State of the Union: “Our generation’s NUDNIK moment”
TweetDefinition of NUDNIK: a person who is a bore or nuisance [from Yiddish - Websters].
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President Obama’s speech was so dull, and so without relevance to what will occur in the 112th Congress, that moving on from it with good speed is no doubt the smartest thing to do, although a few words seem to be demanded. (I had hoped the mixed-up seating of Republicans and Democrats together would at least result in a few fist-fights, but no such good fortune.)
Even the AP, fact checking his laundry list this morning, is willing to pronounce it sheer fantasy.
He will “freeze spending” for five years at its current out-of-control levels (an embrace of doom in itself) — while simultaneously “investing” in high-speed rail, electric cars, education, construction and on and on. (And never mind that he kicked off his presidency with a nearly-trillion dollar “stimulus” that was ostensibly going to do much the same thing.)
I remember how in one of the debates with McCain in the fall of 2008, Obama similarly kept invoking a litany of things that he would have America “invest” in when he was president — pretty much the identical litany to last night’s, in fact. And, with the economy audibly tumbling down around our ears, I screamed at the TV: “With what money? You have no money!!” It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter then, and doesn’t matter now. Obama is not governing to lift America out of this economic crisis. It has never been on his agenda. The widespread unemployment and the economic misery has been for him at best a crisis to exploit, and at worst a mere irritant in the background. His agenda is to transform America into a place where government is the beginning and end of everything, reaching into virtually all areas of our lives.
His first two years, with Democratic control of Congress, were about passing the legislation that would spark this transformation, most notably the health care plan. These next two years will be about implementation, about holding that ground, and about attempting to engineer an electoral victory in 2012 through political gamesmanship and theater. Obama knows that he can’t move forward with his agenda given the fact that Americans awarded such a massive victory to Republicans in the midterms. His speech last night was merely about filling up time and trying out some rhetorical approaches.
Here’s some advice for him on those: they fell flat.
A “Sputnik moment”? What a bizarre choice as the central image of his speech, this reference to a Russian satellite from over fifty years ago. And in any case, jarringly inappropriate for a number of reasons. There is no “Sputnik” — a specific and tangible object and event that should make us want to respond. He’s telling us to trust him; Obama says there is a Sputnik, although we can’t see it or hear its beeping, and in order to compete with the invisible Sputnik we must follow the steps on his agenda. Persuasive?
In addition, if the space race was such a brilliant and stimulative phenomenon for America — as arguably it indeed was — why isn’t President Obama proposing exactly the same thing? In fact, when he entered office, there were plans on the table for NASA to return people to the moon, and build a base, in advance of a longer term plan to send people to Mars. Obama dumped those plans, and diminished NASA. High-speed rail is supposed to capture our imagination and prompt an explosion of invention? (I love trains — the most civilized way to travel, but that doesn’t mean I think America should spend billions building them for me and my hard-to-find ilk.) The very concept of high-speed rail is a crock in America, as Michael Barone has recently pointed out. And in saying he wants to set a goal that America will generate 80% of its electricity from “clean energy” by 2035, Obama is touching on the fact that only through legislative compulsion will such a switch be engineered (as in the switch from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs). And how will compelling Americans to buy more expensive energy help the economy? Will it make American products more competitive in the world, or just more over-priced?
There is nuclear energy, a proven and economically viable alternative, but every time we hear Obama pay lip service to that, it is only infuriating. He would not have killed the Yucca Mountain project if he had any interest in a future for nuclear energy in the United States.
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That’s it — enough on Obama’s incoherent prime-time palaver.
By contrast, Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) delivered a poised and on-point response — easily the best response to a presidential State of the Union in many years. Hearing him was like coming back to reality; not a beautiful reality, but at least one where the ground can be felt under your feet. As Jim Geraghty remarked while it was ongoing, “Obama is the salesman assuring you that you can afford the new car. Ryan is your accountant, reminding you that you can’t.” But not a cold, disconnected accountant. Ryan came across as intelligent, sincere and committed.
A few years ago, reducing spending was important. Today, it’s imperative. Here’s why.
We face a crushing burden of debt. The debt will soon eclipse our entire economy, and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead.
On this current path, when my three children – who are now 6, 7, and 8 years old – are raising their own children, the Federal government will double in size, and so will the taxes they pay.
No economy can sustain such high levels of debt and taxation. The next generation will inherit a stagnant economy and a diminished country.
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This morning, the news is that this year’s deficit will hit a record 1.5 trillion. Talk of freezing spending (other than for high-speed rail, clean energy, education, construction, etc, etc.) is revealed yet again as being absurd and irresponsible. The roll-back to 2008 levels, which the House Republicans are pursuing, is the the sane course.
The State of the Union is over, thank the Lord, for another year. Now those elected by the voters of America in November to start fixing the state of this union had better knuckle down, put the pedal to the metal, and keep the target in their crosshairs.
Unwatchble show except for Boehner’s eye rolling – and wondering if he’d keep from crying. It was close but he kept the tears inside – good man.