STATE OF THE UNION, THOUGHTS ON, THE DAY AFTER
WELL, THE PRESIDENT said my or mine 18 times and used I 88 times. AP found ten stretches of the truth, and I found at least two more they missed. He said that economists on both left and right supported the stimulus bill, but I don’t know of a single one on the right and I would like him to name one. And, he mentioned the Department of Justice cracking down on voter intimidation, but failed to mention that they dropped the case against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia, one case millions of Americans saw thanks to TV coverage and You Tube. Why was that case dropped Mr President?
THEN, HE SHOWED JUST how ill-informed he is when he scolded the Supreme Court for their decision in Citizens United vs FEC, issued last week. It does not allow foreign corporations to make political contributions and it did not change the limit on how much can be given directly to a candidate in a Federal election. It does not reverse a century of law and judicial decisions. Justice Alito was correct in mouthing ‘you’re wrong’ to him. He used to teach Constitutional Law, or so he claims, but I don’t think it is our Constitution he was teaching. I sit on the board of directors of Citizens United, so I know a bit about the case. Mr, President, wrong again.
AND, I WAS NOT SURPRISED by his calling for an end to partisan haggling but then bashing Bush. Or taking credit for ending the war in Iraq, but giving no credit to the surge. Remember when he and Reid and so many others in 2006-7 claimed that the war was lost? When he blames Bush for the financial mess and the spending, he shows his ignorance about the Constitution again, since he is either unaware or forgot that the Democrats took Congess in 2006, that all spending bills originate in the House, that Bush couldn’t spend a dime without Democratic approval? Do those in Congress since 2006 bear any of the responsibility? Mr President, wrong again.
DESPITE ALL THE TALK ABOUT WHAT a great orator he is, are there any memorable phrases from any of his speeches? (” Yes, we can” doesn’t count). This guy is stuck on himself and his ideology. Last night was the perfect chance to be humble, admit some mistakes were made and alter course. Instead, it’s all about him, he blames everyone else and puts his ignorance on display. He is going nowhere fast, his domestic agenda is in tatters and even the Obama girl has given up on him. Mr President, wrong again.
I WILL BE ATTENDING the Roanoke Conference this weekend in Ocean Shores. It’s a first time gathering of Republicans and I will be mcing some of the events. I will fill you all in on Sunday night or Monday. Have a great weekend.
PS – BTW, DID anyone watch the GOP response delivered by Governor McDonnell of Virginia? Thoughts?
14 Responses to “STATE OF THE UNION, THOUGHTS ON, THE DAY AFTER”
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You are wrong. Check out the NYT analysis and the article in the Harvard Law Record and tha analysis by Bradley Smith and…BTW, does it not bother you that the government claimed the power to ban a book under the law? Probably not, if it’s the right kind of book, right? And, remember, the public disclosure requirements are still there. And, a foreign-owned but US incorporated and headquartered subsidiary, using US funds, controlled solely by US citizens can legally operate a PAC under current law, so this decision does not ‘allow’ foreign corporations to get involved in US elections. Besides, I wqould think you would support the kind of people Hugo Chavez would support.
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john vasko says:
The Gov. responded with arguments against the BO/Dem policies, some good, some a little tired.
His presentation lacked fire, charisma and rhetoric. Kind of vanilla. -
Joann says:
Let’s see, he was the one that spoke about free enterprise and the limited role of government, right? Wow! What a concept! His speech was like water in the desert and a welcome relief. Words like “we”, “our”, “your” “the people” not to mention “God Bless this great land of America” gives real hope about our future.
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Elaine says:
I totally agree with you Kirby. He frequently says that it is not about him. It is all about him, his agenda, his power seeking and his huge ego. It is not about the American people, our Country or our National security. We need to make him powerless in 2010, He has done enough damage. He is the laughing stock in every country. Vote carefully!!!
God Bless American and our Brave Men and Women in Uniform. -
A standing ovation for you Kirby! Well said! My favorite part of Gov. McDonnell was his sharing that his twin sons gave him 10 minutes and then they were going to watch Sports Center. The “crowd” may have seemed a little contrived to some but overall thought he did very well.
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Meishelle Haverkamp says:
Governor McDonnell hit it out of the ballpark! He gave a smaller government, controlled spending, more freedom message that was well thought out, brief, and easy to follow. It was the exact opposite of President Obama’s rambling, pro-government, blame and intimidation address.
See you at the conference!
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Bob Eberle says:
Claire and I watched Bob McDonald, VA Governor, in his “response”. He did a great job. He didn’t mealymouth trying to be cooperative. He went right at them, and the problem the Progressive Democrats are generating. McDonald was really good.
Some quetion in my mind regarding the Roanoke Conference sponsors. Be watching for your comments.
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jay gale says:
Hi Kirby,
I thought the response was pretty tepid, the Repubs better get some fire in their bellies or there won’t be a repeat of 1994, and Scott Brown will be an isolated victory
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Jerry Cochrun says:
Great job Kirby!
I was screaming at the television the entire speach, this President is not an honest man!
I was most disturbed by his scolding of the Supreme Court, his dissing SHOULD HAVE showed the American people just how little respect he has for the separation of powers, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution!
As Juan Williams said on Fox News, this is ‘very dangerous to our democracy’.
Jay Gales comment is exactly correct, Republicans better get some fire in their bellies, we better stop taking the high road and being so nice and P.C., we better start playing hardball!
The whole Supreme Court scolding should be an outrage in the media!
Thaks again Kirby! -
Ken Mortland says:
OK, as I understand it, Citizens United v. FEC was a 5-4 decision. That would mean that there was nearly as much dissent as support. Not knowing the actual roll call vote, I would, however, speculate that it followed political lines, with liberals in opposition and conservatives in support. Therefore, it qualifies as a political decision, regardless of the arguments used to justify each justice’s choice.
I’m not currently distressed by the door that the decision has opened. But, it’s clear liberals are distressed. They seem to take no comfort in the fact that the ruling seems to open the same door for unions, as it does for corporations.
I’m not qualified to judge whether foreign corporations can make this new ruling work in their behalf. If it does, that would be unfortunate. But, alterations in the incorporation laws of the US should help to address that issue.
I don’t think it appropriate for corporations with US subsidiaries, but are from right wing or left wing nationalist governments, who often control their corporate worlds, being able to influence our elections, any more than I think it was appropriate for the US to influence elections in Nicaragua to end Sandinista rule. Such decisions are the prerogative of the citizens within the country.
I remain somewhat surprised at the objection to the unusual nature of this comment in the SOTU. After all, this president did promise to provide “change”. I’m thinking we’d better be expecting more of it, too.
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Linda says:
The overall lesson here is: NEVER, NEVER elect an attorney to the office of President.
We have learned from both Clinton and Obama that a lawyer simply cannot be transparent or tell the truth—and they lack common sense, better known as “Wisdom”.
Obama, like any good attorney, has the ability to make you feel good after he has delivered a speech, but he also has the ability to lie and not even try to keep his promises. So (just as a test), lets see how fast he gets to drilling for oil on American soil and American coasts!! The “Drilling for Oil” promise should be a test by which he and the Democratic party should be measured every single day!!
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Gary Plavidal says:
This was the first time that I can remember where the response was actually more effective the SOTUA.
BO’s speech was mostly zzzzzzzzzz seasoned with rank hypocrisy and and a heaping measure of falsehood–dare I say it: HE LIED–but there’s nothing new about that.
You are wrong about Citizens United, during the oral argument both Justices Ginsburg and Stevens asked whether foreign interests would be able to funnel money into American elections through their U.S. subsidiaries if the court struck down 441b. One of the attorneys for Citizens United replied, “I would not rule that out.” Sure, 2 U.S.C 441(e) bans contributions and expenditures by foreign nationals. But there is nothing to prevent Hugo Chavez,for example, from establishing a U.S. subsidiary to funnel the contributions. Now tell me who is ill-informed?