economic problems.

Ironically, I think a Reaganesque figure who just pretended things were okay would do a better job of ending the recession than Obama. I understand his desire to fix the credit crises (both with respect to sub-prime mortgages hurting the banks and international lending) in the long term, but all his rhetoric is doing is exacerbating the short-term problems. I wish he'd send me a lot of money.

I should think that whoever was booing was booing torture, not the idea that torture is something that America does not do.

Ive never seen anyone who can annoy me more than Nancy Pelosi. Im sure even Obama was thinking to himself "Let a knee grow get a word in" around the fifth time she jumped out of her seat clapping.

Nice speech otherwise.

Dead on. Its no coincidence that the market drops every time the guy has opened his mouth thus far. Tonights speech, however, along with Bernakes testimony should end that trend.

I didn't hear boos I heard cheers when he mentioned that (inherited deficits), which is kind of unfortunate if you think about it.

The president did great, my only suggestion would be sit Pelosi somewhere else, she and her grin are awfully distracting.

Why the fuck is Jindal speaking like that? He never sounds like this. This is bizarre.

Does Jindal always sound this phony?

No. This is really bizarre.

He sounds like a commercial for a local car dealership.

The reason why so many people are as afraid as they are is because the media cant stop talking about it. Those who actually pay attention to both leading and lagging economic indicators (the ones who dont simply watch the news or listen to talk radio) realize that what we are going through now isnt anywhere close to being close to the Great Depression and has much more in common with what occured in the mid 70s.

Tough. Bold. Inspiring. Obama was brilliant tonight. Appreciate a President talking beyond the room; leading the nation. I was moved to the verge of tears a few times because I'd forgotten the feeling of patriotic pride. What a difference a year makes.

Bobby Jindal's voice sounds oddly familiar:

Thanks, Jindal. Now everyone is going to think we're even more fucked up than they did before.

Seriously, what the hell? He always sounds a little bit phoney, but this is completely insane. It sounds like he's reading a story to pre-schoolers.

Bobby Jindal should be shilling Hydroxycut, not talking politics.

I want Edwin Edwards back. Somebody let him out of jail.

I was just about to post the exact same thing.

"LET me tell you a STORY!" What a weird cadence he has...

Jindal sounds like he's trying out a more down home accent. Not. Fucking. Working.

Obama: references the civil war, the great depression, and WWII as examples of U.S. know-how and resilience.

Jindal: 9/11. Suck my dick, I'm a shark.

If you think about who he's speaking to, he kind of is.

This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It's not just quitting on yourself, it's quitting on your country - and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.

I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country - Senator Edward Kennedy.
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Great and all, but why don't we start helping those who are extremely tied down with student loan debt? I'm hovering around 160,000 in debt and while I'm in law school, jobs are awfully hard to come by if you aren't a minority or a rich WASP with connections.

One year of community college at some places won't even cost you two thousand dollars.

Also, props to Obama for managing to ignore this person over his left shoulder




EDIT: Also, when Obama talked about curing cancer, I LOLd

WTF, is Jindal babbling about? I thought he was supposed to address Obama's speech. How did this insurance salesman get elected gov.??

If this the guy is the future of the Republican Party then all I can say is...Ceeeeeelebrate Good Times, C'mon!!

I want to hear what David Brooks had to say about Jindal's speech.

Kathleen Blanco fucked up Hurricane Katrina so badly that it was a forgegone conclusion that the next race would go to a Republican. She saw the writing on the wall and opted not to run, leaving the opposition vote to be split among several individuals with no real shot at winning.

The market will keep dropping till people that should have never been in it in the first place are out. No investment should grow more then 2-3% a year, realisticlly.

Obama had a good speech. If Jindal is the best the republican party can do, they are in serious trouble.

Whatever you say, Marie Antoinette. ETA:

I could only listen to part of Jindal's speech, but my son nailed it when he said, "He sounds like the guy that reads the Huck Finn audiobook."

I don't think that was the real Jindal. That was clearly Johnny Cab.

By the way, did you see the starry-eyed Congressional interns awaiting Obama on his way out? I haven't seen that much gleamy wet pussy on TV since that cat got dropped into that tub that one time.

Something was really off with Jindal's delivery. I could swear he never had an accent like that before. Going to Youtube it to make sure.....

Back with a clip.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h5DD_I7WL8

Definitely thicker in the GOP response.....

Jindal was aweful. Obama was fantastic. "you don't mess with Joe" and Bidens reaction were unintentionally hilarious.

And I love the bitter old man stare McCain is giving Obama.

Jindal was hilarious. THIS guy is one of the best GOP has to offer?

Jindal looked like the guy who had to go after the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show.

Sorry, saying you inherited deficits is only an excuse if you yourself are not proposing trillions of dollars in spending.

Yes, Obama inherited a deficit from Bush with TARP the Mortgage bailout and other economic stop gaps that were approved from Nov-January however Obama was left with all that money to spend, Bush only spent $350bn from Tarp, that leaves almost a trillion left for Obama to spend before he passed his spending (labeled Stimulus) bill and now his congress wants to push through anther $410bn in spending for projects that Bush said were too expensive at the time.

Sorry, when the country is in the shitter and millions of Americans are faced with an ever growing concern about when they'll be able to retire because their 401k's have evaporated, their home values have deteriorated and their hours are cut back, hearing about how the government is going to extend this financial mess with even higher deficit spending just doesn't reassure me.

Cause you really went into this speech with an open mind right? Nothing he could have said would have elicited a positive response from you.

Freezing spending, addressing the $4bn in pork that is attached to the $410bn spending bill (or you know, saying he'll put his foot down and veto it), making a commitment to ensure people who are up for retirement in the next 0-5 years will have government assistance (spending money on everything else, why not) would have gone a long way to wooing me over.