State-of-the-Union

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Jan..27, 2010
All Rights Reserved.                    

                 Facing an angry mob, President Barack Obama must pull a rabbit out of his hat tonight at his State-of-the-Union address, tempered by buyers’ remorse after nearly a year in office.  When he beat Sen. John McCain Nov. 4, 2008, expectations soared for a new era in American politics, healed by a new voice preaching hope and optimism about the future.  One year into his reign, Obama finds himself in the unenviable position of explaining a slow response to a stubborn recession, with many Americans looking dismally at the futures.  When Barack took office Jan. 20, 2009, he enjoyed a euphoric honeymoon, cutting the 48-year-old former first-term Illinois senator plenty of slack.  Obama asked for patience but got more frustration from voters expecting better results from his first year.  Today’s State-of-the-Union speech must allay lingering doubts about his leadership.

            Barack’s problem involves growing skepticism about his leadership abilities, having already failed to deliver bipartisanship to Washington.  When he crusaded for president, Obama spoke often of a new post-partisan era, where liberals and conservatives could join hands for the common good.  His decision to allow House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to direct White House efforts on health care reform demonstrated weak leadership skills, especially allowing the country to divide itself along ideological lines.  Not a single Republican elected official supported Barack’s health care reform, partly due to the GOP’s attempt to derail Obama’s political freight-train.  Republicans and independents, like Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), couldn’t trust Barack’s reassurances about the effect of health care reform on the U.S. economy.

            Despite low approval ratings on health care, Democrats pushed for health care reform at the expense of more pressing problems, especially a stubborn recession with over 10% unemployment.  Barack’s popularity wasn’t helped Dec. 2 when he decided to add 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.  When Democrats lost their supermajority Jan. 19 with Massachusetts’ state Sen. Scott Brown winning the late Sen. Ted Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) seat, Barack’s signature health care legislation was derailed.  Tonight’s State-of-the-Union speech presents a slippery slope for Barack, wanting, on the one hand, to reassert his control as president, while, on the other, offer an olive branch to a hostile opposition.  Barack must acknowledge his defeat while appealing to the GOP for more work on health care reform.  Barack knows Republicans want to take more seats in the midterm elections.

            Barack’s speech must cover all the bases without looking like he’s given up on important legislative goals.  Taking his lumps without whining defuses the opposition looking to catch the president in a weak moment.  While it hurts to take the criticism, accepting it demonstrates character to what many see as abuse.  In today’s contentious atmosphere, Barack needs to show graciousness to his critics while, at the same time, displaying persistence in advancing his political agenda.  Because unemployment reigns supreme, Barack must show an unflagging commitment to jumpstart the economy.  It’s not the best time to berate Wall Street and push tougher regulations when the economy reels from a stubborn recession.  Barack walks a fine line blaming lax regulation for the current economic mess, yet asking Wall Street to help fix the problem.

            When Barack sent 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan Dec. 2, his liberal base, independents and crossover Republicans got buyer’s remorse.  Voters need to be reassured that the president continues, in Iraq and Afghanistan, to expedite an end to both wars.  War spending has contributed to ballooning budget deficits, and a lack of resources for domestic programs.  Scaling back defense spending and shifting priorities to an aggressive domestic agenda filled with FDR-Keynesian-like public works programs, helps reassure voters that the White House is committed to jobs rebuilding infrastructure.  Beyond that, Obama must reassure Wall Street that he intends to remove regulatory obstacles for small businesses, the backbone of the U.S. economy.  Talking up regulatory reform now only plays into GOP complaints that the president shows bias against the private sector.

            Obama’s State-of-the-Union must send a loud message to his GOP critics that he remains securely at the government’s helm.  While he missed some opportunities trying to overhaul the nation’s health care system, he’s poised to lead the country to economic recovery.  Phasing out costly foreign wars should be center of any plan to change priorities from defense to domestic spending.  Committing billions to high-speed rail in Florida and California shows that the president’s commitment to the kinds of new infrastructure designed to reduce the current staggering levels of unemployment.  Obama is savvy enough to know that the federal government can’t employ the bulk of the nation’s unemployed.  Barack must reassure a nervous Wall Street that, despite past abuses, he intends to remove roadblocks, open doors and help the nation’s business community flourish.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.