Forum Post: Obama's 2013 SOTU Address & GOP Responses | In Depth

POTUS w/the Mostest | Feb 13, 2013 | http://www.randirhodes.com/main.html

Now that was a State of the Union Address that really included the “state of the union” part. Obama told Republicans the way things are! And more importantly, he told them how things are going to be. In one beautiful moment, Obama gave a shout out to a climate change bill once pushed by John McCain! McCain grinned, but you could tell he was mad. That will all just come out at somebody else at a confirmation hearing a year from now, and nobody will know why Grandpa is so angry.

The President said every child should have high-quality pre-school. Republicans are not going to want to provide pre-school for young kids. Now if there was a way to provide pre-pre-pre-school to fetuses, they’d be all for it! Obama proposed a bipartisan commission to look into the problems with voting. It would be good to have Republicans involved—they understand this problem. Heck, they designed it! Obama said “We can fix this.” That was a very diplomatic way to put it. He could have just said “Republicans need to stop doing this.” The crescendo of the speech came when the President spoke about gun violence. The President made a strong case for gun control when he pointed out all the people in the chamber who had been harmed by gun violence. He probably could have made an even stronger case if he had pointed out Ted Nugent.

Marco Rubio’s rebuttal speech was a real stretch. Bada boom! The only thing that came off worse than Marco Rubio lunging for a drink of water was when Rubio was actually speaking. Marco, next time, just drink water the entire time. You can try to talk while you’re doing it. It’ll be better if people can’t understand what you’re saying anyway. Rubio’s entire presentation was shaky, sweaty, and frightened-looking. I’ve seen hostage videos where the people on camera looked more comfortable.

Rubio made a big deal that he still lives in a blue-collar West Miami neighborhood home. He didn’t mention that he’s trying to sell it for $675,000. Rubio said “Mr. President, I still live in the same working class neighborhood I grew up in.” When you know the real story, you realize that isn’t a boast—it’s a complaint! “Thank God I’m getting out. Hello Georgetown!”

IN DEPTH: The 2013 SOTU And Responses

If you missed the President delivering his State of the Union speech, or either GOP response, we've got them all here, to watch & read.

http://www.randirhodes.com/pages/rrnews.html?feed=393046&article=10810695

Read more: http://www.randirhodes.com/pages/rrnews.html?feed=393046&article=10810695#ixzz2KpAqWxdV

Matthews Blasts Rubio's Rebuttal Speech as 'Tinker Toy'

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/matthews-blasts-rubios-rebuttal-speech-tin

The Most Important Policies In President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address

By National Journal Staff | February 12, 2013 | 11:33 p.m.

President Obama on Tuesday challenged Congress to find a way to dodge the sequester and seize the opportunity for more-enduring deficit reduction, using his fourth State of the Union address to paint lawmakers as the obstacle to a more prosperous and inclusive country.

On fiscal matters, immigration reform, and gun control, Obama depicted Congress—and Republicans, specifically—as the stumbling block, on the heels of a reelection campaign frequently decried for not offering concrete proposals.

Obama vowed that "America’s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure,” but announced the withdrawal of 34,000 U.S. troops from that war zone within a year, and vowed that the war would be over by the end of 2014.

Citing a “decade of grinding war” and the “grueling recession,” Obama said, “Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger.”

In one of two mentions of his erstwhile rival, Obama proposed boosting the federal minimum hourly wage to $9 from $7.25, and mentioned that he and Mitt Romney “actually agreed” on indexing the rate to cost of living.

Obama’s minimum-wage overture reflects Democratic confidence that Republicans are wedged in an electoral bear trap. Accede too willingly to the president’s agenda, and they have abandoned their base and their principles. Oppose him at every turn—particularly on a matter as salient as minimum wage—and hazard being seen as callous to the plight of the working class, and unwilling to reinvigorate the middle class. The GOP hammered Democrats during the 2012 campaign with allegations of apathy toward small businesses—recall the crowing over Obama’s “you didn’t build that” remark—and lost, and Obama has evinced little sign of yielding that advantage.

CONTINUED: http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/the-most-important-policies-in-president-obama-s-2013-state-of-the-union-address-20130212